Band Who Blew Artistic/Commercial Comebacks?

Suicidal Tendencies: similar story as Poison. Between 1990-94 released 4 popular funk influenced thrash metal albums and 3 more as Infectuous Grooves. Tours with Queensryche, Ozzy, Metallica. Broke up in 1995 at commercial peak. Reformed in 1997 and released Prime Cuts, a best of the Epic albums plus 2 new great songs and 2 re-recordings of older songs. Then changed their sound to a boring punk/hardcore style for 6 The Hard Way (1998), Feedumb (1999), and Free You Mind (2000).

 

It got better once you got over expecting it to be Underwater Moonlight. Actually the Side 3 EP had some of the edge that the album lacked.

On a similar note, Television kinda blew it with the Capitol album-- I liked it but it was so far from what everyone expected.

 

Now that is impressive. You've managed to cite 20 examples, and not one fits the thread topic.

 

?

 

Many feel his albums in the mid-70s were mediocre at best, but he made a return to form with Shiny Beast/Bat Chain Puller, Doc at the Radar Station, and Ice Cream for Crow, which were far better received, before retiring to become a painter.

 

Brutal Youth never worked for you? Mind you I also love Mighty Like a Rose, so obviously I'm not to be taken seriously.

Cheers, SLuggy

 

I agree that Television blew it with their third album - I like it, possibly more than the second album, but they could have done a follow-up album and tour.

Of course, it may be that an artist does not consider a particular project to be a 'comeback' as such, but has to face up to the fact that many will see it as such.

I would put forward my beloved Van Der Graaf Generator (mentioned briefly above for an earlier reunion) as a failed comeback in 2005. The first reunion show generated massive interest and press, but the studio album was overrated (and short in time length!), and the live show was released nearly two years later - not exactly rushed out, particularly given the lack of any overdubs. Meanwhile, sax player and key ingredient Dave Jackson fell out with the band and departed. Since then there have been several studio albums including one last month, as well as a clutch of live albums, but none of these is going to win much wider acclaim for this little-known band. I would say the vast majority of rock music fans know almost nothing about them, beyond perhaps the name.

Of course, the excellent biography The Book points out that in their 70's heyday VDGG could never manage to increase their audience - with each tour and release they lost as many fans as they gained. Perhaps this is their way, but I cannot help feeling the last decade could have been different. I could not tell you the title of any tune on any of their albums recorded as a trio, nor have I seen them live since two astonishing shows in 2005, and I have a hard time figuring out why.

 

Well, don't get me wrong - we ARE talking about one of my favorite artists and there are always a bunch of stuff I love on virtually all his albums. I LOVE "Mighty" (apart from, like, 4 songs - which I actively DISLIKE, which is rare) and a lot of "Brutal" - but they're nowhere in the same league as "Imperial Bedroom" or "Armed Forces" or "King of America" for me. I have to "try" to like a lot of Costello's post-90's work, as opposed to just liking it. I mean, i do get there eventually and repeated listens have made many of those albums grow on me and some of his later albums have a few of my favorite songs of his. I'm actually remarkably easy on Costello and am the first to stick up for "North" or some of his less beloved later albums.

That said, another Armed Forces or Imperial Bedroom would be very welcomed at this point. He's said he's given up making "pop" albums and I think that's a shame. His version of a "pop" album is a very unique thing ("Get Happy" is a pop album to Costello), so who knows what he even means by that.

 

But I would say that at this moment, VDGG are as popular as a 45-year-old prog band who never had any real commercial success could possibly be. They're being recognized everywhere as innovators and while not everyone has warmed to the trio concept, the verdict on the new album seems to be overwhelmingly favorable.

 

We will have to agree to disagree. The two VDGG fans I know other than myself share my views that the 21st century output has not engaged us. Therefore in my eyes they could potentially be more popular than they are + at least three.

Unless you are saying that some fans will never be satisfied with comeback recordings, which I would say is not the case. I also think further debate might be better on a thread devoted to VDGG, so I shall go and find one.

Update: done.

New Van der Graaf Generator album "Do Not Disturb" coming out 30th September »

 

Yeah, I had forgotten about that.

 

I think the Low Budget through State Of Confusion era has to be considered a highly successful comeback. That was a great and well deserved run.

 

Outside of commercial success stateside (and PSB arguably became too niche and cult to ever recapture their early fame... but they stayed huge in the UK for decades), I think most PSB fans would say the majority of their albums have been artistic successes. There's been a few blunders like Release and Elysium but they always managed to rebound. Their 80s peers would kill to have albums like Yes and Electric in the semi-recent rearviewmirror. Nobody seriously expects them to have the popularity of Please and Actually at this stage, 30 years in.