Pink Floyd post Syd Barrett (very good to brilliant)
But not better in fact without Gabriel and Hackett they were poorer.
Genesis - Once Peter Gabriel left they got more poppy and commercial and made a ton of money
Marillion - Fish was there for 4 albums, Steve Hogarth has been there for 16 albums - some of their later stuff is incredible BUT everyone always remembers Fish..........
Sugarbabes...........a rolling line up but better output in later years
Take That - better once they came back as mature pop idols
McBusted - the absolute best of two bands and therefore the definite answer to the original question!!!
Tyrannosaurus Rex to T Rex
Bugger, beaten to it by Pevenseagull
Try again
The Quarrymen to the Beatles
Blues Boys to the Rolling Stones
I really meant a band reinventing itself rather changing its name, lineup and direction.
I'll add a couple of others:
The Shamen. Their early stuff was extremely nodescript indie music, then they recorded Hyperreal
Likewise early China Crisis was borderline unlistenable, and then they recorded Wishful Thinking.
If you want a name change, then there is Y?, who later became Danse Society
Some interesting stuff on this thread (more interesting than the original post )
Christ.
Just the first suggestion had me rushing for the exits.
You don’t think T Rex was a massive change of direction, reinvention and line up? The Quarrymen to the Beatles? You ARE a fecking weirdo
Spot the difference from the Hawks to The Band too!
https://youtu.be/dUZNAzL4wnk
https://youtu.be/FFqb1I-hiHE
There was a programme on recently about Roxy Music and how innovative they were especially first two albums with Eno. Also how they influenced and were respected by punk bands and others. Sid Vicious loved them although he thought Ferry was a .u..t!
General consensus was like Genesis they morphed into a bland but commercially successful band by the end.
Christ.
Just the first suggestion had me rushing for the exits.
Me too, Hopefully this will make you feel better.
2 musicians from the start then eventually 4, became the best backing band in the land, and 3 of them are still at it nearly 55 years later.
Skip Bifferty (1967)
Arc
Bell & Arc
Glencoe
Loving awareness
That lot takes you to the mid 70's and then a Stiff tour before they were renamed