# What members can a band survive losing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2006, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484 "2006-01-04T23:48:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/21 "2006-01-05T03:54:52Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I don’t think any power trio can lose any member without drastic changes. You’re talking about Gov’t Mule, aren’t you? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/22 "2006-01-05T04:05:55Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I don’t think any power trio can lose any member without drastic changes. ( Hit “submit” too soon.) For Robin Trower (the band) losing James Dewar was major. Going from Reg Isidore to Bill Lordan, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/23 "2006-01-05T04:06:30Z")
> [@DfrntBreign](#): > > You’re talking about Gov’t Mule, aren’t you? 😛 Speaking of Warren…He is good, damn good, but he ain’t no Jerry. :dubious: The Dead can have as many incarnations as they want but they will NEVER again be the Grateful Dead without Jerry…RIP big guy. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/24 "2006-01-05T04:22:25Z")
The White Stripes and The Black Keys are fairly delicately placed in this regard. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/25 "2006-01-05T04:25:06Z")
> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#): > > Speaking of Warren…He is good, damn good, but he ain’t no Jerry. :dubious: > > The Dead can have as many incarnations as they want but they will NEVER again be the Grateful Dead without Jerry…RIP big guy. I agree. I like what they’re doing as The Dead but it’s not the same band. OTOH: Bringing up Warren leads to the Allman Brothers. I know some people think the loss of Duane was the end of the Allmans. I think only the loss of Gregg will be insurmountable. He and Butch are the only (continuous) founding members _now_, and (I believe, anyway) their latest works are comparable to anything the band has ever done. And if Butch wants out, I’m available!! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/26 "2006-01-05T04:40:57Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t think Townshend and Daltry view it as The Who True. Although I don’t recall Roger saying anything specifically about the name, Pete has maintained that nowadays **The Who** is more of a “brand name”. Back in 2003, he semi-jokingly referred to “our new Everly Brothers format”. AFAIK, the working title of the latest batch of songs is **WHO2** ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/27 "2006-01-05T05:21:01Z")
> [@DfrntBreign](#): > > You’re talking about Gov’t Mule, aren’t you? 😛 They’re a perfect example, that’s for sure. > [@DfrntBreign](#): > > I think only the loss of Gregg will be insurmountable. He and Butch are the only (continuous) founding members _now_, and (I believe, anyway) their latest works are comparable to anything the band has ever done. > And if Butch wants out, I’m available!! 😉 Jaimoe is also a founding member. He did miss some time from 80-81, but everybody likes to pretend the band wasn’t doing anything at that time anyway. Gregg has said once or twice that he’d like the band to continue without him if and when he retires, but we’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/28 "2006-01-05T05:25:32Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > I have to admit that I _like_ it when bands lose memberrs that are essential to their sound but slog on, because it often pushes them in an interesing, or at the very least _different_ direction. When Damon Albarn left Blur, taking his distinctive guitar style with him, their sound changed slightly but it was enough to give them a fresh new angle. Graham Coxon left. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/29 "2006-01-05T05:34:47Z")
[QUOTE=Phase42 Iron Maiden would not be Iron Maiden without Steve Harris and Dave Murray. Indeed, they have survived with a variety of guys in the other three slots (I thing 3 singers, 3 drummers, and 3 or 4 other guitarists) without a great deal of sonic variation. But without Steve and Dave, they would sound completely different. Still, the “classic” lineup of Harris, Murray, Smith, Dickinson and McBrain, first assembled on their fourth album, seems to be what most people think of as “Iron Maiden”. [/QUOTE] and they survived the loss of the original lead singer and even thrived with Dickenson in that slot…wtfrak was his name? Paul Di’Anno and what do you know…there were others Paul Day was first, Denis Wilcock second, THEN Di’Anno, he was the one on the first album, wow [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron\_Maiden\_(band)#Beginning](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Maiden_(band)#Beginning) 12 line up changes in the 70’s alone and only Harris and Murry are the original members. talk about surviving. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/30 "2006-01-05T05:40:43Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > Graham Coxon left. :smack: That’s who I meant. Graham’s solo albums have been interesting, too. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/31 "2006-01-05T06:39:58Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > The album was not so good. The concert DVD, OTOH, was pretty good. I have to dig out my copy wasn’t Rich Tandy back for the concert video? FWIW I was on a PBS pledge drive in Phoenix when the premium was the Zoom DVD and tickets to the upcoming show at the state fair. The concert tour was cancelled due to poor ticket sales. The closest I came to seeing ELO was seeing Pt II in a dance club in Tucson some years back. Ok show but it wasn’t ELO. Honestly though ELO had become the Jeff Lynne band long before Zoom. Then again I bought a copy of the Xanadu soundtrack. I am so ashamed. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/32 "2006-01-05T07:37:22Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Jaimoe is also a founding member. He did miss some time from 80-81, but everybody likes to pretend the band wasn’t doing anything at that time anyway. Gregg has said once or twice that he’d like the band to continue without him if and when he retires, but we’ll see. They can pretend all they want, but I’ve got video. 🙂 I really hope the band does continue to play together if and when Gregg decides he’s had enough. But I don’t know if I could think of them as the Allman Brothers without that voice. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/33 "2006-01-05T07:50:05Z")
I think if one of the Young boys left AC/DC it’d be night-night. mm ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/34 "2006-01-05T08:25:52Z")
I’m still trying to figure out how there can be **Queen** without Freddie. Just does not compute. \*\* Deep Purple \*\*minus Blackmore would be another one. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/35 "2006-01-05T08:46:01Z")
> [@zoogirl](#): > > \*\* Deep Purple \*\*minus Blackmore would be another one. Whoosh? Isn’t Deep Purple on something like Mark XVII now? ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/36 "2006-01-05T09:10:10Z")
A great irony is that The Beach Boys still lumber around with the only truly dispensible member, Mike Love, as the only original member of the band! So, I guess if the Beach Boys lost Mike Love… mm ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/37 "2006-01-05T09:38:32Z")
> [@DfrntBreign](#): > > Whoosh? > Isn’t Deep Purple on something like Mark XVII now? Naw, just badly worded. I mean DP without Blackmore is like Queen without Freddie - what’s the point? ☹ Sure it’s a band and sure thay make music - it just ain’t [t]that\* band anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/38 "2006-01-05T11:08:59Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > The Who without Entwistle wasn’t really missing anything sonically; it’s not like they were a funk band where the bass was prominent or central to the songs. Oo, that’s fighting talk. The reason The Who sounded the way they did is that the whole band was upside down. As Townshend put it, he was the drummer Entwistle was the lead guitarist and Moon was the 70 piece orchestra. Just a thought. It seems to me that no classic band can/could really lose any member and be the same band. Except Steely Dan, maybe. The Who stopped being The Who when Moon died. Floyd (MKII post Syd) stopped being the real thing when Rick Wright stopped contributing. IIRC The Beatles did _tour_ with a replacement for Ringo, back in those days no-one would have heard enough to tell the diff anyway. I don’t know what they did for press/TV etc. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/39 "2006-01-05T11:25:06Z")
> [@Small Clanger](#): > > IIRC The Beatles did _tour_ with a replacement for Ringo, back in those days no-one would have heard enough to tell the diff anyway. I don’t know what they did for press/TV etc. Was this before 1964? Details, please! ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484/40 "2006-01-05T11:30:20Z")
[John, Paul, George and Jimmy Nicol arrive in Sydney](http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Mezzanine/4889/tour.html) In 1964, you know about this already? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-members-can-a-band-survive-losing/338484.md?page=3)