Post by kds on Feb 4, 2019 9:16:29 GMT -5
I've said this before, but I honestly believe due to the brief nature of the Beach Boys' 2012 reunion, and the fact that none of the live bands feature any music from the album, the reunion will likely be somewhat forgotten outside of hardcore BB fans, but I got to thinking about several other reunions that didn't last.
Of course the 1990s were so bad for rock and roll that it created a demand for classic artists, and a lot of bands got back together. But, for every KISS or Eagles story, there were a few that didn't quite stick. I've decided to only really include reunions that bore fruit rather than one off live appearances (ie. the 2005 Pink Floyd reunion for Live 8 won't be included).
The Beatles - Easily the highest profile reunion here. In the mid 90s, there was a lot of buzz about Paul, George, and Ringo using some John tapes to make "new" Beatles music for the Anthology Series. The two Jeff Lynne produced tracks - Free as a Bird and Real Love - were hits in late 1995 and early 1996, but they're rarely mentioned these days. Frankly, I think the songs were very good, and hold up very well today.
Journey - In late 1996, the most successful lineup of Journey - Steve Perry, Neal Schon, Jon Cain, Ross Valory, and Steve Smith - got back together to record the Trial by Fire album, which yielded a hit song in When You Love a Woman. However, Steve Perry had a hip issue, and wouldn't commit to a tour. Eventually, Journey moved onto without Perry, and continue to tour and even release new music.
Van Halen - In late 1996, the original lineup of Van Halen - David Lee Roth, Eddie & Alex Van Halen, and Michael Anthony - went into the studio to record two new tracks for a Best of collection, pretty much ending the Sammy Hagar era of the band. The band came out to present an award at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1996, but there was a blow up backstage between Dave and Eddie, and the reunion crumbled. Having burned the bridge with Hagar, VH turned to Extreme's Gary Cherone for an ill fated album in 1998. But, the last input from the original lineup consists of two OK tracks from a compilation.
Queen - I'm not sure if this one really counts, but four years after the death of Freddie Mercury, Queen released an album called Made in Heaven in late 1995. The album consists of songs that Queen were working on at the end of Freddie's life. However, there weren't enough songs to fill an album, so Brian May, John Deacon, and Roger Taylor added Queen arrangements to some Freddie solo songs to pad out the album. The results are a bit of a mixed bag, and not nearly as satisfying as 1991's Innuendo album. May, Deacon, and Taylor would do one final song as a three piece (Brian and Roger sharing the lead) for a song called "No One But You" on the 1997 comp Queen Rocks.
Styx - Kind of a similar story to Journey. The classic lineup reunited in the mid 1990s to re record the song Lady for a Best Of comp. This lead to a tour, and a live album called Return to Paradise, which featured a new studio track called Dear John, a tribute to drummer John Panozzo, who had passed on. But, Dennis DeYoung complained of problems with light sensitivity, and wouldn't commit to future Styx shows, so the rest of the band went on without him, and continue to tour, and have released a couple of albums without DeYoung.
I'm sure I'm missing a few.....feel free to add.
Of course the 1990s were so bad for rock and roll that it created a demand for classic artists, and a lot of bands got back together. But, for every KISS or Eagles story, there were a few that didn't quite stick. I've decided to only really include reunions that bore fruit rather than one off live appearances (ie. the 2005 Pink Floyd reunion for Live 8 won't be included).
The Beatles - Easily the highest profile reunion here. In the mid 90s, there was a lot of buzz about Paul, George, and Ringo using some John tapes to make "new" Beatles music for the Anthology Series. The two Jeff Lynne produced tracks - Free as a Bird and Real Love - were hits in late 1995 and early 1996, but they're rarely mentioned these days. Frankly, I think the songs were very good, and hold up very well today.
Journey - In late 1996, the most successful lineup of Journey - Steve Perry, Neal Schon, Jon Cain, Ross Valory, and Steve Smith - got back together to record the Trial by Fire album, which yielded a hit song in When You Love a Woman. However, Steve Perry had a hip issue, and wouldn't commit to a tour. Eventually, Journey moved onto without Perry, and continue to tour and even release new music.
Van Halen - In late 1996, the original lineup of Van Halen - David Lee Roth, Eddie & Alex Van Halen, and Michael Anthony - went into the studio to record two new tracks for a Best of collection, pretty much ending the Sammy Hagar era of the band. The band came out to present an award at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1996, but there was a blow up backstage between Dave and Eddie, and the reunion crumbled. Having burned the bridge with Hagar, VH turned to Extreme's Gary Cherone for an ill fated album in 1998. But, the last input from the original lineup consists of two OK tracks from a compilation.
Queen - I'm not sure if this one really counts, but four years after the death of Freddie Mercury, Queen released an album called Made in Heaven in late 1995. The album consists of songs that Queen were working on at the end of Freddie's life. However, there weren't enough songs to fill an album, so Brian May, John Deacon, and Roger Taylor added Queen arrangements to some Freddie solo songs to pad out the album. The results are a bit of a mixed bag, and not nearly as satisfying as 1991's Innuendo album. May, Deacon, and Taylor would do one final song as a three piece (Brian and Roger sharing the lead) for a song called "No One But You" on the 1997 comp Queen Rocks.
Styx - Kind of a similar story to Journey. The classic lineup reunited in the mid 1990s to re record the song Lady for a Best Of comp. This lead to a tour, and a live album called Return to Paradise, which featured a new studio track called Dear John, a tribute to drummer John Panozzo, who had passed on. But, Dennis DeYoung complained of problems with light sensitivity, and wouldn't commit to future Styx shows, so the rest of the band went on without him, and continue to tour, and have released a couple of albums without DeYoung.
I'm sure I'm missing a few.....feel free to add.
