Readers’ Poll: The 10 Bands You Want to Reunite Right Now
The reunion tour has been a rock & roll staple ever since Traffic got back together in 1970. Solo projects fail, funds dwindle and suddenly, the petty issues that broke up your band no longer seem so important. The bands that have split and reformed are too numerous to list, and this summer, Outkast and the Replacements will be added to it.
We figured this was a good time to ask our readers which bands they want to see reunite next. Click through to see the results.
By ANDY GREENE
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10. The Kinks
Ray and Dave Davies were feuding before the Kinks even became a band, but the brothers somehow stuck together for over 30 years. They may have lasted even longer, but ticket and record sales were sagging in the mid-1990s and it no longer made it worthwhile for Ray and Dave to put up with each other.
A 2004 stroke sidelined Dave for nearly a decade, but he's since healed and last year, he began doing shows again. Ray never stopped working, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Kinks. Rumors are flying they're going to hit the road, and neither Davies brother denies that wheels are in motion. Don't be at all surprised if this gets announced within a few months. Then again, don't be surprised if it implodes before it even gets off the ground. The Kinks have a real knack for fucking up a good thing.
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9. Genesis
Genesis haven't toured with Peter Gabriel since The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour wrapped in May 1975, and they haven't stood onstage with him since a once-off reunion show in October 1982. According to Gabriel, that's unlikely to ever change. "I won't say never ever," he told Rolling Stone in 2011, "but it's in the outside department of the betting shop. . . I think if you stick with the stuff that nourishes you the most, then you'll probably be the happiest."
That's not to say that the Phil Collins-led incarnation of Genesis won't tour again; they hit the road in 2007 for a hugely successful reunion tour. After years in "retirement," Phil Collins has declared he's itching to get back on the road, possibly with Genesis. This seems like it might happen in 2015, assuming he doesn't change his mind again.
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8. Oasis
As the Everly Brothers and the Kinks proved, brothers don't get along very well in bands. The most amazing thing about Oasis is that they lasted as long as they did. But in 2009, they had an epic backstage brawl while touring Europe that ended the group.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Definitely Maybe, but Noel Gallagher says he has no interest in a reunion tour to mark the occasion. "I think I'd rather not," he told Rolling Stone in November. "We are split up. You've heard that, haven't you? You must've heard. There is no band. So, no, I won't be getting involved, anyway. If there is a reunion, I won't be in it." That said, the Gallagher brothers are only in their forties. The money offers will grow and grow over the coming years, and it's hard to imagine this never happening. That said, some people can hold a grudge a remarkably long time. It'll be interesting to see what happens.
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7. Talking Heads
Chris Frantz wants a Talking Heads reunion. Jerry Harrison wants a Talking Heads reunion. Tina Weymouth wants a Talking Heads reunion. Coachella surely wants a Talking Heads reunion. Millions of fans all over the planet want a Talking Heads reunion. It would make a fortune and the shows would probably be incredible. There's basically only one man on the planet opposed to a Talking Heads reunion and, sadly, he's the only one that matters. This is probably never going to happen because of David Byrne. Sigh. . .
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6. The White Stripes
The White Stripes didn't seem like a group destined for the long haul. By the time the band started to break big in the very early 2000s, the duo was already divorced, but somehow, that seemed to have little impact. The bigger issue seemed to be Meg; the drummer was ill-equipped for stardom and she shied away from the spotlight. They called off a bunch of dates in 2007 because she was suffering from "acute anxiety." She then married Jackson Smith (son of Patti Smith and Fred "Sonic" Smith), had a baby and fell off the grid. Jack White said he was quite happy to keep the White Stripes going, but Meg had no interest.
However, like Oasis, they are still young. Odds are, the two of them will play together at some point again. It might be in 20 years, but they're bound to cross paths somewhere down the road. If Mike Love and Brian Wilson can share a stage again, anything is possible.
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5. Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine had a pretty nasty breakup in 2000 but, seven years later, they reformed as a 1990s nostalgia machine. They played festivals all over the world without writing a single new note of music, grossing millions upon millions. They haven't toured since 2010 and they haven't done a single show since a once-off Los Angeles festival date in the summer of 2011. There's been no official announcement of another breakup, but it sure seems like they are once again out to pasture. Give them a few years, though. There's life in that band yet.
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4. The Smiths
"I would rather eat my own testicles than reform the Smiths," Morrissey said in 2006. "And that's saying something for a vegetarian." If anything, his anti-reunion feelings have only intensified in the years since he said that. The lawsuit that Smiths drummer Mike Joyce filed against the group in the mid-1990s really, really, reaaaaallly pissed Morrissey off. Fifty pages of his new memoir are devoted to the topic and it's clear his anger hasn't dissipated one bit in the past 20 years. Insane offers have been put on the table for a Smiths reunion – with or without Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke – but Morrissey has turned them all down. It's a shame since all four members are alive and well, but this thing is never going to happen.
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3. Pink Floyd
First off, the death of Richard Wright made a full reunion of the classic Pink Floyd lineup impossible. That said, David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Nick Mason could still tour as Pink Floyd and fill every stadium in the country 10 times over. They did all share the stage at a Roger Waters gig in London in 2011, but it's easy to imagine that being the last time it ever happens, because David Gilmour simply has no interest. He's made this clear over and over, and he's got so much money that nobody can force him to do anything. He didn't even want to tour as Pink Floyd without Roger Waters after 1994.
Roger Waters has been carrying the Floyd banner for the past decade, though word is that Gilmour is gearing up for a new album and possible tour this year. These solo gigs are as close as you're likely to get to Pink Floyd ever again.
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2. Guns N’ Roses
A group called Guns N' Roses has been touring for the past 13 years. That's longer than the old group managed to last, but many fans just aren't willing to accept a Guns N' Roses without Slash and Duff, let alone Steven and Izzy.
A reunion tour would be greeted like the second coming of Christ, but it's a tricky proposition. Axl Rose is a pretty unforgiving man. He trashes Slash at every opportunity, even calling him a "cancer." He's willing to occasionally play a song or two with Duff and Izzy, but that's where he draws the line. Maybe someday a promoter will pull up to his house with a dumptruck full of money and he'll cave, but that's doubtful. Maybe it's for the best. Some things are best left a memory.
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1. Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin's 2007 reunion show at London's 02 Arena wasn't intended to be a cruel tease for their fans, but that's ultimately what it became. The group spent months rehearsing, eventually perfecting a two-hour show that was simply spectacular. Tickets were virtually impossible to come across, but fans assumed they'd at least do a few more gigs. Why else would they put so much work into it? Even Cream did seven shows, and those guys absolutely hate each other.
Sadly, the reunion began and ended that night in London. Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were dying to keep things going, but Robert Plant had other plans. His collaborative album with Allison Krauss was blowing up at the time, finally earning him critical raves and huge album sales outside of Zeppelin. Rumors circulate every year or two that Zeppelin are on the verge of doing more shows, but don't believe them. Robert Plant says he's done and there's no reason to think he's bluffing.