The seminal punk/post-punk band Wire broke up around '91, reformed in '99 and came out with a couple of EPs in 2002, producing their best record since '88’s A Bell Is A Cup Until It Is Struck. It was well worth waiting for, in my opinion. They completely reinvented themselves (as they seemed to do from record to record in their heyday) and created a sound that reflected the musical change a decade brings, while still maintaining its Wire-ness. Few bands could have pulled it off this well, in my opinion.
Actually, around the same time, Robyn Hitchcock got back with old mates from The Soft Boys and put out a solid album after being split up for about two decades. It wasn’t anything revolutionary, but a very solid record nonetheless, even if it just sounded like another Robyn Hitchcock project rather than a Soft Boys album.
The Go-Betweens - one of the most overlooked bands of the 80s, despite “considerable critical praise” (allmusic.com) - relased their acclaimed comeback album “The Friends of Rachel Worth” (with all the members of Sleater-Kinney) in 2000, 11 years after they disbanded. Great comeback, great album - it easily matches the records from their prime.
I guess it depends on what kind of music you were known for - it’s harder to make a “dignified” comeback if you were a semi-famous heavy metal band in 1986 than if you were a singer/songwriter from way back whenever.
You could consider it a reunion of a reunion, since the late-'80s incarnation of Wire was preceded by six years of inactivity. The Ideal Copy and A Bell is a Cup could be considered comeback albums themselves (though not successful ones IMHO-- I prefer to pretend that everything between 154 and Send doesn’t really exist ).
“A Bell is A Cup” is actually one of my favorite Wire albums, although it’s so hard to rate these things–it’s like picking your favorite child. I would say 154 is my favorite, being my introduction to the band, followed by Chairs Missing, arguably their greatest work although not my favorite, followed by ABIACUIIS, then Pink Flag. Yeah, you heard me, not a big fan of Pink Flag. Defining punk album that it is, it’s just never resonated with me. Each album fits its own mood and I would consider all four of these albums in a separate league (even if I don’t like Pink Flag.)
Send (or the Read & Burn EPs) was great, although I don’t feel they quite achieved the heights of the previously named four. The Ideal Copy, though, was certainly sub-par, and It’s Beginning to and Back Again is just plain weird, even for Wire. I’ve never heard “Manscape” or “The First Letter” (recorded under the name “WIR”).
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