The Eagles changed lineups a lot, even before the break. Joe Walsh didn't join until Hotel California. Don Felder joined for the third album. Timothy B. Schmidt joined after Hotel.

In the living and still in the band category--U2 as far as I know. Same 4 guys and they've been around more than 30 years.

All dead i haven't thought of one yet.

So U2 and ZZ Top are it? Exclusive club.

Pet Shop Boys

Even two Crickets (Buddy Holly's backup band) are still alive.

I did a little research on a few 50s bands and found that an original member of The Coasters is still with us at age 85.

I tried looking into The Drifters, but so many people drifted in and out of that band that it's almost impossible to look them all up.

The Crickets weren't on Buddy Holly's plane, and they are all still with us!

I found original bass player Al Rex is still alive at age 86.

King's X

Triumph (I think they are still officially together, but haven't done anything in quite a while)

Do they count since they replaced Rik Emmett for the Edge of Excess album?

So this thread is now the opposite of its title?

I forgot about that one, cross them off this list.

The band's chronology certainly seems somewhat murky! The guy I thought was the last original member wasn't even in the original line-up!. And while Al Rex was in the predecessor group to the Comets, the Saddlemen, per wiki he wasn't there at the name change stage in 1952 but (re)joined in 1955 when three members left in a dispute over pay.

The suggestion is that the 1955 version of the band was more popular - maybe like the Gillan incarnation of Deep Purple.

All this being said, for obvious reasons, I withdraw the Bill Haley and the Comets suggestion and await with baited breath the obituary of Michelle Philips.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet came through town last year. The band was run by Dave's son.

I was surprised to see that one of the two founding members of The Ventures is still playing with the band. That's a 55 year run.

The original members of the Four Tops started their long career in high school in 1953 and continued without a membership change until 1997. I don't know if 44 years is a record, but I think U2 has a realistic chance to challenge that number.

Speaking of U2, I had no idea that it was the then 14 year old drummer Larry Mullen who posted the ad that led to the formation of U2. Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton all responded to that ad!

a-ha have gone almost 30 years with the same three guys. Although they "officially" retired in 2010, they still perform one-off events and there's more than a decent chance that they will resume recording again one day.

Good one. They are going on 30 years and have been active the whole time.

Suddenly I feel old

Hello, I have joined the forum to add my ten pence worth to this debate, and maybe revive it? I don't know how many original members of this thread are still living? Perhaps the originator may be.

There were a number of points raised in different posts that I wanted to address, in particular two bands who never came up that I could see on this thread. One was the list of bands, all of whose recordings were by the same members of the band throughout their career. No-one mentioned The Beatles that I can recall, unless I missed it. If you did, I apologise for reviving a debate after four years for no reason. The Beatles were the same four members from the first album to the last. Furthermore, for me an even bigger omission was Queen, because they kept their original lineup for 18 years as a recording unit, and had Freddie Mercury not died, would have doubtless continued to this day.

And as for bands who kept the original or 'classic' lineups for long periods of time: this excellent debate continued for some time without bringing up the name of Aerosmith, who formed in 1970. Other bands that did not get a mention include Motley Crüe, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, Guns N' Roses*, The Pixies, Manic Street Preachers**, Blur, Radiohead and Foo Fighters (sort of).

*Exactly what constitutes their original lineup is a bit of a fluid definition, but I've taken their 'classic' lineup of the 'Use Your Illusion' tour which is the one that is on tour today (2018). GnR are certainly not a band that have kept original members throughout, and I'm not trying to suggest they are, but the reunion tour gives them a 27-year span, despite there being many other lineups in the interim, and highlights a point of confusion which is bands that do reunite after long periods of time.

**Manic Street Preachers remained together as a 3-piece after the disappearance of Richey Edwards in 1995.

Oh, and what about Muse? 24 years so far...

Coldplay, God help us? They formed in 1996 which leaves them 22 years unchanged, unfortunately...

Kings of Leon have remained unchained in that, like the Bee Gees, they have three brothers in it (plus a cousin). 19 years for them, so far.

If those of you who participated in the original discussion just wanted to walk away from it in 2014 then I apologise for reinvigorating it so furiously.

Cheers,
Stephen

Aerosmith has not always had the original lineup.

Thanks for that, but the reason I mentioned them was because - other than a four-year period when both Joe Perry and Brad Whitford left the band - both of those members returned, and the lineup has remained unchanged (apart from the early eighties) unchanged since 1971.

I think you'd probably find most people define GNR's "classic" lineup as the AFD lineup - Rose, Slash, Izzy, Duff and Adler.

Oh, and Rush as always are the Rodney Dangerfield of rock music (even though now they have actually retired). 1974-2015 with the same lineup. They never get/got any respect.

Molly Hatchet continued on for awhile without a single original member.

Jimmy Page was not an original Yardbird but ended up being the last Yardbird standing. By default he inherited sole ownership of the Yardbirds name.
Originally he hired Plant, Bonham and Jones as replacements and they did some very early shows billed as The Yardbirds.

These guys have been together since 1977.

A lot longer than that. Even in 1977 it was "a long, long time ago..."