10 Worst Rock Band Member Replacements
3. Doug Yule Replaces John Cale - The Velvet Underground
Though they weren't especially commercially famous during their initial lifespan, time has been kind to The Velvet Underground, who are now considered one of the most important and influential bands of the entire 1960s.
The two Underground members most people will be aware of are Lou Reed, who went on to achieve infamy as a solo artist, and John Cale, the Welsh multi-instrumentalist who would work on numerous famous projects later in life, including the soundtrack to American Psycho.
As you can imagine, a rock band in the 1960s featuring Lou "I Will Attack You With A Sword" Reed was a stressful environment. Cale found this out first hand when, in 1968, he got sacked by Reed with no prior warning.
His replacement was Doug Yule, who, whilst a very capable singer and guitarist, just couldn't match Cale's natural knack for melody. He stayed with the band until their final release, Squeeze, by which point even Reed himself had split.
Yule was left to man the ship pretty much singlehandedly and, yeah, it didn't go well. Just look up the reviews for Squeeze if you want to know how not well it went.