Bands with one to zero original members

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by HoratioH, Aug 10, 2018.

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  1. manco

    manco Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    I'm absolutely amazed how the general paying public doesn't care about things like artistic integrity.
     
  2. Odysseus

    Odysseus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Can't he just try less and retire? Does the world really need Foreigner to be on tour?

    Jones certainly can't need the money at this point.
     
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  3. BigBadWolf

    BigBadWolf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kernersville, NC
    I asked my kids this hypothetical one day: say you have a band where over time, one by one, the members are replaced, so that in, oh, I don't know, 20 years none of the original members are left. Keep in mind the group's name never changed. Is it the same band as it was when it started?
     
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  4. anth67

    anth67 Purveyor of Hogwash

    Location:
    PNW USA
    This reminds me of Grand Funk Railroad. Though they have two original members, they not only pulled dicey legal maneuvers to fire Mark Farner ~ the most important member, who wrote most of their biggest songs and all their best ones ~ but then sued him when he mentioned Grand Funk in adverts of his solo shows.

    Just a disgrace, and really sad, to take the identity of someone's own life's work away from them.
     
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  5. gregorya

    gregorya I approve of this message

    Perhaps Jethro Tulls wins an award as the longest lasting performing rock band that got down to only one original member in the shortest period of time...

    There has to be a tour title in there somewhere... :)
     
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  6. anth67

    anth67 Purveyor of Hogwash

    Location:
    PNW USA
    Fairport Convention might be the only possible challenger. But it took them a whole four years to get down to one original member....
     
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  7. Meyer

    Meyer Heavy Metal Parking Lot Resident

    Saw something called “Jefferson Starship” onstage a few months ago and didn’t recognize anybody.
     
  8. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Compelling thread title...don't believe I've ever heard of a band that ever started with zero original members...:crazy:
     
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  9. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    Renaissance (started 1968 or 69, no original members by 1972) might take the prize.
     
  10. wildstar

    wildstar Senior Member

    Location:
    ontario, canada
    King Crimson probably wins the award (depending on how one wants to split hairs). Officially speaking the entire performing band bar Fripp quit at the end of the tour for the first album. Greg Lake left to join ELP and McDonald & Giles quit to work as a duo (for only one album as it turned out, but its a good one) and to become session musicians, and also according to Fripp they didnt want to be touring anymore since they had just fallen in love. No - not with each other. If you want to see who they fell in love with, check out the cover of the McDonald/Giles album, released the year after they quit King Crimson.

    So on the second album the only official member was Fripp (unless you want to count their original non-performing, but credited band member Peter Sinfield who provided only lyrics and concert lighting, never receiving any musician credit until the third album - VCS3 synth on two songs - and no musician credit at all on the first two albums and fourth album, after which Fripp fired him, so really I'd consider that to be just a bit of session work for the band), but two of the three former members appeared as session musicians (as did another from the proto-King Crimson band 'Giles, Giles & Fripp'. Peter Giles from GG&F played bass, Michael Giles from both bands played drums, and Greg Lake from the original KC (and by that time currently in ELP) sang most, but not all of the lead vocals. There was no tour for the second album and by the third album there was a completely new King Crimson lineup with not even any guest/session musician appearances by any ex-member..
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2018
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  11. groundharp

    groundharp Maybe your friends think I'm just a stranger

    Location:
    California Day
    Most recent Yes tour (in US) included original member Tony Kaye. Obviously a move to boost authenticity.
     
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  12. RangerXT

    RangerXT Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Unless you count ARW as Yes as well, which would make sense given that ARW has more founding members than the "real" Yes.
     
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  13. RangerXT

    RangerXT Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    True, although he's not technically an official member, just a special guest in the same way that Trevor Horn has been the past several years.
     
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  14. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    I saw that, that's very cool. I randomly saw them when they toured with Journey and Mick was out sick. So it literally was 100% a cover band. What killed me is that no one in the audience really seemed to notice.
     
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  15. anth67

    anth67 Purveyor of Hogwash

    Location:
    PNW USA
    As a fan of those men and, yeah, given their superior lineup of ex-members, I do consider it a Yes experience (was happy to catch them last year). But I don't count them for this thread, as it's the band actually billing themselves as Yes that fits the premise being lamented. "Anderson Rabin Wakeman" is truth in advertising. "Yes," in my opinion, is not.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2018
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  16. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I believe Molly Hatchet has no original members.
     
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  17. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Talking of groups who managed a high turnover of personnel in a short time, cult Scottish beat group The Poets (who existed from 1962-1971) fascinate me in this regard. Their line up is relatively stable in their early era from 1962 - 1966, with out of 5 members, only the rhythm guitarist and the drummer being replaced. But between their early 1966 single ‘Baby Dont you do it’ and their early 1967 single ‘Wooden Spoon’, the entire personnel other than the rhythm guitarist (who wasn’t an original anyway) has switched. Not only that, but by 1968, after more line up changes, only the bass player remained from even the ‘Wooden Spoon’ line up! They had a complete turnover of original members by 1966 and (other that the bassist) nearly had a second complete turnover by 1968! Crazy.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2018
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  18. Farmer Mike

    Farmer Mike Forum Resident

    Some acts don't have any artistic integrity to give up.
     
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  19. Farmer Mike

    Farmer Mike Forum Resident

    Neal Doughty is the only original member in REO Speedwagon

    Is Dale Bozzio still fronting some version of Missing Persons?
     
  20. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    The Quarrymen only had one original left in the group by 1959. Just the original lead singer flogging the group name with a couple of no mark replacements backing him up. Sad!

    Fortunately they reformed in the 90s with a higher compliment of originals and restored their reputation.
     
  21. PretzelLogic

    PretzelLogic Feeling duped by MoFi? You probably deserve it.

    Location:
    London, England
    Human League is down to one original member.

    Dexys Midnight Runners was down to one by their second album (with one other co-writing and sessioning), but managed to regain three returners by their fourth.
     
    negative1 likes this.
  22. Safeway 1

    Safeway 1 "mad, bad, and dangerous to know"

    Location:
    Manzanillo, Mexico
    All of this shows how amazing it is that these 3 are still connected. Those blood transfusions certainly helped.


    [​IMG]
     
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  23. uzn007

    uzn007 Watcher of the Skis

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    That and two bucks will get you a cup of coffee.
     
  24. uzn007

    uzn007 Watcher of the Skis

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    And they're called "Grandpa's Axe"... :D
     
  25. Bob J

    Bob J Forum Resident

    Iron Butterfly. Five guys in the current band, zero original members.
     
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