10 Rock Bands That Fell Apart At The Top Of Their Game
How to Cut and Run.
Time is never that kind to rock and rollers. As much as people like to dream about going out on a high note, you can count on one hand the amount of bands that are able to actually bow out gracefully as the years go by. Hell, even when things are looking up for these bands, they picked right then to cut themselves off from the world.
Even though they had all the potential in the world to become the next gods of rock, these bands decided to call it quits before anything got too out of hand. For fans, this is one of the more heartbreaking things to hear, with most of these acts still being amazing behind their instruments and still able to give us some of the greatest music that we've ever heard. Then again, there is something to respect about people who decide to call it off at the right time.
These are the musicians that know that nothing lasts forever, so it might be better to stop at the top before the music world stops the train for them. If anything, cutting things off like this feels more like a power move in the world of rock and roll. While the higher ups might think that they hold you in the palm of their hand, these are the musicians who took control of their own destiny.
10. Guns N Roses
Since the hair metal movement's time in the sun had reached the end of its rope, it looked like Guns N Roses were about to usher in a whole new brand of rock and roll from California. Having the same upbringing that their glam peers had, there was something about songs like Sweet Child O Mine and Paradise City that felt like they were more street level than whatever audio sunshine that Warrant was coming out with. When the '90s rolled around, the band just got way too big way too fast.
Almost trying to outdo the magic that they had on Appetite for Destruction, the Use Your Illusion albums were a pretty dense experience, being a double release where they toyed with every type of grandiose style of music that they could get their hands on. While the actual sessions were grueling and cost them drummer Steven Adler, the road wasn't much better, with gigs frequently getting cancelled and Axl Rose becoming the diva of the road, either not bothering to turn up to gigs or cutting things short for no good reason.
By the time they had finished the tour, they had been around the world twice and were left to lick their wounds, with no one except Axl wanting to get to work. As sessions started for Chinese Democracy, one band member at a time left the group until Axl was the only one who still owned the rights to the name Guns N Roses. You can call this era of the band what you want, but it was basically a glorified Axl solo outfit for a few years.