These were nine bands selected by the authors of the article (see link below). There may be others out there, too. However, I guess that these are bands that stayed together and reached a peak, and then have not seen nearly as much commercial success as they once did. A few of these bands are still quite popular, and you hear their latest works on the radio all of the time. A few others....well, not so much.
U2 was the first band on the list, and I can agree with that. The music that they made in the 80's was incredible, and it reached a peak with Joshua Tree. They then shifted gears and came out with Achtung Baby, experimenting and trying out a new sound, as well as a new image. It worked beautifully, and I think that, with all of the great and unique albums and acts and sounds that came out in the 90's, this best of all U2 albums still probably ranks as the best album of the decade! Every song on it is solid, and it is just a great album.
However, the material that they came out with since then grew weaker over time, and eventually, they seemed almost to parody themselves. They seemed to become ridiculously commercialized, as well, and the recent experiment with giving away free downloads of their album, only to have a mass protest against it, was a huge dent in their armor. That was an embarrassment that the band will have a difficult time recovering from, and it will be hard not to be defined by that moving forward.
I don't think that you can say that GNR only "technically" did not stay together. This was a band that went well over a decade without an album, and then, after all the hoopla, the album's release barely made a blip on the radar screen. Yet, Axl Rose still thinks that it is the early 90's, and that the band is at the height of their power and popularity apparently, as he still shows up hours late for shows, and still seems indifferent if the anxiety caused by his antics sparks riots and such. I knew a friend who insisted that GNR would go right straight back to the top when they released Chinese Democracy, and that they were, somehow, entitled to always be kings of hard rock. To show how much I think of that viewpoint, let me move on without further comment to the next band.
Maroon 5. This is the only band that I automatically turn off as soon as they come on the radio, admittedly. They are so overplayed, and they cater far too much to the corporate mentality. For supposed artists, that troubles me, personally, and gets in the way of any chance at being able to enjoy their music. Also, I don't think that Maroon 5 was ever really solid to begin with, although they certainly have not gotten any better over time. Most of the other bands on this list are at least relatively hard rocking, so I am not entirely sure what Maroon 5 were doing on this list to begin with. Kind of an odd man out, which of these are not like the others situation going on there.
Moving on.
Green Day. This is a band that I had assumed would always have one, distinctive sound - the aggressive sounding punk with relatively softball lyrics. They evolved over time, and American Idiot was one of the best albums of the 2000's. Moreover, that album stood out for the protesting quality, at a time when that was much needed, with the Bush White House aggressively pining for the Iraq invasion, and the band was able to utilize the irony of the xenophobic, anti-immigrant spirit that prevailed in this suddenly "alien nation."
I liked the trio of albums that they recently put out, although I will say that it certainly did not sound on par with American Idiot. Whether or not this marks a true and permanent break from their most solid material probably remains to be seen. More than any other band on this list, I suspect that Green Day is capable of surprising us with some truly solid material, although I could be wrong.
Weezer. I liked them quite a bit in the 90's, and they had some cool stuff in the 2000's, although it sounded different. I am not as familiar with them as with the other bands on this list, but I do not believe that their getting worse, as this link suggests, was as undisputed or dramatic as with some of the other bands on this list.
Bon Jovi. Boy, I remember back when I was in middle school, and they were the hottest bad around. Like the article suggests, all the girls swooned over Jon Bon Jovi. My girlfriend still thinks he's hot. But Bon Jovi's business dealings and acting career seem to better define him now than any music that he has made recently. Wait a minute, has he even produced music recently? I lost touch, but I cannot even say for sure. And I'd be willing to bet that a lot of other people are not sure, either. But they know which shows and movies he acted in, and they know that he was interested in buying the Buffalo Bills, right? Again, he is more defined now by things other than music.
Aerosmith. I can see that they perhaps have not put up some music in recent years that can compare with their earlier stuff from the 70's, although I will say that I did enjoy their revival material dating back from the late 80's. It was commercialized, true. But it also was pretty cool and hard rocking, and I, for one, enjoyed it.
Nickelback. For a long time, Chad, the lead singer, seemed to feel that he was God's gift to women. Not an attitude that I am thrilled about. However, the music was not horrendous. I like This is How You Remind Me (that's the name of the song, right?), and some of their most recent songs, which have grown more political, at a time when many bands are getting less political. I do not think that they have necessarily grown worse, but I also do not think they quite rank as one of the great bands of all time, either.
Metallica was the band that was pictured when I first encountered the link to this page on Facebook, and they were the band that kind of reeled me in to this list in the first place, having been a huge fan of theirs back in the day.
It is acknowledged that Metallica were the band that defined speed metal in the 80's, which is something that I can agree with. Back then, of course, I was very young, and remarkably energetic, in need of music that would allow me to lash out and get all of that excess energy out. Metallica was perfect for that, and those first four albums, as well as Garage Days, were simply perfect for that. But, according to this link, the reasons stated for their decline was their change in style, starting in the 90's. They got rid of their "long instrumental breaks" and "time signature changes" in favor of a more straight up hard-rock sound. Indeed, I do remember some people not feeling sure where Metallica exactly belonged in the 90's, as they were no longer exactly metal, but neither were they what most people would have defined as alternative, or anything, either.
I will say this about them: the music that they have made during this time of alleged decline is still pretty good. Hero of the Day remains one of my favorite songs, and even though I must have heard it hundreds of times already, it is one of those songs that, when it does come on the radio, I turn it up, rather than off. The black album, which was their most successful album, is a mixed bag for me. Kind of bittersweet, because while on some level they grew musically, that album seemed to mark a fundamental shift in the band and their attitude. They went from a band that made fun of bands that took themselves too seriously, to one of the bands most guilty of taking themselves too seriously.
9 Bands That Stayed Together and Got Worse
http://www.answers.com/article/1230387/9-bands-that-stayed-together-and-got-worse?paramt=null¶m4=ek-fb-us-de-entertainment¶m1=egokick¶m2=13915801¶m5=10152420628176186¶m6=13919521#slide=1
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