Michael Jackson - The Next Comeback King?
5. Spice Girls (2007)
It's impossible to think of the group that gave us 'girl power' and paved the way for countless teen pop acts in the late 90s not making such a list since their complete reunion just over a year ago; even previously estranged member Geri Halliwell was up for it. Having clocked up net sales in excess of 60 million with only three albums, they're regarded one of the world's most successful pop acts of all time.
The phenomenal demand for tickets was unprecedented and with the first London date selling out in just 38 seconds, the band ended up playing 47 shows worldwide when they only originally planned 11. Although the comeback was shortlived and the girls' new material failed to make much of an impact, the whole affair was a major talking point for weeks.
Something tells me it won't be the last we hear from Sporty, Scary, Ginger, Posh and Baby!
4. Pink Floyd (2005)
Despite a stream of solo material and partial reunions, when Pink Floyd appeared for a one-night-only performance at charity concert Live8 in July 2005, it was the first time all four band members had been on stage together in 24 years. The night's events saw a huge surge in popularity for the band's back catalogue with online retailer Amazon reporting a 3600% increase in sales of classic album The Wall.
The band later announced that they would be donating all profit from the unusually high sales to the Live8 cause and urged other acts who'd seen a similar revival to do the same. Although Pink Floyd still have an enormous worldwide fanbase, there are reportedly no plans for a full reunion tour in the future.
Only time will tell...
3. Take That (2006)
Ten years after mourning the loss of musical heartthrobs Take That, we were overjoyed to hear that the ultimate British boy band would be reforming, sadly without original fifth member Robbie Williams. Spurred on by the success of their 2005 'greatest hits' compilation, the group signed a £3m deal with Polydor and unlike their first incarnation, all four members would have songwriting input this second time around.
In November 2006, comeback single Patience shot straight to the top of the charts becoming the band's 9th British Number One single, and the reunion album Beautiful World sold in excess of three million copies. With another Number One album, The Circus, since and rumours flying around of Robbie Williams joining in on the fun, the Take That success story looks set to continue.
Boyzone gave the same thing a go, to a much cooler reception. Too little, too late guys!
2. Meat Loaf (1993)
The late 1970s saw Meat Loaf's rock ascent to the top of the world with his runaway debut album Bat Out Of Hell. By the mid 1980s though, the poor man's career was flagging. With countless outstanding flops; Midnight At The Lost And Found and Blind Before I Stop to name just a couple, things were looking pretty bleak.
Meat Load exploded back into the mainstream, however, with the release of I'd Do Anything For Love which marked a return to the singer's original trademark operatic style. The song became his first ever UK Number One and firmly holds him a place in the rock hall of fame to this day.
With a new album reportedly in the pipeline, it'll be interesting to see whether Meat Loaf's reign continues...
1. Johnny Cash (2000)
The highly unlikely return of country legend Johnny Cash involved much more than just a reinvention of himself; he miraculously rose from his deathbed to record a number of haunting cover versions. An emotional version of Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus and a highly-acclaimed performance of Nine Inch Nails' Hurt earnt him the greatest success of his career since the late 1960s.
Since his death in 2003 we've seen the release of Walk The Line, the award-winning biopic based on Johnny Cash's life story and the alternative country star's iconic status just keeps on growing. Noted as one of the most influencial artists of all time, his untimely comeback was unxpected, unprecedented and hauntingly poignant.
Without a doubt the greatest musical comeback of all time.
FemaleFirst - Anthony Hil
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