Making music isn't always harmonious. Sometimes coming together to create an album is the
final straw that breaks a band apart. As you'll see from this list, some albums that are now
considered masterpieces were born out of bitterness and deeply personal disagreements, which ultimately
ended successful musical partnerships.
Despite the "live and let live" message of its title track, The Beatles were not feeling
very collaborative when they made "Let It Be." According to the Independent, divisions
emerged as early as 1966, when guitarist George Harrison threatened to quit, resentful that
his contributions were not taken as seriously as those of celebrated writing partners Paul
McCartney and John Lennon. Plus, McCartney seemed to be taking control of the band, and
a meditation retreat to India in 1968 proved that the four band members were divided spiritually
as well as creatively.
It was there that Lennon started his relationship with Yoko Ono. Contrary to many stories, she
didn't break up the Beatles. But Lennon's bandmates resented his insistence on bringing
her to the recording sessions for "The White Album" in 1968. That album nearly broke up
the band, but the following year, they reunited for "Let It Be." McCartney's controlling tendencies,
Lennon's insistence on only speaking to his bandmates through Ono, and Harrison's creative
frustrations made the sessions tense. Harrison temporarily quit again, but was coaxed back.
The Beatles recorded another album together, "Abbey Road," months later. By the time it
came out in September 1969, Lennon had quit — or so he claimed. In April 1970, McCartney
issued a statement saying he didn't plan to release any more music with The Beatles, sealing
the band's fate. The following month, "Let It Be" was released, but The Beatles were
already over and it seems that most members of the group were more than ready to move
on.
"That's what happened and it was good, you know. It was good but it was also good to
carry on and do something else. In fact, it was a relief."
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were thrown together by chance and bound together by success. The
pair started singing and playing music as a duo when they were teenagers. They reunited
after college and were signed by Columbia Records, partly thanks to the song "The Sound
of Silence." Unfortunately, their debut album flopped, and they temporarily split again.
But a DJ's interest in the song and a slightly remixed version suddenly made them the band
of the moment.
They kept putting out albums, but on the inside, the duo was pulling apart in different creative
directions. Simon wanted to work on solo projects, and Garfunkel was trying to pursue a movie
career. In 1969, this became a direct source of tension when director Mike Nichols cut
Simon from his movie adaptation of "Catch 22," but gave Garfunkel fourth billing. Simon's
bruised ego was not helped by the fact that the shoot ran late, moving the timeline on
their next record.
The album "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is most famous for its title track: but Simon's
feelings about that song demonstrated the discord in the duo. He later admitted that
he resented watching Garfunkel singing his song and receiving the credit in a way he
never had before. The album won the Grammy for Album of the Year 1970, and was number
one for 10 weeks, but it wasn't enough to keep the duo together.
The drama that inspired Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album "Rumours" has become rock history. In
short, the two couples that made up four-fifths of the band were breaking up. Half of each
ex-couple got involved in a new romance with someone else involved with the band. Most
notably, during the album tour, singer Stevie Nicks and drummer Mick Fleetwood had an affair.
Somehow, Fleetwood Mac not only survived "Rumours," but the record became one of the best-selling,
most critically beloved albums of all time. In 1982, two albums and world tours later,
the band went on hiatus. Singers Nicks and Christine McVie and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham
all worked on solo careers, but only the two solo singers found success.
In 1985, Buckingham was working on another solo project: but Fleetwood convinced him
to share his songs with the group instead. By then, Fleetwood and Nicks were taking even
more drugs than they had during the "Rumours" sessions. The album was being recorded at
Buckingham's house, and he didn't appreciate the raucous parties his bandmates were hosting
there. Once "Tango in the Night" was finished, Buckingham quit Fleetwood Mac. He returned
in 1996, but was fired in 2018, supposedly because Nicks forced the band to make a serious
decision.
"She gave them an ultimatum. Either Lindsey goes or I go."
By 1982, the Clash had done the impossible for a British punk band, having built a huge
fanbase in America. Their fifth album, "Combat Rock," pushed them into mainstream success
Stateside, with the singles "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go" still considered
classics.
But the latter song soon took on new meaning. Over the previous five years, drummer Nick
"Topper" Headon's drug use had escalated into a full-blown cocaine and heroin addiction.
Although he was still effective in the studio, on tour he had become a liability. At a gig
in Amsterdam supporting the "Combat Rock" album, frontman Joe Strummer fired Headon
and quickly replaced him.
Strummer didn't stop there. While making "Combat Rock," guitarist and singer Mick Jones, who
wanted to explore hip hop and synthesizers, had grown frustrated with Strummer's insistence
on controlling the band's musical direction. Jones also argued with bassist Paul Simonon.
Jones even made his own mix of what became "Combat Rock," titled "Rat Patrol From Fort
Bragg," but the rest of the band nixed it.
During a hiatus that dragged into 1983, the band was barely speaking. On September 10,
Strummer and Simonon released a statement, effectively firing Jones. Like Headon, he
was replaced, and a third guitarist added: but the Clash's final album, "Cut the Crap,"
failed to deliver on its promise, and the band disintegrated.
"Appetite for Destruction," Guns N' Roses' debut studio album from 1987, turned the band
from L.A. legends to national superstars. Entering the big time escalated the group's
chaotic lifestyle, and ultimately cracked its foundations.
In the years between "Appetite for Destruction," 1988's "G N' R Lies," and 1991's double release
"Use Your Illusion One & Two," most of the band members developed major addiction issues.
Rolling Stone reports that the band spent a lot of time touring, which fueled the drink
and drug abuse. And when they were back in LA, the band members grew apart. By the time
the "Illusion" sessions started, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin was newly sober, but drummer
Steven Adler had been kicked out because of drug use. Meanwhile, guitarist Slash and bassist
Duff McKagan, in particular, were still taking lots of drugs. And frontman Axl Rose was leaning
into his reputation as an egomaniac, delaying when they would go onstage, walking offstage
mid-gig, and fighting fans. One incident in St. Louis, months before the album came out,
caused a notorious riot.
The "Illusion" double album was well-received, but it had pushed the band to the breaking
point. Stradlin officially left two months after its release. Covers album "The Spaghetti
Incident?," which had been mostly recorded during the "Illusion" sessions, wasn't a big
hit in 1993. And in 1996, Rose's toxic personality finally pushed Slash to walk out of the band,
followed by McKagan a year later.
Creedence Clearwater Revival was built on contradictions: a folksy, bluesy, 1950s Deep
South sound from a 1970s Northern Californian group. A band of brothers and childhood friends
that hit — and fell out — big time. Doug Clifford, Stu Cook and John Fogerty formed
what became CCR in 1959, when they were just 14. Soon John's older brother Tom joined.
In 1967, their new record label propelled their self-titled album to mainstream popularity.
Keen to capitalize on the commercial success, John pushed his bandmates to constantly release
new music: they put out three albums in 1969 alone.
But John's bandmates grew tired of his controlling behavior. In 1971, Tom quit the group, sick
of being ordered around by his little brother.
"I think you call that leadership. I was giving some direction and Tom was clearly unhappy
with that."
That same year, the remaining members regrouped for a new album but in light of Tom's exit,
it seemed doomed from the start. There are multiple versions of what happened next. According
to John, Cook and Clifford threatened to quit if they weren't allowed to write and sing
a third of the new album. According to Cook and Clifford, John cornered them in a limo,
and told them they were fired if they didn't write and sing a third of the new album.
Clifford and Cook maintain that John deliberately sabotaged the band, knowing his voice was
CCR's characteristic sound. Sure enough, the album, which was titled "Mardi Gras," wasn't
a success, and the band broke up in 1972.
The fact that the Ramones made it more than 20 years is a punk rock miracle. For much
of their two decades, singer Joey and guitarist Johnny refused to speak to each other. The
original Ramones line-up was Joey, Johnny, bassist Dee Dee, and drummer Tommy.
Johnny admitted in his autobiography that he and Joey never got on very well. But in
1982, polite dislike turned to outright hostility, when Joey's girlfriend Linda Danielle left
Joey for Johnny, and later married him. Neither Joey nor Johnny quit the band, but there was
tension for the next 14 years. Tommy had left in 1978, tired of touring and Johnny's tantrums.
And in 1989, the always erratic Dee Dee left to start a rap career.
With the group's only two founding members caught in an unfixable feud, Johnny eventually
decided that the band was over. "Adios Amigos" was released on July 18, 1995, and the Ramones
with Marky on drums and C.J. on bass, played their final show on August 6, 1996, at the
Hollywood Palace.
Unlike some bands on this list, The Smiths were reportedly feeling pretty good about
their final album, which they gathered to make in March of 1987. Yes, frontman Morrissey's
early bedtimes and anti-drugs attitude isolated him from songwriter and guitarist Johnny Marr,
drummer Mike Joyce, and bassist Andy Rourke. And yes, Marr was frustrated that Morrissey
had recently forced out the band's manager, leaving Marr to take on the thankless job
of watching over the group for a time.
However, initially, everyone was optimistic. Morrissey and Marr clicked creatively, precisely
because they were so different. Unfortunately, those differences ultimately stretched too
far. Morrissey wanted to move towards a more mainstream sound, suggesting a cover of pop
star Cilla Black's "Work is a Four-Letter Word," while Marr was determined to experiment
with something more mature. Tensions came to a head when Morrissey refused to shoot
a video in the name of promoting the band in America. He also convinced the rest of
the band to force Marr to fire their latest manager.
Marr finally told the others that he was leaving to work with Talking Heads. It was unclear
that the break would be permanent until a few months later, when N.M.E. declared that
the Smiths had broken up. Although their source is unknown, Marr confirmed the story. "Strangeways,
Here We Come" was released months later and by this point, the band was officially history,
which is something Morrissey doesn't seem to regret.
"We were very young. We didn't know what we were doing. And we didn't like each other
that much. So, it was nice when it finished."
The Verve became famous in the '90s for their innovative approach to Britpop — and for
keeping the third album from superstars Oasis off the number one spot. Then the Verve became
even more famous for their dramatic breakups, reunions, and breakups.
The first split came in 1993, three months after the band's second album, "A Northern
Soul," was released to rave reviews. Making that album had been a drink-and-drug-fueled
rock n' roll disaster. All of the band members were exhausted and their relationships frayed.
It didn't help that frontman Richard Ashcroft dominated the group, refusing to accept anyone
else's creative input. However, weeks later, Ashcroft decided that the Verve could put
their differences aside for the sake of making the most of this success: but without guitarist
Nick McCabe. He was allowed back, however, for the band's 1997 magnum opus, "Urban Hymns."
But two years after that, they split again.
In 2007, McCabe and bassist Simon Jones were persuaded by Ashcroft to record another Verve
album, "Forth." McCabe later told Gigwise that he was frustrated that the typically
raw Ashcroft seemed to be holding back lyrics he felt were too personal. Two years later,
in August 2009, the Guardian reported that McCabe and Jones hadn't spoken to Ashcroft
for a year. A source said that the pair considered the Verve finished for good, and that the
experience of touring and making "Forth" had convinced them that Ashcroft had only recorded
the final Verve album to boost his solo career.
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