The 1990s marked what many believe to be the “end” of classic rock as an era, though some would say that classic rock continues on as we age. Either way, some classic rock bands in the 1990s made it big with a few hefty hits, only for them to have disappeared before the decade came to an end and the new millennium came to be. Let’s look at what happened to them, shall we?
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Nirvana
The debate over whether or not Nirvana is a classic rock band (or if they marked the end of the classic rock era) still rages on today, but I’ll include them on our list anyway. Nirvana spearheaded the grunge movement in the early to mid-1990s with huge hits that are still loved today, from “Smells Like Teen Spirit” to “Come As You Are” to “Lithium”. They would have kept charting higher, too, if it weren’t for the sudden and tragic death of frontman Kurt Cobain in 1994. He was only 27 years old. With his death, the remaining members, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, decided to end the band instead of carrying on.
Gin Blossoms
This alternative rock outfit formed way back in the late 1980s. Their debut album, Dusted, was a quiet chart flop. It just took a couple of years for them to score a huge hit with New Miserable Experience in 1992, which made it to No. 30 on the Billboard 200. Their follow-up, Congratulations… I’m Sorry from 1996, made it all the way to No. 10. They more or less disappeared soon after. Their label had fired Doug Hopkins, the band’s main songwriter, and he would pass away tragically in 1993. Core member Robin Wilson left the band a few years later, and Gin Blossoms called it quits soon after his departure.
After breaking up in 1997, Gin Blossoms would reunite in 2001 and are still together today. Though, you just can’t beat that period between 1992 and 1996.
Live
Remember the American rock band Live? This outfit was a huge deal in the 1990s, particularly the mid to late-1990s. This entry on our list of classic rock bands from the 1990s that disappeared didn’t literally disappear. In fact, after a brief breakup in 2009, the band has since gotten back together in 2012 and are still together today. But once the 21st century came around, their grip on the charts started to wane.
After scoring a Billboard 200 No. 4 hit with the 1999 record The Distance To Here, the band’s follow-up album from 2001 didn’t make it to the Top 20, and none of their subsequent albums did, either. You don’t hear much from this band nowadays, and they haven’t released a studio album since 2014. Here’s hoping we get a Live comeback soon!
Photo by Frans Schellekens/Redfern
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