Bands Reunited
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Bands Reunited was a television program produced by VH1 in 2004. Hosted by Aamer Haleem, the show documented the attempted reuniting of a formerly-popular musical ensemble for a special concert in either London or Los Angeles.
A show normally consisted of the crew first hunting down the ex-members of the band (often first in disguise) one-by-one, and convincing them to agree for the one-time concert; the members were "contracted" by signing a record album by their former band. The band members were then interviewed, usually focusing on the reasons of the breakup. The final segment would consist of the formal reunion of the band in the rehearsing studio, and a joint interview about why the group parted ways. If the reunion was successful, the episode ended with the final performance.
In 2005, VH1 attempted to get the British band The Smiths back together, but the show abandoned its attempt after its host Aamer Haleem was unsuccessful in his attempt to corner Morrissey before a show.
[edit] Bands which have appeared
Note: The bands that did the reunion performance are noted, as well.
| Band | Formed | Disbanded | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Flock of Seagulls | 1979 | 1986 | All members reunited, performed "I Ran" & "Space Age Love Song" |
| ABC | 1980 | 1990 | Only Martin Fry and David Palmer reunited, performed with Nick Beggs of Kajagoogoo |
| The Alarm | 1981 | 1992 | All members reunited, performed "68 Guns" |
| Berlin | 1982 | 1987 | All members reunited (except for Rob Brill), performed "The Metro". |
| Dramarama | 1983 | 1994 | All members reunited, performed "Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)", inspired band to get back together permanently. |
| The English Beat | 1978 | 1983 | David Steele and Andy Cox refused to participate, the remaining members reunited. |
| Extreme | 1985 | 1996 | Nuno Bettencourt refused to be filmed on camera. After a conversation with Gary Cherone (who wasn't sure on participating either), they decided it wasn't a good time to reunite. Since then, they have reunited in 2004 and 2006. |
| Frankie Goes to Hollywood | 1980 | 1987 | All members reunited, but Holly Johnson refused to perform |
| Haircut 100 | 1981 | 1983 | All members reunited |
| 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. |
| Kajagoogoo | 1981 | 1986 | All members reunited. |
| Klymaxx | 1979 | 1990 | All members reunited, but Cheryl Cooley did not participate in the performance due to friction between her and the other bandmates for starting up her own version of Klymaxx without permission. The original members have reformed and are performing as of 2006. |
| The Motels | 1971 | 1987 | All members reunited |
| New Kids on the Block | 1984 | 1994 | Jonathan Knight and Jordan Knight agreed to reunite, but Joe McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood declined to participate in the reunion. McIntyre cited the only way he would reunite was if the group made the decision to get back together permanently. Wahlberg and Wood declined on-camera interviews. In mid-2007, they secretly reformed and began work on a new album. As of 2008, they officially announced they are planning a world tour. |
| Romeo Void | 1979 | 1985 | Original Saxophonist Benjamin Bossi was unable to perform, due to hearing loss. He 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. Kasim Sulton (Utopia) played bass in the reunion performance. |
| Squeeze | 1974 | 1999 | Did not reunite after Glenn Tilbrook expressed reservations, and Jools Holland refused to participate. Oddly, after Holland said no, the show did not pursue any of the keyboard players who had replaced Holland during the band's original tenure: Paul Carrack, Don Snow, or Steve Nieve. Squeeze reformed in 2007 with a revised line-up, including original members Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook and early-80s bassist John Bentley. |
| Vixen | 1980 | 1991 | All members reunited |
[edit] Criticism of the show
The artificial nature of parts of the show and the contractual arrangements behind it have been criticised. 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. [1]
