[Closed] Bands that were 'of their time' and then disappeared

Well, according to WIKI they're history:

Shed 7 - The band officially broke up in 2003, but reformed for a greatest hits tour in July 2007.[2] The band have continued to play shows around the UK periodically but have not released a new studio album.

Pretty much the same goes for Scissor Sisters. They may have sold a lot of albums worldwide but I'd be extremely surprised if anyone outside of the hardcore fan base could even name the 3rd & 4th albums without google, never mind a song that isn't one of the first three singles released.
That may be stretching the premise a little but I do think all my original choices are very much associated with short periods of time.

I'm pretty sure that this goes for most of the bands listed here, i bet the majority are still going in one form or another.

A couple more
Embrace
Stiltskin

Catatonia

They supported Pulp at their big Finsbury Park gigs. They were bloody awful! Mercifully short-lived though. I don't mind Cerys as a DJ. Just don't sing. Or attempt to write songs.

Embrace

Forgot about Elastica. And pretty much any band who's name started with 'The' in the early 00's.

And Spin Doctors may have toured but what % of people would know that? Certainly not enough to net them another top 3 album.

Shed 7 - The band officially broke up in 2003, but reformed for a greatest hits tour in July 2007.

I was there! 🙂

Goldie Looking Chain.

Their debut is also a contender for the complete Album thread.

How about the Au Pairs - one of my favourite albums ("Playing With a Different Sex") then.. poof!

'Headache for Michelle' off the album was recently covered rather beautifully by Terranova:

Goldie Looking Chain.

😆

Well given some of the nominations I'm going for Gomez. They beat Mezzanine, Urban Hymns and this is Hardcore to the Mercury Prize and then went south rapidly*. Badly Drawn Boy can be assessed similarly.

*Though lots of us bought Liquid Skin - it really wasn't much good.

I have those 2 GLC tracks lurking amongst the other 10 gig of music on a USB drive in my van stereo.

Their appearance reliably leads to either a wry grin and an improving of my mood or a frantic scramble for the 'skip' button depending on whether or not my wife and young children are in the van with me.

Terrorvision! Born Oblivion, died Tequila. Brilliant though.

Andrew WK is a god among lesser men. I saw him on The Wolf tour... He came on, said "So I have a new album out... But you don't want to hear any of that!" and played all of I Get Wet instead. We saw him running around the Leeds festival with a dude in a spiderman costume on his shoulders, for [i]hours[/i]

So many 90's bands didn't make it out of the 90's.
Which is a shame as I don't think music as got any better since then.

A number of bands broke up and have since reformed or have toured since
or where never the same after the 2nd (big) album.

And pretty much any band who's name started with 'The'

The The??

[i]Well given some of the nominations I'm going for Gomez.[/i]

Just checked their discogs entry - 8 albums up to 2011!! 😆 Imagine what the ones after Liquid Skin were like.

Last track on Bring It On... The Comeback.. Noo!

The The??

applause!

Pale Fountains anyone?

*ahem*

And pretty much any band who's name started with 'The' [b]in the early 00's.[/b]

Do try to pay attention 007.

And I'll agree with Gomez for obscurity but Liquid Skin was a good album.

I was tempted to some shameless self-promotion but decided that that would just be arrogant and tasteless.

Not like me at all. 😉 🙂

How many albums did [b]The Sound[/b] produce?

Baa Kid K, PMJ?

😆

Goat rap will never be the same again.

Anyone mentioned the poppies yet?

anyway, back on topic, may I present:

Sisters of Mercy are still going aren't they (well, he)?

DezB - Member
How many albums did The Sound produce?

Seven. One of them a double live.

All available as two boxed sets...

http://www.demonmusicgroup.co.uk/catalogue/artists/the-sound/

The Ting Tings

Basically it is pretty safe to assume that many bands hit it big briefly but then often continue on for ages afterwards in relative obscurity.

Of those mentioned above Garbage have released 5 albums over the years, the last one 3 years ago and while Skunk Anansie did split up after Post Orgasmic Chill, they've since reformed and released two studio albums and a live album. I believe that James are also still on the go (Wikipedia says that they split up in 2001 but reformed in 2007).

World Of Twist

OMG, totally forgot about them.

Anyone mentioned Baby Bird yet?

Its interesting and a bit sad that some bands can seem to be flash in the pan when they've actually had quite long careers. I think its a case of being defined by non-fans by your break-through album and / or the novelty singalong track that got you on Top of the Pops (Tequila, I get knocked down etc etc) that belies that you were getting on fine thanks before and after the covershot for Smash Hits.

Now that the money in music has moved back to gigs rather than record sales a band doesn't have to have new music to have work to do. Live-gigs used to be a loss-leader, you would lose money touring but you did it in order to promote new albums to make money through sales. So you could only have a live career if you kept coming up with new stuff that would sell. Now that sales don't matter and people are prepared to pay a fair wack for a ticket you don't need new material to gig anymore and for a lot of the bands mentioned above that means they can go back on the road again

But you almost have to promise not to have new material to be able to gig. The Bluertones for instance were early exponents of the 'one-album-tour' - a commitment to only play the old tracks everyone remembers you for and not to embarrass everyone with your recent forays into world music and free jazz or anything else that would ruin the nostalgia

James played the SECC or the Hydro last year so I don't think their appeal's become much more selective. But I suppose it's whether a band's a going concern, or a nostalgia trip. You can still be going but be invisible to everyone but your fans.

And on that note, the best! kick arse! rock and roll band in the world! Carter! The Unstoppable! Sex! Machiiiiiiiiiine! Still gigging in 2014 but as soon as you went into the Academy it was obviously the mid 90s. And not a single song written since 1997.

I saw James at the IoW Festival in 2007. They were nearly as good as The Stranglers(!)

Fischerspooner

although I think "Emerge" is a fantastic track

How about the ex-band members on here posting some Youtubes of your best tracks.

Oasis are still popular with youngsters in France. My son does Wonderwall in his stage set and it's one of the most popular of the covers along with Sweet Home and Viva La vida. I tried recording Whatever with his Epiphone jumbo but it's hard to play so here's my busker's version of Whatever with the wrong guitar recorded in the garden a few minutes ago with the neighbours irrigation pump as percussion. Just back from skiing if you hadn't guessed.

Terrorvision - I was taken to see them in Warrington Parr Hall by a then-girfriend, I have never been so unmoved by a band. I stood and waited for them to finish and went home, it was odd. they couldn't sing or play and the songs were rubbish, lots of lights and PA well loud but no energy on stage.... there was clearly an engineer on their records earning his cash to make them sound good (probably a load of session musicians tidying up after them)

Ocean Colour Scene - I was in a band who were offered a slot to support them, Damon (bassist) came to see us at a gig beforehand and came to chat with us, he was a grade 1 tossbag who told us he loved the demo even though the advice 🙄 he gave us didn't make any sense (he hadn't listened to it). I predicted to the other members that he would slag us off after the gig and not give us the support slot, I was proved right.

Fischerspooner

That's a perfect example, almost making it into my list of bands that had gone out of vogue before releasing an album, but you're right, Emerge is an awesome tune. Some of their remixes are spectacular too.

I reckon The Rapture are probably contenders too, no matter how much I love Echoes.

Ash?
Supergrass?
(refusing to google, in my mind they had one decent album each). I was thinking the verve but I think they went on for blooming ages!

Don't think Ash make the cut- they had a good 10 years of chart success etc, 4 succesful albums and one a bit less but something ridiculous like 18 top 20 singles.

I probably should have googled 😉
Actually having just checked spotify, that's quite a back catalogue.
Flock of seagulls then. I had one of their albums. I accept I may have been the only one.

Neds Atomic Dustbin

Don't think Ash make the cut- they had a good 10 years of chart success etc, 4 succesful albums and one a bit less but something ridiculous like 18 top 20 singles.

I always think of Ash as more or less the definitive journeyman pop band. I can't think of many people who rate them as a favourite but they were consistent, tight and made a good sound - if you liked 1977 you'll probably like Free All Angels and you'll probably like whatever their next album is (yes, they're still around).

[i]Well given some of the nominations I'm going for Gomez. They beat Mezzanine, Urban Hymns and this is Hardcore to the Mercury Prize[/i]

Wasn't the Mercury prize pretty much the kiss of death of your career for a while, Gomez, Ronny Size, Talvin Singh, Badley Drawn Boy...

I reckon you could find a bunch of people who'd call Ash one hit wonders but they'd all choose a different hit. Berm Baby Berm, nah nah man, Kung Fu, don't be daft it was Shining Light, no it was...

A big reason there will be a lot of one-good-album bands is you have your whole life's worth of anger and ideas to help write your first album, 8 months to write your second one, and those have done well, then only the life of a pop star as a frame of reference to write your third. Art and ambition are ruined by comfort.

flip side to the above
The Charlatans - saw them a few years back at V, went to the tent to get in for the Chemical Bros and they were on before, they were great; good songs, good playing and entertaining on stage

Also Ash - the kind of band you forget how many good songs they have written over the years and decent live

Art and ambition are ruined by comfort.

But there are a lot of good second albums out there too...

Killers is arguably better than Iron Maiden, and Evil Empire is angrier than Rage Against the Machine (although this could be to do with production values, to be fair).

Then I suppose there's Jilted Generation as well. 🙂

I reckon you could find a bunch of people who'd call Ash one hit wonders but they'd all choose a different hit. Berm Baby Berm, nah nah man, Kung Fu, don't be daft it was Shining Light, no it was...

Fair point, But you're wrong of course. It was Orpheus 🙂

Oh bugger that was 2004. Okay 2 good albums.

Suede - although they did have quite a long run and have just reformed according to wiki. They do gain bonus points for all of their former members going on to form other bands which were the darlings of the music industry before disappearing shortly afterwards into thin air.

Reef - although still going, had that moment in time, helped by tfi Friday, it's your letters. Been to see them a couple of times in the last few years still good in my eyes.

Starsailor, and for something really terrible I give you limp bizkit.

Also the levellers? Have you run mad? Awesome band that I still look forward to hearing their tour dates.

James are still around. They played the rugby league ground final last year

anyway, back on topic, may I present:
Sisters of Mercy are still going aren't they (well, he)?

No, he's recently announced the end of that and that he's now involved in another project. Allegedly

I knew of Terrorvision when they were Spoilt Bratz.. That was their original name c1986-8

James are very much still going. They toured last November for their new album (and we saw them at the Albert Hall). Just getting betterer and betterer.

john_drummer - Member

I knew of Terrorvision when they were Spoilt Bratz.. That was their original name c1986-8

Tried to be hipster. Instead was just old 😉

Yes James are still around, I must of been to at least 3 "last ever" gigs. The first was in Brighton with support from (then relatively unknown) stereophonics and Turin Breaks. True story.

I think the more pertinent question is about bands/artists that have endured the test of time. 98% of acts are 'of their time' and a good number of those listed in this thread have had very successful careers in music long after they have left the mainstream.

Charlatans just released a new album a couple of weeks ago after the tragic death of Jon Brookes...

Republica.

Dare I say the stone roses. One classic album then a long wait for the next and then split?

Surely the most band of their time band then all went off to do other stuff (granted with a recent reform)

Tried to be hipster. Instead was just old

Moi? Never tried to be hip, I was a punk then a goth 😉 would be deeply offended if anyone said I was a hipster 😯

Just old? Yeah, heading that way. 50 weekend after next

Ride. Probably all of those early 90's shoegazing indie bands.

I saw Ride at Derby Assembly Rooms, probably '91? They were suitably upstaged by a support act called 'Verve', who shortly after had to change their name to 'The Verve' to avoid copyright issues with Verve records...

binners - Member
Catatonia

They supported Pulp at their big Finsbury Park gigs. They were bloody awful! Mercifully short-lived though. I don't mind Cerys as a DJ. Just don't sing. Or attempt to write songs.

Tenpole Tudor
Haircut 100
Heaven 17
Big Fun
Fun Boy 3
Pepsi and Shirley
Amazulu
Martha and the Muffins

welsh band sang 69 guns....?????
Big Country......?

Betty Boo
Echobelly

on the matter of the THE THE possibly the greatest UK band of the 80s.....Soul Mining was the sublime and Infected the great album of the 80s

Such fond memories, sadly no photos, before the days of camera-phones and cheap digi-cameras, venues wouldn't let 35mm SLR's through the doors.

Yes, the good old days when everyone was able to enjoy the experience of a gig without some dickhead with a screen in their hand

[i]Fischerspooner

although I think "Emerge" is a fantastic track
[/i]

I love their second album! (Odyssey).. i think I'm in a minority though.

69Guns was the atrocity that was The Alarm. Joke band.
And Ride have reformed after Andy Bell left one of the Gallagher's bands. Didn't like Ride personally, but their were other "of the time " shoegaze bands
Catherine Wheel
Lush
er.. Mint 400?

The Magic Numbers, Badly Drawn Boy, Gnarles Berkley / Cee Lo Green, Paramore, Chase and Status, Bjork, Duffy, LMFAO, Jet, The Hives - one minute they're everywhere and the next - nothing, they're always the ones that catch me out - you hear something on the radio and remember you liked them and Google tells you they haven't made a thing in ten years.

Stackridge

Galliano hahahahaha

Bjork

Beg pardon?? 😆

Anyone remember Electrasy?

These annoying idiots definitely deserve a mention too:

Disturbing fact #1: One of them had Liv Tyler's baby!!!!!!

bands that did one great album (IMO) then 'disappeared':-
The La's, The Seahorses (note..NOT shirehorses !)

somebody mentioned Skunk Anansie but they have done a handful of albums

DezB thanks the Alarm, saw them several times in Wales as they seemed to have a monopoly....truly terrible band

Galliano, saw at Glasto worse were
Spin Doctors Two Princes

4 Non Blondes....though Linda Perry rules the song writing female world

Arrested Development...great album though first one

Len....Canadian rappers

Presidents of America....peaches

The only band mentioned that I remember fondly are CSS. Loved the first album, wife said it sounded like a shit female version of LCD Soundsystem

elsh band sang 69 guns....?????
Big Country

I think Mike Peters is doing lead vocal for Big Country, but not a merge per se. I could be wrong of course

Milli Vanilli - one album and they were gone..... 😀

Some great reminders here , I'd almost forgotten about Linoleum...

The Longpigs?

Their album, The Sun Is Often Out, is still one of my all-time favourites!

Heard Radio6 play 'Far' the other day.

Bjork
Beg pardon??

artful dodger

then Craig David

How about these guys, part of that whole Keen-Coldplay-Snowpatrol axis of bland in the early noughties:

Another example from the Acid Jazz smugplosion in the early nineties

I was mad about My Bloody Valentine in my yoof. Very influential but very 'of the late 80s'.

the levellers? Have you run mad? Awesome band

Going back a bit, may I add Ram Jam? They made a great album (the one with Black Betty) but I never heard any more from them.

I saw them at some folk festival or other (might have been Brampton). All I wanted to do was push them into a bath tub and scrub them down with a stiff-bristled broom.

Reef - although still going, had that moment in time, helped by tfi Friday, it's your letters. Been to see them a couple of times in the last few years still good in my eyes.

Saw them at Reading '95, only knew "the one from the minidisk advert" (It possibly had a different title)... They saved it for the encore, bastards....

Someone above mentioned the Hives, I'd rank them with lemonysam's definition of Ash. You forget about them, think they've only done one song, then you see them, mid-afternoon, at a festival and the set list is BAM, BAM, BAM, one excellent poppy-rock track after another.