10 Most Dramatic Band Splits In Music History

Bands falling apart is just a fact of life in the music industry. No matter how much fans want to believe it, no band can keep the artistic fire burning forever and feel the need to split up because of various musical differences. Of course, some bands do this a lot quieter than others.

Over the years, many famous rock stars have had legendary public fallouts, leaving the band fractured for all to see. Whether it be because of egos getting too inflated or just personal differences, these bands certainly were not shy to air their dirty laundry out in the press. These band separations range from genuine artistic frustration to open hostility towards the other members of the band.

While some of these bands have moved on to other artistic ventures and have even reunited on some occasions, the initial spark that made them special was almost snuffed out in an instant. Instead of just quietly disbanding their projects, these artists took the more dramatic initiative and went out in a true blaze of rock and roll attitude. It may not have been pleasant, but you can't say that these breakups weren't entertaining to watch.

After conquering the late 70's, Styx were riding high with their mix of pop-friendly hooks and more progressive hard rock moments. However, the band was starting to get fed up with the more conceptual side of their sound and wanted to strip things back to old-school hard rock. That's not what songwriter Dennis DeYoung had in mind though...

With his bandmates vehemently against it, DeYoung led the group through an album that would tell the story of a rock and roll prisoner in a dystopian robot-led society. Songwriters Tommy Shaw and James Young have spoken at length about finding it incredibly difficult coming up with songs to fit the concept. As the touring cycle began for the album Kilroy Was Here, the shows went from rough-and-tumble rock to bordering on musical theatre.

Shaw became so fed up he eventually turned to narcotics to calm his nerves. When even the rock and roll lifestyle couldn't soothe things over, Shaw left the group and formed Damn Yankees, where he would go on to mock the softer side of what Styx was doing. Though Shaw later returned to the fold, DeYoung has since been ousted from the lineup, leaving Styx going strong even without their main songwriter.