A glut of veteran rock and pop bands have just announced that they will reform in 2007 - but why do they do it, and who could be next?

In the past few days, the reunion news has come thick and fast.

Antipodean favourites Crowded House, US rockers Rage Against the Machine and Van Halen and UK indie heroes James and the Jesus and Mary Chain are all planning live comebacks.

Genesis - with Phil Collins but without Peter Gabriel - have already announced summer dates, while Sting is widely expected to bring back The Police.

Other bands who have buried their various hatchets to return in 2007 include The Smashing Pumpkins, the Sugarcubes, Dinosaur Jr and My Bloody Valentine.

According to Mark Sutherland, London bureau chief of Billboard magazine, there is one big reason why many bands get back together.

"It's called money," he says. "Essentially that's what a reunion boils down to.

"In most cases, these people can make more money in their old band than they can doing whatever they're doing now."

If The Police do make a comeback, it will be "the biggest tour of the summer", Mr Sutherland says.

"They will play massive venues to huge amounts of people and Genesis have already sold out stadium dates all around the world."

When Genesis announced their plans last year, Collins denied being motivated by money.

"We're all loaded enough not to worry about where the next million or two is coming from," he said.

"If money was the issue, we'd be playing more than 20 shows. I just felt now was the right time to have a go at it," he said, adding that he "missed the camaraderie".

Crowded House's Neil Finn has explained their decision by saying it felt "right to us that the band should re-emerge" and they looked forward to "reconnecting with the audience".

James bassist Jim Glennie said band members started jamming together again and "things just clicked".

"I've never been as excited by a period in James' musical history as now," he said.

But when The Sex Pistols reformed for a world tour in 1996, John Lydon - formerly Johnny Rotten - made it clear that his band had buried their differences in filthy lucre.

"We have found a common cause, and it's your money," he sneered.

Fresh start

The Sex Pistols earned their pensions, but for some bands a comeback can mean a whole new lease of life.

British boy band Take That, who scored eight UK number one singles from 1993-96, have achieved one of the most impressive comebacks.

When they planned a tour for 2006, singer Mark Owen said they were "worried about how it would sell initially".

They went on to play more than 30 sold-out shows to half a million people, with Gary Barlow describing the response as "fascinating".

"Our tour was bigger than any of the tours we've done," he said. "We've been amazed by that. And if there's a bit of nostalgia in there, then great."

The tour was followed by new material, which gave them the UK's second biggest-selling album of 2006. They now have the chance to break America after signing a record deal there.

But that kind of reception is reserved for a select few bands with the largest, most loyal fanbases.

In contrast, fellow 1990s pop stars All Saints have seen their new album flop, while East 17's attempted comeback was met largely with indifference.

There are still a few more legendary line-ups, though, who could command huge attention - and fees - if they decided to give it one more shot.

Pink Floyd, including David Gilmour and Roger Waters, shared a stage at Live 8 in 2005 - but have resisted all offers for a full comeback.

"The biggest deal in terms of touring around the world would definitely be Pink Floyd," Mr Sutherland says.

"But those guys are billionaires or something - do they really need another castle?"

Abba reportedly turned down a $1bn (£690m) offer in 2000, with Benny Andersson telling a Swedish newspaper: "It is a hell of a lot of money to say no to, but we decided it wasn't for us."

The return of The Smiths, The Stone Roses or The Jam would cause a frenzy in the UK, Mr Sutherland adds.

Frosty relations

"That's the holy trinity right there if you could get those three bands to reform.

"But they're probably three of the most unlikely reformations out there because there does seem to be a genuine degree of antipathy between the members."

Their frontmen - Morrissey, Ian Brown and Paul Weller - have also enjoyed successful solo careers and so are less likely to need the windfall.

The chances of a reunion go up as the fortunes of the band's members go down and their egos and wallets long once more for the glory days.

But rock history proves that time is a great healer - and money can be a very useful medicine.

lol @ All Saints

That wasn't so hot was it.

lol @ Yancy. He makes the joking funny.

Reformation-uh!

This is a cool topic that deserves more discussion than it's getting, with all due respect to our friend, Mitchell, from "across the pond."

Genesis post-Peter Gabriel generally sucked. He probably agrees, which is why he won't join them for the reunion.

Smashing Pumpkins -- if it's just Billy and Jimmy, it's not the freakin' Pumpkins!! Until they get Darcy and James Iha to rejoin them, it's not the real thing. Anyone have an update on that situation?

I have to admit that I would break down and go to see Van Halen if David Lee Roth rejoins. In high school, I loved them. It would be a great nostalgia show. A guilty pleasure, as Jim Dero would call it.

i hear bonehead is playing with oasis at the brits and guigsy.

really, aside from the live act when have the other two pumpkins besides Jimmy and Billy mattered?

p.s. plus, if James decided not to re-join the band so he could DJ hipster parties and produce that shitty new America record I think Jimmy and Billy deserve a lot less crap than they are getting.

That would be an unbelievable moment, but I doubt there's any way Noel allows that to happen. Where have you heard that? I would be shocked if it was true.

Holy shit, I am all over this.

This is wrong. When the Genesis reunion rumors started last year, Gabriel was on record saying that he was interested this time around. This was before Phil was officially on board, but Phil has long said that he'd play drums as part of a Gabriel-led Genesis reunion.

Last I heard there was sort of legal issue that got in the way of a reunion including Gabriel for next year, but that 2008 was possible.

The Police Reuniting To Open Grammys

The Police reforming is interesting. Bet they are good live. Do they have a live album? I don't know of one off hand. Not the best studio band ever, but my guess is they'd blow the doors off live.

Everything else on there, eh, not really interested.

If Corgan can pull off good songs, that'd be nice, but it's not a reunion with just him and Jimmy. And, if Eddie Van Halen's obese 15 year old kid is playing bass, I don't need to go see Roth act like an aging witch woman who can't hit the high notes anymore.

i didn't know about the legal issue, but i watched an interview with Collins where he talked about how talks with Gabriel were friendly, but for some reason, Gabriel kept putting off fully committing.

according to Collins, Gabriel started a meeting by saying something vague, like, "okay, we're just hear to talk about ideas..." whereas Collins was ready to start booking dates, so he got Tony and Mike on board and did it.

how is this funny, asshole

they were fantastic live. Copeland is amazing. Summers is always inventive. Sting had one of the best rock voices ever.

the Synchronicity songs were too reliant on keyboards and didn't translate well on tour. but those first few albums were perfect for a killer live show.

Did they ever release live stuff I am not aware of? (NOTE: their rock photos from their lives shows were always cool and Summers looked like he had a pretty good vertical jump)

How is that follow up to Loveless, asshole?

Or the last rumored reunion tour, asshole?

Or that boxset of singles/rarities, asshole?

I am not sure but I think there is an asshole somewhere in this thread. The question than of course becomes: bleached or not?

you suck at the internets

Crazy. Never heard it. Heard all the studio albums. I am an asshole and I suck at the internets.

Bleach or tweeze?

Where is the REAL GUEST when you need him, eh?



all natural, baby. I been in the joint since the 70's.

i was sorta being sarcastic. but noel told bonehead to come to the brits awards to collect the life achievement with the band. according to noel bonhead said don't get any reunion ideas in your head im not havin that and noel laughed in his face. so he probably won't becoming anymore.


the police seem like a singles band to me i was never really blowed away by any of their records.

Yes!

I'm not diggin very deep here to verify the fact but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned
the Pogues.