But what I was intending to say was, even Brian Eno thinks that Roxy Music were better after he left, or at least made their best album (Stranded; #3 - Eno was on the first two. Source: TV documentary interview). And I think this truly meets the criteria of the OP - Eno leaving reduced the number of leaders down to one and tightened the focus of the band under Bryan Ferry. We can argue the toss about whether this beneficial effect persisted (I would say no) but hey, that’s a whole other debate.
Absolutely. And the case can be made that Mick Taylor was better, in that band, in that spot, than Brian Jones. Certainly what many would say was their best work was done after Jones’ departure.
Blood, Sweat and Tears improved after Bobby Colomby and Steve Katz revolted against Al Kooper’s dictatorial control. Their second album is their peak, with better arrangements, better musicianship, better production, better song choice, and a better singer. They didn’t maintain that high, unfortunately, but for one album they were transcendent.
Many others would say the opposite, but in matters of taste there isn’t a right or wrong opinion. What can’t be argued is that Brian’s self-destruction made his firing unavoidable, although he probably wouldn’t have lived much longer anyway.
Steve Hackett replacing Anthony Phillips in Genesis. Although maybe that doesn’t count because when Ant left the band, Tony Banks decided they might as well get a new drummer too.
Yes - I should have emphasised the excellence of Eno. The point is that he didn’t improve them by being replaced by someone better, he improved them simply by being gone. The band wasn’t big enough for both Eno and Ferry.
I agree, Whatever the reverse of “more than the sum of their parts” is, that’s what Roxy Music were. I suspect that premise could be the subject of a whole other thread.
Depeche Mode after Vince Clarke left. He was the primary song writer and left the band in quite a lurch. Martin Gore took over song writing and then they exploded.
I’m thinking Yes qualifies. Now, they have had around 873 people come and go over the last 50 years, but the particular transition I’m thinking of is Tony Kaye’s first departure. The band wanted to go in a more experimental/progressive direction after The Yes Album, which meant they needed a more versatile keyboard player. But Kaye was only interested in playing the Hammond organ, so the band let him go.
Of course, he was replaced with Rick Wakeman, who is 100 times the player Kaye is. But I think the key here is that if Kaye had stayed, Fragile and Close to the Edge would not have been the albums they are.
I’m one of those seemingly rare people who likes both the Al Kooper and David Clayton-Thomas versions of BS&T, but I still must disagree with you here. The first DC-T album was a very good album. But Child Is Father To The Man was the transcendent work.
Yeah, we need a thread on “Debut albums (and hence, bands) that should’ve been huge”. I have no idea why that first BS&T album didn’t immediately change the music scene.
Steve Gaines being brought into Lynyrd Skynyrd just before the beginning of the One More From the Road double album, after Ed King left. But here’s the thing: Skynyrd was fucking awesome even before this, and of course Ed King was terrific. Gaines just made them all that much better, by equaling King, and then exceeding him.
Yeah, I realize I’m in the minority on this. And I certainly like Kooper, having been a fan of Blues Project. But there’s no question in my mind that BST is the better album.
Two guys instead of one. Rod Clark and Denny Laine quit the Moody Blues in 1966 and were replaced by John Lodge and Justin Hayward, who went on to write and sing most of their hits.