I know that there's a couple of threads about bands splitting up after reaching their artistic peak or after releasing their best album, but this isn't about that. What about bands that actually decide to split right at the point where they're at their most successful? Surely there aren't very many: I can think of Japan and The Jam at the most?
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Monday, 23 February 2015 20:43 (eleven years ago)
roxy music?
― sleepingsignal, Monday, 23 February 2015 20:50 (eleven years ago)
The New Radicals?
― MarkoP, Monday, 23 February 2015 20:53 (eleven years ago)
In purely financial terms, the Who. They weren't exactly burning up the charts in 1982, and their best work was far behind them, but their "Farewell Tour" was by far their most lucrative, and their fan base vastly larger than at any time previous.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 23 February 2015 21:03 (eleven years ago)
At the Drive-In
― when is the new Jim O'Rourke album coming out (spazzmatazz), Monday, 23 February 2015 21:04 (eleven years ago)
Blink-182
― got a long list of ilxors (fgti), Monday, 23 February 2015 21:13 (eleven years ago)
the Police
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 23 February 2015 21:20 (eleven years ago)
NWA
― Οὖτις, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:20 (eleven years ago)
Fugees
― breastcrawl, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:23 (eleven years ago)
LCD Soundsystem, obv.
― lil urbane (Jordan), Monday, 23 February 2015 21:24 (eleven years ago)
The Wonders
― jmm, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:26 (eleven years ago)
Simon & Garfunkel
― StanM, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:26 (eleven years ago)
Fine Young Cannibals
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:28 (eleven years ago)
The Exploding Hearts, in the worst way possible.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:30 (eleven years ago)
dude
― adam, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:31 (eleven years ago)
Jane's Addiction
― iyo iyo un day (how's life), Monday, 23 February 2015 21:32 (eleven years ago)
The Beatles? Wikipedia says Abbey Road was their most successful album commercially, and the last one came out only after they'd split.
― Tuomas, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:45 (eleven years ago)
klf
― mark e, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:45 (eleven years ago)
Oh yeah, definitely ATD-I, The Police, Simon & Garfunkel and Fugees!
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Monday, 23 February 2015 21:46 (eleven years ago)
Fine Young Cannibals― Johnny Fever, Monday, February 23, 2015 9:28 PM (17 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― Johnny Fever, Monday, February 23, 2015 9:28 PM (17 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I hadn't thought about FYC in these terms before, but yeah!
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Monday, 23 February 2015 21:47 (eleven years ago)
KLF never split, did they? They just went to do different things than music.
― Tuomas, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:48 (eleven years ago)
what about the sex pistols ?
― mark e, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:49 (eleven years ago)
Cream; Hüsker Dü; Benny Goodman's first Orchestra
― Josefa, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:49 (eleven years ago)
ooh good point re klf think I have read that somewhere actually
― mark e, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:51 (eleven years ago)
Sex Pistols is a really good one. Breaking up in the middle of your first US nationwide tour is a pretty good way to end things.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 23 February 2015 21:54 (eleven years ago)
The Verve
― Don A Henley And Get Over It (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:08 (eleven years ago)
Small Faces
― Don A Henley And Get Over It (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:09 (eleven years ago)
Tin Machine
― StanM, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:10 (eleven years ago)
The Beta Band
― anthony braxton diamond geezer (anagram), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:14 (eleven years ago)
Tinted Windows
― when is the new Jim O'Rourke album coming out (spazzmatazz), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:15 (eleven years ago)
There could be a small subset of this about groups that lost a key member at the peak of their commercial success, and had a quick downfall afterwards.
For example:
J. Geils BandThe Clash
― Don A Henley And Get Over It (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:17 (eleven years ago)
^ Velvet Underground
― anthony braxton diamond geezer (anagram), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:18 (eleven years ago)
King Crimson in 1974
The Smashing Pumpkins, the first half of 1996 before they lost Jimmy Chamberlin was their zenith.
― when is the new Jim O'Rourke album coming out (spazzmatazz), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:20 (eleven years ago)
When was Minor Threat's peak? Maybe them
― Josefa, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:22 (eleven years ago)
The Band (mk. 1)
― StanM, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:23 (eleven years ago)
what about bands that lost essential members very early on but kept going for decades
Pretenders
― when is the new Jim O'Rourke album coming out (spazzmatazz), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:25 (eleven years ago)
As good as some of the other Pretenders records are, none come anywhere close to the first two.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:26 (eleven years ago)
Sleater-Kinney
― Don A Henley And Get Over It (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:26 (eleven years ago)
this is going to be a very confusing business if you keep adding different requirements.
For the original question:The God Machine (lost a member and quit)The Birthday Party
― StanM, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:28 (eleven years ago)
Success may be relative tbqh
― StanM, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:29 (eleven years ago)
The Replacements perhaps.
― Elvis Telecom, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:33 (eleven years ago)
english beat
― fact checking cuz, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:36 (eleven years ago)
the e street band
― fact checking cuz, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:37 (eleven years ago)
Big Black
― めんどくさかった (Matt #2), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:38 (eleven years ago)
steely dan?
― fact checking cuz, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:39 (eleven years ago)
Cream
― earlnash, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:42 (eleven years ago)
missed it...already mentioned.
― earlnash, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:43 (eleven years ago)
Galaxie 500
― anthony braxton diamond geezer (anagram), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:46 (eleven years ago)
one album too late
― when is the new Jim O'Rourke album coming out (spazzmatazz), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:47 (eleven years ago)
I was looking up SK's disco for their sales figures and saw that Call the Doctor only sold 6K? That can't be right, can it?
― Hollinger Escape Plan (Leee), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:50 (eleven years ago)
Maybe in 1996, but surely it's sold a lot more since then.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:53 (eleven years ago)
XP Chainsaw was a pretty small label, and those two S-K albums were always harder to find.
My reasoning for naming S-K mainly has to do with it seemingly like they were at their highest profile at the time of the split. They were able to do three videos with Sub Pop, had probably the best distro of their careers, and were playing their biggest shows yet. And The woods probably sold pretty good by their standards too.
― Don A Henley And Get Over It (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 23 February 2015 22:54 (eleven years ago)
Rage Against The Machine
― kornrulez6969, Monday, 23 February 2015 22:58 (eleven years ago)
Pixies Mk 1?
― anthony braxton diamond geezer (anagram), Monday, 23 February 2015 23:02 (eleven years ago)
here, Leee: http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2015/02/03/383507767/unfinished-business
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 23 February 2015 23:06 (eleven years ago)
Libertines
― Dr X O'Skeleton, Monday, 23 February 2015 23:09 (eleven years ago)
Throbbing Gristle
― saki, Monday, 23 February 2015 23:14 (eleven years ago)
Buffalo Springfield
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 23 February 2015 23:18 (eleven years ago)
Metallica...so strange we never heard from them again after AJFA
― Hammer Smashed Bagels, Monday, 23 February 2015 23:20 (eleven years ago)
― MarkoP, Monday, 23 February 2015 20:53 (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
it was weird, I saw that ok-ish movie Begin Again and kept noting how the music throughout that film sounded so much like TNR and then in the end credits it said Gregg Alexander wrote a lot of the music!
― Hammer Smashed Bagels, Monday, 23 February 2015 23:22 (eleven years ago)
Dude definitely has an identifiable touch.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 23 February 2015 23:23 (eleven years ago)
both arguable cases depending on the definition of success, but
The MinutemenLed Zeppelin
― you make me feel like danzig (WilliamC), Monday, 23 February 2015 23:26 (eleven years ago)
I was only 6 years old in 1980, so it's just a guess, but surely Zep was on the other side of a peak at that point right?
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 23 February 2015 23:30 (eleven years ago)
Like I say, depends on what success is.
In Through the Out Door: Despite receiving poor reviews,[1][17] the album went to No. 1 on Billboard's chart in its second week on the chart. On this album's release, Led Zeppelin's entire catalogue made the Billboard 200 between the weeks of 23 October and 3 November 1979, an unprecedented feat.[1] The album remained on the US top spot for seven weeks and sold three million copies by the end of September 1979.[17] It is also the Led Zeppelin album that has been most weeks on the top of the charts (tied along with Led Zeppelin II). To date, the album has sold six million copies in the US.
Plus, I don't think the last two albums were a drop in quality. Presence in particular has always been my favorite of theirs.
― you make me feel like danzig (WilliamC), Tuesday, 24 February 2015 03:11 (eleven years ago)
The plans for the 1980 US tour were, per Plant's wishes, scaled back from the stadiums of previous tours. Had the tour happened, it wouldn't have generated overwhelming truckloads of cash, by design.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 24 February 2015 03:46 (eleven years ago)
Destiny's Child?
― Lee626, Tuesday, 24 February 2015 04:07 (eleven years ago)
The Smiths
― cock chirea, Tuesday, 24 February 2015 04:40 (eleven years ago)
Outkast?
― Van Horn Street, Tuesday, 24 February 2015 04:43 (eleven years ago)
they deleted their back catalogue and issued a press release saying that for "the foreseeable future there will be no further record releases from any past, present &future name attached to our activities," following the Scott Piering V/O announcement at the end of the Brits performance that "Ladies & gentlemen, the KLF have now left the music industry."
― oochie wally (clean version) (sic), Tuesday, 24 February 2015 05:52 (eleven years ago)
well sure, but who can foresee the future
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 24 February 2015 05:58 (eleven years ago)
The Postal Service
― Vic Perry, Tuesday, 24 February 2015 06:13 (eleven years ago)
Hot Butter
(that was more of an electrical fire really)
― Vic Perry, Tuesday, 24 February 2015 06:14 (eleven years ago)
The Unicorns, fwiw
― when is the new Jim O'Rourke album coming out (spazzmatazz), Tuesday, 24 February 2015 06:52 (eleven years ago)
LMFAO
― nose, Tuesday, 24 February 2015 16:24 (eleven years ago)
Sublime
― Lee626, Wednesday, 25 February 2015 02:23 (eleven years ago)
Telefon Tel Aviv : (
― Sleepy, Hollow (Paul in Santa Cruz), Wednesday, 25 February 2015 19:25 (eleven years ago)
ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars
― mark e, Wednesday, 25 February 2015 19:29 (eleven years ago)
:( indeed
― lil urbane (Jordan), Wednesday, 25 February 2015 19:48 (eleven years ago)
ABBA
― reggie (qualmsley), Wednesday, 25 February 2015 20:29 (eleven years ago)
Spacemen 3
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 25 February 2015 20:40 (eleven years ago)
Butthole Surfers
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 25 February 2015 20:41 (eleven years ago)
Nirvana.
I'm not sure I would put the Replacements in there-All Shook Down isn't as bad as say, Cut The Crap, but it's definitely post-peak, and I remember the band playing smaller halls (in the Southeast at least) on that last tour.
― campreverb, Thursday, 26 February 2015 13:10 (eleven years ago)
People naming minor indie bands like the Unicorns - what makes you think they wouldn't have become any bigger given a couple more records?
― Matt DC, Thursday, 26 February 2015 13:19 (eleven years ago)
re: the Replacements, All Shook Down was their highest-charter, and two videos from it ("Merry Go Round" and "When It Began") were in regular rotation on MTV. In terms of hall size, early in 1991 they played (and filled) the same hall they'd played in Chicago on their previous tour, but in the summer, they played a massive outdoor (but free) concert (their last until recently).
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Thursday, 26 February 2015 14:27 (eleven years ago)
xp that's why I noted it was the SE-well aware they were bigger than ever in the Midwest. still, I'd stick with post-peak, and All Shook Down barely rates above DTAS for most 'Mats fans. Interesting, ILX doesn't appear to have polled their albums however.
― campreverb, Thursday, 26 February 2015 15:28 (eleven years ago)
Pulp?
― StanM, Thursday, 26 February 2015 15:30 (eleven years ago)
Death Grips
― Camaraderie at Arms Length, Thursday, 26 February 2015 15:56 (eleven years ago)
Definitely not Pulp.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 26 February 2015 16:22 (eleven years ago)
yeah, definitely not Pulp.Suede, in a way, if we consider B.Butler leaving as a split.
― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 26 February 2015 16:45 (eleven years ago)
still, I'd stick with post-peak, and All Shook Down barely rates above DTAS for most 'Mats fans.
Yeah, they were definitely past their artistic peak by ASD; I loved it at the time, and preferred it to DTAS, but it hasn't aged well at all (but then, neither has DTAS).
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Thursday, 26 February 2015 16:48 (eleven years ago)