Nobody takes any joy in the thought of their favorite band or musical group parting ways. However, all good things must come to an end at some point or another, a statement that is especially true in the music world.
I don't believe that anybody reading this article would want to imagine their favorite musical groups becoming like the Rolling Stones and continuing on well into their sixties without contributing anything new to the music industry.
The radio program "Destiny's Bastard Children" (airing Tues. 9 p.m. - 12 a.m. on 91.3 FM) ran a show a few months ago called "Bands that have Jumped the Shark," about bands that should have given up some time ago. On that note, here is my list of the bands that need to put their instruments back in their cases and find new occupations.
Oasis: I've argued with many people who claim that Oasis is the greatest band of the last 15 years, an idea that is just preposterous. How could they be the greatest band of the last score and a half when it's debatable that they're the greatest band to come out of their own country? When you stack them up next to the likes of Radiohead, Blur, Supergrass and even Ocean Colour Scene, Oasis's credentials start to weaken. It is true that they came out with two phenomenal albums, "Definitely Maybe" and "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" However, it wasn't long afterward that the focus began to drift away from the music and center on the ongoing feud between the Gallagher brothers. This real-life family feud, combined with each brother's personal demons, led the group downwards into a string of disappointing releases and declining popularity. Quite frankly, I'm tired of hearing about the escapades of these two siblings. It's time for them to quit.
Metallica: You can't deny that Metallica was most responsible for bringing about the legitimization of heavy metal's underground movement in the mid-1980s. Likewise, you cannot deny that during its career, the band has released several great albums that have redefined an entire musical genre. But now, entering their 24th year and coming off perhaps the most disappointing album of their career, "St. Anger," Metallica no longer displays the traits that made its early albums special. In fact, it can be argued that the band has not released a good album since 1991's "Metallica." Metallica is no longer relevant in this day and age and needs to resign from the business now.
Live: For a band that released such a good album in 1994's "Throwing Copper," it's amazing that it could produce such an incredibly disappointing followup with 1997's "Secret Samadhi." Somewhere over the course of those three years, Live quite frankly lost the ability to write a half-effective song. Unless it can recapture the early magic, Live needs to just give up now and try something else.
Eminem: I'm sure that there are several people out there reading this article who are either enraged or puzzled by my inclusion of "the real Slim Shady" here. But the fact of the matter is that everything that has followed the "Marshall Mathers" LP has been somewhat of a disappointment. The quality of his material has steadily gone downhill in his last two albums, almost to the point that he is no longer the preeminent caucasian rapper in the world (my vote for that goes to Mike Skinner of Great Britain's "The Streets"). Also, it is painfully obvious that without the help of Dr. Dre, Eminem is merely average at best. Time to change the formula or call it a career.
There you have it. Four separate musical groups or artists whose heyday has come and gone. They were all important and influential at one time, but that time has come and gone. These artists need to realize that and take the first steps toward recovery by gracefully bowing out of the music business while they still have a shred of credibility left.
