Sinatra and Johnny Cash are, as everyone says, going to be hard to beat... some open questions are in play...
What's the distinction between a proper comeback, and just having a sort of weak album and then stepping back up to heights sort of near where you were at before? How long do you have to be a nobody for the comeback to count? Madonna seems like a question mark on both of these...
How long does it have to last to be a comeback rather than a drop-in? I'm thinking of George Harrison on that last one.
U2 probably counts though. Even if they weren't exactly an irrelevant flop act in the late 90s, it's clear that between Achtung and ATYCLB they were a bit out to sea.
― Doctor Casino, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 20:12 (sixteen years ago) link
Scott Walker too? Never done much commercial success as a soloist, but has received huge critical success from the mid 90s onwards.
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 23:22 (sixteen years ago) link
And Dion.
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 23:24 (sixteen years ago) link
Marianne Faithful would get my vote (although Walker would also be a good choice.)
― Alex in SF, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 23:34 (sixteen years ago) link
Didn't see a mention for Tina Turner. Private Dancer in '84 was a huge comeback after a hellish time in 70s / early 80s.
― that's not my post, Wednesday, 16 January 2008 05:22 (sixteen years ago) link
edit, Daniel, Esq. mentioned it above. Worth calling out again 'cos it was a great personal triumph for her making the sales comeback all the sweeter.
― that's not my post, Wednesday, 16 January 2008 05:24 (sixteen years ago) link
The Bee Gees
― moley, Wednesday, 16 January 2008 05:49 (sixteen years ago) link
DISCO
― Stevie D, Wednesday, 16 January 2008 07:12 (sixteen years ago) link
lock thread
Revive.
Next theme for record club is 'phoenix from the flames'.
― Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 29 October 2015 11:49 (eight years ago) link
good theme!
― niels, Thursday, 29 October 2015 12:20 (eight years ago) link
Wire's Noughties revival for sheer quality if not unlikelihood
― twunty fifteen (imago), Thursday, 29 October 2015 12:26 (eight years ago) link
That mbv record was pretty stunning for a band that hadn't released anything for 20 years
― Spooky H (Treeship), Thursday, 29 October 2015 12:29 (eight years ago) link
also true
it was pretty stunning on any metric imo
― twunty fifteen (imago), Thursday, 29 October 2015 12:47 (eight years ago) link
Dinosaur Jr made some excellent records in the last few years.
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 29 October 2015 13:13 (eight years ago) link
Swans must be a contender. They were pretty much finished in 1997, playing to half-empty houses all over Europe on their "farewell" tour. Since they came back in 2010, Gira's been getting the best reviews of his career and the band are playing to larger audiences than ever.
― schlep and back trio (anagram), Thursday, 29 October 2015 13:14 (eight years ago) link
yeah that's a really good one
― twunty fifteen (imago), Thursday, 29 October 2015 13:18 (eight years ago) link
really want like chapterhouse or w/e to come back with a work of raging brilliance, any examples of a mediocre band doing this
― twunty fifteen (imago), Thursday, 29 October 2015 13:19 (eight years ago) link
Leonard Cohen too. Not that he ever went away exactly, but he didn't tour for 15 years between 1993 and 2008. That comeback tour was the biggest of his career and saw him playing arenas for the first time.
― schlep and back trio (anagram), Thursday, 29 October 2015 13:25 (eight years ago) link
Suspect strongly that Tom will play The Chills.
― Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 29 October 2015 14:02 (eight years ago) link
Aerosmith have to be up there. My Mom said they played at her prom!
― frogbs, Thursday, 29 October 2015 14:16 (eight years ago) link
Sleater-Kinney
― Marty8501 (Marty Innerlogic), Thursday, 29 October 2015 15:23 (eight years ago) link
^yeah, can't argue that.
Failure's comeback record this year was absolutely incredible too. I didn't even like their 90s stuff that much to begin with, but then they re-formed as middle-aged men and absolutely knock one out of the park.
― how's life, Thursday, 29 October 2015 15:36 (eight years ago) link
er, can't argue with that.
I can't believe no one's mentioned it here or on the Facebook post I made - Kate Bush! Aerial!
― Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Friday, 30 October 2015 09:36 (eight years ago) link
Best Comeback of all time was James Brown on the T.A.M.I. Show. Dude was done. Down for the count! Nothing left to give. Cape was on, show was over. And he just kept coming back! That's some straight up Lazarus shit.
― henry s, Saturday, 31 October 2015 19:13 (eight years ago) link
Did he also hop off a stretcher as he was being taken off stage or was that another show?
― brimstead, Saturday, 31 October 2015 19:36 (eight years ago) link
I don't remember a stretcher at the T.A.M.I. Show, but it seems logical that it would be worked into the act at some point!
― henry s, Saturday, 31 October 2015 19:45 (eight years ago) link
"and your mother too!"
― how's life, Saturday, 31 October 2015 21:45 (eight years ago) link
this year the greatest comeback was definitely the apartments "no song, no spell, no madrigal". after 18 years!
― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Saturday, 31 October 2015 22:23 (eight years ago) link
Carcass
― Hammer Smashed Bagels, Saturday, 31 October 2015 23:39 (eight years ago) link
Van Der Graaf Generator circa Godbluff
― Paul, Sunday, 1 November 2015 00:05 (eight years ago) link
It's not New Order, that's for sure.
― Turrican, Sunday, 1 November 2015 01:07 (eight years ago) link
cibo mattoavalanchesslowdive(mind if there is a general best comeback albums thread that would be cool)
― Ross, Tuesday, 16 October 2018 16:45 (five years ago) link
Tindersticks The Something Rain comes to mind.
― Ich bin kein Berliner (alex in mainhattan), Tuesday, 16 October 2018 17:04 (five years ago) link
dino jr, tho they weren't gone for that long
― voodoo chili, Tuesday, 16 October 2018 17:32 (five years ago) link
Jerry Lee Lewis went on to become a big country star in the late '60s after the Myra Gale marriage scandal got him blacklisted 10 years earlier.
― Jazzbo, Tuesday, 16 October 2018 17:39 (five years ago) link
A Tribe Called Quest
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 16 October 2018 17:53 (five years ago) link
Avalanches is a good one, not only in that it was a "true" comeback but it also managed to live up to expectations and perhaps even surpass them
Magma dropping perhaps their two best studio albums in 2004 and 2009 feels like it counts here even if those albums are primarily made up of 30+ year old material
― frogbs, Tuesday, 16 October 2018 18:05 (five years ago) link