Bands Reunited is a television program produced by VH1

VH1

VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

 in 2004. Hosted by Aamer Haleem

Aamer Haleem

Aamer Haleem is a Canadian radio and television personality, who hosted the weekday afternoon current affairs program The Point on CBC Radio One. until it was canceled on June 26, 2009....

, the show documented the attempted reuniting of a formerly popular musical ensemble for a special concert

Concert

A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...

 in either London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 or Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

.

A show normally consisted of the crew first hunting down the ex-members of the band (often first in disguise) one-by-one, and convincing them to agree for the one-time concert; the members were "contracted" by signing a record album by their former band. The band members were then interviewed, usually focusing on the reasons of the breakup. The final segment would consist of the formal reunion of the band in the rehearsing studio, and a joint interview about why the group parted ways. If the reunion was successful, the episode ended with the final performance.

In 2005, VH1 attempted to get the British band The Smiths

The Smiths

The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...

 back together, but the show abandoned its attempt after its host Aamer Haleem

Aamer Haleem

Aamer Haleem is a Canadian radio and television personality, who hosted the weekday afternoon current affairs program The Point on CBC Radio One. until it was canceled on June 26, 2009....

 was unsuccessful in his attempt to corner lead singer Morrissey

Morrissey

Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...

 before a show.

Bands which have appeared

Note: The bands that did the reunion performance are noted, as well.

Band	Formed	Disbanded	Result
A Flock of Seagulls A Flock of Seagulls A Flock of Seagulls are an English New Wave band originally formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score and Alister "Ali" James Score , with Frank Maudsley , Michael Kuby , H.J...	1979	1986	All members reunited, performed "I Ran" & "Space Age Love Song."
ABC ABC (band) ABC are an English band, that charted ten UK and five US Top 40 singles between 1981 and 1990. The band continues to tour and released a new album, Traffic, in 2008.-Formation:...	1980	1990	Only Martin Fry and David Palmer reunited, performed with Nick Beggs Nick Beggs Nick Beggs is a British musician, noted for playing the bass guitar and the Chapman Stick; he is a member of Kajagoogoo and formerly Iona and Ellis, Beggs, & Howard.-Personal life:...  of Kajagoogoo Kajagoogoo Kajagoogoo are a British pop band, best known for their hit single, "Too Shy", which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 5 on the U.S... .
The Alarm The Alarm The Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...	1981	1992	All members reunited, performed "68 Guns."
The Beat The Beat (band) The Beat are a 2 Tone ska revival band founded in England in 1978. Their songs fuse ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock, and their lyrics deal with themes of love, unity and sociopolitical topics....	1978	1983	David Steele David Steele (musician) David "Shuffle" Steele is an English musician who was a member of The Beat and Fine Young Cannibals.-Career:...  and Andy Cox Andy Cox Andy Cox is a British guitarist, who along with Dave Wakeling, founded The Beat in 1978.The Beat achieved eight Top 40 singles and three hit albums in the UK before announcing their break up in 1983...  refused to participate, the remaining members did not perform although Dave Wakeling did perform with the current version of The Beat at their own concert.
Berlin Berlin (band) Berlin is an American New Wave/Synthpop band. The group was formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by John Crawford . The band contained Crawford, Terri Nunn , David Diamond , Ric Olsen , Matt Reid and Rod Learned . Learned left during the first EU tour and was replaced by Rob Brill...	1982	1987	All members reunited including original drummer Rod Learned, performed "The Metro The Metro (song) "The Metro" is a new wave song written by John Crawford for his band, Berlin. The song has been covered by a number of artists, including System of a Down, Alkaline Trio, John Frusciante and Hannah Fury... " and "No More Words."
Dramarama Dramarama (band) Dramarama is a Los Angeles, California-based alternative rock/power pop band. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994...	1983	1994	All members reunited, performed "Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)," inspired band to get back together permanently.
Extreme Extreme (band) Extreme is an American rock band, headed by frontmen Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt, that reached the height of their popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Among some of Extreme's musical influences are Queen and Van Halen...	1985	1996	Nuno Bettencourt Nuno Bettencourt Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt is a Portuguese guitarist and singer-songwriter best known for his role as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme whose hits include the acoustic ballads "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted"...  refused to be filmed on camera. After a conversation with Gary Cherone Gary Cherone Gary Francis Caine Cherone is an American rock singer-songwriter. He is best known for his work with the rock group Extreme, as well as his short stint as the lead singer for Van Halen on their 11th album Van Halen III and subsequent tour. In recent years he has released solo recordings. In 2007,...  (who was not sure on participating either), they ultimately decided that it was not a good time to reunite, citing issues that had been unresolved since disbanding as the main reason. Since then, they have reunited in 2004 and 2006. A full reunion occurred in 2008.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...	1980	1987	All members reunited, but Holly Johnson Holly Johnson Holly Johnson is an English artist, writer and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and former bassist for Big in Japan.- Big in Japan :...  refused to perform.
Haircut One Hundred	1981	1983	All members reunited, performed "Love Plus One" and "Fantastic Day."
Information Society Information Society (band) Information Society is an American band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, primarily consisting of Kurt Larson , Paul Robb, and James Cassidy; the latter two reconvened the band in 2006, initially with Christopher Anton as lead vocalist, then with Harland rejoining them as lead vocalist by...	1982	1997	All members but Kurt Harland Kurt Harland Kurt Harland is a singer, composer, and video game developer/audio engineer. He is best known as the lead singer of Information Society and composer of the soundtracks for the Legacy of Kain video game series.-Biography:...  reunited, no performance. The band was eventually reformed in 2006 by Paul Robb Paul Robb Paul Jason Robb is a synthesizer player, producer, songwriter and one of the founding members of the synthpop-freestyle band Information Society.- Biography :...  and James Cassidy, with Harland occasionally participating (although he has since rejoined full-time).
Kajagoogoo Kajagoogoo Kajagoogoo are a British pop band, best known for their hit single, "Too Shy", which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 5 on the U.S...	1981	1986	All members reunited. Attempted to stay reunited, initially failed. Recently succeeded and are currently touring with an album in the works.
Klymaxx Klymaxx Klymaxx is a female Pop/R&B band from Los Angeles, California.-Biography:Klymaxx was conceived and formed by Bernadette Cooper, who also chose the name. The dream of an all girl band became a quest she pursued after leaving college...	1979	1990	Five members reunited (Robbin Grider could not be tracked down), but Cheryl Cooley did not participate in the performance due to friction between her and the other bandmates for forming her own version of Klymaxx without permission. As of 2011, there are two versions of Klymaxx performing: One led by Cooley, while the other is led by Bernadette Cooper and Joyce Irby Joyce Irby Joyce Irby is best known as the bassist and co-lead vocalist of the 1980s all girl band Klymaxx. She originally signed on with George Clinton's P-Funk crew as "Fenderella"... .
The Motels The Motels The Motels are a New Wave music band from the Los Angeles area best known for "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Their song "Total Control" reached #4 on the Australian charts in 1980...	1971	1987	All members reunited.
New Kids on the Block New Kids on the Block New Kids on the Block are an American boy band from Boston, Massachusetts, assembled in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The band currently consists of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and...	1984	1994	Jonathan Knight Jonathan Knight Jonathan Rashleigh Knight is an American singer. Knight is part of the boyband New Kids on the Block. The band also includes Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood and Jonathan's younger brother Jordan...  and Jordan Knight Jordan Knight Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight is an American singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer in the boy band, New Kids on the Block , and actor, who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s. He is best known for his distinctive falsetto style of singing, influenced by The Stylistics. After New Kids On...  agreed to reunite, but Joe McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg Donnie Wahlberg Donald Edward "Donnie" Wahlberg, Jr. is an American singer, actor and film producer. He is a member of the popular 1980s and 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block. His work background includes music, feature films, and television... , and Danny Wood Danny Wood Daniel William "Danny" Wood is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. He is also a member of the American boy band New Kids on the Block and also serves as one of the key choreographers.-Life and career:...  declined to participate in the reunion. McIntyre cited that the only way he would reunite was if the group made the decision to get back together permanently. Wahlberg and Wood declined on-camera interviews. In mid-2007, they secretly reformed and began work on a new album. They toured and released newly recorded material in 2008-2009.
Romeo Void Romeo Void Romeo Void was an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. The band primarily consisted of saxophonist Benjamin Bossi, vocalist Debora Iyall, guitarist Peter Woods, and bassist Frank Zincavage. The band went through four drummers, starting with Jay Derrah and ending with...	1979	1985	Original saxophonist Saxophone The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...  Benjamin Bossi was unable to perform, due to hearing loss; Sheldon Brown filled in. He met with his former bandmates, however, and watched the taping of the band's reunion performance from a nearby trailer.
Scandal	1981	1985	All surviving members reunited. Bassist Ivan Elias died of cancer in 1995. Kasim Sulton of the band (Utopia Utopia (rock band) Utopia was an American progressive rock band, led by Todd Rundgren that toured and recorded from 1973 to 1986.-History:The first two albums, Todd Rundgren's Utopia and Another Live featured lengthy, complex and highly arranged progressive rock pieces, performed by a six-piece multi-instrumentalist... ) played bass in the reunion performance.
Squeeze	1974	1999	Did not reunite after Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Martin Tilbrook is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid 1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the melody for Squeeze, while his writing partner, Chris Difford, wrote the lyrics...  expressed reservations, and Jools Holland Jools Holland Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...  refused to participate. Oddly, after Holland declined, the show did not pursue any of the keyboardists who had replaced Holland during the band's original tenure: Paul Carrack Paul Carrack Paul Carrack is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Carrack has been a member of several bands including Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, been a session and touring musician for several others including Nick Lowe, and has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well... , Don Snow Don Snow Don Snow is a vocalist, Hammond organist, pianist, guitarist, bass guitarist, drummer and saxophonist who is primarily known for his work with Squeeze, the Sinceros, Procol Harum and the new wave act The Catch... , or Steve Nieve Steve Nieve Steve Nieve is an English keyboardist, best known for his work with Elvis Costello and the Attractions and Elvis Costello and the Imposters.-Musical career:... . Squeeze reformed in 2007 with a revised line-up, including original members Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook and early 1980s bassist John Bentley.
Vixen Vixen (band) Vixen is an all-female American hard rock band which achieved some commercial success during the late 1980s and early 1990s as part of the Los Angeles, California glam metal scene.-Early years:...	1980	1991	All members reunited.

Criticism of the show

The artificial nature of parts of the show and the contractual arrangements behind it have been criticised. Kurt Harland

Kurt Harland

Kurt Harland is a singer, composer, and video game developer/audio engineer. He is best known as the lead singer of Information Society and composer of the soundtracks for the Legacy of Kain video game series.-Biography:...

 of Information Society

Information Society (band)

Information Society is an American band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, primarily consisting of Kurt Larson , Paul Robb, and James Cassidy; the latter two reconvened the band in 2006, initially with Christopher Anton as lead vocalist, then with Harland rejoining them as lead vocalist by...

detailed his own negative experiences with the program, and how his experiences differed from the portrayal of events as broadcast, on his website. http://web.archive.org/web/20071230112756/http://insoc.org/texts/BandReunion.HTML

External links

• Kurt Harland of Information Society details his experiences with the program