Bands with no original members

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Can anyone think of any bands with no original members? Napalm Death,and a mid 70's lineup of Fairport Convention are all I can come up with.

― mark r taylor (rednecksuperman), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:17 (twenty years ago)

Oasis.

Oh hang on, I see what you mean.

― More Tongue Feldman (noodle vague), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:18 (twenty years ago)

Can I just say how nice it is to see a list thread?

― More Tongue Feldman (noodle vague), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:19 (twenty years ago)

There's a fake Shangri-Las.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:20 (twenty years ago)

http://www.rutles.org/rpix/tea.jpg

― More Tongue Feldman (noodle vague), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:22 (twenty years ago)

This is a common phenomenon among old doo-wop and group soul acts. Very often the "Car-del-aire-istics" or whatever will have huge amounts of turnover, and occasionally there are even more than one group claiming the name (maybe one has an original member but the other is managed by the guy who believes he owns the name)

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:22 (twenty years ago)

http://www.viennaboyschoir.info/pictures/viennaboyschoir.jpg

The Vienna Boys Choir

― More Tongue Feldman (noodle vague), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:25 (twenty years ago)

Oh, and Soft Machine eventually ran out of original members.

― mark r taylor (rednecksuperman), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:28 (twenty years ago)

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/discover/images/2004121_954259217.jpg

The Halle Orchestra

― More Tongue Feldman (noodle vague), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

Haha, was the boys choir intended as a members/castrati joke or am I reading too much into it?

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:35 (twenty years ago)

You read too much into it. Though I am GIS-ing castrati as we speak.

― More Tongue Feldman (noodle vague), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:37 (twenty years ago)

http://www.haendel.it/photogallery/photo18120/cantanti/cscalzi.jpg

GOOD CALL HURTING

― More Tongue Feldman (noodle vague), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:37 (twenty years ago)

No original members

― StanM (StanM), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:39 (twenty years ago)

SURELY YOU DON'T EXPECT OUR NEW ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY OVERLORDS TO USE THE FUCKING SEARCH FUNCTION EVER?

― More Tongue Feldman (noodle vague), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:41 (twenty years ago)

Krokus had no original members by the time of "The Blitz". Sadly, I think that may prove unhelpful for the prospects of having their first album released on CD. I hope I'm wrong!

― Ricki Belloni (Pangolino 3), Sunday, 16 July 2006 16:49 (twenty years ago)

Menudo

― Kim (Kim), Sunday, 16 July 2006 17:06 (twenty years ago)

The currently touring Thin Lizzy
The Velvet Underground with Squeeze, maybe even at the time of Loaded: I remember an interview with someone somewhere (Glen Branca in Forced Exposure) who claimed that Lou Reed wasn't an original member of the VU, but I don't remember the details.

― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Sunday, 16 July 2006 18:00 (twenty years ago)

There's a Dr. Feelgood out there with no original members - and i remember seeing a version of the Burritos as far back as the 70s with dubious links to the band that made 'gilded palace..'

― sonofstan (sonofstan), Sunday, 16 July 2006 18:48 (twenty years ago)

Oops ... just spotted both in the original thread mentioned above. carry on

― sonofstan (sonofstan), Sunday, 16 July 2006 18:52 (twenty years ago)

the drifters, who have the perhaps singular distinction of the "fake" band (late '50s/early '60s version, with ben e. king, rudy lewis and johnny moore) being significantly more successful than the original band (mid '50s version, with clyde mcphatter).

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Sunday, 16 July 2006 20:02 (twenty years ago)

The Geto Boys

― It's Rodney, currently unemployed! (R. J. Greene), Sunday, 16 July 2006 20:38 (twenty years ago)

The current band which calls itself The Warlocks. Where the fuck is Jerry-Berry, I ask you?

― Tronid K (tronidk), Monday, 17 July 2006 00:59 (twenty years ago)

http://www.tatiana.info/pictures/pix6/tat-menudo-83.jpg

OBVIOUS

― Machibuse '80 (ex machina), Monday, 17 July 2006 01:09 (twenty years ago)

whoever that is, they look like superstars

― lf (lfam), Monday, 17 July 2006 02:39 (twenty years ago)

The Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, but it doesn't matter, they kick ass.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 17 July 2006 02:44 (twenty years ago)

blood, sweat and tears are not actually blood, sweat and tears anymore. some dude bought the name and the songs and now performs as them, with a completely different band. i know because they are playing at the lobster festival near my hometown.

― Emily B (Emily B), Monday, 17 July 2006 20:15 (twenty years ago)

xpost: actually the dude in question is the singer from three dog night. huh.

― Emily B (Emily B), Monday, 17 July 2006 20:17 (twenty years ago)

those eco-warriors from Boulder, The Samples, have slowly lost members and are now reduced to only one wavering lead-man, Sean Kelly...they should be known henceforth as The Sample.

― J. Grizzle (trainsmoke), Tuesday, 18 July 2006 00:02 (twenty years ago)

three years pass...

Sugababes?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8268060.stm

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Tuesday, 22 September 2009 12:00 (sixteen years ago)

Looks that way

― Aw naw, no' Annoni oan an' aw noo (Tom D.), Tuesday, 22 September 2009 12:05 (sixteen years ago)

They could form "The Real Sugababes" if they like.

― Mark G, Tuesday, 22 September 2009 12:09 (sixteen years ago)

a few years back ilm would be in mourning about a member of Sugababes leaving.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Tuesday, 22 September 2009 12:10 (sixteen years ago)

Compassion fatigue

― Aw naw, no' Annoni oan an' aw noo (Tom D.), Tuesday, 22 September 2009 12:13 (sixteen years ago)

They haven't really been any good since Mutya left. Keisha solo might pull out some quality - overall it's probably a good thing.

― Tim F, Tuesday, 22 September 2009 12:14 (sixteen years ago)

a few years back ilm would be in mourning about a member of Sugababes leaving.

Link or it didn't happen.

Our De Subjectivisten neighbours were pretty cut up about it though: Mutya uit de Sugababes

― Jimenez, Jio, Giovannagetti, and Doug (onimo), Tuesday, 22 September 2009 12:45 (sixteen years ago)

Link or it didn't happen.

I'm not serious btw, so many Sugababes threads so little time.

― Jimenez, Jio, Giovannagetti, and Doug (onimo), Tuesday, 22 September 2009 12:47 (sixteen years ago)

I dont even recall a thread on their last album. Girls Aloud seemed to steal their ILM crown, and even GA aren't as popular as they were here.

― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Tuesday, 22 September 2009 12:57 (sixteen years ago)

four years pass...

not entirely 'no' original members as Mick Jones is still in the group, but Foreigner is a near-example.

It's not a situation like Napalm Death where the band changed lineups in the middle of their first album and gradually became a different group of players who then played together for years (RIP Jesse Pintado). it was that Gramm and Jones quit communicating and Jones wanted to resurrect Foreigner so in addition to Thom Gimbel (who'd been around since the 90s), he hired a bunch of ringers that were probably younger than me and has been touring with them ever since (although they've even replaced one or two of THOSE replacements since then).

I saw them live once and it was embarrassing. like watching a cover band that you have to begrudgingly call Foreigner cuz the founder is *technically* still in the band (although he was gone for a year himself between 2011-2012).

― Neanderthal, Saturday, 19 July 2014 02:00 (twelve years ago)

Molly Hatchet had no original members from 1996 to 2005, but one of the guitar players has returned.

― Zachary Taylor, Saturday, 19 July 2014 19:05 (twelve years ago)

the Beach Boys touring band, pre-Brian Wilson 'reunion' and album, was pretty much just Mike Love and Bruce Johnston and a whole buncha other folks including the occasional John Stamos.

― Neanderthal, Saturday, 19 July 2014 20:11 (twelve years ago)

a) so, one original member
b) they've been back to that for almost two years

(although! Al Jardine is now singing with Brian, and Brian's longtime bandleader has left to join Mike's Beach Boys.)

― boney tassel (sic), Saturday, 19 July 2014 23:36 (twelve years ago)

Ha, came here to post Blood, Sweat & Tears because the band evidently now has two mid-80s joiners and American Idol alum Bo Bice om vocals.

― Both jaunty and authentic (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 23 July 2014 15:32 (twelve years ago)

eleven years pass...

this is becoming a bit of a hot topic in the prog world, especially with this new crappy Yes lineup that's still weirdly active. Yes are kind of a weird mix of personnel right now, something we're starting to see are bands just continuing on with completely new lineups - all the members of Gong, Kansas, and Tangerine Dream have only been in the band about a decade, Soft Machine is a guy who didn't join until album #8 and three new guys, Asia is Downes + 3 guys who joined in 2024, Nektar has the original bassist and a bunch of Americans and is planning to continue after the bassist retire, etc.

any bets on what 80s/90s/00s acts may eventually go this route? are we going to get a version of Weezer in 2055 that's like, Mikey Welsh and three guys who haven't been born yet?

― frogbs, Wednesday, 15 July 2026 17:17 (one month ago)

I think there's a band called The Burritos that are somehow the legal owners of the Flying Burrito Brothers identity, of course with no original members

― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 15 July 2026 17:30 (one month ago)

I like that some of these require a separate wikipedia article specifically for listing the band members and band configurations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kansas_band_members
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Soft_Machine_and_spin-off_band_members
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Asia_band_members

― silverfish, Wednesday, 15 July 2026 17:41 (one month ago)

Flying Burrito Brothers doesn't have a separate page for band members but has the tallest band member timeline graph that I've seen

― silverfish, Wednesday, 15 July 2026 17:43 (one month ago)

Napalm Death

― Serfin' USA (sleeve), Wednesday, 15 July 2026 18:56 (one month ago)

TIL: the current touring lineup of Jefferson Starship is an 87 year old David Freiberg, the 80s-era drummer who beat the shit out of Mickey Thomas and a bunch of ringers.

― Elvis Telecom, Wednesday, 15 July 2026 20:08 (one month ago)

Sublime seems like the most obvious one.

― My homies buttthole surfers' record sounds like a f (Western® with Bacon Flavor), Wednesday, 15 July 2026 20:13 (one month ago)

huh, I thought a couple of the original guys are in the reformed version, no?

― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 15 July 2026 20:38 (one month ago)

Looks like The Burritos are now The Burrito Brothers... maybe they don't fly

― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 15 July 2026 20:41 (one month ago)

I thought Sublime was the original lineup + Nowell's son?

― frogbs, Wednesday, 15 July 2026 20:52 (one month ago)

Need to start a band called "Ship of Theseus" to make this designation a point of emphasis

― octobeard, Wednesday, 15 July 2026 21:29 (one month ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.