Monday, May 9, 2022

Comeback Special: 2000-2002

Dictators Forever, Forever Dictators
After getting the idea to compile songs from reunion albums, I found two articles from Stereogum (here and here) and two lists from Rate Your Music (here and here) of individuals and bands who made musical comebacks. 

I excluded solo acts (it isn't a reunion if there's only one performer) and reunions that did not result in new original songs (so Big Star qualifies, but the Box Tops don't). 

For many bands, years may pass without new releases, so for the purpose of this series, a comeback is considered a gap of at least a decade between albums.  

Reunions that do not include all the original band members are not excluded. For example, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan released a Go-Betweens album in 2000 with Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss from Quasi. Stephen Burns was lured by Alex Chilton from Memphis to Glasgow, where Burns recruited a new lineup and dubbed them The Scruffs.

The year 2000 saw comebacks by 23 Skidoo and one of my favorite hardcore bands, Secret HateIn 2001, The Blake BabiesThe Chameleons, The Dictators, The Electric PrunesThe Free Design, and The Go-Go's made comeback albums. 

2002 was a banner year for reunions: The Band Of Holy JoyThe Breeders, The Carpettes, Crispy Ambulance, Dag NastyDischarge, The FlatlandersHanoi Rocks, The RemainsSad Lovers & Giants, The ScruffsThe Soft Boys, Soft CellSuicide, and WireHey, we featured The Flatlanders right here on this blog when Jimmie Dale, Joe, and Butch got together again 20 years later! 

35 years passed between albums for The Remains, 33 for The Electric Prunes, and almost 30 for The Flatlanders and The Free Design. Today's compilation contains no Flatlanders, Free Design, Hanoi Rocks or Soft Cell. But it does include 20 great songs that I hope you will enjoy.

6 comments:

  1. Comeback Special II: 2000-2002

    https://tinyurl.com/ycy4fbvk

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  2. Hells yeah -- this looks awesome! Nice to see Secret Hate name-checked -- I used to see them all the time at a club called "Dancing Waters" in San Pedro (with The Descendents! and Saccharine Trust!) Didn't realize how lucky I was. Thanks Jonder!

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    1. Feeling extra jealous of you now, MrDave! I was knocked out by the Secret Hate tracks on Hell Comes To Your House, and it was cool to see them get some love and $$ when Sublime covered "The Ballad of Johnny Butt". I still think that Mike Davis is one of the best hardcore vocalists, and Reggie Rector kicked ass.

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  3. Very interesting. Thanks!

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  4. The reunited Soft Boys visited WFMU during their 2002 reunion tour, and recorded a great set for radio broadcast:

    https://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Soft_Boys/Live_at_WFMU_on_Brian_Turners_Show_on_10292002

    Two highlights are the song (then new) "Mr. Kennedy" and (old favorite) "When I Was A Kid".

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