10 Rock Bands That Destroyed Their Own Legacies

10. U2

At the end of the 80's, U2 started to seem like more than just a band. After dominating that decade with epic shows at Live Aid and classic albums like the Joshua Tree, this Irish group were poised to be the next spokesmen of rock. Even into the 90's, their work on albums like Achtung Baby showed how well they could adapt with the changing musical landscape.

Ever since that decade though, any goodwill that the band may have had seemed to dissipate. The band started the millennium off pretty strong with the album All That You Can't Leave Behind, but nowadays they have taken creative ventures that have led to musical dead ends. Instead of thriving by expanding on their classic sound, some of the band's output like "Get On Your Boots" feel more like Bono and the Edge trying to catch up with the poppy trends of the modern day.

It also didn't help when one of their better records, Songs of Innocence, was practically forced upon all Apple users upon the day of release. Bands will typically do whatever they can to reach the best demographic, but the idea of just giving away your music regardless of whether your audience wants it was bound to backfire.