The nonreunion champions?

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Inspired by the recent reunion of Cream, I'm wondering: what band has stayed broken up the longest and hasn't reunited, despite the ability to do so? (If we've done this before, as we probably have, forgive me; I can't find where.)

The rules for this:
1) All members must still be alive, well, and compos mentis now.
2) They must have made at least one reasonably successful album.
3) They must have actually broken up--that is, no member carried on performing or recording under the same name or a similar name.
4) They must never have reunited--no let's-make-up-and-be-friendly albums, no reunion tours, no one-off performances at a Rock 'n' Roll Hall Hall of Fame induction or somebody's wedding.

And the point is to find the band that fits these rules that has been broken up the longest.

Go!

― Douglas (Douglas), Sunday, 15 May 2005 16:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmmmm.....good tough one, Douglas.

I'll say Cop Shoot Cop.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 15 May 2005 17:02 (twenty-one years ago)

The beatles of course. Um...

― ihope (ihope), Sunday, 15 May 2005 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

of course two of them are dead

― keith m (keithmcl), Sunday, 15 May 2005 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Buffalo Springfield

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Sunday, 15 May 2005 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

The Teardrop Explodes.

― kwhitehead (stephen schmidt), Sunday, 15 May 2005 17:36 (twenty-one years ago)

The Jam?

― Si Carter (Si Carter), Sunday, 15 May 2005 17:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Are all the Dave Clark Five still alive?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 15 May 2005 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Nowhere near as old but The Stone Roses?

― Nick H (Nick H), Sunday, 15 May 2005 18:09 (twenty-one years ago)

The Stone Roses? You might as well have said Northside.

― TV's Mr Noodle Vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 15 May 2005 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Are the Roses not liked on ILM then? I quite like them, although they're nowhere near my favourites.

― Nick H (Nick H), Sunday, 15 May 2005 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Soundgarden? Soft Machine? The Kinks?

Creedence!

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Sunday, 15 May 2005 18:32 (twenty-one years ago)

It'd be fair to say there's a broad spectrum of opinion re. the Roses on here, Nick. What I meant was more that it was a bad guess cos people had already named much older bands that fitted the criteria. (Tho I've got a suspicion that the Dave Clark Five are still prob'ly playing the chicken-in-a-basket circuit somewhere).

― TV's Mr Noodle Vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 15 May 2005 18:35 (twenty-one years ago)

The Jam?

The winner, obviously.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 15 May 2005 18:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I think there's still some versions of creedence over the last few years, w/o Fogarty.

I would fly anywhere in the world to see any variation of the original Soft Machine perform.

How about the ORIGINAL Dream Syndicate or Theater of Eternal Music?

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 15 May 2005 18:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Angus Maclise is dead though. The four rules are TOUGH esp. #3.

The Cars? (far less exciting/in demand than The Jam however).

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:14 (twenty-one years ago)

w/o checking amg or anything (i.e. i'm bound to be wrong about one of these) i venture:

the slits. world of pooh. desperate bicycles. united states of america. alpaca brothers.

― Michael J McGonigal (mike mcgonigal), Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah, M. Coleman, I believe Ben Orr has sadly passed.

― kwhitehead (stephen schmidt), Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

minor threat!

― Michael J McGonigal (mike mcgonigal), Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Did the Police reunite for one-off shows? The 83-86 period wasn't officially a breakup, right?

Modern Lovers?

― wetmink (wetmink), Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Ben Orr passed away - as they were planning a reunion!

I saw Buffalo Springfield at the R&R Hall of Fame induction dinner. Played two or three songs, though no Neil Young.

The Slits are issuing a new record without Viv (but with Ari & Tessa.)

There must be a lot of 60's /70's bands that would qualify, but who the hell's going to spend any time researching the history of, say, the Guess Who?

I think rather than wondering about the longest non-reunion (doo wop bands? skiffle outfits?) a more interesting question is to name the most successful band (under the conditions above) not to reunite, and the band that would stand to gain the most in relation to their "first" career if they did unite, like Josef K, though I think they have done and that's probably not the best example.

― Dee Xtrovert (dee dee), Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I've heard rumours of a Josef K show. Malcolm Ross is supposedly in NY and Paul Haig was going to come to promote some solo stuff or something.

The Homosexuals is just Bruno and friends now and it's unlikely he'll play with Anton and Jim again, though that would be WONDERFUL.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Black Flag! (w/Rollins)

xpost: Bummer about Ben Orr, I completely forgot.

Didn't the Police reunite a few years ago at the R&R Hall of Fame? To underwhelmed responses IIRC.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Did the Police reunite for one-off shows? The 83-86 period wasn't officially a breakup, right?

They did the R'n'R Hall of Fame....and Sting's wedding.

Modern Lovers?

Jonanthan kept the name "Modern Lovers" for a while with totally different players (i.e. not the Ernie Brooks/Dave Robinson/Jerry Harrison line-up).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:42 (twenty-one years ago)

There must be a lot of 60's /70's bands that would qualify, but who the hell's going to spend any time researching the history of, say, the Guess Who?

No need to spend any time researching the Guess Who; they reunited, toured Canada, and released a live album a couple of years ago.

― Vic Funk, Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Forgot my nomination of the Lovin' Spoonful.

― Vic Funk, Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Greg Ginn & some folks did a one-off Black Flag show a few years ago as a benefit for a cat shelter, I believe.

There were bands calling themselves the Soft Machine for a very long time...

Note the "one reasonably successful album" rule--that, I fear, would disqualify World of Pooh, much as I adore their records... same goes for the Dream Syndicate and Theater of Eternal Music.

The Lovin' Spoonful are on tour right now! http://www.lovinspoonful.com/newschedule.shtml

The Jam, maybe. But surely there must be SOME band from the '60s or early '70s?

― Douglas (Douglas), Sunday, 15 May 2005 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

The Guess Who re-united, unfortunately.

― Star Cauliflower (Star Cauliflower), Sunday, 15 May 2005 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Much as I like my nomination of The Jam....

Are all the Dave Clark Five still alive?

Yes.

(Tho I've got a suspicion that the Dave Clark Five are still prob'ly playing the chicken-in-a-basket circuit somewhere)

Apparently, no

― Si Carter (Si Carter), Sunday, 15 May 2005 20:14 (twenty-one years ago)

How about Mott The Hoople? It would be since 1974 if you count from Ian Hunter's departure, since 1976 if you count the two albums that the rest of the band recorded as "Mott," and since 1978 if you apply Rule #3 strictly and count British Lions.

(FWIW, I saw the Guess Who on their 2001 reunion tour, and thought they were pretty good.)

― John Fredland (jfredland), Sunday, 15 May 2005 20:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry John, I gotta stand up for my Dave Clark Five suggestion -- especially since that link Si found sorta clinches it.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 15 May 2005 20:27 (twenty-one years ago)

...Although it doesn't look like the Dave Clark 5's Mike Smith is doing so well: http://www2.rpa.net/~theboltons/MSRE.htm . Definitely not in any kind of shape to perform at the moment.

― Douglas (Douglas), Sunday, 15 May 2005 20:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Husker Du
Neu (or have they, I have no idea)
Sly and the Family Stone

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Sunday, 15 May 2005 20:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Hm, Douglas, I'll grant you that.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 15 May 2005 21:01 (twenty-one years ago)

The Slits are issuing a new record without Viv (but with Ari & Tessa.)
Awww, no Viv? She's my favourite Slit...but I'm still excited anyway.

― ... And suddenly Ian Riese-Moraine is a naked man saying, 'Volvo! Volvo!' (Easte, Sunday, 15 May 2005 21:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry John, I gotta stand up for my Dave Clark Five suggestion -- especially since that link Si found sorta clinches it.

There is still rule 4... could they have reunited at some point?

― wetmink (wetmink), Sunday, 15 May 2005 21:44 (twenty-one years ago)

From this Mojo thread;

...at the same time [1993] Clark also tried to get the DC5 to reform for their first live gigs in over 30 years. Every former member said yes, apart from Mike Smith, which buggered that plan up as he sang and wrote 90% of all the songs (even though Clark pocketed all the royalties.) ... Since then, Clark has drawn a complete veil over all things DC5.

― Si Carter (Si Carter), Sunday, 15 May 2005 22:12 (twenty-one years ago)

There ya go.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 15 May 2005 22:13 (twenty-one years ago)

galaxie five hundred

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Sunday, 15 May 2005 22:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Of course the guitarist from the Lovin' Spoonful, Zal, died a few years back, and the band did reunite at several junctures for things like awards dinners.

Sly & the Family Stone - now that's the champion so far, in my opinion - in terms of having achieved the greatest level of success without reuniting. Has any bigger band resisted the reunion pull?

― Dee Xtrovert (dee dee), Sunday, 15 May 2005 22:56 (twenty-one years ago)

the smiths

― double f, Sunday, 15 May 2005 22:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I supposed the recent 'Creedence Clearwater Revisted' (Cook/Clifford/extras) disqualifies CCR but I think you'd be hard pressed to find any CCR fans who considered that a legitimate reunion.

Buffalo Springfield -- Bruce Palmer passed away within the past couple years.

― Jeff Wright (JeffW1858), Monday, 16 May 2005 00:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Especially since Creedence Clearwater Revisted is almost like a Ringo Starr All-Star Band. Doesn't it also feature Elliot Easton from the Cars?

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Monday, 16 May 2005 01:12 (twenty-one years ago)

"herman's hermitS" split up about the same time as the DC5. You do the research.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 16 May 2005 07:43 (twenty-one years ago)

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