10 Bands That Actually Got Better After Losing Members
7. Nirvana
There's pretty much no way to undersell how important Nirvana were to the rock mainstream in the '90s. Instead of just signaling a change in musical style, the video for Smells Like Teen Spirit sparked a new movement for adolescents who were sick and tired of hearing the same hair metal schlock being shoved down their throats by MTV...ironically enough by yet another video on MTV. Even though there's a lot of that alternative magic surrounding Kurt Cobain, it took a while before all the proper parts were in place.
As Cobain started to get the ball rolling with Krist Novoselic, they had an incredible problem when it came time to find a drummer. Originally having Aaron Burckhard behind the kit (and a brief stint with another guitar player), Nirvana thought they had found their guy with Chad Channing. Though Channing showed his stuff on the group's debut on Sub Pop Bleach, the lackluster drumming style led Cobain to search for a new man behind the skins, going so far as to draft Dale Crover from the Melvins for some show dates.
After years of trying to get the right guy, it didn't gel until Dave Grohl from Washington DC came along, whose songwriting mindset allowed him to give the songs just what they needed to breath, from the opening fill of Teen Spirit to the relentless power of Stay Away. Many bands might tend to focus on the songs first, but when it comes to rock and roll of any kind, you need to have a good backbeat if you really want things to explode.