Breaking the Band Episode Rating Graph

Kiss blew glam rock out of the water when they formed in 1972, their larger than life cartoon personas and pyrotechnic on stage antics drove audiences crazy. By 1978 they were one of the biggest bands in the world, but the relentless schedule of touring and recording combined with the non-stop debauchery of a rock and roll lifestyle would divide the band; while Peter Criss and Ace Frehely descended into a world of drink and drugs, the bandleader’s Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons stayed sober and tried to keep Kiss recording and performing. Eventually tensions became too much and the original line up of the band split in 1980 when Peter Criss was sacked. Gene and Peter kept Kiss alive over the next decade, with session musicians hired to fill in for the absent Peter and Ace, but their popularity gradually waned. Then, in 1995, after a brief performance on MTV to a rapturous audience, the original line up reconciled and reformed.

The Eagles are one of the biggest bands in history, selling over 150 million records. Their music defined the 1970s, with songs like Hotel California, Take It Easy and Life In The Fast Lane and their greatest hits album was the greatest selling album of the twentieth century. Their music was the soundtrack to our lives. They were a band who left nothing to chance. Founder members Glenn Frey and Don Henley had a ruthless ambition for The Eagles and let nothing and nobody stand in their way. Yet after almost a decade together, the band suddenly fell apart amidst power struggles , bullying and feuding. the sex, drugs and rock’n’roll lifestyle eventually caused them to self destruct

The Supremes were the greatest girl band ever. Over the course of the 60’s they had 12 Billboard chart topping hits, including 5 consecutive number 1’s - still a record for a girl band. They were an international sensation – three teenage, African American girls from the Detroit projects who conquered the world. Berry Gordy, the boss of Motown, moulded Mary Wilson, Flo Ballard and Diana Ross into music stars as The Supremes. When they first got together, they were inseparable, but as their fame grew something happened to shatter the bonds between these friends. Diana Ross rose to become a superstar, but for another band member it would end in a tragedy of drink, despair and death. Told through the first hand testimony of those that were there, including original band member Mary Wilson, and with expert psychological analysis from Dr Linda Papadopoulos, this is the story of the Break Up of the Supremes.

At the height of their success they were the biggest rock band in the world infamous for their excess and raucous live performances. With their strutting frontmen, wild hair and penchant for spandex they are often portrayed as the archetypal 80's American rock band. The band went through two 'break ups' covered by our timeline owing to a variety of factors but most prominently conflicts over the Van Halen brother's desire for total control and the destructive impacts of substance/alcohol abuse. By 1984 they were the biggest band in the world but, behind the scenes, all was not well and a battle for control raged between the brothers at the heart of the band and it’s lead singer, David Lee Roth. Years of touring, drugs and personality clashes had left them on the brink. When Roth’s ambitions grew beyond the band, the brothers moved quickly to force him out. Their millions of fans were left devastated, but rising from the ashes the they would regroup with a new front man, Sammy Hagar.

In the mid 1960s, with hits like Surfin USA and Good Vibrations, the Beach Boys became the carefree sound of American youth. On stage the three brothers and cousin that formed the backbone of the band seemed like one happy family but nothing could be further from the truth. Its lead singer songwriter Brian Wilson battled with his mental health and the legacy of an abusive father. His drug-addicted brother Dennis redefined the meaning of excess. And frontman Mike Love’s obsession with the bottom dollar clashed with the rest of the band’s creative ambitions. Mental breakdowns and bitter fist fights would overshadow much of their 20 year reign as one of the world’s greatest ever bands.