Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Alright, it’s go time. Today, we’re going all in on band roster chaos! You know, some rock line-ups are built for the long-haul… But more often, bandmates come and go whether we like it or not. Infighting, personality clashes, creative differences, sheer fatigue, and even tragedies all take a toll on bands… On today’s countdown I’m giving you 6 band line-ups that have changed so drastically over the years you can hardly keep up … some of them are almost unrecognizable. I’m calling this one Downshift. And as usual I’ve got some stories! We’ll recount how one of the best and of the 60s and 70s, the Guess Who, had their identity stolen. And how these imposters got away with it for decades, until they were sued into oblivion! There’s also a couple of lead singers who stepped in to replace two of the most legendary frontmen ever: Freddie Mercury and Steve Perry. And after one gave a subpar performance, he told fans that if he got a million negative comments on social media he’d quit the band. Did he get voted out? Let’s get into it!
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Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
Robert Taylor, Missy D, Stan Summay, MG, David Fritz
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Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast
Apple: apple.co/445fVov
Spotify: spoti.fi/42JpfvU
Amazon: amzn.to/44b5D6m
iHeartRadio: bit.ly/444h8MO
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Patreon: bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Merch Store: professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com
Instagram: bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock
#classicrock #80smusic #80srock
Hey Music Junkies Professor of rock Always here to celebrate the Greatest Artists and the greatest songs of all time. if you every faked someone out with fake vomit that you bought in the back of a comic book. you’ll dig this channel of deep musical nostalgia make sure to like share and comment on this video and make sure you are subscribed. I’m doing everything in my power to[ower keep this channel going. It’s a daily battle so your help is appreciated. So let’s talk about the greatest lineup shake ups in history
Starting things off at #5, we’re featuring one of my favorites, Foreigner! A band that has had more members than anyone else on this list… I think they’re up over 40 now. Foreigner formed in 1976 and its initial line-up included guitarists Mick Jones and Ian McDonald, bassist Ed Gagliardi, keyboardist Al Greenwood, drummer Dennis Elliott, and lead singer Lou Gramm. In 1977, they dropped their self-titled debut, which sold 4 million copies in the US and featured Top 10 singles Feels Like the First Time and Cold as Ice. The next year, Foreigner released Double Vision, which hit #3 on the Billboard 200. And during this initial two-album run, the original 6-piece line-up stayed intact. Their 3rd album, Head Games, traded Gagliardi for Rick Willis on bass. And as the 80s got going, the changes began to accelerate. The release of 4 in 1981 gave Foreigner massive hits like Urgent, Waiting for a Girl Like You, and Juke Box Hero. The album sold an impressive 6 million copies in the US. And it featured three new musicians… Keyboardists Bob Mayo and Peter Reilich, as well as Mark Rivera, who replaced Ian McDonald on rhythm guitar.
Two years later Foreigner released Agent Provocateur and scored their 1st #1 single "I Want to Know What Love Is.” The line-up for that one was more or less the same as 4, with the exception of Peter Reilich. In 1987’s Inside Information came next, which gave us the Top 10 hit "Say You Will.” That same year frontman Lou Gramm dropped his first solo album Ready or Not, featuring his #5 hit Midnight Blue… a song that Foreigner outright rejected after Lou offered it to the band Then it not only became a bigger hit than hit by the band going forward but the Most played song of 1987 winning the BMI award which didn’t sit well with leader Mick Jones but hey he’s the one that said no! . By the late 80s, Mick Jones was leaning hard into synth-driven power ballads. And it was a direction Lou Gramm hated. In fact, going back to Inside Information… when it was time to record Mick’s ballad “I Don’t Want to Live Without You,” Lou thought the song was so "wimpy" he tried to sabotage it during the recording sessions.
Get this, he deliberately gave an uninspired vocal performance… hoping Jones would scrap it. But I tell ya, Lou’s voice is so good that even when he’s not trying, his vocals still sounded great. And ultimately, his reluctant performance took “I Don’t Want to Live Without You” to #5. Next, Lou Gramm released a second solo album in 1989, featuring the #6 hit Just Between You and Me. And by 1990, he’d had enough.
Alright, it’s go time. Today, we’re going all in on band roster chaos! You know, some rock line-ups are built for the long-haul… But more often, bandmates come and go whether we like it or not. Infighting, personality clashes, creative differences, sheer fatigue, and even tragedies all take a toll on bands… On today’s countdown I’m giving you 6 band line-ups that have changed so drastically over the years you can hardly keep up … some of them are almost unrecognizable. I’m calling this one Downshift. And as usual I’ve got some stories! We’ll recount how one of the best and of the 60s and 70s, the Guess Who, had their identity stolen. And how these imposters got away with it for decades, until they were sued into oblivion! There’s also a couple of lead singers who stepped in to replace two of the most legendary frontmen ever: Freddie Mercury and Steve Perry. And after one gave a subpar performance, he told fans that if he got a million negative comments on social media he’d quit the band. Did he get voted out? Let’s get into it!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
Robert Taylor, Missy D, Stan Summay, MG, David Fritz
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast
Apple: apple.co/445fVov
Spotify: spoti.fi/42JpfvU
Amazon: amzn.to/44b5D6m
iHeartRadio: bit.ly/444h8MO
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patreon: bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Merch Store: professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com
Instagram: bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock
#classicrock #80smusic #80srock
Hey Music Junkies Professor of rock Always here to celebrate the Greatest Artists and the greatest songs of all time. if you every faked someone out with fake vomit that you bought in the back of a comic book. you’ll dig this channel of deep musical nostalgia make sure to like share and comment on this video and make sure you are subscribed. I’m doing everything in my power to[ower keep this channel going. It’s a daily battle so your help is appreciated. So let’s talk about the greatest lineup shake ups in history
Starting things off at #5, we’re featuring one of my favorites, Foreigner! A band that has had more members than anyone else on this list… I think they’re up over 40 now. Foreigner formed in 1976 and its initial line-up included guitarists Mick Jones and Ian McDonald, bassist Ed Gagliardi, keyboardist Al Greenwood, drummer Dennis Elliott, and lead singer Lou Gramm. In 1977, they dropped their self-titled debut, which sold 4 million copies in the US and featured Top 10 singles Feels Like the First Time and Cold as Ice. The next year, Foreigner released Double Vision, which hit #3 on the Billboard 200. And during this initial two-album run, the original 6-piece line-up stayed intact. Their 3rd album, Head Games, traded Gagliardi for Rick Willis on bass. And as the 80s got going, the changes began to accelerate. The release of 4 in 1981 gave Foreigner massive hits like Urgent, Waiting for a Girl Like You, and Juke Box Hero. The album sold an impressive 6 million copies in the US. And it featured three new musicians… Keyboardists Bob Mayo and Peter Reilich, as well as Mark Rivera, who replaced Ian McDonald on rhythm guitar.
Two years later Foreigner released Agent Provocateur and scored their 1st #1 single "I Want to Know What Love Is.” The line-up for that one was more or less the same as 4, with the exception of Peter Reilich. In 1987’s Inside Information came next, which gave us the Top 10 hit "Say You Will.” That same year frontman Lou Gramm dropped his first solo album Ready or Not, featuring his #5 hit Midnight Blue… a song that Foreigner outright rejected after Lou offered it to the band Then it not only became a bigger hit than hit by the band going forward but the Most played song of 1987 winning the BMI award which didn’t sit well with leader Mick Jones but hey he’s the one that said no! . By the late 80s, Mick Jones was leaning hard into synth-driven power ballads. And it was a direction Lou Gramm hated. In fact, going back to Inside Information… when it was time to record Mick’s ballad “I Don’t Want to Live Without You,” Lou thought the song was so "wimpy" he tried to sabotage it during the recording sessions.
Get this, he deliberately gave an uninspired vocal performance… hoping Jones would scrap it. But I tell ya, Lou’s voice is so good that even when he’s not trying, his vocals still sounded great. And ultimately, his reluctant performance took “I Don’t Want to Live Without You” to #5. Next, Lou Gramm released a second solo album in 1989, featuring the #6 hit Just Between You and Me. And by 1990, he’d had enough.
