Bands of Theseus aka Trigger's band

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Interesting article in the grauniad about bands that carry on with no original members. Dr Feelgood weren't mentioned though which seems to be a bit of an an oversight.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/04/meet-the-bands-with-no-original-members-left-yes-soft-machine-odyssey-molly-hatchet

[Rexel Matador]

No mention of Sugababes either.

[Beedster]

A band is an idea, like a business, sports team, even a country. Why should it contain original members? 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

The best example I can think of is probably The Drifters who have been going since 1953 where the name was owned by the manager George Treadwell, then his widow Faye Treadwell, and since she passed away, their daughter Tina Treadwell. The list of members and lineups on their wikipedia page is massive.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Drifters

[Beedster]

5 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

The best example I can think of is probably The Drifters who have been going since 1953 where the name was owned by the manager George Treadwell, then his widow Faye Treadwell, and since she passed away, their daughter Tina Treadwell. The list of members and lineups on their wikipedia page is massive.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Drifters

 

A rather reassuring continuity  

[Beedster]

There's a big part of me wonder whether it's the need to bands to retain original members who themselves often feel the string existential need to challenge/escape/transcend the original band ethos that often leads to their decay?

[Lozz196]

25 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

The best example I can think of is probably The Drifters who have been going since 1953 where the name was owned by the manager George Treadwell, then his widow Faye Treadwell, and since she passed away, their daughter Tina Treadwell. The list of members and lineups on their wikipedia page is massive.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Drifters

Apparently there are different “batches” who do the tours, depending on availability and location of the tours. Have to admit they’re still very entertaining, am going to see them end of September with my Mum as she loves them.

[Bigguy2017]

Orchestras do this all the time...

[BassTractor]

Soft Machine at one point were identical  to a previous or later line-up of another band.
IMS no records exist with this line-up.
Still cool.

(We might be talking about Nucleus here, but I forgot the details and don't know whether the post-"Bundles" / pre-"Softs"  line-up has actually been a real Nucleus line-up even though they were all Nucleus guys.)

Edited August 5, 2023 by BassTractor

[Gasman]

Another disappointing development - Post-Modern Jukebox seemed to have morphed into multiple versions on tour in different continents simultaneously, almost a franchise. Last time I went to see them in the uk some years back they had a reduced lineup with none of the names that made them such a fantastic show a few years before.

[Rexel Matador]

Given that the Rolling Stones continued to tour after Charlie passed away, I find myself wondering if they'll gradually all be replaced when the time comes and keep going forever.

[police squad]

I was in a pub band that had a 30 year tenure. For the first 10 years 4 out of 5 were original. By the time the last original member stepped down (he passed away shortly after from cancer) the lead guitarist had been there 20 years. We carried on for a bit and then the original singer rejoined (he was in his 70s at this point).

 

It still had the same values that it had always had. To entertain, look good, sound good etc

 

[Mykesbass]

17 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

The best example I can think of is probably The Drifters who have been going since 1953 where the name was owned by the manager George Treadwell, then his widow Faye Treadwell, and since she passed away, their daughter Tina Treadwell. The list of members and lineups on their wikipedia page is massive.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Drifters

Menudo were another great example, where the boys  (including Ricky Martin) were kicked out on reaching a certain age. Went on successfully for years.

[Graham]

Napalm Death had different line-ups for each side of their debut album, which changed for second album and then again for the third. Was pretty stable after that

[casapete]

Still some 60’s bands touring with no original members left - Herman’s Hermits, Swinging Blue Jeans etc.

I remember working with The Easybeats in the late 80’s, who were all youngish blokes and had just 

bought the name for touring purposes. Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be…..

 

[Buddster]

5 hours ago, Rexel Matador said:

Given that the Rolling Stones continued to tour after Charlie passed away, I find myself wondering if they'll gradually all be replaced when the time comes and keep going forever.

One person who won't be joining is the guy from The IT Crowd. 

 

(apologise now for such a terrible joke) 

[BigRedX]

6 hours ago, police squad said:

I was in a pub band that had a 30 year tenure. For the first 10 years 4 out of 5 were original. By the time the last original member stepped down (he passed away shortly after from cancer) the lead guitarist had been there 20 years. We carried on for a bit and then the original singer rejoined (he was in his 70s at this point).

 

It still had the same values that it had always had. To entertain, look good, sound good etc

 

 

I was twice in a band between 1988 and 2002 that went through:

6 Singers

6 Guitarists

3 Bassists

4 Drummers (including one who was in the band on 2 separate occasions) and three line-ups where the drums were provided by various combinations of sequencers and loops

3 keyboard players, plus several line-ups where the synths and samples were all provided by sequencers.

I ended up being the longest serving member having been in the band twice as the bass player and once as guitarist.

 

Between 2010 and 2015 The Terrortones had a total of 8 different guitarists and 5 different drummers...

 

Edited August 5, 2023 by BigRedX

[Stub Mandrel]

8 hours ago, Rexel Matador said:

Given that the Rolling Stones continued to tour after Charlie passed away, I find myself wondering if they'll gradually all be replaced when the time comes and keep going forever.

 

The Stones will be touring with no actual members, they will just all be hired hands like Darryl Jones, and the profits will go to the owners of each member's estate.

[Stub Mandrel]

Fairport Convention,  no one been there for the whole tide, although Simon Nichol only took a break.  But due to gradual replacement and integrity to the band's character they still feel like the same band.

 

Can't see them continuing beyond Peggy and Simon though.

[TheGreek]

What is worse is when there are more than one version of the same band touring simultaneously. Lots of examples - I watched the documentary on the Bay City Rollers recently which stated that at one time there were 3 different versions of the band on tour at one stage (coincidently one was booked for a company do by one of my neighbours).

[Baloney Balderdash]

On 04/08/2023 at 20:09, Beedster said:

A band is an idea, like a business, sports team, even a country. Why should it contain original members? 

 

 

Music primarily being an entertainment product is a perversion as far as I am concerned.

 

Of course there still might be changes in the lineup of a band for other reasons than to milk the cash cow till the last drop of life, but at some point it simply desists being the same band, other than by name.

 

Imagine someone continuing painting in the name of Picasso, Van Gogh or Dalí, or someone else continuing putting out music and performing as David Bowie or Bob Dylan and I think what you'll understand what I mean about perversion. 

 

I am not voluntarily going to pay imposters for pooing on the legacy of some artist and in my ears.  

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Delberthot]

15 hours ago, Rexel Matador said:

Given that the Rolling Stones continued to tour after Charlie passed away, I find myself wondering if they'll gradually all be replaced when the time comes and keep going forever.

 

There's only Mick and Keef left from the original lineup. They can't be far from calling it a day given that Mick is 80 and Keef is not far off.

 

 

[tauzero]

I was in a pub band - I replaced the original bassist, then the vocalist went AWOL and Mrs Zero replaced him, then the drummer left and we replaced him, then finally the guitarist (the only original member) left and we replaced him. We subsequently got through another couple of drummers before Mrs Zero decided to call it a day and the rest of us decided that we'd fold the band.

[asingardenof]

On 04/08/2023 at 18:09, Rexel Matador said:

No mention of Sugababes either.

Especially as the original members have reformed under a different name now (or they had last time I heard anything about them).

Edited August 6, 2023 by asingardenof
edited typos

[LeftyJ]

Still better than having bands split, and then having two bands touring with the same material. I used to listen to Rhapsody when I was you get, they're a symphonic power metal band. When the two founding members and main contributors clashed in 2011, they went their own separate ways as "Luca Turilli's Rhapsody" and "Rhapsody of Fire". The latter kept the original vocalist until 2016, when everyone except the founding keyboardist reunited and did a farewell tour. Then in 2018, confusingly, they reunited again onder the name "Turilli / Lione Rhapsody" - still without said keyboardist. 

 

Ever since, my bandmates and I have jokingly used the addition "OF FIRE" for any newer lineup of an older band.