Bands and musicians who quit after landing their biggest hit are out there in healthy numbers; seems like fame can be a heavy load to bear.
But in much smaller quantities are the ones who quit after releasing only one album, not counting those who died soon after that first release. Some of the one-and-dones are head-scratchers; others are: Well, what did you expect?
» As much marketing than talent -scratch that, definitely more marketing than talent - "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" has taken on mythical status since it came out in 1977. Did the Sex Pistols' debut start the punk rock movement? Not even close. The Ramones in New York and The Clash in London were already there. But "Never Mind the Bollocks" showed you didn't have to play your instrument or sing to become a hit. It was more about attitude.
Shawn Ryan» With Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Ginger Baker, Blind Faith's self-titled debut in 1969 was simply too full of ego and mental issues to last. Clapton and Baker had just come out of the trainwreck end of Cream and why they jumped into another supergroup is perplexing. Clapton's next release, "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" by Derek and the Dominos, was also a one-off.
» "There She Goes" by The La's is a slice of near-perfect pop. Released in 1988, the song was followed by a full-length, self-titled album in 1990. But the album was released without the permission of songwriter, band leader and ultra-perfectionist Lee Mavers. Upon its release, Mavers quit. The band reformed briefly in 2005, but Mavers hasn't released anything of significance since 1990.
» Skip Spence was a founding member of the folk-psychedelic-country-rock band Moby Grape. Living in San Francisco when Moby Grape's self-titled debut came out in 1967, Spence took way too many drugs that were way too easy to get and ended up in Bellevue in 1969. Once out, he recorded and released "Oar," playing every instrument on it. But drugs kept him in and out of hospitals the rest of his life before he died of lung cancer in 1999.
» You can debate this one. Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," released in 1998, sold 8 million records in the U.S. alone and won five Grammys, including Album of the Year. Then she pretty much vanished, except for stories about erratic behavior, poor performances and a three-month stint in jail in 2013 for tax evasion. You could argue that she did release a second record, 2002's live album "MTV Unplugged No. 2.0," which contained all-new material. But most saw it as poetic wanderings set to music and more of a work-in-progress than an actual full release.
Contact Shawn Ryan at mshawnryan@gmail.com.