Bands who never lost an original member

#1 · 01-04-2011 7:58pm #1

So I was trying to think of bands, who've been around for at least 10 - 20 years, who've retained their original line up. Its pretty hard. They have to be either still going, or reformed (but without a phase were someone left). So far, I can think of:

U2
Pixies
Sonic Youth
Radiohead
Stone Temple Pilots

Anyone?

rednik · 01-04-2011 8:11pm

Pet shop boys.

eviltimeban · 01-04-2011 8:20pm

Well it has to be more than a duo! :-)

Rud · 01-04-2011 9:37pm

Muse
De La Soul

Say Your Number · 01-04-2011 10:16pm

ZZ Top, Same three lads for 40 years.

gigawatt · 01-04-2011 10:26pm

madness, and rem i think

Bog · 01-04-2011 10:28pm

gigawatt wrote: »

madness, and rem i think

I don't think Bill Berry is lost per se, but he hasn't been drumming for REM for a while now.

Mars Bar · 01-04-2011 10:51pm

Elbow?

AhSureTisGrand · 01-04-2011 10:55pm

Elbow
Rage Against the Machine

eviltimeban · 02-04-2011 8:03am

REM wouldn't count as Bill Berry left. Not sure Muse have really been going that long... when was their first album, 98? Always easier with a 3 piece!

Madness and ZZ Top, yeah forgot about ZZ Top!

Firetrap · 02-04-2011 10:04am

A-ha

teekayd25 · 02-04-2011 11:32am

Gomez - six albums with same 5 members

Doves (including Sub Sub) - same three geezers collaborating since early '90s . . .

Garbage seem to still be together as well.

mark182 · 02-04-2011 11:40am

Rush have pretty much had the same line-up for the majority of career...
u2..

Guns 'n' Roses.....or not :P

Cazale · 02-04-2011 3:28pm

Bon Jovi

Hannibal · 02-04-2011 4:42pm

Cazale wrote: »

Bon Jovi

Alec Such left Bon Jovi in the early 90's.

delbertgrady · 02-04-2011 7:04pm

Firetrap wrote: »

A-ha

... but now they've split up altogether.

ValJester · 02-04-2011 11:38pm

@ OP:Sonic Youth replaced original drummer Bob Bert with Steve Shelly in '85

Rud · 03-04-2011 3:20am

eviltimeban wrote: »

REM wouldn't count as Bill Berry left. Not sure Muse have really been going that long... when was their first album, 98? Always easier with a 3 piece!

Madness and ZZ Top, yeah forgot about ZZ Top!

Muse formed in '94 which is 17 years
ZZ Top are also a 3 piece!?

McLoughlin · 04-04-2011 12:01am

gigawatt wrote: »

madness, and rem i think

Madness lost a band member in 84 and became a 6 piece then lost 2 members and became for a short while a 4 piece.

REM's drummer left the band yonks ago.

Blisterman · 04-04-2011 2:31pm

I remember hearing that UB40 were the longest running band with an unchanged lineup, at 30 years. But that means U2 have now passed them.

teekayd25 · 04-04-2011 3:24pm

Saint Etienne.

davylee · 04-04-2011 4:31pm

Supergrass?

smokedeels · 04-04-2011 9:53pm

The Fall.......

Setun · 04-04-2011 10:15pm

Yeah Madness still have the same line-up. Have Radiohead changed over the years? Good question though, will be thinking about this now over the next few days!

mike65 · 04-04-2011 10:25pm

mark182 wrote: »

Rush have pretty much had the same line-up for the majority of career...

Quite, they had a different drummer at the very start, so can't be included

smokedeels · 04-04-2011 11:33pm

I thought of a few bands, but when I check their wiki page to confirm it, I find somebody else played drums on a demo or their first single, does that disqualify them, bloody hard this thread.

jazoo · 05-04-2011 10:16am

greenday
u2 of course

bigwormbundoran · 05-04-2011 10:23am

Good ould Rammstein

Welsh Megaman · 05-04-2011 12:30pm

Gorillaz

davylee · 05-04-2011 1:47pm

think the sugababes still have original line up

Sofaspud · 05-04-2011 3:35pm

mike65 wrote: »

Quite, they had a different drummer at the very start, so can't be included

They also had a different bass player / singer before they released the first album, so Alex Lifeson's technically the only original member.

McLoughlin · 05-04-2011 8:20pm

jazoo wrote: »

greenday
u2 of course

Green Day's original line up ended back in 1990. Tre wasn't there first drummer.

McLoughlin · 05-04-2011 8:23pm

Daddio wrote: »

Yeah Madness still have the same line-up. Have Radiohead changed over the years? Good question though, will be thinking about this now over the next few days!

Madness lost original members over the years but they came back and Radiohead have had the same line up since the late 80s.

van der vart · 05-04-2011 8:34pm

SLADE

KnifeWRENCH · 05-04-2011 8:44pm

Portishead?
Ok so there's only three of them, but still...

Bonavox · 05-04-2011 8:52pm

U2 lost The Edge's brother as a guitarist in the early stages.

Welsh Megaman · 06-04-2011 11:46am

The Corrs

McLoughlin · 06-04-2011 4:55pm

Bonavox wrote: »

U2 lost The Edge's brother as a guitarist in the early stages.

Dik was never a member of U2 he was part of the group when they were called The Hype but never U2.

Bonavox · 06-04-2011 4:59pm

McLoughlin wrote: »

Dik was never a member of U2 he was part of the group when they were called The Hype but never U2.

A name change doesn't make them a different band.

McLoughlin · 06-04-2011 4:59pm

van der vart wrote: »

SLADE

2 Original members left in 1992.

teekayd25 · 06-04-2011 5:19pm

Bonavox wrote: »

U2 lost The Edge's brother as a guitarist in the early stages.

Bonavox wrote: »

A name change doesn't make them a different band.

But the key thing is when a band actually releases something (album / EP / single), and the members who are there when that happens.

Likely that most groups will experience at least one member change prior to the first release - can take time to find the "right" bass player, the "right" drummer, etc.

spurious · 06-04-2011 5:33pm

Abba have never officially split.

Say Your Number · 06-04-2011 5:46pm

The Answer, blues rock band from Co.Down have been together for 10 years with the same line up.

eviltimeban · 07-04-2011 7:58am

McLoughlin wrote: »

Radiohead

Thom Yorke actually left in 1995 and was replaced with a little robot Thom Yorke.

rcaz · 08-04-2011 1:54am

Super Furry Animals
The Hives
Talking Heads

Don't think I'm wrong with any of those?

Bands who never lost an original member

Comments