4. The Velvet Underground - Squeeze
For most bands, a couple of changes in the line-up are to be expected. Hardly surprising that inflated egos and the demands of constant touring and recording don't mix. In extreme cases, some bands have released albums that don't feature any original member. Which brings us to Squeeze. Released in 1973, this was a Velvets album in name only, being written and recorded almost entirely by Doug Yule, who had replaced John Cale on previous album Loaded. So did Squeeze point to Yule's version of the band having a future? Did it feck. Squeeze was a critical and commercial disaster on release, with Yule finally deciding to kill off his experiment after the album tour. The songs themselves aren't completely dreadful, and it is certainly more listenable than Lou Reed's infamous Metal Machine Music released four years later. But outside of a few subsequent brief reunions, Squeeze officially ended the career of one of the finest American rock bands.