<band> would have been huge if <member> didn't die

[kytepunches]

Jeff Buckley would have been huge if Jeff Buckley Jeff Buckley didn’t die.

[Gibsonite]

Led Zeppelin are huge but it would be interesting to see what would’ve happened had they kept going either with or without John Bonham.

Depends on who they chose to play I think. They probably would've remained at the same level if they picked a good enough rock drummer. Besides, they were never really an A-List band to begin with

[the_man_incognito]

Cliff Burton alive would have made Metallica not laughing stock of heavy metal world…Black cd and everything lame after wouldn’t have existed..I like to think

Or, he would have left. Either because James' writing was changing or he wanted a different musical challenge..
I really think that James was more on the bandwagon of thrash when Metallica formed and he was along for the ride...
After the influence of Mustaine (along with his riffs they wrote together) and Cliff faded away, the songwriting drifted to more of an organic place for James...more heavy metal/hard rock...

I actually think Cliff would have embraced a direction change. He's frozen in time so we'll never know...but he's the one who had the band listening to Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy, etc....which is the influences that came into place during the Load era. People gave Hetfield shit for wearing a cowboy hat during that era too, meanwhile, Cliff wore a cowboy hat during the MOP era sometimes. The music definitely would have been different because he would have been allowed to contribute more than Jason, but I do think they'd have opened up their sound to different stuff than full on thrash, regardless of whether or not he passed away.

IMO, RTL and MoP aren't 'thrash' albums, but heavy metal albums with some thrash songs which was Cliff's influence already...only KEA is their true 'thrash' album and Cliff joined after it was written (or mostly written).
If Metallica would have just cut and paste the KEA formula for their subsequent albums,they would have been as popular as the Testaments and Exoduses of the world...

[Sleek]

Ozzy would have been huge if Randy had not died.

I mean, seriously. His post-Randy solo career had some highlights, but it was all really just coasting on those first two albums. None of his post-Randy guitar players were as fresh musically or could write riffs and arrangements of that quality.

...and yes, BATM is fun, but it is a Randy cop and nowhere near as interesting musically.

[Wednesday 13 Fan]

Ozzy would have been huge if Randy had not died.

I mean, seriously. His post-Randy solo career had some highlights, but it was all really just coasting on those first two albums. None of his post-Randy guitar players were as fresh musically or could write riffs and arrangements of that quality.

...and yes, BATM is fun, but it is a Randy cop and nowhere near as interesting musically.

If Randy hadn't died, he would have quit, I thought that was common knowledge at this point.

[SchenkerFan]

Well, Nick Drake became huge, only he didn't live to see it.

[AliceManson]

Led Zeppelin are huge but it would be interesting to see what would’ve happened had they kept going either with or without John Bonham.

And of course, The Beatles! I guess in a way they did get back together with the 3 new songs but that’s not the same.

I think Plant would have left. Question is would they have replaced him or ever did an actual reunion if everyone was alive.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Page might've died instead. He was actually in even worse shape than Bonham in the early 80s.

[Gibsonite]

Page might've died instead. He was actually in even worse shape than Bonham in the early 80s.

In Hammer of the Gods there's a story of how former Zeppelin tour manager Richard Cole was in jail when Bonham died. When his cellmate told him he heard one of his guys had died he just assumed it was JP.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Yessir.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Yessir. Page was hopelessly smacked out of his mind during the recording of ITTOD. That's basically a Robert Plant solo album with JPJ producing.

[Love_Industry]

Led Zeppelin are huge but it would be interesting to see what would’ve happened had they kept going either with or without John Bonham.

There would be no multiplatinum Whitesnake and Kingdom Come because Zep would have made those hair metal albums themselves. See also Heart, Scorps, Starship....

[Kerry67]

MOTHER LOVE BONE. Yes, would have been big. Pearl Jam big, probably not but I think they would have done quite well.

[Son_of_Sam_I_Am]

It's awesome to see The Gits mentioned here...I love that band. I don't think they'd have been huge, but more well-known anyway, along the lines of Goodness or Hammerbox.

Mother Love Bone is obvious. People of culture and good taste recognize their talent and could see the path that band was on.

[Sleek]

If Randy hadn't died, he would have quit, I thought that was common knowledge at this point.

Nah. It is more one of those ideas that probably would have passed but got set in stone because Randy died.

Randy would have lived long enough to start seeing some good money roll in, and Sharon would have made him whatever offer was needed to keep the ball rolling. The Third Rhoads/Osbourne album probably would have been amazing, because they finally would have had money for a decent producer and had time to do it right.

If he had left, he would have needed to find a money making gig like happened to all of the eighties guys and ended up in Whitesnake or some bullshit, and probably bounced back to Ozzy like Zakk kept doing.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Yeah Ozzy hadn't even started to make real money yet when he died. The whole Musonia thing was just interview BS.

[Nate S Axel]

Betty Blowtorch...

Well, I liked them anyway.

Same.

They wouldn't have come close to 'huge', probably not even on the same bill as 'huge', or even allowed in the same building as 'huge', but they were a fun band.

I found out about them because of Sludge and didn't get into them until after Bianca was killed.

[tooth]

Betty Blowtorch...

Well, I liked them anyway.

Same.

They wouldn't have come close to 'huge', probably not even on the same bill as 'huge', or even allowed in the same building as 'huge', but they were a fun band.

I found out about them because of Sludge and didn't get into them until after Bianca was killed.

I forgot about Betty Blowtorch. Bianca has been gone almost 25 years & yea, no way they would have been huge. They were a great live band, though.

[EuroJR]

Demon (after Mal Spooner died it was downhill)

[Metal Sludge]

Led Zeppelin are huge but it would be interesting to see what would’ve happened had they kept going either with or without John Bonham.

And of course, The Beatles! I guess in a way they did get back together with the 3 new songs but that’s not the same.

The Beatles had been broken up for a decade before John Lennon died. And in that decade, all of their solo stuff was phenomenal! Paul McCartney and Wings, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, they all had great solo careers. And John Lennon had his best solo album ever. Double Fantasy just before he died.

It's kind of insane to think, that The Beatles were only together for 5 or 6 years. All of that music, in just a few years??? That's crazy!
And Led Zeppelin, only had 12 years. But everyone has done fine. Except John Bonham.
It's crazy to think that other bands like AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, are 50 plus years!

[Wiseacre]

Led Zeppelin are huge but it would be interesting to see what would’ve happened had they kept going either with or without John Bonham.

And of course, The Beatles! I guess in a way they did get back together with the 3 new songs but that’s not the same.

The Beatles had been broken up for a decade before John Lennon died. And in that decade, all of their solo stuff was phenomenal! Paul McCartney and Wings, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, they all had great solo careers. And John Lennon had his best solo album ever. Double Fantasy just before he died.

It's kind of insane to think, that The Beatles were only together for 5 or 6 years. All of that music, in just a few years??? That's crazy!
And Led Zeppelin, only had 12 years. But everyone has done fine. Except John Bonham.
It's crazy to think that other bands like AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, are 50 plus years!

the worst BEATLES album > the best BEATLES solo album.

[Metal Sludge]

Led Zeppelin are huge but it would be interesting to see what would’ve happened had they kept going either with or without John Bonham.

And of course, The Beatles! I guess in a way they did get back together with the 3 new songs but that’s not the same.

The Beatles had been broken up for a decade before John Lennon died. And in that decade, all of their solo stuff was phenomenal! Paul McCartney and Wings, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, they all had great solo careers. And John Lennon had his best solo album ever. Double Fantasy just before he died.

It's kind of insane to think, that The Beatles were only together for 5 or 6 years. All of that music, in just a few years??? That's crazy!
And Led Zeppelin, only had 12 years. But everyone has done fine. Except John Bonham.
It's crazy to think that other bands like AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, are 50 plus years!

the worst BEATLES album > the best BEATLES solo album.

OK, I guess some people believe that. But there were so many more years, and so much more music that was so good.

[Mister Freeze]

I'm watching "Touch Too Much" on YouTube as I type this.

Decent song. Basic video. But Bon Scott packs a lot of charisma into it.

Obviously, AC/DC couldn't have released a more popular album than Back In Black ... but the idea of an alternative timeline with Bon alive is fascinating.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Led Zeppelin are huge but it would be interesting to see what would’ve happened had they kept going either with or without John Bonham.

And of course, The Beatles! I guess in a way they did get back together with the 3 new songs but that’s not the same.

The Beatles had been broken up for a decade before John Lennon died.

I think he was referring to Paul's death in 1966.

[Metal Sludge]

Led Zeppelin are huge but it would be interesting to see what would’ve happened had they kept going either with or without John Bonham.

And of course, The Beatles! I guess in a way they did get back together with the 3 new songs but that’s not the same.

The Beatles had been broken up for a decade before John Lennon died.

I think he was referring to Paul's death in 1966.

Oh yeah, that...