The Bands that Split up JUST too soon..

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Like, not for reasons of imminent fame avoided, purely for being that close to their finest hour. Then they could have split up.

I nom the Small Faces. Sure, their last album was number one. But with tracks like "Autumn Stone", "Wham Bam Thank you mam" and suchlike, the next album would have blown their past releases to shame.

But "The Universal" 'failed' i.e. only made top twelve or thereabouts, so they 'split up' (not being able to stand each other might have been a factor)...

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 26 June 2006 10:14 (twenty years ago)

mclusky

― latebloomer aka rap's yoko ono (latebloomer), Monday, 26 June 2006 10:29 (twenty years ago)

gay dad

― Roughage Crew (Enrique), Monday, 26 June 2006 10:29 (twenty years ago)

Belfegore

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 26 June 2006 10:35 (twenty years ago)

Anti-Pop Consortium
Plone

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 26 June 2006 11:12 (twenty years ago)

at the drive in

― someteenpartying (someteenpartying), Monday, 26 June 2006 12:10 (twenty years ago)

Mclusky split up waaaay too soon!

― Simon H. (Simon H.), Monday, 26 June 2006 12:45 (twenty years ago)

Lifter Puller

― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Monday, 26 June 2006 13:22 (twenty years ago)

Life Without Buildings

― Black Arkestra (Black Arkestra), Monday, 26 June 2006 13:45 (twenty years ago)

Th' Faith Healers

They had a reunion recently at SXSW, but I don't know if there will be any new material, and it may be far too late for them.

― Matt Olken (Moodles), Monday, 26 June 2006 14:48 (twenty years ago)

might start a fight, but:

black eyes

― robbie mackey (robbie mackey), Monday, 26 June 2006 14:55 (twenty years ago)

Sounds like they had one already.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 26 June 2006 14:59 (twenty years ago)

I used to think The Smiths fit this bill, but they probably split up before they would have gone seriously downhill.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Monday, 26 June 2006 15:11 (twenty years ago)

mclusky x1000. Especially after hearing the SAUM album.

― Dan Floss (Dan Floss), Monday, 26 June 2006 15:43 (twenty years ago)

clor

― Shooz (shooz), Monday, 26 June 2006 16:09 (twenty years ago)

mclusky x infinity...

― edde (edde), Monday, 26 June 2006 16:14 (twenty years ago)

Operation Ivy

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Monday, 26 June 2006 16:19 (twenty years ago)

Suede (Mark 1)

― pisces (piscesx), Monday, 26 June 2006 16:25 (twenty years ago)

Dog Faced Hermans
Mittagspause
the Hated

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Monday, 26 June 2006 17:56 (twenty years ago)

Blink-182

― max (maxreax), Monday, 26 June 2006 18:30 (twenty years ago)

Jane's Addiction ... though, fwiw, they should have stayed broked up.

― O'Connor (OConnorScribe), Monday, 26 June 2006 19:00 (twenty years ago)

The Beau Brummels.

Within a year of the band's split in '69, the singer released two amazing singles of psych-tinged pop, both of which were produced by Van Dyke Parks and Ry Cooder. The guitarist releases a fantastic country-folk singer-songwriter affair, The Candlestickmaker, and he joins the group Pan, whom peformed an entire suite of his music. If all this stuff was saved for one more Brummels LP then the band would have had yet another stone cold classic after Triangle and Bradley's Barn. And then the band's greatness would have been even harder to ignore.

― QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Monday, 26 June 2006 19:48 (twenty years ago)

They had a pretty good run as it stands, but I really wonder where the Dismemberment Plan would've gone from Change

― bernard snow (sixteen sergeants), Monday, 26 June 2006 20:15 (twenty years ago)

The Beatles

All Things Must Imagine RAM!!!!

― Tronid K (tronidk), Monday, 26 June 2006 21:12 (twenty years ago)

first one that came to me when i read the title was also McLusky. So Hot Snakes is a close second.

― pinder (pinder), Monday, 26 June 2006 21:42 (twenty years ago)

Elastica.

― mike. (antlrs), Monday, 26 June 2006 21:56 (twenty years ago)

hot snakes

― gear (gear), Monday, 26 June 2006 21:57 (twenty years ago)

clor - tis indeed the answer closest to my heart.

― mark e (mark e), Monday, 26 June 2006 21:59 (twenty years ago)

i came here to say "mclusky" but i appear to have been beaten to the punch several times over. bizarrely, no others spring to mind. this has to be wrong.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 26 June 2006 22:01 (twenty years ago)

x-postx2

And Drive Like Jehu! I imagine them desceding further into some kind of 20-minute psychedelic San Diego chaos jams. Think "Do You Computre" for an entire side of a record.

― QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Monday, 26 June 2006 22:01 (twenty years ago)

all three hot snakes LPs are awesome; i guess they're just the sort of dudes who get bored with projects quickly.

― gear (gear), Monday, 26 June 2006 22:02 (twenty years ago)

lots of them...
The pop group, cardinal, Scratch acid (though Jesus lizard are great as a sequell)...

― emekars (emekars), Monday, 26 June 2006 22:10 (twenty years ago)

Kenickie

― Arthurgh! A Music War (Arthur), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 01:51 (twenty years ago)

team lg

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 01:52 (twenty years ago)

rosita

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 02:22 (twenty years ago)

velocette

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 02:23 (twenty years ago)

I thought of the Carissa's Weird and the Promise Ring. Sure, the Promise Ring had an ok run but really they should have been Jimmy Eat World huge.

― christopherscottknudsen (christopherscottknudsen), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 13:15 (twenty years ago)

The Vulgar Boatmen
The Glands

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 13:53 (twenty years ago)

oohh, yeah, hot snakes thirdeded

― edde (edde), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 14:39 (twenty years ago)

I thought of the Carissa's Weird and the Promise Ring. Sure, the Promise Ring had an ok run but really they should have been Jimmy Eat World huge.
-- christopherscottknudsen (djfrankgrime...), June 27th, 2006

Promise Ring were too ugly to reach JEW heights, even if they were better.

― Jam (1020am), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 18:42 (twenty years ago)

life w/o buildings.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 20:48 (twenty years ago)

The Fire Show, though I like the Resplendent solo EPs/album.

― lrsn (larssen), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 21:08 (twenty years ago)

This is tough -- aside from unexpected death (The Ruts, Joy Division, Chico Science & Nação Zumbí, Jeff Buckley), most bands pretty much had their chance to peak before they broke up. As far as ones that had some promise left:

X-Ray Spex
Young Marble Giants
Squirrel Bait
Tragic Mulatto
Bitch Magnet
Swervedriver
Screaming Trees
Dog Faced Hermans

Did Portishead break up? Does My Bloody Valentine count? Did D'Angelo break up with himself?

― Fastnbulbous (Fastnbulbous), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 21:31 (twenty years ago)

SLEATER-KINNEY

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 21:33 (twenty years ago)

:'(

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 21:33 (twenty years ago)

Have to agree with S-K given today's news.

Apart from them, Ultrasound.

― Curt Wastor (Curt Soda), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 21:38 (twenty years ago)

The Zombies

They weren't really around to take advantage of Time of the Season's belated success and Colin Blunstone's first album is almost a Zombies record...and is amazing at that.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 21:46 (twenty years ago)

The Darkside (that "Retroglide" 7" was freaking terrific)
Komeda

― Fsck Washing Ong's Hat (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 21:50 (twenty years ago)

I'll second the following -

Zombies - perhaps the BEST example? Split before O&O even comes out!!!
Black Eyes - oh man, their first album is so good. Cough goes in a direction i wasn't fond of, but i still wanted very much more.
At The Drive-in - Um yes, why? days before i was going to see them live!

i would purpose the Left Banke to this list, and maybe television. Although it does bring up an interesting question. I would almost prefer bands stop early than go on for too long... ahem, rolling stones. ahem U2, ahem beach boys, and countless others. way better to go out on TOP!!

I think the Band ended just at the right time. Sure, they could have toured for years and years and years. they could probably still be touring if the unfortunate deaths hadn't occurred, but would that have been a good thing? anyone see their SNL performance? the band looks about half dead.

― Peter Berard (lawrencerock), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 02:16 (twenty years ago)

Hot Snakes broke up? Already? They had three albums? I guess I'm going to have to knock them off my stock list of "bands that demonstrate how I just can't listen to this racket you kids call music these days." I always got them mixed up with Hot Hot Heat, too. Are they still a band? Were they ever?

How do we feel about the breakup of Simon & Garfunkel? Garfunkel may have been the less creative partner, present mainly for his kick-ass voice, but I could sure do with a few more records that sound like Bookends and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Of course, Simon's solo stuff is dear to my heart...

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 04:45 (twenty years ago)

Also...the Glands? Really? How'd I miss that? Help me out, Blount...

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 04:47 (twenty years ago)

Another one for the Dog Faced Hermans. Also: Dazzling Killmen and Laddio Bolocko.

― Pom (pom), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 06:20 (twenty years ago)

I never realised so many people held a torch for the Dog-Faced Hermans. Surely a reformation by popular demand is on the cards now!!! Are they the ones that did How Much Vegetation Have You Got or was that Death By Milkfloat? It's all a bit hazy!!!!

― Kim Tortoise (petergat), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 08:39 (twenty years ago)

hot snakes

-- gear (speed.to.roa...), June 26th, 2006.

OTM

― latebloomer aka rap's yoko ono (latebloomer), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 08:43 (twenty years ago)

Life Without Buildings thirded.

― Marmot 4-Tay: forth-coming, my child. forth-coming most righteous champion (mar, Wednesday, 28 June 2006 08:55 (twenty years ago)

Lots of great Norwegian bands have broken up ca. after their second album, after losing their recording contract.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 09:01 (twenty years ago)

Lots of great Norwegian bands

Shome mishtake shurely?

― TS: Alan Stivell - A l'Olympia vs. Magma - Live/Hhaï (Dada), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 09:05 (twenty years ago)

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