What Came Next... – Details, episodes & analysis

After the runaway hit that was Appetite for Destruction Guns n' Roses kept themselves both on the chart and as the targets of controversy with the stop-gap G n' R Lies in 1988.  The real album to follow their smash debut was actually two: Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, released on September 17, 1991 at midnight.  With over four standard albums' worth of music the band remained radio staples throughout the early 1990s.  However, the sheer volume was both welcome and overwhelming. 

The death of Randy Rhoads during the tour for Diary of a Madman was a severe blow to Ozzy Osbourne, especially after the success of that album.  Jack Blades replaced Rhoads on guitar for the live recording, Speak of the Devil, but it was Jake E. Lee that was brought in to be a permanent part of Ozzy's band for Bark at the Moon.  However, behind the scenes, there was always Sharon, making sure her husband got all the credit and the band that did the heavy lifting got shafted.  Despite this the album still manage to do well and added a pop sheen to Ozzy's image. 

It took a while for Pink Floyd to regain their focus but, when they did, it eventually resulted in the 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon.  One of the most popular and well-known albums in the world, it shot the band to a level of stardom they previously failed to achieve.  After a long tour, a long recording session and Roger Waters coming more to the forefront of the band, Wish You Were Here was released in 1975.  Partially a tribute to Syd Barrett, partially a warning about the music industry, it gives their previous album quite a challenge for the best in the group's catalog. 

The three-piece version of Genesis became increasingly popular from 1978 onward, with 1986's Invisible Touch being their biggest yet.  Phil Collins managed a successful solo career starting in 1981 and was popular enough that Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks expected him to leave.  However, he came back for one more album, We Can't Dance, in 1991.  It again spawned a number of hits, but also was their longest since The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. 

After nearly a decade apart the Mark II version of Deep Purple reformed and made a successful comeback album with Perfect Strangers.  It wasn't long before the same tensions that led to lineup changes previously resurfaced and, between a long tour behind the album and slow-going coming up with new ideas, it was three years before The House of Blue Light was released.  The album was a blatant attempt to sound like the bands they had influenced.  

After leaving for two albums Joe Perry returned to Aerosmith for 1985's Done with Mirrors, which also saw the band moving to Geffen Records.  The band was clean and sober, but the album didn't click with the public.  In order to change that Bruce Fairbairn, the producer behind Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet, was brought in, as well as an army of writers to make Permanent Vacation in 1987.  The pattern was repeated with Pump in 1989, which solidified the band's comeback, and on Get a Grip from 1991.  The latter became the band's bestselling album, but was filled with even busier production, more guests and more outside writers.  For better or worse it solidified the direction Aerosmith would take for the rest of their career. 

The B-52's suffered a major tragedy with the death of guitarist Ricky Wilson and, though they managed to get 1986's Bouncing Off the Satellites put together and released, it appeared that may be their final album.  In 1989, however, they came back in a big way with Cosmic Thing and the hit "Love Shack".  Cindy Wilson left to focus on her family in 1990 and, tired, with one member down and under pressure to replicate the success of "Love Shack", the B-52's went into the studio and recorded 1991's Good Stuff. 

Molly Harvey became both a recognizable voice for the Residents beginning with 1999's Wormwood and the ensuing tour, singing lead on many songs from 2002's Demons Dance Alone.  Her influence and vocals are still heavily felt on her last album with the band, Animal Lover, from 2005, which is often considered one of the best of the latter-day Residents recordings. 

There was a three-year gap between Heartbeat City and Door to Door, and in the 1980s that might as well have been an eternity.  Though the hits from the former still got played on the radio the sound was now considered dated and the band itself was more interested in pursuing their solo careers.  Still, they made one last album before calling it quits for the next 24 years. 

After the success of 1977's Song from the Wood Ian Anderson decided to do another song based on English country traditions.  However, with Heavy Horses, he left the fantasy and nostalgia behind for a look at the more realistic side of rural England.  It doesn't have as many great songs as its predecessor but it is a worthwhile companion.