Biggest mistake a band ever made

[Mister Boh]

But it was really like Sabbath joined Dio.

Good point.

 

[Teijo K.]

I make this post in the utmost respect to many of the bands here. It takes a lot of love for a band to admit their mistakes when you really like them.


Paul Simon:

Having bottled pure magic with 'Graceland' and 'Rhythm of the Saints', Simon was foolish to turn his back on that world music sound. They key was strong melody, top arrangements and a host of incredible session musicians. It was a stylistic move that saved his flagging career. It disappoints me to say that his recorded output after ROTS has been utter rubbish.

I don't know, but I got a feeling Paul Simon did this for the same reason he changed Tom and Jerry in to Simon and Garfunkel, and the same reason he went on to a solo career and did the whole world music thing.

It's really easy to point out a certain moment from a long career and go like why didn't you stay on that path? But these are original artists, not accountants. Being reasonable didn't get Beatles to start making original music in a time when nobody did that. Or make a successful one half of a duo to start a solo career with unknown musicians with influence from a style that was not really big in the western world at the time. Graceland was a bold move, and guys that do bold moves tend to stay in _that_ path. Sometimes for better and sometimes for worse.

 

[40Hz]

Fleetwood Mac bringing in Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

The Moody Blues hiring Patrick Moraz to replace Michael Pinder.

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention for never getting beyond Frank's sarcastic, condescending misanthropic personality and his penchant for juvenile lyrics. This could have been one of the truly great bands of all time if it didn't lose so much to Frank constantly having to be a smartass - and not very funny once you ran out of pot and tried listening to some of his music. I knew a guitarist like that. Dude could really play as well as write a great song. But he always had to weigh them down with bitter and sarcastic lyrics loaded with sexual innuendo - which he refused to change.

So it goes. You can't argue with crazy.

 

[Hambone 70]

The mistake with KISS was not sorting out a way for Peter and Ace to remain in the band. The contrast is music, attitude, interest and 'what they brought to the band' was what made the band such a beast...once SimStan took full control, the band became reactive and focused on trying to mimic what was popular...and then we end up with World Without Heroes while makeup is worn.
Vinnie Vincent's big mistake was that terrible 'throwing motion camera point' just before the chorus on the Lick It Up video....you would think that by the time the world had reached post nuclear Holocaust, guys in street gangs wouldn't throw like girls.
Ace should have considered joining as Tom Snyder's Ed McMahon...there was legit chemistry there as well as an appreciation for laughter and fish related puns...empires have been built on less!

I hadn't seen that video before. Now I know why.

I'll never get that two minutes of my life back. IMO, that's got to be one of the most cringeworthy videos ever!

 

[bassdude51]

Elvis dropping Scotty Moore and Bill Black.

Loosing Bon Scott.

Buddy Holly (Big Bopper and Richie Valens) taking a private plane to the next gig.

Stevie Ray Vaughn's helicopter ride from his last gig.

Ricky Nelson's private plane.

Leonard Skynyrd private plane.

Otis Redding's private plane trip.

Jim Croce's private plane trip.

Rock stars in planes.

The Ventures switching from Fender guitars and basses to Mosrite.

Eric Clapton's heroin/alcohol use.

Nearly every musician's decision to use drugs.

Duane Allman's motorcycle.

Greg Allman marrying Cher.

Bob Dylan doing Frank Sinatra songs..................? Shadows in the Night

Jerry Lee Lewis marrying his 13 year old cousin.

Chuck Berry.................Chuck Berry is best-known for his hits “Johnny B. Goode” and “My Ding-A-Ling.” He took special interest in the latter, going as far as to install secret cameras in his restaurant The Southern Air. He amassed many tapes featuring ladies undressing and using the toilet, and this cost his posthumous reputation dearly. In 1990, 60 women came forward and sued him; much like the disgraced Cosby debacle of today, Berry shelled out $1.2 million to his victims in damages

Chuck Berry again...................On December 23, 1959, Chuck Berry is arrested in St. Louis, Missouri, on charges relating to his transportation of a 14-year-old girl across state lines for allegedly “immoral purposes.”

WOW! The list of big mistakes by bands, etc is pretty much endless!

When it comes down to it, Rock n Roll is a dirty, nasty and dangerous art form! But we love it!

 

[prowla]

Billy Squier's video - I'm not even going to post a link to it!

(Actually, he is one of my favourite artistes, but some say that video killed his career.)

 

[bassdude51]

The Archies not doing a follow-up to, Sugar Sugar.

 

[TheOxRocks]

How about Robbie Robertson breaking up The Band while they were still a viable force so that he could write soundtracks and act for his buddy Martin Scorsese? Didn't do much for Robertson's acting career, he made one decent solo album, and he sits comfortably in LA with money in his pocket that rightfully belongs to his former Band-mates. He's a pig, and as far as I'm concerned has Richard Manuel's and Rick Danko's (and essentially Levon Helm's) blood on his hands.

 

[pudgychef]

I hadn't seen that video before. Now I know why.

I'll never get that two minutes of my life back. IMO, that's got to be one of the most cringeworthy videos ever!

For cringeworthy, check out Gene on the Mike Douglas show...eeesh

 

[Illini10]

Elvis dropping Scotty Moore and Bill Black.

Loosing Bon Scott.

Buddy Holly (Big Bopper and Richie Valens) taking a private plane to the next gig.

Stevie Ray Vaughn's helicopter ride from his last gig.

Ricky Nelson's private plane.

Leonard Skynyrd private plane.

Otis Redding's private plane trip.

Jim Croce's private plane trip.

Rock stars in planes.

The Ventures switching from Fender guitars and basses to Mosrite.

Eric Clapton's heroin/alcohol use.

Nearly every musician's decision to use drugs.

Duane Allman's motorcycle.

Greg Allman marrying Cher.

Bob Dylan doing Frank Sinatra songs..................? Shadows in the Night

Jerry Lee Lewis marrying his 13 year old cousin.

Chuck Berry.................Chuck Berry is best-known for his hits “Johnny B. Goode” and “My Ding-A-Ling.” He took special interest in the latter, going as far as to install secret cameras in his restaurant The Southern Air. He amassed many tapes featuring ladies undressing and using the toilet, and this cost his posthumous reputation dearly. In 1990, 60 women came forward and sued him; much like the disgraced Cosby debacle of today, Berry shelled out $1.2 million to his victims in damages

Chuck Berry again...................On December 23, 1959, Chuck Berry is arrested in St. Louis, Missouri, on charges relating to his transportation of a 14-year-old girl across state lines for allegedly “immoral purposes.”

WOW! The list of big mistakes by bands, etc is pretty much endless!

When it comes down to it, Rock n Roll is a dirty, nasty and dangerous art form! But we love it!

Chuck Berry isn't dead.

He still did the stuff you mentioned, but he is still breathing.

 

[mindwell]

DOMO ARIGATO
MISTER ROBOTO

 

[mindwell]

Billy Squier crawling on the floor with the pink Tele in the "Rock Me Tonight" video.

 

[JMacBass65]

So, what are the biggest mistakes other bands have made..???

This book is chock full of mistakes, bad decisions, and self sabotage. Glorious and tragic all at the same time.

Always loved these guys!

 

[prowla]

The Archies not doing a follow-up to, Sugar Sugar.

The recording company mistakenly rolled their planned follow-up single, "Honey Honey", into the first one and they never recovered from the mistake, eventually disbanding due to musical differences.

 

[rodv66]

How about the Monkey making the Head movie?

Helloween releasing Pink Bubbles Go Ape.

Breaking up the Sisters of Mercy

Glenn Danzig picking a fight with a bouncer. Look it up on YouTube to see what happened next.

The Vinny Vincent Invasion

Garth Brooks pretending to be Chris Gaines

Styx, Kilroy Was Here

 

[Chromedragon70]

I quit a band once to marry an evil bloodsucking piece of trash. Does that count?

 

[swafran]

Meh. I say "Mob Rules" and "Heaven and Hell" with Dio were the best Sabbath albums in their history.

Uh, no.

 

[prowla]

Billy Squier crawling on the floor with the pink Tele in the "Rock Me Tonight" video.

Brilliant song, but probably the worst video ever.

("Signs of Life" is a truly great album and "Creatures of Habit" is even better. There is some great bass on "Tell the Truth" .)

Back on-thread, Billy subsequently got Ringo Starr to join his band.

 

[Papalampraina]

My vote is for bands who go on too long and become cover bands of what they once were.

On that topic, Queen. I don't care if Paul Rogers was/is a great vocalist or if Adam Lambert can hit all of Freddie's notes. Once you take Freddie and John Deacon out of the equation, this is not Queen, it's just the best Queen tribute band out there.

 

[Bassmaticmatt]

Alice In Chains not officially breaking up and starting a new project. Cantrell (and Kinney too) was always the music and poetry, but Staley was the public face and defined the delivery of the songs. The two post-Staley albums have some of Cantrell's best writing, the band have all matured musically, and DuVall has a presence that is worth listening to. But so many people still dismiss it as a lame version of the original. I think had they renamed themselves they could have minimized the distractions.

Yeah, they are doing ok for themselves, so not the biggest mistake ever, but still.

I saw them at Austin city limits in 2014. One of the best shows I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of shows.