Artists

Back from the Grave: The Top 5 Musical Comebacks of Recent Years

February 26, 2013 by Ashleigh Falls in Artists, Latest News, The Vulture with 0 Comments

You know those times when you feel a little musically nostalgic after hearing that old song on the radio that reminds you of those little drunken mishaps and hook-ups in your youth? Some of the poor bastards died a quick spotlight death, while others kept on releasing some pretty fucking awesome tunes and progressed to become music icons. Sometimes it’s a tour, while on other occasions an album is released out of the blue to stir up those not so innocent memories. For your reading pleasure, we recall the biggest artists who rose up out of their musical graves and forced their way back into the charts – it’s the Vulture’s Top 5 Musical Comebacks of Recent Years.

5. Robbie Williams

British singer Robbie Williams recently began his first solo tour since 2006 and is desperate to reclaim his title as the King of British Pop. Williams began his music career as part of pop group Take That but found greater success as a solo singer, well known for his hits ‘Come Undone’ and ‘Let Me Entertain You’. The troubled star took a break from recording as he battled serious personal issues such as mental illnesses, obesity, self-esteem issues, alcoholism and substance abuse – with all that shit going on, it’s no wonder the guy needed a break. But the man came out strong for his royal subjects and released his latest album Take The Crown in 2012 and is currently on tour. With his willpower to guide him, we’re pretty sure this king is going to be able to reclaim his crown.

4. Jennifer Lopez

Do you remember Jenny from the block? We certainly do, and she’s back with a vengeance. The singer/actress has been in the industry since the 90’s and after a successful stint in both singing and acting, the singer died down and slowly faded from our minds and was not heard of from 2004-2009…. and then BAM! It’s 2010 and all of a sudden she’s back. With a, admittedly not-so-flash movie ‘The Back-Up Plan’ under her belt, and a new album Love?, J.Lo, has worked her way back into our hearts and onto the music charts!

3. Iggy and the Stooges

Iggy and the Stooges (otherwise known as just The Stooges) are certainly a band which has survived the ages. First active from 1967-1974, the band later reformed in 2003. However on January 6 2009 the band landed a heavy blow as band member Ron Asheton was found dead in his apartment after suffering from a heart attack. Original guitarist James Williams rejoined the band but his Asheton’s spirit remains. For a bunch of old rockers though, the legends aren’t doing too bad as lead singer Iggy Pop (who by all rights, along with Keith Richards, should really have carked it sometime around the late eighties) received the ‘Living Legend Award’ at the Marshall Classic Rock Roll of Honour awards in 2009. The band continues to explode onto stages worldwide and wow the crowds – We have a feeling these guys will still be rocking the stage even when they’re in dire need of a hip replacement.

2. Blink 182

A band which needs no introduction but we’re going to give one to anyway is Blink 182! The bratty American rock band, formed in 1992, are known for hits such as ‘All the Small Things’, ‘First Date’ and ‘What’s My Age Again?’. It was 1999 when the band released their third album Enema of the State which propelled the band into stardom and was the catalyst for the pop-punk explosion of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. 2005 was the year fans lost hope in the punk pop genre when the band released a press saying they were on “indefinite hiatus”, due toa breakdown of the group dynamic, and each member moved onto other projects. We thought it would end here, but we were wrong. Under terrible circumstances in 2008, drummer Travis Barker was in a plane crash where he was one of the only two survivors on board. Both Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge reached out to him and this was fundamentally the reason behind the band’s reunion. In 2011 the band released the sixth studio album Neighborhoods, claimed by many critics as a return to form for the group. Blink 182 is currently touring Australia as part of the Soundwave festival – albeit without the flight-averse Barker.

1. Britney Spears

“It’s Britney, bitch.” Yes, we are talking about the one and only Britney Spears. Even if you aren’t a fan of her music, you can’t help but hold some level of respect for this woman who has managed to progress from ‘Oops! I Did It Again!’ to current hit with Will.I.Am ‘Scream And Shout’. 2007 was the year in which Spears began her downfall with a stint in drug rehabilitation and then we all remember that clip of her shaving her head and attacking the paparazzi. The woman has certainly not disappeared from our lives, with her outrageous stunts in personal life, but her music career seemed to have burnt to a crisp. However 2009 the star had a new image, a new philosophy and released her album Circus, which cemented her position back in the music industry and gave her the title of ‘American Tragedy to Comeback Queen’.