# Groups that declined when members other than the vocalist died / left? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992 "2005-12-04T04:27:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/1 "2005-12-04T04:27:46Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/2 "2005-12-04T04:29:12Z")
Led Zeppelin, when drummer John Bonham died. ---
**Author:** ![Hombre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@Hombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hombre)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/3 "2005-12-04T04:37:02Z")
> [@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** 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? ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/4 "2005-12-04T04:38:42Z")
Mods? Another contribution might be The Who, post Moon? ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/5 "2005-12-04T04:45:25Z")
Lynard Skynard? ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/6 "2005-12-04T04:57:15Z")
Chicago, post-Terry Kath. Actually, I just finished listening to them! ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/7 "2005-12-04T05:56:47Z")
\ Yup, Cafe Society it is. No problem. I’ll move it for you. \ ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/8 "2005-12-04T06:13:49Z")
**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. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/9 "2005-12-04T06:23:14Z")
> [@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. The problem with your scenario, however, is that Metallica didn’t _get_ good until Newstead joined the band. ---
**Author:** ![Ins\_Outs\_What-have-yous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8797f3/32.png) [@Ins\_Outs\_What-have-yous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ins_Outs_What-have-yous)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/10 "2005-12-04T06:25:17Z")
Hmm, after Keith Richard(s) died, The Rolling Stones… 😛 > [@](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/11 "2005-12-04T06:33:31Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/12 "2005-12-04T06:34:30Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/13 "2005-12-04T06:38:49Z")
> [@soulmurk](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/14 "2005-12-04T06:41:13Z")
I hate to say it, but R.E.M. took a nose-dive after Bill Berry (the drummer) left. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/15 "2005-12-04T06:44:38Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Tarrsk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@Tarrsk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarrsk)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/16 "2005-12-04T07:29:14Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/17 "2005-12-04T07:46:46Z")
Wham? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/18 "2005-12-04T07:57:14Z")
The band Queensryche really started to diminish in quality when guitarist Chris DeGarmo left. Didn’t Genesis decline when Mike Rutherford left? ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/19 "2005-12-04T08:00:57Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > 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_? 😛😉 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992/20 "2005-12-04T08:08:05Z")
> [@soulmurk](#): > > Then why hasn’t [Apocalyptica](http://music.yahoo.com/ar-251068-bio--Apocalyptica) covered a song from anything after _Justice_? 😛😉 Because they got YOUR address instead of mine when asking for ideas. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-that-declined-when-members-other-than-the-vocalist-died-left/333992.md?page=2)