Singles wise, Ringo Starr initially was the most popular Beatle after they broke up. A few years later, the hits stopped and his label dropped him. But he started making a comeback in the 1980s playing Mr. Conductor. He later became sober and started the All Starr Tours.

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The Bee Gees and KC & The Sunshine Band couldn't get a hit in the US after disco "died".

As much as I love the brother: MC Hammer. In 1990 he dropped one of the biggest selling albums with Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em. You couldn't go anywhere in the world without hearing "U Can't Touch This!" Then he followed up with Too Legit to Quit and that sold half, if that much, of what Please Hammer did. By the time he dropped The Funky Headhunter in 1994 he was teetering on has-been status and trying to keep up with the Snoops, Pacs, and Dres of the world. While that sold a million copies, it was a flop. I was working at KSJL-96.1 in San Antonio when Inside Out dropped and everybody tossed it to the side, except me. I was the only one who played "Sultry Funk" on the air and after two weeks of that, I took it out of rotation. It was over for that cat. In five years, Hammer went from being on top of the world to the laughingstock of the music business and it was sad. Too much, too soon. Me personally? I would've advised him to just chill after the Please Hammer project for about two years and took time to craft a good album. I understand striking while the iron is hot but it backfired on duke. The irony is people called Hammer a sellout but two decades later, Drake and Lil' Wayne are doing what he was trying to do then.

^^You could say the same thing about Vanilla Ice. To The Extreme sold over 12 million, and the live album he put out sold pretty good too. Then he was in that Cool As Ice movie which didn't do much business. He had a hit with the Ninja Turtles song though. Ice next tried to change his image and put out a Cypress Hill style stoner record which went nowhere.

Michael Jackson after the 2004 allegations... Everybody was kinda "meh" and forgot how MJ soundtracked his life one day... His friends were no more there for him... Except of his brothers and family.

Chris Brown hitting Rihanna, the aftermath of that event is still chasing Chris till this very day.

I am not too concerned over the MC Hammers and the Vanilla Ices of the past decades. They were never serious artists (or if they tried to be, it came too late).

However, I'm thinking of Terence Trent D'Arby. His first album apparently sold 15+ million copies, which is Purple Rain type of sales, but his successive records got nowhere near that figure. "Neither Fish Nor Flesh" was too artsy for its own good and it's often cited as being one of the biggest flops in music history. "Symphony Or Damn" and "Vibrator" did okay in Europe and a few other places, but didn't even enter the US Billboard TOP100. Now he lives in Italy and very few people outside his fan base even recognize his name anymore. Who knows how many "records" he's sold as downloads during the last 10+ years. His latest videos on Youtube have gotten only a few thousand views, so if that's of any indication...

novabrkr said:

I am not too concerned over the MC Hammers and the Vanilla Ices of the past decades. They were never serious artists (or if they tried to be, it came too late).

However, I'm thinking of Terence Trent D'Arby. His first album apparently sold 15+ million copies, which is Purple Rain type of sales, but his successive records got nowhere near that figure. "Neither Fish Nor Flesh" was too artsy for its own good and it's often cited as being one of the biggest flops in music history. "Symphony Or Damn" and "Vibrator" did okay in Europe and a few other places, but didn't even enter the US Billboard TOP100. Now he lives in Italy and very few people outside his fan base even recognize his name anymore. Who knows how many "records" he's sold as downloads during the last 10+ years. His latest videos on Youtube have gotten only a few thousand views, so if that's of any indication...

Yes on your entire comment.

MickyDolenz said:

^^You could say the same thing about Vanilla Ice. To The Extreme sold over 12 million, and the live album he put out sold pretty good too. Then he was in that Cool As Ice movie which didn't do much business. He had a hit with the Ninja Turtles song though. Ice next tried to change his image and put out a Cypress Hill style stoner record which went nowhere.

I never took Vanilla Ice as a serious artist anyway. He had gimmick written all over him. Hammer was on some Michael Jackson-type success with his first two albums and then it was all over.

Shawy89 said:

Michael Jackson after the 2004 allegations... Everybody was kinda "meh" and forgot how MJ soundtracked his life one day... His friends were no more there for him... Except of his brothers and family.

Chris Brown hitting Rihanna, the aftermath of that event is still chasing Chris till this very day.

Mmmm... I'm gonna have to disagree with that one. While mainstream may have turned their backs on him, in the urban community MJ was still MJ. People love to say that Invincible was a flop and maybe by MJ's standards it was but 6 million units sold is nothing to sneeze at.

novabrkr said:

I am not too concerned over the MC Hammers and the Vanilla Ices of the past decades. They were never serious artists (or if they tried to be, it came too late).

However, I'm thinking of Terence Trent D'Arby. His first album apparently sold 15+ million copies, which is Purple Rain type of sales, but his successive records got nowhere near that figure. "Neither Fish Nor Flesh" was too artsy for its own good and it's often cited as being one of the biggest flops in music history. "Symphony Or Damn" and "Vibrator" did okay in Europe and a few other places, but didn't even enter the US Billboard TOP100. Now he lives in Italy and very few people outside his fan base even recognize his name anymore. Who knows how many "records" he's sold as downloads during the last 10+ years. His latest videos on Youtube have gotten only a few thousand views, so if that's of any indication...

Agreed. And mind you... I love this brother's music. I think his comments in his interviews is what did him in. You can't drop your debut project and say you are bigger than the Beatles. That's a shot in the foot right there. Then came the name change and it was like... okay! (LOL)

thesoulbrother said:

Shawy89 said:

Michael Jackson after the 2004 allegations... Everybody was kinda "meh" and forgot how MJ soundtracked his life one day... His friends were no more there for him... Except of his brothers and family.

Chris Brown hitting Rihanna, the aftermath of that event is still chasing Chris till this very day.

Mmmm... I'm gonna have to disagree with that one. While mainstream may have turned their backs on him, in the urban community MJ was still MJ. People love to say that Invincible was a flop and maybe by MJ's standards it was but 6 million units sold is nothing to sneeze at.

he said after the 2nd allegations and the trial,invincible was prior to that. i agree with mj,he was the most loved superstar in the world at one point,by the early 00's he was reduced to the butt of alot of jokes.he became THE MJ again after he died,which is sad

UNDESERVED. AN APOLOGY IS LONG OVERDUE.

Hammer is actually a good rapper. He had possibly the best vers on the posse cut "We're All In The Same Gang"

In recent times. Robin Thicke!! He fell off big time in a matter of just one year.

I have to go with Milli Vinilli. They were immensely hot for the period when all of their singles seemed to be on fire. They seemed primed to become the next super duo. Then the scandal broke, and they went from on top of the world to somewhere below middle earth. They seemed to be the punchline to EVERY JOKE related to music for many years to follow.

pdiddy2011 said:

I have to go with Milli Vinilli. They were immensely hot for the period when all of their singles seemed to be on fire. They seemed primed to become the next super duo. Then the scandal broke, and they went from on top of the world to somewhere below middle earth. They seemed to be the punchline to EVERY JOKE related to music for many years to follow.

Can you really count "no talents" in this discussion?

They and many other marginal talents had no business being put on in the first place.

[Edited 8/29/14 13:16pm]

Could throw D'Angelo and Lauryn Hill in there, although I am still hopeful for their return

The ones that went to jail for victimizing children like Gary Glitter and that sadistic creep from Lostprophets have set the "fall" bar awfully low. A lot of their audience can't stand to listen to them anymore.

lowkey said:

thesoulbrother said:

Mmmm... I'm gonna have to disagree with that one. While mainstream may have turned their backs on him, in the urban community MJ was still MJ. People love to say that Invincible was a flop and maybe by MJ's standards it was but 6 million units sold is nothing to sneeze at.

he said after the 2nd allegations and the trial,invincible was prior to that. i agree with mj,he was the most loved superstar in the world at one point,by the early 00's he was reduced to the butt of alot of jokes.he became THE MJ again after he died,which is sad

Uhm, no. Right before his death he sold close to one million concert tickets in one city.

PatrickS77 said:

lowkey said:

he said after the 2nd allegations and the trial,invincible was prior to that. i agree with mj,he was the most loved superstar in the world at one point,by the early 00's he was reduced to the butt of alot of jokes.he became THE MJ again after he died,which is sad

Uhm, no. Right before his death he sold close to one million concert tickets in one city.

True, but even better than that, 2.5 million actually applied for tickets. So no fall at all. MJ was loved. Still is.

PatrickS77 said:

lowkey said:

he said after the 2nd allegations and the trial,invincible was prior to that. i agree with mj,he was the most loved superstar in the world at one point,by the early 00's he was reduced to the butt of alot of jokes.he became THE MJ again after he died,which is sad

Uhm, no. Right before his death he sold close to one million concert tickets in one city.

Yeah, but he was more about tabloid publiccity than anything else. Those of us who are a bit older remember Michael Jackson the MUSICIAN but most people born in the late 80's wouldn't. He got respect, but if anything, his fall was his own fault.

guitarslinger44 said:

PatrickS77 said:

Uhm, no. Right before his death he sold close to one million concert tickets in one city.

Yeah, but he was more about tabloid publiccity than anything else. Those of us who are a bit older remember Michael Jackson the MUSICIAN but most people born in the late 80's wouldn't. He got respect, but if anything, his fall was his own fault.

I'm older. There was no fall to those that cared all along.

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The people who abandoned him when he needed them the most are the failures or the fallers. Anyone who wouldn't buy his music before his death and did after are scum.

guitarslinger44 said:

Yeah, but he was more about tabloid publiccity than anything else. Those of us who are a bit older remember Michael Jackson the MUSICIAN but most people born in the late 80's wouldn't. He got respect, but if anything, his fall was his own fault.

His fall was due to a quarter century long media hate campaign. Sure, the dude had his eccentricities but no-one deserved what he suffered.

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[Edited 8/29/14 17:53pm]

guitarslinger44 said:

PatrickS77 said:

Uhm, no. Right before his death he sold close to one million concert tickets in one city.

Yeah, but he was more about tabloid publiccity than anything else. Those of us who are a bit older remember Michael Jackson the MUSICIAN but most people born in the late 80's wouldn't. He got respect, but if anything, his fall was his own fault.

Tabloid publicity doesn't translate into people paying 100+ dollars to see him in concert and um, no again, it wasn't his fault that he has been accused and taken for a ride by shady, low life people.

novabrkr said:

I am not too concerned over the MC Hammers and the Vanilla Ices of the past decades. They were never serious artists (or if they tried to be, it came too late).

However, I'm thinking of Terence Trent D'Arby. His first album apparently sold 15+ million copies, which is Purple Rain type of sales, but his successive records got nowhere near that figure. "Neither Fish Nor Flesh" was too artsy for its own good and it's often cited as being one of the biggest flops in music history. "Symphony Or Damn" and "Vibrator" did okay in Europe and a few other places, but didn't even enter the US Billboard TOP100. Now he lives in Italy and very few people outside his fan base even recognize his name anymore. Who knows how many "records" he's sold as downloads during the last 10+ years. His latest videos on Youtube have gotten only a few thousand views, so if that's of any indication...

Yup...that's the one....Terrence Trent and maybe Christopher Cross.

novabrkr said:

However, I'm thinking of Terence Trent D'Arby. His first album apparently sold 15+ million copies, which is Purple Rain type of sales, but his successive records got nowhere near that figure. "Neither Fish Nor Flesh" was too artsy for its own good and it's often cited as being one of the biggest flops in music history. "Symphony Or Damn" and "Vibrator" did okay in Europe and a few other places, but didn't even enter the US Billboard TOP100. Now he lives in Italy and very few people outside his fan base even recognize his name anymore. Who knows how many "records" he's sold as downloads during the last 10+ years. His latest videos on Youtube have gotten only a few thousand views, so if that's of any indication...

I think Terrence would have lasted longer if he didn't have such a massive ego Wasn't he going around saying that he's better than the Beatles?! I remember an interview from 1987 or '88 where he was asked about the comparisons to Prince."It's OK,we can have two genuises in the same decade",he said

The thing with Terence is that Neither Fish Nor Flesh is just a completely inaccessible record. If it weren't for that record, I think the follow up, Symphony or Damn could potentially have been almost as big as his debut.

I've never understood what happened to Paula Abdul's career after her second album.

jn2 said:

I've never understood what happened to Paula Abdul's career after her second album.

Well, her third album still did quite well. It sold 3 million records. It's only disappointing compared to sales of the first two, which did about 10 million and 7 million respectively.

And she basically retired from making records after that. At one point, she was making another album, and "Spinning Around" was going to be the single. But she decided to give the song to Kylie, and it became one of the biggest songs of Kylie's career.

I'd like to see her do another record. "Forever Your Girl" is a flawless pop classic, IMO. And basically a Minneapolis record! Oliver Leiber, Tony Christian & Marvin Gunn of Mazarati, Jesse Johnson, Margie Cox (TaMara), Ricky Peterson and St. Paul all have credits on that album.