Rock’s 40 Best Two-Band Careers

Few are the artists who find success in two rock groups. The prospect of starting over is likely quite daunting, particularly if your first band was a wild success. Oftentimes, those who become part of a well-regarded second act eventually end up back in the first one.

Expectations come into play, as questions about matching or succeeding previous accomplishments begin to weigh everything down. Then there are the internal issues created with new personalities, new musical directions, new labels and management.

Our ranking of Rock’s 40 Best Two-Band Careers also takes into account how much of a lasting influence these figures had in their respective lineups. Some bands had more street cred than chart action. Some band members got lost in the shadows of more famous or more prolific bandmates. Others seemed to have only really come into their own when given a second shot.

A broad set of career-defining elements were considered, including album and singles sales, songwriting credits, creative impact, longevity, and critical acclaim, among others. It’s not meant to rank acts by their particular genre, so you’ll find proggers next to folk rockers next to metal guys.

No matter where they all ended up on this list, however, there’s no discounting how rare this has always been. Most emerging artists would be perfectly content to have a single hit, much less to triumph in multiple eras with a completely different group of collaborators.

Here’s how they rank among Rock’s 40 Best Two-Band Careers:

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