Who were the most stable group?

[crofty1984]

Guns n' Ro- oh no wait.

[Digger]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Brave Fart said:

Marillion; same five members since 1989 and they're as incredible as ever. I may have mention before on here that they're my favourite band of all time.
But the clincher is that they are all completely normal functioning human beings, so they are "stable" in that sense too.

I'm with you, but there are still many that hark back to the fish days and would regard the change as a fundamental schism, despite the subsequent stable 30 years!

I’m one of those. Fish was Marillion. A great shame he left.

[Monkeylegend]

Band of Horses.

[conkerman]

Rush must be in with a shout.

Peart joined in `74. Still touring in 2015.

[728 days later]

REM

[ChemicalChaos]

Rush would be the obvious candidates I guess

Another, left field suggestion - though nowhere near as old - would be Hanson. Still the original lineup, quietly plugging away making their music away from the spotlight

[vetrof]

If you are talking about a band that has never had a line-up change then It's got to be U2, I would say.
But special mention to ZZTop, they did have a couple of changes early on, but they have been unchanged since 1969. So all their releases have the same three members.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

vetrof said:

If you are talking about a band that has never had a line-up change then It's got to be U2, I would say.
But special mention to ZZTop, they did have a couple of changes early on, but they have been unchanged since 1969. So all their releases have the same three members.

I keep coming back to them, but Sparks formed in 1967. No changes. Can anyone actually beat this, because if not, then I win.

[StevieBee]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

vetrof said:

If you are talking about a band that has never had a line-up change then It's got to be U2, I would say.
But special mention to ZZTop, they did have a couple of changes early on, but they have been unchanged since 1969. So all their releases have the same three members.

I keep coming back to them, but Sparks formed in 1967. No changes. Can anyone actually beat this, because if not, then I win.

They're certainly on the list along with the stones. But two left field options to consider are Golden Earring (formed in 1961 and still touring with the original members).

However, I think you'd struggle to find one better than The Blind Boys of Alabama - formed in 1938 and were still touring in 2007.

[Monkeylegend]

The Whistlin' Donkeys.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

StevieBee said:

However, I think you'd struggle to find one better than The Blind Boys of Alabama - formed in 1938 and were still touring in 2007.

Nice one. 69 years.

How long did the Beverley Sisters and the Andrews Sisters go on for?

[yellowbentines]

StevieBee said:

... Golden Earring (formed in 1961 and still touring with the original members).

A couple of changes on the drum stool in the 60s as well as a new vocalist, but 50 years on the current lineup is still very good going.

[coppernorks]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

I keep coming back to them, but Sparks formed in 1967. No changes. Can anyone actually beat this, because if not, then I win.

Not so quick there, it's dubious if a duo constitutes a "band", the songwriting brothers are the only constant since 1967,
they have gone through countless sidemen in the intervening years.

Sparks, like Roxette , Heart and Steely Dan of old, have a core of two musicians/songwriters and are usually augmented
by session guys for touring and recording.


Also Golden Earring's spurious claim of being original since 1961 [except for bassists and drummers ] brings to mind
Trigger's brush paradigm.