Band Who Blew Artistic/Commercial Comebacks?

Lou Reed
Comes back with Transformer, a certified hit....only to follow it up with Berlin, of which the reviews were decidedly negative.
Comes back again with the best selling album of his career, Rock and Roll Animal, (and Lou Reed Live shortly thereafter) only to follow it up with Metal Machine Music. You'd almost think he was doing it on purpose.

 

I don't see much in Sting's recent track record to suggest that he could bring compelling Police material to the table at that stage of the game. The band has to be fully committed for such reunions to fly. Sometimes it's best to just quit while you're ahead.

 

In retrospect I agree but I think that Stewart and Andy pushed Sting and if they brought in material, maybe it would convince him "I don't want to record this ****" . He's become lazy IMHO in terms of the wuality of his material over the last 20 plus years.

 

Drugs and alcohol. But man, that album is fantastic. Might even be the best of their whole career. Their albums with Vinnie Moore have been consistently good.

 

Song-for-song, Wish You Were Here surpasses most of what came before or after (except for Straight Up).

 

All these years I figured that the most awkward part of this cover was the chest hair.
Can't believe that it took almost 40 years for me to notice Emerson's "pants issue".

 

Ah got it. But you dont think he was just going through the motions 65-67 til guitar man? Yeah he was going movies but they were bad, songs were pretty bad, and to me his acting and singing just seems like a guy doing the same thing over and over because what else is he gonna do?

 

took the words right out of my mouth

 

Yep, he's packing.

 

thought of another one.

-w.a.s.p.- this was a band who actually started off popular but got less popular as they started gaining a lot of positive reviews for artistic success starting with the headless children. crimson idol great. still not black enough was good too but passed pretty much unnoticed at the time. after that original guitar player chris holmes returned and there was an excitement about what could he bring to the band again. well the excitement died quickly when the band released the industrial influenced KFD. I liked it but it is very out of place in the bands catalog. after that there was a big deal made by the band about they were going to return to their roots and then we got possibly the bands worst album in helldorado. pretty much blew all of the fanbase excitement for the return of holmes although they finally released a great album with holmes titled unholy terror and then right after that he left the band again.

 

I'll substitute Yield to Binaural, because I'll need to revisit Backspacer. I stand behind everything else I wrote, and yes, I was mainly thinking artistic comebacks. The one I'm suggesting as a replacement is commercial, so there you go.

 

Guns 'N' Roses- Chinese Democracy. I bet Bust Buy still has a warehouse full of 'em.

 

I think they bought 1.3 million copies. sales are about at 700k so that's how many they have left.

lets see if this years GNR comeback gets blown too

 

Good call

 

Not sure if this one has been mentioned yet: In the late 70s, the Small Faces got back together again. Originally, it was supposed to be the classic line up, but Lane quickly dropped out, in part due to his emerging health issues (according to wiki Small Faces - Wikipedia ») , going on to work with Pete Townshend on the fantastic Rough Mix album instead. Marriott was in rough shape by this point, not delivering his best work and the reunion floundered. They made two ill received albums (Playmates and 78 in the Shade) before disbanding, a sad end to a once mighty band.

 

I guess Velvet Undeground kinda blew their big 93 reunion. No new album, only a small tour in Europe, new recordings, a U.S tour and an MTV Unplugged all scrapped when the whole thing swiftly imploded.

 

In Yvonne's defence, she has said she didn't really like being seen as a disco artist (courtesy of "If I Can't Have You") and she became unenthused about her career. In 1981 she married and shortly thereafter had a child. So I don't know if she 'blew it', or if it was more, she had a hit that typecast her as a disco artist, which she didn't want to be, so after reluctantly toying with that idea for one or two albums, she voluntarily opted out, and prioritised family over career.

 

Can't think of any band that reformed and made a comeback album that was good.

 

really?

 

Yep.

 

are you counting just the very first release after a band reunites as the comeback release?

 

Captain Beefheart blew his comeback (artistically speaking) by retiring from music.

 

The Walker Brothers were huge in the sixties and Scott was still selling records through the early seventies despite the alarming lack of quality control on some of those covers albums.

So when the Brothers reformed in 1975 expectations were high. "No Regrets" was a massive hit and all looked good but then the whole thing just fizzled out. The No Regrets album was insipid and the follow up, Lines, was mostly MOR filler. Hampered by Scott's hatred of playing live the Walkers performed a few gigs in small UK clubs but that was it

Aware that they were about to be dropped Scott had an idea for their last contract filling album - write their own songs for once. John and Gary's tracks are ok but Scott's are incredible!! Four songs that basically set the template for the rest of his career. "The Electrician" must have terrified long term Walkers fans, especially after the two MOR albums but Scott's tracks are four of the best songs he'd ever come with. But virtually no one bought the album!

 

Over the years a few other photos from the same session as the cover have surfaced. If any of them had been used instead, this album wouldn't get half the derision it receives. But I agree that they blew the good will they generated on the back of Black Moon and tour by quickly dumping out another needless live CD and then letting themselves fall into doing Hot Seat with other writers and producers.

 

I gotta admit I feel the same way about Urban Hymns.
So many great B-sides, yet so much crap on the actual album.

I put the blame squarely on Dickie's shoulders for both debacles.