worst reunions

Nah, i loved "That Was Then, This Is Now" as a kid. It was tacked onto the end of a K-Tel Monkees best-of tape we had in the car.

Pixies were pretty lifeless when i saw them in 2005. MBV were very good in 2008 but no urge to see them again. Saw and enjoyed the Afghan Whigs last night but do wish i'd seen the initial reunion with Rick on board.

what about the critically panned "Justus" album? xpost

The Misfits coulda been serious contenders.

I get the logic for this but they played Penn State (Jerry's daughter was a student) a show or two after Michael Graves and their drummer quit, and instead of cancelling they had the drummer for Murphy's Law play and there was this line of kids by the side of the stage, with each kid getting to chant the lyrics to a song along with Jerry. At the beginning of the show he said something like "each of you! stand there! do the chorus! DONT TOUCH THE FUCKING MIC!" It was awesome.

I assume due to Jerry's daughter reportedly being in town, they'd sometimes do a gig in town during even the briefest tours, so their itinerary would like like Spinal Tap's London-NY-Chicago-Springfield-LA jaunt. I don't think he did at the show I was at, but supposedly at one show Jerry tried to lead a "WE ARE!!!!!!" (PENN STATE!!!!!)" chant only the audience was like "Wtf this is a misfits show"

So i just can't hate.

I wouldn't call it bad (actually, it was pretty awesome), but last year's Terrorizer tour was one of the most confusing events in metal history. I've put it in the reunion thread because it kind of was and kind of wasn't.

The most confusing thing is that the band was still active at the time they announced the tour, having just released Hordes of Zombies the year prior, with Katina Culture and Anthony Rezhawk filling out the roster with Sandoval. And yet, the tour was in support of the 24th anniversary of World Downfall (weird fucking milestone to tour in support of). And in tribute, they were going to play the entire World Downfall album in its entirety!

Except the 'they' didn't include Culture or Rezhawk! Instead, Pete hired two ringers (Lee Harrison and Sam Molina), formerly of Monstrosity, who had no previous involvement with the band, to fill out guitar, vocals, and bass. Naturally, this meant all post-World Downfall material was going to be ignored, as they didn't have time to learn the two other albums, so it was one of the shortest headlining sets I've ever seen (a lean 30 minutes or so).

It was actually really cool - they sounded great as a unit, and folks like me who missed them the first time around got to hear these songs live in an intimate setting. They sold World Downfall shirts that had been out of print for years (I snagged one), and were offering to autograph photos for everybody who bought one.

But the bizarre thing is that since then, I still cannot find any word from Sandoval (or the band) as to whether this was a one-off tour and now they will go back to recording with Culture/Rezhawk, or if Molina/Harrison are now permanent and this is the new lineup.

Wikipedia cites Harrison/Molina as permanent members, but there is no supporting article attached to suggest that Culture/Rezhawk were replaced. My guess is the band is probably going to be this outfit that just records whenever Sandoval feels like it, but it's just strange overall. I can't imagine that he'd tour with new bandmates unless he was replacing the old ones, unless Culture/Rezhawk were just incapable of playing the Downfall material, or just didn't want to.

(If anybody does know more, feel free to share).

many many xps --

Yes the Pollard 'bro'-y' performances are a little cringeworthy live, but the original spirit is there for sure. Don't give up. They won't hit re-united MoB or DJr. levels, but I think what they're putting out is special in its own right.
I believe you, and yet I think I just need to remove them from all social media so I'm not constantly reminded of the immensely irritating drunken bro factor and can just listen (like I used to).

Wow, that Terrorizer story is baffling/depressing. I really liked the two Terrorizer albums with Rezhawk on vocals, especially Hordes of Zombies (I'm a big Resistant Culture fan).

Admittedly, I haven't heard those two albums. I just find it strange that a band would tour with a different lineup than the one that just recorded their last album as part of a very short anniversary tour (they only played a handful of small shows) without explanation as to the futures of the musicians they *didn't* take on tour.

it was funny too - I saw them at the Haven Lounge in Winter Park. It wasn't exactly crowded that night (whereas Obituary, a month later, would have the place overflowing), but there were at least 100-200 or so by the time the final opening act finished.

As soon as that act finished, almost everybody left, and there were maybe 30 of us there to see Terrorizer, who were the goddamned headliner!

They basically sound like Resistant Culture albums. Here's the title track from Hordes of Zombies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTPO5A4KFlc

And here's Resistant Culture's "Natural Law":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf0Zqn0br2Y

that's actually pretty good! also proves that the acquaintance I saw the show with was full of horseshit. I asked him out of curiosity how the new lineup was and he was like 'oh the new bandmates came from some stupid alternative metal crap and it's like that'.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I vote ELP. Their reunion records were so indescribably bad that you can't even get anybody to admit these days that they were ever anything less than awful. _The Weirdness_ was not a good record, but it didn't make people actually go and throw out their copies of _Fun House_.

1973 Byrds reunion album (w/original members) was kinda lame. Was that the first major rock band reunion?

Also Jefferson Airplane album from 1989. But I should have caught their live show that year.

Smashing Pumpkins without a fucking doubt. For the first four or five years, everything he did and said on stage and off seemed like willful self-destruction.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Ah you lot..

The Pixies one isn't perfect, but.

Write-in for the lifeless Police reunion of 2007. Early songs were slowed down to a geriatric pace that was more dub than reggae. Sting's kid's band opened. $300 million in revenues

I'd heard it was kinda hit or miss and thankfully the show I saw in Milwaukee was pretty decent. I mean the Police always seemed to be a studio band at heart but if the tempos were regularly slower than the records (certainly, for some songs they were) I didn't notice. Stew definitely sounded good, the other two were alright. The only real irritating things were 1) any and all of Sting's stage banter and 2) the song that was slowed down into a Sarah McLaughlin commercial (I think it was "Invisible Sun"??) Also we got Elvis Costello opening which made for an excellent double-bill...never thought I'd see the day

Suede got off lightly then..

The Pixies reunion should have been split into 2 options - with and without Deal. The first go-round, tons of people were excited about them and they played some good shows. After Deal split, there's no way I could even imagine they'd be worth seeing, though I'd almost wager they sound pretty much the same.

page and plant

I wouldn't call it bad (actually, it was pretty awesome), but last year's Terrorizer tour was one of the most confusing events in metal history.

apparently David, Katina and Anthony are indeed out of the band and Sam Molina/Lee Harrison are the new permanent members of Terrorizer. They're coming back here on tour. I just wonder what the fuck it is they're going to play. I don't demand lineup authenticity to enjoy my metal so I mean another "World Downfall" front to back would be fine, but I don't want to go to a show where the 45 minute drive to get there is longer than the set itself.

yet there seems to be no news of a new album, and I can't imagine he'd have hired these two guns to play the material from the prior two albums.

I saw one of the Roth van halen shows and it was probably the worst concert I've ever seen.

Last years Sabbath reunion resulted in a mediocre to fair album but the shoddy treatment of Bill Ward makes it a strong contender here.

― Prince Kajuku (Bill Magill), Friday, July 18, 2014 11:36 PM (8 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I stand by this. The Roth van halen show was so bad i couldnt believe it was a real band.

what are the biggest sham reunions that have happened? I don't mean "XXX plays the hits of YYY" type reunions, I mean reunions that went under the band's original name with 65-80% of the original members missing, or with the band's most identifiable member not joining (and not for a reason of "being dead")...

The surviving members of Boney M all have their own touring versions of the group, guess you could say that's several examples.

Kraftwek. Although, like Boney M, they put on a hell of a show.

the faces reformed and toured with mick hucknall singing instead of rod stewart.

There was that Cars tour with Rundgren in place of Ocasek. That was pretty lame. (Not much better with Ocasek back in the fold a few years later, tbh)

"The Doors of the 21st Century"

I thought the New Cars thing was pretty cool! Kasim Sulton and Prairie Prince involved as well (along with Elliot Easton and Greg Hawkes, so more members of Rundgren's regular band than original Cars). Kind of halfway between a reunion + a tribute act. Maybe more of these groups that are reforming with key original members absent should amalgamate with other bands in the same situation, so that everyone on stage is sufficiently famous?

any number of motown four tops/temptations reunions, prob xp

I'm gonna need some explanation for those five Chameleons votes. "Why Call It Anything" was great.

Have Spandau Ballet been mentioned at all in the thread yet?

Oh were they not crap the first time?

Well yeah, which is why they didn't need to come back a second time.

Good point.

do people still hate the pixies for that reunion? those shows in 2004 or so were pretty good.

does branwell still think slowdive should not have reformed given that the album the wound up putting out is exceptional as have all their live shows?

"Kraftwek. Although, like Boney M, they put on a hell of a show.

― everything,"

if they put on a great show (and they do) I don't know why they'd be up for consideration. also I don't know that I'd ever consider kraftwerk as split up and reformed. they just evolve slowly over huge periods of time.

"what are the biggest sham reunions that have happened? I don't mean "XXX plays the hits of YYY" type reunions, I mean reunions that went under the band's original name with 65-80% of the original members missing, or with the band's most identifiable member not joining (and not for a reason of "being dead")..."

the current iteration of Yes with Steve Howe is pretty much like this, now that Squire is dead. The only other very long time members you have are Geoff Downes, who was only on one proper Yes album at the time, and Alan White, who actually may or may not be involved alf the time because he can't drum anymore and they get a second drummer to follow him. If Howe had any sense he'd join the other Yes with Anderson, Wakeman and Rabin and do a final thing before hanging it up.

Is White’s lack of chops why they take the songs at such a deadly slow tempo, or is it just a function of all these old guys needing the extra room?

A sham reunion that never happened -- few bought tickets, so it was cancelled:

http://www.thewho.net/australia/images/cominglge.jpg

Ironically, it was Pete Townshend who suggested Daltrey and Entwistle tour Australia without him and call it "The Who."

And the current lineup of Dr. Feelgood has no original members, despite the fact that three of the original four are still alive.

I think that's been the case for about 20-25 years? *consults Wikipedia* yes, since Lee Brilleaux died in 1994.

Yeah, but it's a "showband" innit?

Yeah, dunno if they even count as a "reunion," sham or otherwise, since I think they just kept slotting new people in whenever someone left.

It's sort of like The Lurkers (a band without a thread, btw)

The original four split up. They reformed with a new vocalist, and the bass player that replaced the original one for a few singles.

Gradually, they all left apart from that 'replacement' bass player, and that's been the band for the past 20 years. This band are not really representative of the original band, but the continuum is there, sort of.

Anyway, the three original original Lurkers have reformed and they're The Lurkers GLM (as in Gods Lonely Men, their second album).

Still, Howard Wall is having none of it.

Yeah I think they can be grouped with Napalm Death xp

Pop Will Eat Itself's current line-up is just one original member

Mentioned in the AC/DC thread, but with Malcolm now dead, Cliff retired, Brian going deaf, and Phil in legal limbo, the current line-up is just Angus and whomever.

But is there an actual line-up? Obviously it's too soon to answer, but.

Well, maybe Axl? Whoever it is will comprise an essentially entirely new band.