Groups that declined when members other than the vocalist died / left?

[Operation Ripper]

As groups' vocalists often seem to be the head of the outfit, what ones have declined when other members have died or left?

The one I can think of is The Allman Brothers Band (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Allman_Brothers_Band) after Duanne Allman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duane_Allman) died.

Anyone else come up with anything?

[Revtim]

Led Zeppelin, when drummer John Bonham died.

[Hombre]

As groups' vocalists often seem to be the head of the outfit, what ones have declined when other members have died or left?

The one I can think of is The Allman Brothers Band (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Allman_Brothers_Band) after Duanne Allman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duane_Allman) died.

Anyone else come up with anything?
Revtim beat me to Zep.

Not sure what you mean by "declined" but I thought 'Eat A Peach' and 'Brothers And Sisters' were great albums.

I'd say The Police post Sting. And what was Phil Collins' band?

[Operation Ripper]

Mods?

Another contribution might be The Who, post Moon?

[Good Egg]

Lynard Skynard?

[fishbicycle]

Chicago, post-Terry Kath. Actually, I just finished listening to them!

[Rico]

<mod>

Yup, Cafe Society it is.

No problem. I'll move it for you.

</mod>

[soulmurk]

Metallica suffered when bassist Cliff Burton died. They put out a good album in ...And Justice for All afterward, excepting that it remains noticably lacking in the bass guitar area. Then came a string of albums that each progressively came closer to total suckitude. Then Cliff's replacement, Jason Newsted, left and they've been circling the drain ever since.

[Superdude]

Metallica suffered when bassist Cliff Burton died. They put out a good album in ...And Justice for All afterward, excepting that it remains noticably lacking in the bass guitar area. Then came a string of albums that each progressively came closer to total suckitude. Then Cliff's replacement, Jason Newsted, left and they've been circling the drain ever since.

The problem with your scenario, however, is that Metallica didn't get good until Newstead joined the band.

[Ins&Outs&What-have-yous]

Hmm, after Keith Richard(s) died, The Rolling Stones.... :p

Posted by Good Egg
Lynard Skynard?

Actually, Ronnie Vanzant was Skynyrd's singer; he died in the 1977 plane crash that also killed two other members. However, Ronnie's younger brother became Skynyrd's singer during the 1990s.


IMO, The Who's music certainly declined in quality after Keith Moon died.

[soulmurk]

The problem with your scenario, however, is that Metallica didn't get good until Newstead joined the band.

I'll admit that that is a perfectly viable opinion, but that's not one I can say I've ever heard before or agree with. Master of Puppets remains their pinnacle, but that debate is for another thread.

[pokey]

Well it's a Canadian band and it's probably open to debate but I thought Blue Rodeo went to absolute shit after keyboardist Bob Wiseman left. They went from being a cool alt-country band to being a sort of boring pretend country adult contemporary band. He's interesting and the rest of them are not. At least not to me. I just never thought that was any kind of coincidence. He left and I lost interest. On the other hand, maybe he just lost interest a bit ahead of me, him being on the inside and all.

[Superdude]

I'll admit that that is a perfectly viable opinion, but that's not one I can say I've ever heard before or agree with. Master of Puppets remains their pinnacle, but that debate is for another thread.

To continue this hijack briefly, allow me to clarify:

Master of Puppets WAS a good album. But I felt like they hit their stride with Jason Newstead. However, the last good song they recorded was, "Until It Sleeps," and the window has shut.

[InternetLegend]

I hate to say it, but R.E.M. took a nose-dive after Bill Berry (the drummer) left.

[Bearflag70]

Duran Duran started downhill after Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor left. The decline went further when John Taylor left the band with just Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, and Warren Cuccurullo.

[Tarrsk]

Weezer began their inexorable downward slide the moment Matt Sharp, the bassist on the Blue Album and on Pinkerton, left. Their latest album is one of the worst I've ever heard.

A damned shame, too, since those first two albums didn't have a single weak track on them, just one brilliant pop tune after another.

[Good Egg]

Wham? ;)

[Superdude]

The band Queensryche really started to diminish in quality when guitarist Chris DeGarmo left.

Didn't Genesis decline when Mike Rutherford left?

[soulmurk]

To continue this hijack briefly, allow me to clarify:

Master of Puppets WAS a good album. But I felt like they hit their stride with Jason Newstead. However, the last good song they recorded was, "Until It Sleeps," and the window has shut.

Then why hasn't Apocalyptica (http://music.yahoo.com/ar-251068-bio--Apocalyptica) covered a song from anything after Justice? :p ;)

[Superdude]

Then why hasn't Apocalyptica (http://music.yahoo.com/ar-251068-bio--Apocalyptica) covered a song from anything after Justice? :p ;)

Because they got YOUR address instead of mine when asking for ideas.

[Taber]

.

Didn't Genesis decline when Mike Rutherford left?

I think it was Steve Hackett leaving that was the cause of Genesis's decline


Ironically, that was the example I had thought of when seeing the thread

[Marley23]

The Beatles, after Paul McCartney. ;)
The one I can think of is The Allman Brothers Band (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Allman_Brothers_Band) after Duanne Allman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duane_Allman) died.
He was the leader of the band, but it was a little more complicated than "they declined after him." They achieved their greatest fame and influence (though they were no longer as intense or creative) after Duane, when "Ramblin' Man" was a big hit and they did (one of?) the first stadium tours. After they lost Berry Oakley in 1972, the 'original' band was kind of doomed. I think they're still doing some excellent stuff today, but that's not really the band that history talks about.

[Revtim]

Oops, I think I misunderstood the OP, I took "declined" to mean "declined to continue as a band", not that the quality of the band's music declines.

[Menocchio]

Then why hasn't Apocalyptica (http://music.yahoo.com/ar-251068-bio--Apocalyptica) covered a song from anything after Justice? :p ;)
They did. "Plays Metallica by Four Cellos" features Enter Sandman and The Unforgiven from the Black Albulm.

[scotandrsn]

Squeeze never bounced back to top quality after the initial departure of Jools Holland.

[Kid_A]

Weezer began their inexorable downward slide the moment Matt Sharp, the bassist on the Blue Album and on Pinkerton, left. Their latest album is one of the worst I've ever heard.

A damned shame, too, since those first two albums didn't have a single weak track on them, just one brilliant pop tune after another.

I came in just to mention Weezer. I listened to Make Believe once and haven't touched it since. It fully deserves its Pitchfork review of 0.4.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Didn't Genesis decline when Mike Rutherford left?

Mike never left the band. He did that Mike + The Mechanics thing in the 80s, but returned to Genesis each time.

[interface2x]

It's debateable, but I think that Depeche Mode just hasn't been the same since Alan Wilder left in 1995. It just became that much more obvious that he was the one really creating the mood and feel of each album, not to mention remixing and reprogramming a lot of good old songs for the concerts. The new album is the only one that comes close to where Alan used to take the sound, but even now it's not the same.

[vl_mungo]

I'd say that Ozzy Osbourne's solo career became much more ordinary after the death of Randy Rhodes

And pokey... I agree with you whole heartedly. I saw Bob Wiseman perform just recently, and it was great. I have no interest in seeing Blue Rodeo again.

[Superdude]

Mike never left the band. He did that Mike + The Mechanics thing in the 80s, but returned to Genesis each time.

I stand corrected. I was never a huge Genesis fan, and only have vague recollections about the early 80's. Not due to age - I'm 32.

[Talon Karrde]

It happened to Pink Floyd twice

Then there's that Velvet Underground album that was recorded after Lou Reed left.

[Good Egg]

Black Sabbath.

[Cardinal]

Weezer began their inexorable downward slide the moment Matt Sharp, the bassist on the Blue Album and on Pinkerton, left.I would think then you haven't heard the Green album, which has songs that should have been big hits. Maladroit also has about 6 songs that I actually like consistently, too.

[Busy Scissors]

Its strange how guys with little discernible talent, like Bez from the Happy Mondays, sometimes hold the whole show together. Take Queens of the Stone Age, for example, Josh Homme sings, plays guitar and is the general creative force of the outfit. Nick Oliveri handles the shouting, class A drug consumption and getting your johnson out on stage duties. Yet when Nick left earlier this year, their subsequent album was noticeably poorer for his absence :confused:

[dalej42]

I'll say the Who after the death of Keith Moon.

The Rolling Stones also after the death of Brian Jones.

Mick Taylor was a great addition, but Brian really added to the Stones.