The has-bean revival

In 1980, Don Henley was quoted as saying: "Hell will freeze over before The Eagles reunite."

Fast forward to 1994 and The Eagles announce their 'Hell Freezes Over' reunion tour.

This long tradition of reviving for past glories came to a head in 2007 with virtually any group of past significance and many others seeking to catch the bandwagon, by announcing a final fling at the big time.

The pace has been set by Take That who achieved such success from their belated soirée that they have gone on to achieve a number one album of new material, a further sell out tour and most recently outsell the UK number one album with same-week sales of their tour DVD.

Whether or not your solo career has flatlined and your media profile is slipping despite a much publicised move following your husband's career abroad, the key to a successful reunion is to split at the height of your powers.

When Geri Halliwell left the Spice Girls this was front page news and the hearts of many tweeny boppers, housewives and pervy dads were broken.

Hell will freeze over before The Eagles reunite.

Don Henley

Such a wide demographic, all lacking some spice in their lives, made their tour in which 17 nights at London's o2 arena were sold out, a guaranteed success.

However, whilst for bubblegum-pop fans the delights of watching East 17 desperately performing Stay Another Day down the union are not to be missed, the fortunes of many alternative reunions are less clear-cut.

Registration for Glastonbury 2008 where two thirds of the headliners are reformed or out of retirement is down on 2007 and Download's stagnant Kiss, Offspring and comparatively sprightly Lostprophets line-up has yet to sell out despite tickets being on sale since 2 February.

Such a slump begs the question of whether we have reached reunion saturation.

With even four of 5ive having attempted to milk this cash cow for every last drop the answer is a resounding yes.

Robert Plant's reluctance towards a continuation of the Led Zeppelin reformation stems from his desire to maintain the musical legacy of his band, a thought that has clearly never occurred to Johnny Rotten who seems happy to embark on the third Sex Pistols reunion tour.

We need to propel our leading pop and rock acts forward to greater success rather than relying on those who called it a day long ago with good reason.