Sometimes new line-ups work brilliantly (New Order from the ashes of Joy Division, for instance). Or hybrid bands, for that matter (Electronic is essentally a blend of New Order, Pet Shop Boys, and The Smiths).

I remember when Duran Duran lost two of the Taylors in the mid-1980s thinking that was definitely the end of their golden era. But there were a few gems that followed (Ordinary World in 1993, for instance).