What's the oldest still-active band with all the original members?

[JIF]

You can't think of any active bands with all the original members???

I can think of hundreds of bands that are five years old with all the original members. Oldest doesn't need to be that old if the oldest one we can come up with is only 5 years old for example.


U2
IQ
Mesh
Madness
Black Sabbath - still technically active with the original 4, because a few years ago the line up with Dio called itself Heaven & Hell, while the Ozzy line up used the BS name.
The Cranberries

Just for starters

IQ does not have all of it's original members; Martin Orford is not in the band anymore.

[JIF]

Ah, that's news on me, when did he leave?

Are you new to PE(or this world)? There was a thread about Bill and Sabbath parting ways on the old site. Apparently, Bill was given an "unsignable contract" and left.

[JIF]

nope- Bun E Carlos has been out for several years now.

Bun still records with Cheap Trick; he just doesn't tour with them. Btw, I think ZZ Top wins since Billy, Dusty, and Frank have played on every ZZ Top release for the past 40 years.

[GuitarGeek]

ZZ Top had some lineup changes very early on...........just sayin'.

Most bands do. Iron Maiden had numerous lineup changes before they got their record deal. Queen went through a couple different bass players before settling on John Deacon. Hawkwind's first guitarist quit after recording their first demo but before they recorded the first album. Judas Priest was another band with a number of lineup changes in their earliest years, as did Lynyrd Skynyrd. And The Rolling Stones originally had a piano player named Ian Stewart who got booted out because their manager decided he didn't fit the image he wanted to cultivate (though in fact he continued to work with the band both onstage and in the studio up until he passed away in the mid 80's).

[Joe F.]

Most bands do. And The Rolling Stones originally had a piano player named Ian Stewart who got booted out because their manager decided he didn't fit the image he wanted to cultivate (though in fact he continued to work with the band both onstage and in the studio up until he passed away in the mid 80's).

And iiirc, Dick Taylor was a member of what would become the Stones before leaving to form/join The Pretty Things. The memory is a bit hazy on the details.

[JIF]

And iiirc, Dick Taylor was a member of what would become the Stones before leaving to form/join The Pretty Things. The memory is a bit hazy on the details.

I have a book called The Rolling Stones:In Their Own Words, and I believe Dick Taylor played guitar in the original Stones(before Brian Jones joined). He then left to form The Pretty Things. Then, went back to the Stones as their bassist, but left again to go back to The Pretty Things(making way for Bill Wyman).

[GuitarGeek]

I have a book called The Rolling Stones:In Their Own Words, and I believe Dick Taylor played guitar in the original Stones(before Brian Jones joined). He then left to form The Pretty Things. Then, went back to the Stones as their bassist, but left again to go back to The Pretty Things(making way for Bill Wyman).

According to Wikipedia, Dick never played guitar in The Stones, or if he did, it was only at the earliest rehearsals. He played guitar in a trio with Mick and Keith called Little Boy Blue And The Blue Boys, which I actually knew about from the one book I used to have on the Stones. He switched to bass when they hooked up with Brian, Ian and a drummer named Tony Chapman. That's the lineup that played the earliest Stones gigs. After a few months, Dick went back to art school and Bill Wyman was drafted in as his replacement. Then from there, he and Phil May formed The Pretty Things.

I guess Boy Blue And The Blue Boys was a pretty innocuous band name back in 1961, but it now strike me as kinda prophetic given some of the stories we've heard about Mick in the ensuing years (specifically that one story that Angela Bowie once told).

[Kim Olesen]

Let's just for easyness sake say that it's the lineup from the debut album that counts. Often bands have many members flowing through before recording their debut.

[ronmac]

I think The Mosquitoes are still together after nearly 50 years.

[PeterG]

IQ does not have all of it's original members; Martin Orford is not in the band anymore.

Thanks for the update, can't say I've followed IQ too closely in recent years.

[PeterG]

Are you new to PE(or this world)? There was a thread about Bill and Sabbath parting ways on the old site. Apparently, Bill was given an "unsignable contract" and left.

Had no idea of that either. I'm pretty bad at keeping up to date on band changes to be honest.

[PeterG]

Let's just for easyness sake say that it's the lineup from the debut album that counts. Often bands have many members flowing through before recording their debut.

That seems logical, as that is usually the first line up fans know of.

[JIF]

Thanks for the update, can't say I've followed IQ too closely in recent years.

Do you have recent album, Frequency? Martin is not on that one.

[JIF]

That seems logical, as that is usually the first line up fans know of.

Not true. I know that Dave Mustaine and Ron McGoveny left Metallica before their debut was recorded. Well, Dave was fired.

[Skeptrick]

I believe the Hugarian band Omega has been together with the same line-up since the mid 60s

[Hunnibee]

I believe the Hugarian band Omega has been together with the same line-up since the mid 60s

Definitely a household name!

[zombywoof]

For all intents and purposes, Rush.

[JIF]

For all intents and purposes, Rush.

That was already mentioned. Of course, Neil is not an original member.

[80s were ok]

For all intents and purposes, Rush.

can't go with this at all. If Rutsey was just an early member who played with Alex and Geddy in clubs before they got a record deal or something, then yes. But Rutsey was on the first official, MAJOR LABEL, release.

[JIF]

can't go with this at all. If Rutsey was just an early member who played with Alex and Geddy in clubs before they got a record deal or something, then yes. But Rutsey was on the first official, MAJOR LABEL, release.

Dude, I already kinda said that in the post above yours.

[R. Totale III]

The Residents.

[Progatron]

can't go with this at all. If Rutsey was just an early member who played with Alex and Geddy in clubs before they got a record deal or something, then yes. But Rutsey was on the first official, MAJOR LABEL, release.

Yes, and the debut Rush album has a couple of key tracks in the band's history. Not to mention, Rutsey wrote some of the lyrics and was even the on-stage band leader at that time. If you watch the early footage of them playing in a high school auditorium, he is the one talking to the audience and announcing the next song, while Geddy says nothing!

[mozo-pg]

Yes, and the debut Rush album has a couple of key tracks in the band's history. Not to mention, Rutsey wrote some of the lyrics and was even the on-stage band leader at that time. If you watch the early footage of them playing in a high school auditorium, he is the one talking to the audience and announcing the next song, while Geddy says nothing!

I don't disagree with a single point you've raised but a separate point to keep in mind, if you plotted a graph showing the percentage of time with Neil in the band, I suspect it's in the figure is over 97 percent. I understand the rule here but for me the current line up IS the original band. I had the honour of seeing them when they played progressive music in the 70s but I've pretty well lost interest since this time. I realize that's an aberation as most people have remained loyal.

[trurl]

The Residents.

Prove it.

[80s were ok]

I don't disagree with a single point you've raised but a separate point to keep in mind, if you plotted a graph showing the percentage of time with Neil in the band, I suspect it's in the figure is over 97 percent. I understand the rule here but for me the current line up IS the original band. I had the honour of seeing them when they played progressive music in the 70s but I've pretty well lost interest since this time. I realize that's an aberation as most people have remained loyal.

again, if Rutsy wasn't on the actual first major label release, it could slide, but he was. There is really no way to argue that the Rush line-up is the "original" Line-up regardless of percentages etc etc.