Comeback Album Comeback

July 24, 2013 1:10 PM

The upside is that none of these records will go down in history like Chinese Democracy. The downside, of course, is that none of these records will go down in history like Chinese Democracy. Why it had to die in 2008 so that Random Access Memories, The 20/20 Experience, m b v, The Next Day and other records could live in 2013.
posted by mannequito (53 comments total)

I disagree with the premise. Chinese Democracy could still be under construction, and people would still celebrate these good comeback albums. I don't think anyone's really appreciating the 20/20 Experience more because Justin Timberlake is more grounded than Axl Rose. Who even wants to think about Axl Rose while dancing to JT?
posted by explosion at 1:23 PM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

s/Chinese Democracy/mbv

s/Axl Rose/Kevin Shields
posted by xmutex at 1:24 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

(which is mentioned in the article, but really, mbv was longer in the not making than Chinese Democracy)
posted by xmutex at 1:27 PM on July 24, 2013

Does m b v really count as a "comeback" album? I was always under the impression that it was a bunch of material that had been recorded after Loveless but not totally completed, and thus is simply their third album rather than a comeback. Aren't all of those other albums basically musicians coming back from a hiatus or breakup, then writing brand new material?
posted by gucci mane at 1:30 PM on July 24, 2013

Best Comeback Album Ever= Dedication by Gary US Bonds.
posted by jonmc at 1:34 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

I disagree with the premise. Chinese Democracy could still be under construction, and people would still celebrate these good comeback albums.

Yeah, this is a silly attempt to impose a narrative for the real purpose of talking about some (pretty good, admittedly) albums.
posted by COBRA! at 1:35 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Don't worry, TRON soundtrack, I'll always love you.
posted by Artw at 1:38 PM on July 24, 2013 [12 favorites]

Chinese Democracy could still be under construction, and people would still celebrate these good comeback

Possibly true, but it's also possible that were it not for the grand disappointment of Chinese Democracy, later artists looking for a comeback might have gone in with the "must make best album EVER" attitude that made Axl's project so torturous. It's certainly true that comeback albums are recently much more modest projects than they might have been ten or fifteen years ago.
posted by echo target at 1:46 PM on July 24, 2013

they forgot to mention black sabbath's new album, which got to no 1 - that's a comeback success, i'd think
posted by pyramid termite at 1:49 PM on July 24, 2013 [3 favorites]

The irony of the Chinese Democracy debacle is, given the state of popular rock n' roll circa 2000-2002, if Guns N' Roses had simply put out a record that sounded like Guns N' Roses, instead of taking another seven years to try and redefine rock itself... it would have been the biggest thing going by a mile.

It's too late for them with rock fans like me now. Too long since they put out anything worth caring about. Too many years of growing up, our piss and vinegar fading, our patience with lunkhead misogynist rock n' roll growing thin. They're a legacy band now. Even if they made a back to form record, it would do little but annoy the people paying big bucks to hear "Paradise City" again. It'd be like when Van Halen made an entirely representative Roth-era VH record last year and even the people energized by the idea that they were back still tapped their feet impatiently during "Tattoo" waiting to hear "Panama."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:55 PM on July 24, 2013 [3 favorites]

One great thing about 21st century G'N'R: Tommy Stinson got to make a bunch of money and play some big rooms.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:56 PM on July 24, 2013 [4 favorites]

OK, one beef and one bewilderment:

boeuf: A five- or six-year gap does not translate to a "comeback." Maybe I'm getting old (survey says... yes!), but that's an in-no-way-crazy hiatus for an established artist.
perplexité: Wait, it's been seven years since JT's last album?! But... he never went away! What's he been doing all this t-- oh, right: he's been a featured player on SNL.

Also, my personal favorite comeback of recent years is one that no one else noticed, but I don't care, I love you Versus!
posted by psoas at 1:59 PM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

Even if they made a back to form record, it would do little but annoy the people paying big bucks to hear "Paradise City" again.

oh, i think it's quite possible to do a great G&R back to form record

and axl, this is how you do it
posted by pyramid termite at 1:59 PM on July 24, 2013

Nothing I've heard off 20/20 has impressed me that much, TBH.
posted by Artw at 2:01 PM on July 24, 2013

The premise of the article is that the newer musicians have learned from the mistakes of the past to which my response is HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA musicians learning things. The odds of Kanye freaking out Axel-style on any given album is 50/50.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:05 PM on July 24, 2013 [3 favorites]

I'm not of the opinion G'N'R isn't capable of getting some more legitimate version of the band back together and making a record that sounds like they used to sound, pyramid termite. I'm saying they pissed away their place at the center if the rock universe such that even if they did, it would mostly only succeed as a carrot to bring their aging fan base back to arenas, like Van Halen's last record did. Sell out the All State Center? Sure. Play a big set at a brand name festival? Sure. Pique the interest of a generation born after the Clinton era? That ship done sailed.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:06 PM on July 24, 2013

In my mind, I read the title of this post in the voice of Prince singing 'Come back Nikki, Come back!'

That is all.
posted by fikri at 2:13 PM on July 24, 2013

Actually, there's probably a think piece to be written about how the "comeback" no longer necessarily means you reassume your privileged place in pop culture. Often, it means you reclaim the love of your fans, who are likewise removed from the beating heart of culture, but are well heeled enough in their middle age to pay a bunch of money for your concert tickets now and pay double for special editions of your albums.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:18 PM on July 24, 2013 [4 favorites]

^^^^^^JACKPOT SOUND^^^^^^^^
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:19 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Often, it means you reclaim the love of your fans, who are likewise removed from the beating heart of culture, but are well heeled enough in their middle age to pay a bunch of money for your concert tickets now and pay double for special editions of your albums.

Awww maaan.....
slinks quietly out of the room
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 2:21 PM on July 24, 2013

People under 30 don't even realize that bands like Kansas still release records every few years, and sell 10,000 copies at the State Fair to people who have been Kansas fans since they were 5. A band can become a Medium Sized business that caters only to fans, if you never change the formula and the fan base is loyal aka Not Curious About New Music. Middlebrow lasts forever
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:23 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Yeah! Yeah! You know what else is lame about oldsters throwing money at "comeback" acts?

Notices tickets to see The Replacements at RiotFest on dresser. Shuts big fucking mouth.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:24 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Pique the interest of a generation born after the Clinton era? That ship done sailed.

they've been playing the hell out of "anastasia" and "you're a liar" on WGRD, our local mallcore station - right next to system of a down, halestorm, nickelback, bullet for my valentine, stone sour, staind, korn, five finger death punch ...

slash has got a serious teenaged audience these days
posted by pyramid termite at 2:28 PM on July 24, 2013

Really what we're talking about is the rehabilitation of the Oldies circuit. I bet Alex Chilton had a smirk for the people who paid to see him in Big Star at a hipster festival thinking they were all that different than the older crowd who paid to see him front The Box Tops at a nostalgia show.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:28 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

system of a down, halestorm, nickelback, bullet for my valentine, stone sour, staind, korn, five finger death punch

That's comeback tour I would pay to sea!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:31 PM on July 24, 2013

(not a typo, I would pay to send them off on a boat and never return)
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:31 PM on July 24, 2013 [6 favorites]

Pique the interest of a generation born after the Clinton era? That ship done sailed.

Spoken like a man who doesn't have middle-school-age guitar students asking to learn "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Sweet Child of Mine."
posted by straight at 2:32 PM on July 24, 2013 [3 favorites]

I would pay to send them off on a boat and never return

well, alright, most of them - i would pay extra to have miss hale tied to the front of the boat as a mascot, preferably with a gag in her mouth

system of a down and korn are fine, though

and i would make buckcherry and skillet ROW the damn thing
posted by pyramid termite at 2:38 PM on July 24, 2013

Spoken like a man who doesn't have middle-school-age guitar students asking to learn "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Sweet Child of Mine."

Maybe I am selling short the appeal legacy bands can have to kids. But for their past, not their present. Kids still love "Back in Black" and "Highway to Hell," too. But I doubt many people under 30 know the words to "Rock N Roll Train."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:38 PM on July 24, 2013

they played the hell out of that on WGRD, too
posted by pyramid termite at 2:40 PM on July 24, 2013

but speaking of comebacks - who would you like to see comeback who hasn't?

i would love to have peter gabriel era genesis come back - but i guess phil collins can't drum anymore

and talking heads - of course
posted by pyramid termite at 2:42 PM on July 24, 2013

Re: GNR and the like still appealing to kids, still being played on the radio...

I am willing to stipulate it's entirely possible it's me who's getting old and out of touch in this story, not those bands.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:44 PM on July 24, 2013

Yeah, Talking Heads would be great. Though I guess they don't remotely get along.

My really unpopular one would be that I'd like Do the Collapse-era Guided By Voices to get back together. Yeah, yeah I know: the original lineup had more great songs. But to go see them live? Give me the band of ringers Pollard had with Gillard, McPherson, et al. Those were awesome shows. Doug Gillard is a shit hot guitar player.

Also, I miss The Grifters, if y'all remember them. I miss The Grifters every day.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:46 PM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

As much as I object to the idea of comebacks in general I'd love to see a bunch of early 90s bands do reunion tours: Jawbox, Big Black, Lotion, Go Sailor, Velocity Girl, etc.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:49 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Big Dipper's comeback record was pretty awesome. So was the one by The Feelies.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:50 PM on July 24, 2013

trenchmouth :D
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:51 PM on July 24, 2013

Oh wait Uncle Tupelo obviously and definitively would probably be the only "bunch of old guys getting together to play their old tunes" tour I'd pay hundreds of dollars to be at, anywhere.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:53 PM on July 24, 2013

People under 30 don't even realize that bands like Kansas still release records every few years, and sell 10,000 copies at the State Fair to people who have been Kansas fans since they were 5.

Gotta tell you, I'm well over 30, I own three Kansas albums, and I didn't even know this.
posted by escabeche at 3:09 PM on July 24, 2013 [4 favorites]

I'd value this feature more if he was a freelancer who pitched it, since I'm always happy to support the dubious theses of freelancers and their ability to smash any concept into a nominal current hook. As a staff writer? Meh.
posted by klangklangston at 3:50 PM on July 24, 2013

Don't call it a comeback...
posted by Thorzdad at 4:03 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

And for people of a certain age, the minute anyone mentions a "comeback", the first thing that pops into their heads is, of course, "don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years..."

on preview: DAMMIT Thorzdad.
posted by Katemonkey at 4:05 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Dude, Mama Said Knock You Out was released when Elle Cool Jota was only 22. It definitely was not a comeback.
posted by infinitewindow at 4:22 PM on July 24, 2013

Also, I miss The Grifters, if y'all remember them. I miss The Grifters every day.

I still to this day think the best "Grifters" album is Debt and Departure by Those Bastard Souls.

Doug Gillard is a shit hot guitar player.

You want to get you some Death Of Samantha.
posted by soundguy99 at 4:52 PM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

The only thing the other groups in the article had to learn from Guns N' Roses is not to spend more money on the album than they stand to earn from it. The two moral points derived from Axl Rose's decline into tabloid-worthy mediocrity has very little to do with the other performers' interests as professional artists.

Kevin Shields had already learned the consequences of an open tab while making Loveless. m b v was self-released, so there was no record label backing his indulgence this time. It would be totally believable if the only reason why the new My Bloody Valentine album took a few decades was because Shields only allowed himself to rent studio time with cash. At the other extreme, Boards of Canada are too gnomic to ever be notorious for their actions; they live in their commune and do their low-profile thing, and probably keep their budgets down just by not doing anything attention-getting.

For most of the remainder, it's hard to call them comebacks when the artists discussed have always taken multiple years between albums. Daft Punk released three albums in six years, not including RAM, so I'm not even sure why they're namechecked. (A live album and a remix album might fudge the rules of the game the author's playing, but a full album of original music is not, even if it is a movie tie-in.) Mature acts rarely churn new work out as prolifically as they had during their popular ascent. Real comebacks would be from groups that have broken up completely, like Blur or Talking Heads. Or artists who'd quit the industry or resorted to retreading their back catalog in lieu of making anything new, like The Pixies.
posted by ardgedee at 5:02 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

The sad thing? Steven Adler's band is more Guns 'n Roses than Axl is, and that's after he got kicked out of the band AND had a fucking stroke.

I mean. COWBELL!
posted by symbioid at 5:13 PM on July 24, 2013

pyramid termite: "... but i guess phil collins can't drum anymore ..."

"Hot sun beating down
Burning my feet just walking around.

Hot sun making me sweat
Gators getting close, hasn't got me yet

I can't drum, I can't talk.
Only thing about me is the way I walk.
I can't drum, I can't sing
Im just standing here selling everything."
posted by symbioid at 5:14 PM on July 24, 2013

The best comeback album is Al Jaffee's Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions the Album.

JKLOL, it's The Meadowlands
posted by cottoncandybeard at 6:13 PM on July 24, 2013

Overanalyzed and still missing the point: Chinese Democracy wasn't about "trying to come up with the sound of rock music's future" or some such horseshit; it was about Axl trying to prove that he never really needed Slash & Co. anyway. He failed.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:39 AM on July 25, 2013

Real comebacks would be from groups that have broken up completely, like Blur or Talking Heads. Or artists who'd quit the industry or resorted to retreading their back catalog in lieu of making anything new, like The Pixies.

Or Steely Dan, who released a successful, award-winning album twenty years after their previous album. Thirteen years ago.

Or Kate Bush, who released a successful, critically lauded record in 2005, twelve years after her previous record. Not that she can be said to have broken up. That would be odd.
posted by Grangousier at 5:46 AM on July 25, 2013

Someday Bjork will start making music with actual tunes again.
posted by Artw at 6:08 AM on July 25, 2013

Actually, there's probably a think piece to be written about how the "comeback" no longer necessarily means you reassume your privileged place in pop culture.

Well, you don’t really lose your place any more like you used to. It used to be that if you didn’t have material out within the last couple of years you disappeared off the face of the Earth.

Nobody in 2013 is trying to make the best record that has ever been made — the aim is more like, "Let's make the record that the majority of our potential listeners will enjoy."

.
posted by bongo_x at 9:37 AM on July 25, 2013

How about Mission of Burma? All of their post-reunion albums have received critical praise. The first after a nineteen-year hiatus was called ONoffON in reference to the gap.
posted by larrybob at 3:24 PM on July 25, 2013

Absolutely. I'm in the small camp of people who think MoB's recent albums are consistently better than their work back in the day. If nothing they do now is as sublime as "Academy Fight Song" and "That's When I Reach for My Revolver", they haven't made anything yet that's as forgettable as the majority of the Forget EP either.
posted by ardgedee at 5:53 AM on July 26, 2013 [1 favorite]