Comeback Special 2013

As we get into the 2010’s, the number of comeback albums increases significantly.  The 2012 Comeback Special was a two disc set, and today's 2013 compilation is as well. The increase is both mathematically and historically inevitable: in the 2010’s, there were simply more musical artists who could reunite than there were in earlier decades, and more music fans who might want to attend a comeback tour and buy a reunion album.  

In the 2010's, we had not yet reached the point of music consumers abandoning physical media. You could still buy a new car with an in-dash CD player.  Spotify came to the US in 2011, and it didn’t immediately dominate listening habits to the extent that it does in 2026.  

Another factor in the rise of the comeback album might be the decreased barriers to entry.  In the 21st century, artists can record and release their own music without a record label contract, and make something that sounds professional without going into a recording studio.  For example, Luscious Jackson’s 2013 comeback album was crowdfunded by PledgeMusic.  Jill Cunniff taught herself ProTools and produced the record. There were also new distribution channels.  CD Baby was founded in 1998, and partnered with iTunes in 2004.  The first Record Store Day was in 2007, and Bandcamp opened for business in 2008.  

The Drake meme accompanying today’s post can be applied to Geese, Bad Bunny, Drake, Kendrick, and my own musical prejudices.  For last year's 2025 Comeback Special, I disdained Counting Crows, Spin Doctors, and a few others.  For 2013, I have excluded the comeback albums from Starship, Johnny Hates Jazz, the Standells, and Osage Tribe (an Italian progressive rock band).  I listened to the Standells' album Bump several times, and I can only say that I wish it was a better record. The band Boston barely made the cut.

The biggest comebacks of 2013 were probably David Bowie’s surprise release of The Next Day, the long-awaited return of My Bloody Valentine, and Black Sabbath’s 13 (with Ozzy, Tommy, and Geezer, but without Bill Ward).  13 turned out to be the final Black Sabbath studio album, but we wouldn’t know that until 2025.  Greg Ginn and Ron Reyes hoisted the banner of Black Flag, but their 2013 return was not well-received.  If you’re a Britpop fan, the Suede reunion album Bloodsports was a big deal.  And if you live in New Zealand, the return of the Exponents (with a new album and a documentary film) was a major multimedia event. Damn, that Exponents song is good!

The longest gaps between albums among the 2013 comeback artists were the Standells (46 years), the British psychedelic band July (45 years), the aforementioned Osage Tribe (41 years) and the duo Delbert & Glen (40 years).  We have a wealth of Delbert McClinton's music here on the blog, and many more Comeback Special compilations.

P.S. There’s a great article about the Reivers in last year’s Austin Music Issue of the Oxford American magazine.  Read it here!