Bad Band Break-ups

In the past few weeks we've seen a spate bands calling it quits on friendly terms (The White Stripes, Yves Klein Blue, Snowman). In the coming months there will be even more (LCD Soundsystem, The Streets). What happened to bands going down in a blaze of bitter and twisted glory? We take a look at some of the worst band break-ups in history.

Dead Kennedys

Although the Cali hardcore band ended peacefully enough in 1986 upon the release of their final album Bedtime For Democracy, things turned sour some 10 years later when it emerged that frontman Jello Biafra was taking a larger slice of the Dead Kennedys’ royalties than the rest of the band. A legal dispute followed, which resulted in Biafra having to fork out over $200,000 in back payments. As a parting blow, Biafra accused his former band mates of wanting to license their song Holiday In Cambodia in a Levi’s commercial, which, as we all know, isn’t very hardcore.

The Smiths

Tensions had been running high between frontman Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr for some time, but in the end it was an ill-informed article by the NME that finally tipped them over the edge. The article, entitled ‘Smith To Split’, outlined a series of rumours surrounding the band, like that Morrissey was upset at Marr for continual collaborations with other musicians. Although some of the article was based on fact, Marr accused Morrissey of planting the story and quit the band. The Smiths briefly continued on with Ivor Perry replacing Marr, but had disbanded by the time their fourth album Strangeways, Here We Come was released in 1987.

New Order

In the latter part of their career New Order went on a series of lengthy hiatuses, suggesting the band were slowly drifting apart. Each member had formed side projects and collaborated with other artists, and they only sporadically reconvened for a couple of albums and tours in the '00s. When bassist Peter Hook decided to quit the band in 2007 he told the media that New Order had split up. This came as a surprise to remaining members Bernard Sumner and Steve Morris though, who originally planned to continue on without Hook. Then things got ugly, with confusion about the status of New Order and Hook threatening to sue his former band mates if they kept the moniker. Sumner and Morris currently play together in new band Bad Lieutenant while Hook continues to destroy the legacy of Joy Division.

Cold Chisel

Cold Chisel will always live on as one of the most iconic and celebrated Australian bands of all time, but apparently that wasn’t enough for its members. International stardom eluded the Aussie rockers at their peak, causing frustrations within the group. The band came home from a European tour in 1983 minus a drummer after Steve Prestwich was fired under mysterious circumstances. Later that year a broke Jimmy Barnes decided to quit the band, marking the end of Cold Chisel. But before they called it quits, the band went on one final Australian tour and recorded their final album Twentieth Century. According to reports, Cold Chisel’s final recording sessions were rather ‘icy’.

The Saints

Chris Bailey will tell you The Saints never officially “broke up”, but things weren’t quite the same when Ed Kuepper departed the group in 1979. By this point the band’s style and musical direction had changed dramatically from their punky beginnings and following their third, commercially unsuccessful album, Kuepper moved on to form the art rock group Laughing Clowns. It didn’t stop Bailey from retaining the moniker for a myriad of other Saints incarnations in the years since however. Annoyed by his former band mate’s continued use of the name, Kuepper formed another band that would play much of The Saints earlier material, aptly dubbed The Aints.

Blur

The writing was on the wall for Blur when guitarist Graham Coxon was given creative control for their 1999 album 13. A dramatic departure from Blur’s earlier sound and style, it was clear Coxon wanted to move in a different direction, as he did on his ensuing solo albums. When the band reconvened for seventh album Think Tank, an alcoholic Coxon was asked to leave after laying down the guitar parts for Battery In Your Leg, the only Blur song, according to Damon Albarn, that was written about the band. Think Tank came out a few months later and lacked Coxon’s dynamic guitar work. Blur went on an indefinite hiatus after touring the album but famously reunited – with Coxon – in 2009. Hopes are high that they will begin recording new material as soon as Albarn has five minutes up his sleeve.

The Sex Pistols

Internal squabbling, a drug-addled bass player and a disastrous US tour ripped The Sex Pistols apart in early 1978. The truth was the monster was so uncontrollable from the start that an embittered end to this band was inevitable. But it after the band’s first American tour that the wheels simply fell off. The Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren was purportedly playing the band members off one another, Sid Vicious had developed a debilitating drug dependency that ultimately cost him his life and Johnny Rotten had become disillusioned. It’s little wonder he declared an end to the band only a couple of weeks after setting down in the States, only to be left stranded in New York. Luckily his boss Richard Branson could foot the bill for a plane trip back to London.

Oasis

It’s a miracle Oasis lasted as long as they did and in many ways the bands began to break up well before the Gallagher brothers called it quits in 2009. Original drummer Tony McCarroll was sacked in 1995, founding members Paul Arthurs and Paul McGuigan left in 1999 and replacement drummers Alan White and Zak Starkey quit in 2004 and 2008 respectively. By the time the Gallaghers had their ultimate bust-up in Paris, Oasis barely resembled the band it once was. Accounts of what actually took place that night vary, but apparently Liam smashed Noel’s guitar and disowned him a s a brother. Surely that’s just a regular night out for the boys though?

The Libertines

Very few bands have had as public a break-up as The Libertines did. Because when your lead singer’s dating a supermodel, addicted to heroin and robbing houses, people are generally going to take notice. The other side to The Libertines’ widely publicised break-up was the sheer drama to it all. Pete Doherty had been sent to jail for breaking into his band mate Carl Barat’s house and stealing his TV. Then, on the day of Doherty’s release, it was Barat who picked up his embattled band mate for an emotional reunion gig. But Doherty’s drug problems persisted and after retreating to Thailand to clean (which again proved unsuccessful), The Libertines carried on without him until their final gig in 2004. In an effort to rekindle Doherty’s drug dependency, The Libertines reunited for a one-off headline slot at last year’s Reading & Leeds Festivals.

The Beatles

Problems had been brewing for a while – jealousy within the infallible Lennon/McCartney hit machine, George’s frustrations as a bit-part player, Ringo quitting for a short period, Yoko Ono’s increasing influence over John – and even the band themselves admit that The Beatles’ demise started well before the infamous Let It Be sessions. So much so that the band had already played their last gig by the time they entered the studio. The final recording sessions were marred with tensions with John when he turned up, dismay when he didn’t and general conflict all round. The mood can perhaps best be summarised by the music video for Let It Be. Paul looks haggard and spent, everyone else seems disinterested, Yoko Ono sits loyally by her man...

But it was after The Beatles split that the real bitch fight began. John and Paul released a series of songs attacking one another, like McCartney's Too Many People and Lennon's follow-up How Do You Sleep?. You can get a feel for the tension in this exerpt from the 1972 documentary Imagine.

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