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Bands Reunited

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Bands Reunited
GenreReality television
Created byThe Chatterbox Partnership Ltd (UK)
Written byGreg Heller
Directed by
  • Steve Jones
  • David Charles Sullivan
Presented byAamer Haleem
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes19
Production
Running time44 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkVH1
Release19 January 2004 (2004-01-19) –
1 January 2006 (2006-01-01)

Bands Reunited is a television program produced by VH1 in 2004. Hosted by Aamer Haleem, the show documents attempted reunions of formerly popular musical groups for special concerts in either London or Los Angeles.

A show normally consists of the crew first hunting down the ex-members of the band (often first in a ruse) one-by-one, and convincing them to agree for the one-time concert. The members are "contracted" by signing an LP record by their former band. The band members are interviewed, usually focusing on the reasons of their disbandment. The final segment is the formal reunion of the band in the rehearsing studio, and a joint interview about having disbanded. If the reunion was successful, the episode ends with the final performance.

In 2005, VH1 attempted to reunite the English rock band the Smiths, but the show abandoned its attempt after Aamer Haleem unsuccessfully apprehended their former lead vocalist Morrissey before a show.

Criticism

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The artificial and invasive nature of the reality show, and the contractual arrangements behind it, have been criticized. Kurt Harland of Information Society detailed his own negative experiences with the program, and how his experiences differed from the portrayal of events as broadcast, on his website; citing examples of misinformation, poor background research and manipulation from the show's production crew, regarding the show to have been more interested in sensationalising his band's breakup than a genuine reunion.[1]

Bands

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Band Formed Disbanded Result
ABC 1980 1992 Only Martin Fry and drummer David Palmer reunited; performed "The Look of Love" and "Poison Arrow", with Nick Beggs of Kajagoogoo on bass and additional session musicians.[2] Fry and Palmer later reunited ABC, and released the album Traffic in 2008. Fry released The Lexicon of Love II in 2016.
The Alarm 1981 1991 All members reunited; performed "Sixty Eight Guns" and "Blaze of Glory". A version of the band led by frontman Mike Peters, released a new album titled Under Attack in 2006 and subsequently had a top 30 hit in the UK with the song "Superchannel".
The Beat 1978 1983 David Steele and Andy Cox were both unresponsive to numerous requests to participate, possibly implying a lack of interest in a reunion. The remaining members did not perform although Dave Wakeling did perform with the current version of the Beat at their own concert.
Berlin 1978 1987 All members reunited including original drummer Rod Learned;[3] performed "The Metro" and "No More Words". The band, with no returning members except for lead vocalist Terri Nunn, subsequently released the new studio albums 4Play (of mostly cover songs) in 2005 and Animal in 2013. Nunn reunited with original bandmates John Crawford and David Diamond in 2019 and released their eighth studio album Transcendence. Strings Attached was released in 2020.
Commodores 1968 1981 Four members agreed to take part in the reunion but only 3 members actually arrived. There was no reunion performance.
Dramarama 1982 1994 All members reunited; performed "Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)" and "Last Cigarette". The reunion inspired the band to get back together permanently. The group released a new studio album, Everybody Dies, in 2005.
Extreme 1985 1996 Gary Cherone debated on participating in a reunion while Nuno Bettencourt refused to participate altogether and simultaneously declined an on-camera interview. After a conversation with Cherone, they ultimately decided that a reunion would not occur, citing issues that had been unresolved since disbanding as the main reason. Since then, they have reunited in 2004 and 2006. A full reunion occurred in 2008 and a new studio album, Saudades de Rock, was released that year.
A Flock of Seagulls 1980 1986 All members reunited;[4] performed "I Ran (So Far Away)" and "Space Age Love Song". The original lineup released Ascension in 2018. String Theory was released in 2021.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood 1980 1987 All members reunited, but Holly Johnson refused to perform. In 2004, part of the band, not including Johnson, performed at the Prince's Trust charity concert, and they toured some over the next couple years. In 2023, the entire band, including Johnson, performed at the Eurovision Song Contest during a tribute to Liverpool music. It was their first performance as a full group since 1987.
Generation X 1976 1981 No reunion occurred after Billy Idol refused to reunite (as he was in the middle of recording the studio album Devil's Playground)
Haircut One Hundred 1980 1984 All members reunited;[5] performed "Love Plus One" and "Fantastic Day". The group subsequently reunited sporadically between 2009 and 2013 and released a live album in 2011.
Information Society 1982 1997 All members but Kurt Harland reunited; no performance. The band was eventually reformed in 2006 by Paul Robb and James Cassidy, with Harland occasionally participating (he has since rejoined full-time). The band subsequently recorded three new albums following their reunion.
Kajagoogoo 1978 1985 All members reunited, performing "Too Shy" and "Hang on Now".[6] Attempted to stay reunited, initially failed. The band regrouped in 2008 and released a new studio album, Gone to the Moon, minus Limahl and Jez Strode, and the EP Death Defying Headlines with the complete lineup in 2011.
Klymaxx 1979 1994 Five members reunited (Robbin Grider could not be located), but Cheryl Cooley did not participate in the performance due to friction between her and the other bandmates for forming her own version of Klymaxx, and trademarking the band name without permission. There are now three separate Klymaxx bands: one led by Cooley, one led by Bernadette Cooper, and one led by Joyce Irby.
The Motels 1971 1987 All members reunited. The band, with no returning members except for lead vocalist Martha Davies, subsequently released three new studio albums in 2008, 2011, and 2018.
New Kids on the Block 1984 1994 Brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight agreed to reunite, but Joe McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood declined to participate in the reunion. McIntyre cited that the only way he would rejoin the group was if the group made the decision to reunite permanently. Wahlberg and Wood declined on-camera interviews. All five members reunited in 2008, and have since released three albums and one EP.
Romeo Void 1979 1985 Original saxophonist Benjamin Bossi was unable to perform, due to hearing loss. All other members performed "Never Say Never" and "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)" with Sheldon Brown on saxophone. Bossi met with his former bandmates, however, and watched the taping of the band's reunion performance from a nearby trailer.
Scandal 1981 1985 All surviving members reunited (bassist Ivan Elias died of cancer in 1995);[7] performed "Goodbye to You" and "The Warrior" with Kasim Sulton of the band Utopia on bass.
Shalamar 1977 1983 Howard Hewett agreed to reunite, but Jody Watley realized the show's plan and declined to participate for the reunion.
Squeeze 1974 1999 It did not reunite after lead vocalist/guitarist Glenn Tilbrook expressed reservations, keyboardist Jools Holland refused to participate, and drummer Gilson Lavis was unable to commit to it. Oddly, after Holland declined, the show did not pursue any of the keyboardists who had replaced Holland during the band's original tenure: Paul Carrack (who provided lead vocals on the original version of the band's third-biggest American hit, "Tempted"), Don Snow, or Steve Nieve.
Squeeze reformed in 2007 with a revised line-up, including original members Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook and early 1980s bassist John Bentley. The band subsequently released three new albums: Spot the Difference (2010), Cradle to the Grave (2015), and The Knowledge (2017).
Vixen 1980 1992 All members of the most famous lineup reunited; performed "Edge of a Broken Heart" and "Rev It Up". Although guitarist Jan Kuehnemund continued to front her own version of Vixen following the show, the original lineup did not reunite again until 2012, shortly before Kuehnemund's death the next year; the remaining members have since continued the band.
Wire Train 1983 1992 This episode never aired. They played "Chamber of Hellos".

References

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  1. ^ "InSoc vs. TV!". 2007-12-30. Archived from the original on December 30, 2007. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  2. ^ "ABC Reunite With Kajagoogoo Pal". World Entertainment News Network. 10 September 2004. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  3. ^ Iwasaki, Scott (30 July 2004). "Berlin vocalist catches her breath". Deseret Morning News. p. W08. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  4. ^ Shennan, Paddy (22 March 2004). "The Seagulls have landed". Liverpool Echo. p. 10. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  5. ^ Spencer, Kathryn; Carpenter, Julie; Bohdanowicz, Kate (6 October 2004). "Nick's smart Haircut". The Daily Express. p. 37.
  6. ^ "Kaja chance to go goo goo..." Wigan Evening Post. 12 April 2004. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  7. ^ Shanahan, Mark (4 February 2005). "Revisiting Scandal Suits Smyth She Doesn't Regret This Scandal". The Boston Globe. p. C12. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
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