Bands that lost just one player and lost their way

As there is another thread that speaks to new blood helping to improve a band, there must be some bands that lost just one player and went down the tubes.

My pick? Moody Blues when they lost Mike Pinder.

 

Pearl Jam after Dave Abbruzzese. They still had some good albums but it just wasn't the same.

 

Led Zeppelin losing John Bonham. Simply devastating to the band & fans alike.

 

Chicago- Terry Kath, at least to old fans.

 

REM after Bill Berry

 

Weezer after Matt Sharp.

 

Yes, thinking of Bonham too, but then with Led Zeppelin they didn't try to keep going; they just gave up.

 

FM after Buckingham.

Whitesnake after Doug Aldrich.

Dio after Campbell.

 

The Who after Keith died.

 

J. Geils Band after Peter Wolf.

 

Didn’t the Chili Peppers have a guitar player (Frusciante?) who helped them reach another level musically? And after he left they couldn’t sustain it?

I might be remembering wrong.

 

Gin Blossoms after A&M screwed over the band by forcing Doug Hopkins out.

 

• Queensrÿche after Chris DeGarmo
• R.E.M. after Bill Berry
• Supertramp after Roger Hodgson
• The Rolling Stones after Bill Wyman (more so than after losing Brian Jones or Mick Taylor).

 

Stone Roses without Reni. Lost their unique sound, sense of the band being a gang and that's when it all started to fall apart.

 

GNR without Izzy Stradlin.

 

the stranglers without hugh!

 

Beatles imploded pretty quickly when Lennon left.

 

Genesis without Phil Collins

 

Actually that’s not quite true. But good for the myth. Paul and George were working together right up to January 1970, and Klein convinced John to keep quiet about the whole thing forcing McCartney to go public, and then sue - that killed The Beatles.

I love this quote from Harrison’s affidavit from Paul’s lawsuit (John and George being on the same side):

“Since the (Get Back) row, Paul has treated me more as a musical equal. I think this whole episode shows how a disagreement could be worked out so that we all benefited. I just could not believe it when, just before Christmas, I received a letter from Paul’s lawyers. I still cannot understand why Paul acted as he did.”

Lennon failed to mention that he had left the band during the proceedings.

When Pete Ham killed himself, that ended Badfinger. That would be my pick.

 

Genesis without Peter Gabriel and then Steve Hackett

 

The Doors

 

Pistols without Matlock.
Clash without Topper.
Clash without Mick.

 

Bit like Zeppelin and Bonham - they didn’t loose their way. They were done. The last two Jim-less albums don’t count IMHO

 

Rossi and Parfitt were not Status Quo.

[Coughlan then Lancaster who sued.]

 

True, but they tried to make them count, which is I suppose is what the thread is about. They didn't just call it a day like Zep.