Pearl Jam was about to be the next U2 or Led Zeppelin. But then they took a page out of Neil Young’s book.
Career Killers
The Cars tried to go back-to-basics with “Door to Door.” Instead, they broke up for decades.
Sugar Ray was, perhaps, the ultimate party band of the late 90s/early 00s. Then the party ended.
Limp Bizkit were everywhere in the late 90s/early 00s. Then they fell off the face of the earth.
When is a hit album not a hit album? When it is “Adore.”
When done right, concept albums can be career enhancing. Or they can be disasters.
One of the few times Mike Love and not Brian Wilson helmed a Beach Boys album. Let’s just say it didn’t go well.
How record label politics, changing times, deteriorating personal relationships and splitting with hitmaking songwriters and producers ended Boyz II Men’s run as chart-topping hitmakers.
It’s hard enough to follow up a great debut album– especially if you rush out a terrible second album.
How Robin Thicke’s 2014 album about one Paula (Patton) had the effect of turning him into another Paula (Abdul).
Taylor Dayne was one of the biggest hitmakers of her era. Then she tried her hand at songwriting…
Katy Perry was one of the most reliable hit machines in music– until “Witness” happened.
Was Billy Idol ahead of his time with “Cyberpunk”? Of course. But that doesn’t mean the album is good or deserved to be successful.
In honor of Genesis’s recently announced reunion tour, let’s look at the album that caused their breakup: 1997’s “Calling All Stations.”
How “Yes Please!” by the Happy Mondays was like the “Heaven’s Gate” for albums.