Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Bands Reunited

Man, I love this show. If you haven't seen it, it's on VH1 and the basic premise is that each episode attempt to locate and reunite the original members of old, defunct rock groups. Most of them are one hit wonder types from the early 80's like Haircut 100 or Flock of Seagulls. It's sort of like Behind The Music meets Candid Camera.

They give a little background on the band and then the host and a crew go out and more or less stalk the members imdividually and try to get them to agree to hold a one time reunion show. Assuming the members agree, they then bring them together in a rehearsal studio for group hugs and the occasional sharp comments - sometimes members were forced out or left under unhappy circumstances and sometimes they haven't seen each other in years. Next is a frequently amusing segment as the bands try to remember how their songs actually went. The end of the succesful episodes feature a couple songs from the reunion concert which have usually sounded pretty good considering.

It's kind of cool because you never really know if it'll pull together or not. Some bands get nowhere near the rehearsal studio stage, like Extreme (the guitarist turned it down cold) and New Kids on the Block. If an episode is only slotted for half an hour, it's a bad sign. Last night's episode featured ABC and two of the four members who gave "maybes" never showed up for the rehearsal stage (they held the concert anyway with studio musicians filling in.)

In tonight's episode they're going after The Beat. I hope they pull it off, because I love me some 2-Tone ska.

They started a new round of bands?!?!?!!

Damn...now I gotta try to catch all of these.

Great show.

I saw the Haircut 100 episode (to be honest, until I heard the songs I couldn't remember what they sang) and I caught part of the ABC one last night (I was flipping between that and the Brad Pitt twins on I Want A Famous Face).

Did they already have the New Kids On The Block episode?

NKOTB ran Tuesday night. I missed it but my wife watched it since she was big into them back in the day.

I hate that they haven't been rerunning the first eps anymore, I missed the Squeeze episode and I really wanted to see it.

Jordan Knight probably participated. I mean, if his career has sunk so low that he's appearing on VH-1's Surreal Life, then NKOTB Reunited seems like a no brainer

If I remember right, mrs. matlock reported that only about 2 of them were willing to go along. I think at least one of them didn't want to do it unless it was a whole reunion whoop-de-doo. I think it won't happen unless they all need the $.

I think Wahlberg was one of the no's, since his acting career is going ok. I think Joey McIntyre was also unwilling.

I don't mind when people don't go along, but it's a little sad when some of them won't even go on camera. That happened with the guitarist from Extreme. It's not like the world's really missing him or anything. If Gary Cherone could show up after the Van Halen debacle, you'd think Nuno could've. I don't really care about Extreme, mind you, I just always get a warm fuzzy feeling on the successful reunions no matter who the group is.

I read in Entertainment Weekly that they tried to do and ep. with the Commodores but it never even made it off the ground because Lionel Ritchie wouldn't even meet with them, if I read it right.

Rat-bastard! I met him once when I did storyboards for his video. That same video ended up on Vh1's "truly awful videos" show (not that it was my fault...)

Joey was also a bit of an ass.

I'm watching THE MOTELS ep right now-- I **love** The Motels! In fact, one of the VERY first things I looked up info on after getting online (after the DC board, of course) was lead singer Martha Davis.

They've reunited-- they're going to perform! Yay!!

WOW-- they sounded great on MISSION OF MERCY and Martha singing ONLY THE LONELY can *still* give me head-to-toe chills. Great ep!

I thought the Beat were by far the best of the five bands featured that week and I was rooting for them, but it wasn't to be.

Still, I think the four they did get just recently went on tour together using fill-ins.

A few years ago members of the Specials and the Beat were touring as Special Beat, so I think the three guys that were still performing have probably been keeping at it for a while.

I fell asleep Friday night between the rehearsals and the actual Motels performance... I was just so doggone tired. I was happy that they finally got another win, though. I'm looking forward to the next set, whenever it starts.

I didn't realize that the English Beat spawned General Public and Fine Young Cannibals. Of course, I don't know if I had ever heard of the English Beat before

The were just called the Beat in the UK. I'm not sure what the reason was for calling them the English Beat here in the States, unless there was an American group using the name. I've never been as big a fan of them as Madness or the Specials, but the episode makes me want to get something by them besides the few isolated tracks I have here and there.

There was in fact a band in the US called The Beat who had a record deal at that time. Hence the change.

I was wonderin' about the NKotB episode! I saw the beginning but when I flipped back for the last coupla minutes it was over and there was no concert so I didn't know what was going on. I guess they didn't have the Right Stuff!