It’s amazing how a certain song or band can take you back to a simpler time. A time of fewer wrinkles, firmer bodies, and a greater sense of clarity in what you wanted out of life. If you’re not sure what we’re talking about, give it 10 years and you will. Well, maybe revisiting that time in your life isn’t possible, but it’s sure worth a try. Here are 5 Bands that Need a Reunion Tour, if for nothing else, just to give us another crack at days gone by.
1. En Vogue
Who They Are: En Vogue launched in July 1989. Cindy Herron, Dawn Robinson, Terry Ellis, and Maxine Jones were the original vocalists in this all-girl R&B act. Their freshman album Born to Sing produced hits like “Don’t Go,” “Hold On,” and “Lies,” but their biggest successes were yet to come. “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It),” “Free Your Mind,” and “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” scored big, but nothing like “Don’t Let Go (Love)” from the Set It Off soundtrack in 1996. Arguably the act’s best song, this track picked up platinum certification and climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and No. 1 as a single on the R&B chart).
Likelihood of a Reunion: En Vogue never enjoyed the same level of success they did through the Nineties, in spite of efforts to keep the act together. Robinson departed (twice), and now she and Jones have their own offshoot En Vogue while Herron and Ellis are touring under the name as well. A lawsuit over who has rights to the name is ongoing. Clearly, the house of En Vogue is not in order, and we don’t expect to see a reconciliation any time soon.
2. Spin Doctors
Who They Are: You probably know the Spin Doctors as the party group behind two major hits of the Nineties: “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and “Two Princes.” If you’re not careful, it’s easy to dismiss them as two-hit wonders, but doing so would be a mistake. The Doctors began as NYC-based band Trucking Company. Chris Barron – that zany guy who sings lead on the two hits we just mentioned – was joined by John Popper (Blues Traveler, anyone?) and Eric Schenkman for the act. Popper would soon leave on amicable terms to perform more with Blues Traveler, leaving Barron and Schenkman to pick up Aaron Comess and Mark White to form the band you know and (maybe) love. The Spin Doctors toured with Blues Traveler and earned quite the rep as a live act, but the world wouldn’t know them until Pocket Full of Kryptonite hit music stores in 1991.
Likelihood of a Reunion: Since Kryptonite, which sold more than 5 million copies by the way, the band has remained relatively active, though not always with the original lineup. Barron, Schenkman, Comess and White did reunite briefly in 2011, and there are rumors of a new album in 2013, but nothing confirmed. However, we do like the chances of seeing the Spin Doctors together again soon.
3. R.E.M.
Who They Are: Who knew a little band from Athens, Ga., could impact an entire decade on such a global scale? R.E.M., in many ways, were the sound of the Nineties, though their roots go all the way back to 1980, and many of the more enlightened music listeners knew who they were long before “Stand” or “Losing My Religion” put them on the map. As big as those two hits were for Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry, our personal favorites would have to be “End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)” and “Man on the Moon.”
Likelihood of a Reunion: Bad news. In 2011, the band announced they were “calling it a day” from their website. This was four years after having been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since that fateful announcement, band members have stuck to their guns. Let’s hope they’re just waiting for inspiration to grab them again.
4. Talking Heads
Who They Are: “Life During Wartime,” “Take Me to the River,” “Burning Down the House,” “Psycho Killer,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “And She Was,” “Wild Wild Life” – the music was created in the Seventies and Eighties by bandmates Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, and Jerry Harrison, but it has aged extremely well. In 2002, Talking Heads were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Likelihood of a Reunion: Since reuniting in 2002 to celebrate their Hall of Fame induction, Talking Heads have gone separate ways, and it doesn’t look like a reconciliation will be possible. Weymouth, Frantz and Harrison had a stint as The Heads and Weymouth and Frantz continue to make music as Tom Tom Club, a side project to Talking Heads that they formed in 1981. In 2005, Byrne told Australian publication The Age, “We did have a lot of Bad Blood go down. That’s one reason (for no reunion), and another is that musically we’re just miles apart.” Looks like this reunion tour’s on the road to nowhere, but that doesn’t mean the world couldn’t use one.
5. The White Stripes
Who They Are: Jack Gillis and Meg White were a husband-and-wife act better known as The White Stripes. Their years of official activity began in 1997 and ended in 2011. While TWS didn’t roll out a gauntlet of number one singles, their talent and performance capabilities were undeniable, and they did produce hits, such as “Icky Thump” and “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.” But when a White Stripes song was a hit, it wasn’t because they “went mainstream.” It was because “mainstream” came to them.
Likelihood: Gillis and White divorced, though it has proven to be an amicable one. Still, Gillis, who in an unusual move took White’s surname and never gave it up after parting ways, hasn’t altogether ruled out the possibility. However, in 2011, there was a bit of bad news when Jack White, as Gillis is now known, announced with Meg that they would no longer record for “a myriad of reasons…mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band.”
Well, those are our picks. What acts would you like to see back in action? Share your picks below.
