Question of the Week: What band breakup broke your heart? And what splintered band had the most potential?

Local Spins’ Question of the Week (Jan. 19, 2022)

What band breakup broke your heart? And what splintered band had the most potential?

The winner in last week’s drawing of email subscribers who responded to our question of the week was reader Andy Baker. To be placed in a drawing for a Local Spins gift pack, sign up for email updates and the weekly newsletter here: https://localspins.com/subscribe-local-spins-mailing-list/

THE READER RESPONSES:

Mike Metchikoff – When the Eagles broke up in 1980, that broke my heart. The splintered band? Easy…Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young as well). If they could have avoided all the drama and addictions, think what their catalog could have been!!

Rick Wilson – I carried “Let It Be” around school the day after I heard The Beatles broke up in some sort of juvenile mourning ritual. And I had tickets to Zeppelin’s 1980 tour the day I heard John Bonham died. Other than that, I can’t say any rick band broke my heart.

Ronald Wondolowski – Beatles, hands down.

David Kuzma – The Band. Was sad basically forcing Levon out. Robbie became an ass.

Larry Zoppa – Zeppelin

Chelsea Whitaker – Well Brendon Urie finally bringing an end to Panic! At the Disco this morning was pretty sad. And I’ll definitely be grieving it for a bit haha. But when Foxy Shazam called it quits, I was heartbroken. But then they got back together.

Joel Miller – Came here to say Foxy, as well. Haven’t seen them since they’ve reunited, but they are sooo great.

Obe VanderTol – Cream

Aaron Letrick – Journey for sure.. I mean Arnel is a great singer/Steve Perry impersonator but it’s not the same.

Todd Long – When Jani Lane passed away I knew I would never live Warrant the same, and I don’t!

Mark Kozlowicz – REM for me but it’s not like they didn’t have a great career.

Steve Middendorp – The Black Crowes and Oasis. Both sets of brothers, which made it feel that much worse that they can’t find a way to get along and continue to make amazing music together. The Robinson brothers are finally back together again, but would love to have had more years with Gorman on drums, Marc Ford on guitar, and Harsch on the keys. That lineup was fire.

Chelsea Perry – Tenth Avenue North

Susan Park – I loved that single “Blind Faith” LP, and was so sad when more didn’t follow!

Mike Ward: PsychoSongs – The Civil Wars.

Casey Brower – The Civil Wars

Dave Adams – In my youth, The Beatles. In jr high, the death of Terry Kath of Chicago. High School, the death of John Bonham of Led Zeppelin. College: The Police had the most untapped potential and Talking Heads, plus Van Halen although Sammy eventually grew on me, I still prefer the original lineup. Almost forgot about Boston, The Cars and Journey.

Pete Guidera – Badfinger

Mitch Wood – Simon & Garfunkel

Ryan Birtles – Jellyfish!

Jeff Yonker – Hüsker Dü

Ryan Birtles – Patric Moraz-era Yes

Rich Emerson – CCR

Hugo Claudin – The Clash, duh.
Stacy Noonan – Seth & May

Lee Chase – When Dino Valenti got out of prison and rejoined Quicksilver Messenger Service, it destroyed the classic lineup that brought us the first two LPs. A bit backwards I know but, there it is.

Stephen Aldrich – David Barrenger My Dog Bob, contributors to many 80’s hangovers

Shawn Butzin – Milli Vanilli. Hehe. I’d have to say Nirvana.

Dan Lynn – The Clash had a lot more to offer.

Michael Packer – Badfinger’s splintering came about for different reasons than the Beatles, but it bothered me. I did a tribute to Pete Ham when he died (when I was working at WLAV, before it became commercial).

Beth Sexton – Van Halen. Didn’t care for Van Hager. Though I loved Sammy in Montrose. Boston was great! That one was probably untapped potential that would have made them one of the best.

John A Butler Jr. – Not a “heartbreak” but certainly a bummer: the Police.

Casey Brower – Topical to your Beatles thoughts as they had a similar vibe, I feel The Verve had potential to be pretty stellar. Granted their biggest hit was basically an unlicensed cover, but I wish they could’ve kept it together.

Caeser Pink – The Clash.

Charlie Walmsley – The Band

Bunny Villaire – The electronic/experimental lineup of Underworld: Darren Emerson; Karl Hyde; and Rick Smith

David Barrenger – The Smiths and My Dog Bob.

Alex Austin – Besides the Beatles, probably the Band and the Police

John Loader – Yes, without Jon Anderson.

Devin Weber – I wish REM would at least tour if not make another record.

Tom Henry – I was bummed that the Rolling Stones broke up just after The Beatles. Man, I really wanted at least one of those bands to continue on for several more decades, possibly into the year 2023 and beyond. The Stones were so young, too. Seemed like they could have stuck around just a little bit longer.

Jim Harvey – REM or the Police.

Mike Skory – The only band break up that bothered me was Brownsville Station. To this day it’s murky on why bassist Tony Driggins was unexpectedly fired

Joel Carrier – Go ahead and laugh! The breakup of ABBA was a sad time for me.

Deborah Weiser Pianist – Chris Cornell – I was just starting to become a huge fan. I was never into grunge but loved his last album. Went to see him at DeVos Hall not long before he died.

Sally Kikkert – Jim Croce passing.

Joe Kidd – Mott The Hoople

Brandon Copeland – Vox viddora, outkast, noisettes, kids these days

Eric Brown – The Oneders.

Shazzer McBroddle – Sonic Youth

Cristin Post – Jerry dying…

Andrew Szumowski – Soundgarden, 1998. altho it was somewhat short lived, for a decade and a half more of cool sounds.

Andy Baker – The Police for sure

Timmy Rodriguez – Straylight Run was a huge bummer for me.

Joe Kidd – MC5

Harry E Rutherford – Genesis with Peter Gabriel

Daniel P Hudelson – Untapped potential? That’s got to be Badfinger. Their Straight Up LP was the 2nd best Apple album of them all, IMO. Then too long of a lay-off until their next record, with their label in chaos and a management that robbing them blind.Pete Ham, was a 1st rate singer guitarist and songwriter , who hanged himself at age 27.

Chad Michael Wedeven – Vox Vidorra for sure. A peerless blend of talents. I thought they were gonna blow up huge.

Steve E. Dee – Mimi Parker dying hurts so bad. Also, Rainer Maria

Lori Wilson – Talking Heads

Brian Borbot – When Dave Pack left Ambrosia. Also, the Alice Cooper band.

Hannah Martin – N sync
Melodee Van Bogelen Horsford – Pink Floyd… I never got to see Gilmour and Waters together!

Kette – Oh Land’s lineup with Nanna, Tore Nissen, & Owen Beverly. So very hope they play together again at some point!

Stephen Aldrich – Answer to part one, The La’s. Skiffle, Sea Chanties, Brechtian obtuseness, and some of the most perfect pop music ever. Recorded the same material over and over again with every possible producer, and when their album was finally released, took out full page cover ads in the UK press telling people not to buy it. One album and done, some say the answer is in the song, Looking Glass, this was all there was ever intended to be. Part 2 answer, splinter groups, anyone who ever worked with Miles Davis, pretty much every supporting musician turned into a major force in Jazz on their own.

Mike Gembala – Reznor’s Tapeworm project could’ve redefined collaborative supergroups, but everyone vowed to seal the project in a vault and I think he should revisit it.

Brad Hastings – Turkuaz. An incredibly fantastic powerhouse of a funk band. Berklee College of music super group. One of the tightest live bands I have ever seen. Michigan bands; Ultraviolet Hippopotamus; Four Finger Five, Chordis Bell

Emily Slomovits – The Swell Season!

Joshua Duggan – Slapstick!

AJ Paschka – The only band where it broke my heart was Nirvana. If only Kurt just switched to drums and let Dave play front man.

Ria Faber – The Civil Wars

Scott VanderSchelm – The Eagles. The Police. Fleetwood Mac. Since resolved.

Alec Juarez – TITLE FIGHT. Worst part is that they still haven’t made an official breakup statement since they just… stopped touring after Hyperview dropped.

Mark DeWitt – Many bands changed singers which took a while to embrace: Queen, Van Halen, Marillion, AC/DC, and more.

Drew Behringer – The Receiving End of Sirens. Just an absolutely dynamic monster of a band.

Jon Miner – Sweet Japonic

Nate Dorough – I think I’ve been pretty lucky, with bands I truly LOVE. Maybe the band Fuel, who are STILL 20+ years later fighting over who the real Fuel is. Shimmer and Hemorrhage were HITS. Oh, and Silverchair. They’re never coming back, which is a shame, as their last two records were five years ahead of the game. Those type of records would be MONSTERS today. Rage Against The Machine. Outkast. Both eventually came back though. Most recently, mewithoutYou

Bruce Parrott – Never once felt that way. I always thought it would be great to have a couple new groups to enjoy.

David Kirchgessner – Weakerthans, fugazi, king apparatus,

Myrna Jacobs – Only a few people remember this one… Severe Hands was a fusion band out of Lansing in about 1972. Outstanding musicians ranging from singer songwriter fused with avant- guard jazz and hard rock… my husband was one of the members.

Sheila Whittaker – Genesis

Andrew Wilkinson – Dilla.

Matthew Fouts – Jellyfish

Jack Droppers – The soil & the sun

Cliff Harris – White Stripes.

John Olszewski – Tanglewood

Denny Larsen – Cream

Brian Hoekstra – Over the years…the British bands that couldn’t get over sibling rivalries…. so much wasted time… Oasis….Kinks….Stone Roses…

Kevin Lyons – Double Trouble

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