3 Classic Rock Bands Known for Their Inner Turmoil

While seemingly endlessly fun, glamorous, and intoxicating, being in a band is really hard work. It requires a handful of talented people putting egos aside for the betterment of the group. But problems almost always arise. Differences in creative vision, squabbles over money, or even love triangles can cause rifts upon rifts.

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We wanted to explore three classic rock bands that were known for inner turmoil. Let’s look at a trio of groups that had great friction despite their great success. These three bands even split up because they couldn’t get past all the crud that can come with working with other human beings. Indeed, these are three classic rock bands known for their inner turmoil.

The Beatles

Today, the Liverpool, England-born rock quartet is the gold standard when it comes to rock music. Everyone knows the members’ first names—John, Paul, George, and Ringo. But as the group became more and more famous, they began to unravel. Much of this was evident in the 2021 docuseries The Beatles: Get Back, which showed the band’s sessions for their iconic LP, Let It Be. In the series, we see plenty of disagreements between co-frontmen John and Paul. George was fed up and quit the band before being brought back into the fold. It seemed the only one who stayed out of the fray was drummer Ringo. But in the end, personal lives and overall distaste drove the group to break up in 1970.

Fleetwood Mac

The stories of Fleetwood Mac’s successes and failures will be told for hundreds of years. The group’s famed 1977 album Rumours is one of the best-selling rock albums of the 20th century. They were seemingly at the top of the list when it came to beloved, famous rock bands. But love triangles and inner turmoil drove the group apart. Whether it was singer Stevie Nicks’ tumultuous romantic relationship with guitarist Lindsey Buckingham or her affair with band founder Mick Fleetwood or the dissolution of married couple John and Christine McVie, there was too much explosiveness to keep the group together despite all the vast outside adoration.

Oasis

Recently, Oasis has gotten back together. The band, which is centered on brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, is set to tour in 2025. But that news may shock many of the group’s longtime fans, who have endured being witness to rift after rift, squabble after squabble when it comes to these bros. Noel and Liam seemingly couldn’t ever get on the same page to come together and share their tunes. Whether it was creative differences or something that stemmed back to childhood, Oasis was really anything but for the longest time. But thanks to this video, it seems like the brothers are once again playing nice.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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