# Bands that are or became numerically inconsistent **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2017, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494 "2017-12-14T14:04:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/1 "2017-12-14T14:04:12Z")
**Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble**. Double Trouble started out as drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon. They later added a keyboard player as a third member. **Ben Folds Five** , as far as I know, only ever had three members. **Triumvirat** , a German prog-rock band sometimes known as the German ELP, had three members until their bassist/vocalist left the band. They added both a bassist _and_ a vocalist as replacements, bringing the count to four. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/2 "2017-12-14T14:16:12Z")
The Fab Four had a lot of “5th Beatles.” ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/3 "2017-12-14T14:17:55Z")
10,000 Maniacs ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/4 "2017-12-14T14:23:58Z")
One of my favorite album covers is the Chad Mitchell Trio, [with four members walking across a college campus](https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0000/146/MI0000146513.jpg?partner=allrovi.com). Now, the fourth is Jim McGuinn\* who played banjo with them, but it’s still jarring. \*later changed his name when he was given the “spirit name” of Roger, when he was dabbling with Eastern Mysticism while with the Byrds. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/5 "2017-12-14T14:25:46Z")
Last week there was a Pentatonix Christmas special where the group consisted of only four members. I missed the beginning, so there might have been an explanation, and the group still lists five members. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/6 "2017-12-14T15:02:23Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Last week there was a Pentatonix Christmas special where the group consisted of only four members. > > I missed the beginning, so there might have been an explanation, and the group still lists five members. Maybe they recorded it between the [one guy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avi_Kaplan) leaving (amicably) and the new guy joining. That would be between September and October… ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/7 "2017-12-14T15:12:41Z")
Timbuk3 started as a duo and later added two more members. Both hip hop artists [called](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbuktu_(musician)) [Timbuktu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbuktu_(hip_hop_artist)) are soloists. But there are “tu” of them. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/8 "2017-12-14T15:13:34Z")
I’m stretching the rules here (ok breaking them into little pieces) 3 Dog Night recorded their hit song “One” ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/9 "2017-12-14T15:22:40Z")
Maroon 5 currently has seven members. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/10 "2017-12-14T16:07:35Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > I’m stretching the rules here (ok breaking them into little pieces) > > 3 Dog Night recorded their hit song “One” I’ll allow it, since Three Dog Night did not, as far as I know, have _any_ actual dogs in the band. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/11 "2017-12-14T16:24:32Z")
The Thompson Twins have had anywhere from 3 to 7 members at various times. None of whom were named Thompson, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/12 "2017-12-14T16:37:16Z")
[We Five](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Five) started as a quartet before adding a fifth member. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/13 "2017-12-14T16:47:07Z")
I think it was George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers, but I remember seeing a photo of a band onstage with a sign “The world’s only five man trio”. There were four band members. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/14 "2017-12-14T16:47:34Z")
I believe the X-Factor band [Fifth Harmony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Harmony) had a member quit… so now there’s only 4 of them. [The Four Horsemen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Horsemen_(band)) had 5 original members, unfortunately 2 of them are dead so there’s only 3 members left. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/15 "2017-12-14T16:47:49Z")
**Wednesday 13** is both one guy and a band with fewer than 13 members. **Premonition 13** is a band with 4 members. **And Then There Were None** still has some members. **Apartment 26** never, as far as I know, had 26 members nor resided/recorded in Apartment 26. **Aphex Twin** is just one guy. **Apollo 440** is way off. **Authority Zero** has more than zero members (although it shouldn’t). **Destroyer 666** prolly haven’t even played 666 live shows, let alone had 666 members or 666 songs or anything. **Sevendust** has never had 7 members. **Seventeen** not only didn’t have 17 members, none of the members were 17. **9th Wave** is a surf band with fewer than 9 members and is not the 9th iteration of the band. **11 Paranoias** is just 3 guys. **16 Horsepower** never had 16 members (or even 8). **400 Blows** did not reference how many times you’d get punched in the face in one of their mosh pits. **1000 Homo DJs** was fewer than 1000 people, none of them (to my knowledge) is gay and none of them are or were DJs. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/16 "2017-12-14T16:52:14Z")
Andre 3000 is just one guy. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/17 "2017-12-14T16:55:24Z")
Brasil '65, Brasil '66, Brasil '77, Brasil '86, etc. (all named for years, of course). Johnny Cash’s backing band The Tennessee Two changed its name to The Tennessee Three when a drummer was added. I don’t know if there was ever a time when the name didn’t fit the number of musicians. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/18 "2017-12-14T16:55:25Z")
Some bands, on the other hand, strive for consistency. The four letters in Wire represent the members of the band. When one guy left the band, the remaining three performed as Wir until they replaced him with a new member. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/19 "2017-12-14T16:59:11Z")
Luckily, both “quintet” and “quartet” start with “Q”, or NRBQ would have qualified for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494/20 "2017-12-14T17:00:16Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > I’m stretching the rules here (ok breaking them into little pieces) > > 3 Dog Night recorded their hit song “One” Three Dog Night has seven members, though [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-are-or-became-numerically-inconsistent/804494.md?page=2)