Guns N' Roses (1996)

Slash and Duff McKagan's departures from Guns N' Roses by 1996 left Axl Rose as the sole original member, beginning a 12-year saga of lineup changes and the endlessly delayed Chinese Democracy album, which cost $13 million to produce. This breakup was slower than the average band dissolution, taking 17 years from Slash's exit to any formal reunion. Compared to #3 Pink Floyd's acrimony, Guns N' Roses' split was less legally combative but more creatively stagnant, resulting in only one original album in 15 years.