When talking about the classic rock genre, it's easy to initially get drawn into all the upsides. The highs are the highlights; the albums released, the performances ed, and the way the art was built, advanced, and defined across the history of the years. To be fair, those should be the stats listed first on classic rock's baseball card, because when it comes to music, we should be able to look first at all the positives, breakthroughs, and the goodness of it all.

But what about the flavor of a little drama, the forbidden fruit of some famously infamous conflict? Because classic rock has that too in the bands that fell down, fell apart, and went their own separate ways for one reason or another.

Some of these groups even managed to get back together just to break up all over again. As though that lure of lightning in a bottle and a relationship of chaos was just too much not to try one more time, maybe this time, just to add a footnote to what might have been. At least it made for some good headlines.

10 Guns N' Roses

Bright Shining Burnout

The late '80s into the early '90s marked a meteoric, if altogether short, rise to mainstream success for the Los Angeles-based rock band Guns N' Roses. Buoyed by the eventual breakthrough success of their 1987 debut LP, Appetite for Destruction, and followed by the critical reception of the albums G N' R Lies as well as Use Your Illusion I and II, the group, also known as GNR, seemed poised to continue their dominance into the '90s. Interpersonal issues between , however, arose instead.

After a subpar commercial reception to Guns N' Roses' 1993 album of punk rock cover songs called The Spaghetti Incident?, simmering tensions between the lineup of frontman Axl Rose, guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Gilby Clarke, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Matt Sorum only grew. Classic lineup drummer Steven Adler had already been fired a few years prior due to drug addiction, while prior rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin had departed to get sober and escape Rose's increasingly erratic rock star behavior.

Rose's unsteadiness and rapidly controlling demands over the band also led to McKagan and Slash leaving Guns N' Roses, while Sorum and Clark were later fired, leaving the continuation of additional music long in doubt. Slash and Rose had the most public of conflicts, ranging from disagreements over creative direction to Rose allegedly being upset with Slash over the guitarist's collaborations with pop icon Michael Jackson. Rose had suffered abuse as a child and reportedly believed allegations of abuse against Jackson at the time, which made Slash's actions feel like a betrayal.

Rose never allowed GNR to fully "dissolve," using his control over the name in endeavors like the mythically long-delayed follow-up to The Spaghetti Incident?, 2008's Chinese Democracy. While Rose has mended fences with Slash and McKagan to tour as Guns N' Roses again in recent years, it feels like the lengthy period spent feuding cost the band the best spark of what they once had.

9 Van Halen

Lead Singer Blues

Much like Guns N' Roses, Van Halen was another hard-rock-leaning California band with as much behind-the-scenes dramatics as success, especially when it came to their rotation of lead singers. From 1974 to 1985, the group consisted of their signature lineup of singer David Lee Roth, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, bass player Michael Anthony, and drummer Alex Van Halen. In that time, Van Halen had a string of successful albums, including their self-titled 1978 debut, 1980's Women and Children First, and 1982's Diver Down.

In 1985, disagreements over the band's sound, direction, and separate solo projects prompted Roth to decide to quit. Singer Sammy Hagar was chosen to replace Roth and helped carry Van Halen to four more successful records in an 11-year period. By 1996, however, Hagar had grown increasingly at creative odds with the rest of the band and departed (Hagar claimed he was fired; Eddie Van Halen said he'd quit). Van Halen briefly ed forces again with Roth in '96, but after a disastrously iconic public appearance together at the MTV Video Music Awards, Roth was out again.

Next in the Van Halen lead singer's seat was the former band Extreme's vocalist, Gary Cherone, whose brief tenure led to the commercially underwhelming 1998 LP Van Halen III. Following this reception and a lukewarm tour, Cherone and Van Halen parted under amicable circumstances in 1999. After a brief hiatus, Van Halen had another brief tenure and poor tour with Hagar before finally reuniting with Roth one last time. The band (minus bassist Anthony, who was replaced by Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang) was able to tour and record the 2012 album A Different Kind of Truth.

It would prove to be the last album for Van Halen after Eddie Van Halen died of cancer in 2020. Despite frequent lead singer dramas, at least Van Halen went out in their original formation on their own .

8 The Beatles

Managerial Meltdown

The Beatles didn't exist all that long in the world of rock and roll, with the legends from Liverpool, England, only being active from 1960 to their 1970 dissolution. Still, the group, also known as the Fab Four, made their time together count, as they not only released thirteen studio albums but also created a cultural phenomenon (known as "Beatlemania") that was unprecedented. Guitarists George Harrison and John Lennon, bassist/piano player Paul McCartney, and drummer Ringo Starr evolved from a boy band into experimental entrepreneurs in just a decade; the world would never be the same.

Eventually, conflicts arising in the partnership of Lennon/McCartney and Harrison and Starr's desire to have a greater creative stake in the band helped fuel the Beatles' separation. Over the years, it's been alleged that Lennon's significant other in later years, Yoko Ono, was behind the shift, but the truth was much closer to home. In 1967, the group's manager, Brian Epstein, died suddenly, which led to a power vacuum that could never be adequately filled. Having an increased involvement in the business side of their venture with no mediator for their personalities was the beginning of the band's unraveling.

7 Cream

A Supergroup Supernova

In 1966, one of the first rock supergroups came together when British blues-rock titans, bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker, decided to form the psychedelic rock-influenced trio known as Cream. In their three years together, Cream managed to record the albums Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, and Wheels of Fire, with a fourth album called Goodbye arriving in 1969 following their separation the year prior.

While Cream's sound proved influential on the genre, it was ultimately the infighting between Bruce and Baker that made Cream so short-lived. The pair had previously been in a group together called the Graham Bond Organisation, which was marked by frequent (sometimes physical) fights between Bruce and Baker that included sabotaging each other's musical instruments. Baker even allegedly pulled a knife on Bruce at one point and would ultimately fire him from the Organisation band.

It was ultimately the infighting between Bruce and Baker that made Cream so short-lived.

While the duo weathered the storm for a time in Cream, their squabbling would only continue, with a reportedly stressed Clapton acting as the mediator. Cream still managed to make some timeless music in spite of this, though even later reunions, such as in 2005, would still be blemished by these old grudges.

6 Hall & Oates

The Duo That Said "No Can Do" To Staying Together

The rock duo of Daryl Hall and John Oates came together out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, beginning in 1970, and achieved their greatest commercial success from the mid-'70s to the late '80s. They eventually came to be referred to by the moniker Hall & Oates (though the duo preferred to be referred to by their full names) and had a string of iconic songs, including "Sara Smile," "She's Gone," "You Make My Dreams," "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)," and "Maneater."

Hall & Oates continued to perform together into the 2020s, though a recent nasty and public 2023 legal battle over publishing rights to their own work has seemingly put them at irreversible odds with each other. Last year, both artists separately confirmed that they'd both moved on from their time performing together and that they'd never do it again. It was a tidy, if altogether sad, way of putting a bow on an altogether notable musical career.

5 Oasis

Far From Brotherly Love

While the British rock band Oasis certainly had plenty of highlights in their '90s heyday, much like Cream in the '60s, their creative output was marred by constant conflicts between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher. While that may have helped fuel the rise of songs like "Wonderwall" and "Live Forever" as well as major albums like Definitely Maybe and (What's The Story) Morning Glory?, the brothers turned personal fights and disagreements into what became practically an Olympic sport. Their verbal sparring is even immortalized on a 14-minute, 1995 recording called Wibbling Rivalry.

After years of verbal tussling, a near-lawsuit, a cricket bat, and Liam wielding one of Noel's guitars like an ax after yet another argument, Noel quit Oasis in 2009. While both brothers went solo (Liam with Beady Eye and his own name, Noel with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds), their continued train of insults to each other finally led them back together to reunite. Oasis is planning to tour again together later this year, but with the Gallaghers' history, is it wrong to question if there's a quick expiration date?

4 Fleetwood Mac

A Team Of Turmoil

Another band that could easily Oasis in the Olympics of inner turmoil is Fleetwood Mac. Formed in London in 1967 by former guitarist and singer Peter Green, the only permanent of the band throughout their tenure have been drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie. While Fleetwood began as a British blues rock outfit, by the mid-'70s, Green had left along with then- Danny Kirwan, Bob Welch, and Jeremy Spencer. They were replaced by vocalist/keyboardist Christine McVie (McVie's then-wife), guitarist/vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, and singer Stevie Nicks, which ushered in Fleetwood's pop rock era.

While this came along with critical mainstream success for the band with albums like the iconic Rumours, the breakthrough came with persistent conflict. The McVies were divorcing at the time of Rumours, while Buckingham and Nicks had gone from being a couple to becoming constantly at odds with each other. While Fleetwood Mac was able to use this energy for periods of chaotic creativity, Christine McVie, Nicks, and Buckingham all ducked in and out of the lineup in the decades that followed.

The band was able to unite for their final studio album with 2003's Say You Will along with a few more tours, though Buckingham was fired and replaced by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' guitarist Mike Campbell and Crowded House singer Neil Finn during Fleetwood's final live dates. Buckingham wound up suing for an undisclosed sum. While Christine McVie's death in 2022 seemingly closed the door on the group, Fleetwood has said he would not be opposed to reassembling the remaining once again.

3 Talking Heads

Byrne'd Down Relationships

From their formation in New York City in 1975 to their critically acclaimed run through the '80s, the band Talking Heads was a revelation to the world of new wave music. Fusing together styles including funk, punk, world, and art rock, songs like "Psycho Killer," "Once In a Lifetime," and "Burning Down The House" were among the material that elevated the band to icon-level status (as well as their 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense).

By 1991, however, Talking Heads had broken up, with lead man David Byrne leaving and instead deciding to go solo. Other of the band were reportedly left shocked and upset by the decision, with drummer Chris Frantz stating they'd learned of it from a newspaper and not through Byrne himself. As a result, relations between Byrne and the rest of the group have been shaky in the years since, with Talking Heads only reuniting once, in 2002 to play at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

The band did make a public appearance together recently to celebrate the 40th anniversary re-release of Stop Making Sense, but up to this point, there have been no plans for Talking Heads to play music together again. Only time will tell if Byrne or the other will ever reverse this decision.

2 The Eagles

A Beat-Up Breakup

The Eagles formed in the early '70s out in Los Angeles, and were actually a part of singer Linda Ronstadt's self-titled 1972 third solo album before venturing out on their own 1972 LP entitled Eagles. Mainstream attention quickly followed the band, and ultimately The Eagles not only became one of the '70s most successful groups, but one of the best-selling acts of all time. In 1980, however, tensions boiled over between singer/guitarist Glen Frey and guitar player Don Felder during a benefit concert for a politician named Alan Cranston, an event infamously known as "Long Night at Wrong Beach."

The Eagles broke up not long after the pair threatened each other with physical violence during this concert, and wouldn't play together again until 1994 for the aptly-named Hell Freezes Over tour. Felder went on to later sue the band (specifically Frey and drummer/singer Don Henley) after being fired in 2001. The Eagles would continue to tour and release their first studio album in 28 years with 2007's Long Road Out of Eden. They've continued to play live even after Frey's death in 2016, recruiting Frey's son Deacon and noted country musician Vince Gill to fill in.

1 Creedence Clearwater Revival

The Unfortunate Sons

Much like The Beatles, it feels like Creedence Clearwater Revival's creative impact has long outlived their actual time together as a band. Lead singer and primary songwriter John Fogerty, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty (John's brother), bassist Stu Cook, and drummer Doug Clifford only played and recorded from 1968 to 1972 (with Tom Fogerty departing in '71). The group managed to record seven albums during that time, highlighted by the chart-topping Green River in 1969 and Cosmo's Factory in 1970.

Tom Fogerty left after feeling like his brother's increasingly controlling and domineering nature within the band about its direction was becoming too much to take. John Fogerty allegedly relented and allowed Cook and Clifford more creative freedom on the band's final album (then as a trio), 1972's Mardi Gras. Despite this, CCR split up not long after, and a series of lawsuits and fights for business and creative control have kept the band contentiously apart. Tom Fogerty died in 1990, and John Fogerty refused to perform with Cook and Clifford at Creedence's 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

While Fogerty has periodically left the door open to reuniting with his CCR bandmates, both Cook and Clifford have firmly said there was no chance of it and that the time of that being possible had come and ed. At the very least, the work of Creedence Clearwater Revival remains a classic rock staple to this day.