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John Lydon spent the mid-1970s giving the world a sonic (and sometimes quite literal) middle finger as Johnny Rotten, the lead sneerer of the Sex Pistols. Following that band’s ugly demise in 1978, Lydon rebounded with Public Image Ltd. (PiL), whose droning experimental rock formed a stark contrast to the Pistols’ amped-up, punk rock violence. PiL was eventually recognized as a strong influence in the post-punk and post-rock realm, and the band gave Lydon something the Sex Pistols were rarely acknowledged for: artistic credibility. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Samir Hussein, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Music's Best and...Before the Foo Fighters, there was Nirvana. Before Wings, there were The Beatles. In short, sometimes lightning does strike twice. Other times, not so much. See our rundown of famous musicians who at first did succeed, and still decided to try, try again. (Photos: Getty Images)
By Jeff Royer
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Foo FightersWhile Nirvana was busy shifting the direction of popular music and acting as the reluctant voice of a generation, Dave Grohl was busy behind the scenes writing and recording his own songs under various pseudonyms. Following the suicide of Kurt Cobain in 1994, Grohl recruited Germs guitarist Pat Smear and Sunny Day Real Estate rhythm section William Goldsmith and Nate Mendel and launched what would become one of the great arena rock bands of the 2000s.—Jeff Royer (Photo: Dave M. Benett, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
WingsFollowing the Beatles’ breakup in 1970, Paul McCartney and his bruised reputation formed a new band with his new wife Linda. Wings came out of the gates with two poorly received albums, but hit gold with the theme song to the James Bond movie “Live and Let Die.” The following album, “Band on the Run,” was a critical and commercial success, cementing Wings’ status as one of the 1970s’ biggest bands, despite widespread criticism of Linda’s limited vocal abilities. Wings’ success also largely smoothed over McCartney’s negative post-Beatles image in the eyes of some critics. The band was dissolved in 1980 following the murder of John Lennon. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Evening Standard, Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Jefferson Starsh...After psychedelic rock pioneers Jefferson Airplane fizzled in the early 1970s, co-founder Paul Kantner spun his sci-fi-themed solo album (which featured a assembly of musicians titled Jefferson Starship) into a new band featuring a revolving door of Airplane members, including singer Grace Slick. The new project would become one of the most successful arena rock bands of the 1970s and early 1980s. Kanter left the group in 1984 and, following a lawsuit, the band shortened its name to Starship. That band’s 1985 album, “Knee Deep in the Hoopla,” embraced the 1980s glossy pop sounds, embodying the notion of “corporate rock” and standing in stark contrast to what Jefferson Airplane stood for. Starship achieved artistically disastrous, albeit commercially successful, results, yielding the No. 1 hits “Sara” and “We Built This City,” which Blender and VH1 later named the worst song in history. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
New OrderIn its brief four-year existence, British band Joy Division laid the foundation for much of the post-punk movement that followed. The suicide of singer Ian Curtis brought the band to an abrupt halt in 1980, but by the end of the year the remaining members regrouped and triumphed over their tragedy with a new band: New Order. With a dark, new wave aesthetic and disco rhythms, New Order eventually emerged from Joy Division’s shadow to become one of the most influential and acclaimed bands of the 1980s. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Dave Hogan, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Velvet RevolverWhile Axl Rose was busy goofing around with hired hands like Buckethead and fiddling with “Chinese Democracy” for the better part of a decade, three of his former Guns N’ Roses bandmates moved on to form a new hard rock powerhouse, Velvet Revolver, with former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland on vocals. The band’s debut album, Contraband, went double platinum and hit No. 1 on Billboard on the strength of singles “Slither” and the GNR-esque “Fall to Pieces.” But the band’s follow-up, Libertad, was a commercial flop, despite positive reviews. Following a sticky breakup with Weiland in 2008, the band auditioned a series of singers, including Sebastian Bach, Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy and Shooter Jennings. While the band “can neither confirm nor deny” the rumors, several sources have indicated that Velvet Revolver’s next album will be recorded with Slipknot and Stone Sour singer Corey Taylor. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Frank Micelotta, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Beady EyeLiam and Noel Gallagher may have achieved music world dominance with Oasis, but the two brothers never managed to conquer their greatest enemy: themselves. The band’s career was littered with spats, fistfights and breakup, until Noel finally walked out for good in 2009. By the end of that year, Liam had bundled the remaining members into a new band, Beady Eye, whose debut album “Different Gear, Still Speeding” was released on March 1. Speaking with Spin of his new venture, the never-timid Liam said, “Guess what, mate? I reckon I'm in the best f**king band in the world. Twice that's happened now. Mega, isn't it?" —Jeff Royer (Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto, Getty Images)
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Maroon 5Seven years before blossoming into pop music’s platinum-selling funkateers, four members of Maroon 5 played together in a garage band called Kara’s Flowers. The group signed with Reprise Records in 1997 and released a debut album, “The Fourth World,” and hit the road alongside ska-punk bands like Goldfinger and Reel Big Fish. To their chagrin, the album completely tanked, selling about 5,000 copies, and the band was dropped by Reprise. Freshly out of high school, the members regrouped, re-branded, reinvented their sound with a neo-soul edge and became one of the 2000s biggest success stories. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Jason Kempin, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Robert PlantAfter making history as the Tolkien-obsessed banshee singer of Led Zeppelin and almost single-handedly inventing the rock god archetype, Robert Plant reinvented himself in the 2000s as folk music’s bearded elder statesman, indulging his love of blues and bluegrass to thrilling effect. In 2007, he released the haunting and timeless “Raising Sand” with bluegrass matriarch Alison Krauss to near-universal acclaim. The album eventually went platinum and took home the Grammy for Album of the Year. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Dave Hogan, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Dead WeatherJack White made his name as the guitarist and singer of blues-tinged rock duo The White Stripes. During hiatuses with that band (the Stripes announced their official breakup in February 2011), he seemingly indulged in every opportunity to stretch his musical legs, collaborating with artists ranging from Bob Dylan to Beck to Alicia Keys. In 2005, he teamed up with solo artist Brendan Benson and two members of the Greenhornes to form The Raconteurs, with whom he released two acclaimed albums. But his most celebrated post-Stripes role has been as drummer for Dead Weather, fronted by The Kills’ Alison Mosshart. White has also established himself as a burgeoning record mogul with his Third Man Records. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Noel Vasquez, Getty Images)
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WilcoAfter more or less inventing the genre of alt-country, Uncle Tupelo fractured into two bands in 1994: Jay Farrar’s more straight-laced Son Volt and Jeff Tweedy’s experimental force Wilco, which has done for roots rock what Radiohead has done for alt-rock. While remaining just south of mainstream, the Grammy-winning band has became a major live draw and, thanks in part to its endearing success story (as detailed in the documentary film “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”), an indie rock icon. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Mike Lawrie, Getty Images)
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FugaziD.C. punk band Minor Threat joined Bad Brains and Henry Rollins’ Black Flag in the invention of American hardcore. In just four years’ time, the band created both the aesthetic and the sound that would serve as a blueprint for thousands of bands to come, and inadvertently launched a social movement with the song “Straight Edge.” After its demise, guitarist and vocalist Ian MacKaye served a stint in emotional hardcore band Embrace (which, alongside Rites of Spring, gave birth to all things emo) before launching Fugazi, whose DIY ethics and mashup of punk with complex rhythms, dissonant sounds and textures would inspire a generation of bands. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Nancy Ostertag, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
GorillazDamon Albarn spent the 1990s as the frontman for Blur, kings of Brit-pop and heirs apparent to the guitar-pop throne held in decades past by The Kinks, The Who and The Smiths. The band also experienced mainstream success in the U.S. (not to mention sporting events worldwide) with the fuzzed-out anthem “Song 2.” By the time the band fizzled in 2003, Albarn was already firmly entrenched in his new role as the voice and puppet master of virtual band Gorillaz, whose mish-mash of pop and hip-hop made him even greater international fame – despite the fact that he spent the band’s earliest shows performing in silhouette while his “band members” were projected onto a screen. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Mark Metcalfe, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
DanzigGlenn Danzig’s long, dark journey into music began in the mid-1970s with the New Jersey horror-punk band The Misfits, crooning his menacing, evil-Elvis baritone melodies over a slop-storm of three-chord, abrasive pop songs. In 1983, Danzig disbanded The Misfits and started Samhain, which took one step further into the realm of metal. Upon signing with Rick Rubin’s Def American label in 1987, the band switched its name to Danzig and dived horns-first into dark, head-banging infamy. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Scott Gries, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Style CouncilPaul Weller emerged in the late 1970s as the singer and guitarist for The Jam, a crew of mod revivalists who, along with the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Buzzcocks, formed the first wave of British punk rock. He dissolved that band in 1982 at the height of its success due to overall dissatisfaction with The Jam’s artistic direction. Sporting a newfound fascination with soul, R&B, and jazz, Weller formed the Style Council in 1983. While the band notched a handful of semi-hits, it failed to connect with fans in the way The Jam did and faded out by 1990, leaving nothing close to the legacy of its predecessor. Weller has since revived his reputation and popularity as a solo artist. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Jo Hale, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
The BreedersChanneling indelible pop hooks through a funhouse of guitar crunch, distorted vocals and off-kilter rhythms, the Pixies were one of the most ferocious alt-pop creative forces of the 1980s and early 1990s. Kurt Cobain’s unabashed love of the band (he admitted to ripping off their soft-loud dynamic on “Nevermind”) helped to seal the Pixies’ legacy, leading to a reunion in 2004. Prior to the band’s dissolution in 1993, bassist Kim Deal had launched a side project with her twin sister, Kelley, and Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses. The Breeders scored a fluke hit with 1993’s “Cannonball,” but have never measured up to the titanic success of Deal’s “other” band. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Kevin Winter, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Public Image Ltd...John Lydon spent the mid-1970s giving the world a sonic (and sometimes quite literal) middle finger as Johnny Rotten, the lead sneerer of the Sex Pistols. Following that band’s ugly demise in 1978, Lydon rebounded with Public Image Ltd. (PiL), whose droning experimental rock formed a stark contrast to the Pistols’ amped-up, punk rock violence. PiL was eventually recognized as a strong influence in the post-punk and post-rock realm, and the band gave Lydon something the Sex Pistols were rarely acknowledged for: artistic credibility. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Samir Hussein, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
AudioslaveWhen politically minded rap-rockers Rage Against the Machine split in 2000, the members quickly reunited sans vocalist Zack de la Rocha for a new project mashing their alt-rock leanings with Zeppelin-esque guitar rock. In a serendipitous turn of events, fellow ‘90s powerhouse Soundgarden had recently splintered as well, freeing up frontman Chris Cornell. Audioslave was a short-lived success, but a success nonetheless, notching three top 10 albums and several rock hits before collapsing in 2007. Both Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine have since reunited.—Jeff Royer (Photo: Carlo Allegri, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
