Top 10 Bands Who HATED The Lead Singer

#10: Journey

Rock stars often come with pretty big egos, but in the case of Journey, the chemistry problems were a lot simpler. Steve Perry, in his own words, claimed that he never actually felt like a real part of the band. During the 80s when he first left, he did so of his own free will - failing after a push to gain creative control of the group. But in 1998, when he left again, that cold relationship between him and the other members was a lot more pronounced. After Perry injured himself in a skiing accident, he refused to rush into the surgery required to get him back on-stage. When he left again, Journey acted fast and hired a sound-alike, Steve Augeri, to replace him.

#9: The Smashing Pumpkins

Billy Corgan might be one of the leading figures of alternative rock, but he is certainly a difficult character. You might know him as a pretty outspoken figure in the press - a guy who is never shy about dissing his fellow musicians. But his work as front-man of The Smashing Pumpkins brings with it some other problems. Corgan, to put it lightly, likes to be in control. And he was so particular about every element of his work - that he basically pushed bassist Darcy Wretsky out of recording sessions for their seminal album “Siamese Dream”. Corgan insisted on re-recording her tracks himself. By the time their follow-up album came, Corgan was actively pushing everyone out. Wretsky eventually left, and the band themselves broke up in 2000.

#8: Talking Heads

The problem with genius is that it often comes at a cost. For Talking Heads, ask any member of the band what it was like to work with front-man David Byrne - and you’re likely to be told he’s a truly odd person. Byrne was described as incredibly cold, while totally determined to take every ounce of power he could within the group. Byrne, who describes himself as being on the autism spectrum, found it difficult to empathise with his bandmates' wishes, rarely made eye contact, and would be critical of any success his peers had outside of Talking Heads. Bassist Tina Weymouth and guitarist Jerry Harrison, in particular, had very few kind words about him as a collaborator, leaving the idea of a reunion at next-to-impossible.

#7: Skid Row

For Skid Row and their singer, Sebastian Bach, to say things were volatile would be an understatement. A band like that was never going to have a long prime-run. Though they hit it big early, Bach’s ego was an issue. And in 1996, he was fired from the band after a disagreement following his decision to book them as the opening act for KISS without consulting the others. For one thing, it showed that Bach has little regard for his bandmates, and on top of that, their bassist Rachel Bolan was already booked that night for a gig with his side project. Whatever happened behind closed doors on that night, it was the final nail in the coffin for Bach’s time with the group.

#6: Dead Kennedys

One of the biggest sins a musician can commit against their fellow bandmates is taking their money. Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra found himself in a legal battle due to non-payment of royalties that he owed to his bandmates. Biafra, who was head of record label Alternative Tentacles, had seemingly withheld $75,000 in royalties over the course of a decade. As soon as the others found out, they were understandably furious. According to a whistleblower, Biafra actually discovered the payment mistake and concealed it from the band. He was eventually forced to pay $200,000 and as you might expect, the relationship between the band and their former singer has never healed.

#5: Van Halen

Stylistic differences within a band generally boil down to musical decisions. But in the case of rock ‘n’ roll wildman David Lee Roth and the rest of Van Halen, not so much. Roth firmly believed that the band needed to put more effort into their look and their on-stage presence. Sounds like a pretty fair suggestion, right? Well, when the singer hired a photographer to shoot him in a very risque, bondage-influenced fashion for their next album cover, the band were not happy. The rest of them very clearly wanted to put the music first. But Roth’s superficial priorities and constant showboating on-stage were becoming a problem and eventually, he left to pursue a solo career.

#4: Queensrÿche

Every band has their breaking point and despite years of success as one of the most successful progressive metal bands of their era, Queensrÿche found theirs in 2012. Singer Geoff Tate was reportedly involved in a violent back-stage altercation with the rest of the group that got him fired. Prior to that, he installed his step-daughter to run the band’s fan-club and his own wife as their manager. The others obviously felt that their voices were being diluted within the band - and so, they decided to fire Tate’s family members without consulting him. This led to the fight and eventual tension that saw Geoff get fired shortly after. A total mess on all fronts.

#3: Creedence Clearwater Revival

When things get so bad that your lead-singer won’t even let you attend your own induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction, you know the band is beyond saving. Here’s the thing. Creedence Clearwater Revival singer John Fogerty was clearly onto a winning formula during the band’s heyday. The problem was that he ran the band as a dictator. He simply didn’t believe that his bandmates could bring forth the type of ideas that could contend with his. By the end, they kinda hated him for it. Eventually, Fogerty’s brother Tom left the group and they imploded shortly after. John Fogerty described CCR as a ticking time-bomb and in the end, they only sustained their success for about four years.

#2: The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys were, without question, one of the defining bands of the 1960s - a boundary-pushing group of musicians who perfected many genres. But at their core, they were a deeply troubled band. When their main creative force Brian Wilson descended into a substance-fuelled downfall that damaged his mental health irreparably, his bandmate Mike Love grew impatient. Love, as some of you will know, is by no means a beloved figure in rock history. But after getting tired of waiting for Wilson to recover, he decided to carry on without him. For decades, Love was involved in legal battles and petty squabbles over songwriting credits, but in reality, the general consensus was that Love always had a problem playing second fiddle to legitimate genius.

#1: Guns N’ Roses

When a band has cycled through as many members as Guns N’ Roses had, you just know that something’s wrong. The 1980s saw GNR climb just about as high as any band could possibly climb. But at the centre of it all, Rose’s addictions and rapidly growing ego were getting out of hand. He battled for attention, creative control, and ultimately, every inch of power he could claim - fighting his bandmates, most notably guitarist Slash, to the point that he quit. A band that volatile were never going to survive for long - and with Axl’s unpredictable and downright chaotic behaviour, the fact that they even survived after their first album is a miracle.

But what problematic lead singers did we not mention? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.