The best & the worst reunions of all time

As Jagger jokingly lays into the Pythons for attempting a long-awaited comeback, Flora Hughes-Onslow looks at the best and the worst artistic reunions of all time...

'A bunch of wrinkly old men trying to relive their youth and make a load of money'. So went Mick Jagger's humorous description of the five surviving Monty Python members, in a self-deprecating comedy skit promo for their grand tour. Minus the late Graham Chapman, the Python boys are performing together live for the first (and the very last) time since 1980, putting on ten shows up until 20th July, all broadcast live in more than 2,000 theatres around the world, as well as on television. Poking fun at the comedy legends, Jagger also asked the rather exacting question  'Who wants to see that again?' But in all seriousness, the reunion is a risky business, potentially incredibly damaging to a band or artist's legacy; it's not for nothing that the quit-while-you're-ahead idiom emerged.

With a pendulum that seems to oscillate easily and dramatically between raging success and total failure, as the following examples demonstrate, the road to reunion bliss is a rocky and unpredictable one. In an effort to get a little closer to the recipe for a successful re-grouping, we summarise for you the best and the worst of recent years...

5 BEST:

Led Zeppelin

No stranger to the politics and problems of reunion, Zeppelin's Robert Plant has long been very vocal in his views on the matter. In his case it initially seemed the issue was not simply about the music but entwined with an era that Plant clearly didn't want to revisit. He described Zeppelin's early lyrics as the words of a young man who has long since disappeared; at the same time that the band was peaking, Plant and his wife Maureen were seriously injured in a car crash, followed by the death two years later of their five-year-old son Karac. Whatever Plant's reasons for being reluctant to re-form, it would be fair to say that Zeppelin's laurels seemed a pretty good place to rest. Nevertheless, Plant did put aside his qualms with a reunion in 2007, when he agreed to a one-off series of charity shows with the whole band at London's O2 Arena (though he has since made it absolutely clear that there is zero chance of the band joining forces ever again). As classic rock gigs in London go, this one – including a devastating rendition of 1975 hit "Kashmir" – was pretty stupendous.

Blur

Having had a few years' hiatus from 2004 onwards, this Britpop four-piece staged a magnificent comeback of culminating in a hugely popular appearance closing Glastonbury Festival in 2009 and involvement in the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony. One of the most popular bands of the Nineties, Blur had a lot to live up to, but their greatly anticipated reunion certainly didn't disappoint.

Take That

While many might dismiss Take That as just a cheesy Nineties boy band, their fiercely loyal fans (so loyal that telephone hotlines had to be set up to counsel suicidal teenage fans when the group split in 1996) came out in droves to support them when they re-formed and the result was perhaps one of the most successfully marketed comebacks of all time. Enjoying several chart toppers and massively boosted public profiles  –  particularly Gary Barlow, who somehow got on board with the Diamond Jubilee and became best pals with the Queen – this was one undeniably triumphant reunion.

Pulp

Enjoying a short but sweet reunion from 2011, Pulp delighted fans with a world tour including a headlining gig at Glastonbury and a storming set at Coachella Festival and managed to emerge from their reunion victorious, and with their reputation firmly intact.

Black Sabbath

Buckling the weight of the band members' drug and alcohol abuse, as well as various other external pressures, Sabbath called it quits and went their separate ways. But having since resumed their careers together and performing at London rock concerts such as the recent British Summer Time Festival in Hyde Park, it seems Black Sabbath have matured like a fine wine – with even the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne's voice apparently holding up well, belying his 65 years.

5 WORST:

The Libertines

Their Kentish Town Forum reunion gig (following Doherty's release from prison in the winter of 2003) were about as popular and warmly received as music gigs in London could be, but their more recent Hyde Park reunion bombed heavily. Most likely necessary to fuel Pete Doherty's thriving drug habit, this was one ill-advised reunion. Given that Doherty and co-frontman Carl Barât have long been more famous for their antics off the stage than from what they bring to it, it hardly comes as a surprise that their recent Hyde Park gig was a bit of a damp squib. The band were only two songs in when the performance had to be halted to warn fans to spread out for fear of a crushing incident, but even once resumed, the set contained several more interruptions and generally, a pretty lacklustre performance.

Outkast

Receiving at best lukewarm and at worst wholly negative reviews, the comeback of much-loved hip hop duo Outkast at Coachella 2014 made for an awkward and painful scene. Despite eager anticipation from devoted fans, what was billed as their farewell performance after a ten year absence from live performance, made for an overwhelmingly disappointing viewing as Andre 3000's banter to the audience was met with reticence and the crowd streamed away from the stage.

Pixies

A seminal group that were arguably Nirvana's greatest influence and held a strong and loyal following; it seemed Pixies couldn't go wrong. But since re-forming, critics have laid into their new material with no holds barred, and (despite record-breaking ticket sales) some fairly woeful reunion concerts have put paid to any renewed success, as well as seriously tarnished their reputation.

Spice Girls

Without wanting to sound overly cynical, the Spice Girls reunion venture seemed to be a rather blatant cash-cow on the band members' behalf (perhaps some more than others). Having had barely any success in their post-Spice Girls solo careers, it seemed unsurprising and only a matter of time before the five members embarked on a comeback world tour, eventually entitled Spice Girls: Giving You Everything in 2007, plus an cameo in the 2012 London Olympics Closing Ceremony. Unable to live up to the inevitable hype, the reunion felt somewhat disappointing, as the chemistry on stage between them seemed almost non-existent. 

The Only Ones

Donning sunglasses and a straggly hair do, lead singer of The Only Ones Peter Perrett's performance on Jools Holland after the band reformed was verging on tragic. Looking out of place and desperate to cling to a glamorised youth of drug addiction and rock 'n' roll, this reunion was both improbable – largely due to Perrett's reputation as one of the industry's greatest recluses, combined with rumours of a ridiculous level of intra-band acrimony before they initially split – and unwise. It would seem that after that initial break up, they should have just called it a day.

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