History TroubledProduction / MusicAlbumsArtistsAToE

*** The band finally had a break after touring for ''Hats'' (which had a troubled production in and of itself). During this time, Paul Buchanan started practicing guitar more, becoming more fascinated with acoustic ballads. PJ Moore and Robert Bell had started to take a liking to funk music, which is part of what lead the album's weird genre shifts.
*** Buchanan started making rounds with celebrity elite's, dating Rosana Arquette. This lead to him meeting Warner Bros Records Mogul Mo Ostin. Ostin takes a liking to Paul and the band and offers to give them a deal with Warner. They had limitless budget and time, as Ostin understood the band's need for long production times.
*** PJ Moore became a computer enthusiast and he took more of a production role on the album. This lead to him having his face buried in a CRT monitor and not having much interaction Buchanan and Bell.

*** Bell and Moore started feeling like the band had simply become a vehicle for Paul Buchanan's growing celebrity. The album cover was just an image of Buchanan on a horse and only a single image of Robert Bell appeared on the sleeve. Moore was nowhere in sight. Buchanan also took charge of the songwriting and delayed much of the album with his many film scoring gigs. This lead to the contention that would cause the band's demise years later.

*** Wanting a 1995 release, the and wrapped up production in September, just to be told by Warner that it was too late to get a release before Christmas that year. Warner further scorned the band by choosing the album's lesser accessible songs as singles, leading to commercial underperformance.

*** Though critics loved the album, it failed to sell very well. Not helping matters was Linn's hesitation to allow the album a CD pressing. The music was too elaborate to perform in a live setting with the available technology at the time. Linn were not pleased with the money-sink the album had become[[note]] at first they figured it would make for a good commercial for their products, showing what they were capable of. However, the lackluster sales did not recoup the costs and Linn estimated their stereo and recording equipment hardly benefited from the album's reception[[/note]]. This would lead to the issues that would make it's predecessor much more of a nightmare for the band.

*** Eager to get the band releasing more music while they were still fresh, Linn Records threw The Blue Nile into Castlesound studio, notorious for clashing with pop stars that recorded there with it being located near a golf resort.
*** Being far from home, missing family, and starting to get burnt out from having no breaks[[note]]the band literally went from recording the previous album, touring for it, and then being put back in the studio[[/note]], the usually calm demeanor of the band changed. Raging arguments would happen, oftentimes concerning staff members at Castlesound.
*** Linn Records put even more pressure on them to top ''A Walk Across The Rooftops'' in artistic quality. They wanted to see even better critical reception than before[[note]]this, ironically, would be what ended up happening, but not because of anything the label was doing[[/note]]. The band had intense writers block, dealing with newfound perfectionism. It wasn't uncommon for whole songs with weeks worked on them to be scrapped. Songs would transform intensely in the matter of days with the new tricks the band was learning. Combined with the aforementioned arguments, this lead to ''3 years'' in the studio with nothing to show for it. None of these scrapped songs have ever seen the light of day, even in bootlegs, that's how ashamed of them the band was.
*** The band ran out of funding and Virgin Records, Linn Records' parent company put the boot down on them, suing them and forcing them out of the studio[[note]]notably, the band that replaced The Blue Nile at Castlesound, It's Material, ended up facing issues of their own, leading many to think The Blue Nile had cursed the studio[[/note]]. They kept trying to get back in and were blocked out, leading to 2 years of the already financially strained band living away from home trying and failing to complete the album. Eventually, due to the lawsuit, the band was forced to go back home to Glasgow, which is where they wanted to be anyways.
*** When they recorded in Glasgow, the 2 years spent locked out of the studio allowed the band to learn new tricks and techniques, which lead to ''Hats'' being written and recorded in less than a week. The album was released to critical acclaim in October of 1989 and is considered now a pop masterpiece. The band reconciled their differences for that tour. Paul Buchanan reflected that if they had gotten to record in their hometown like they had initially wanted, the album likely wouldn't have taken as long, but also probably wouldn't have turned out as amazing as it did.

** Their first album, ''A Walk Across The Rooftops'', was an inauspicious beginning. They spent a total of three years trying to get the damn thing recorded and released. Paul Buchanan spent many years without a steady roster of musicians to play with him, as many would lose interest in the Adult Contemporary style he was shooting for. The band, notorious for their picky orchestrations and set-up, went through two producers and several different ideas of recording techniques. After frustration with some failed, low-quality independent recordings, the group settled with Charlie Brennan who was an inventor and innovator of the (then new) hi-fi technology. The result gave them the hi-fi recording equipment which pushed the limits and patience of the band even farther. Then it was revealed that the project didn't have an album's worth of material, resulting in studio time being spent on songwriting (something that was frowned upon at the time). The members would constantly play with knobs and set strange settings for their instruments, often coming back the next day having changed their minds of what they wanted. When it was finally released, it was faced with critical acclaim and a modest commercial success.

* Music/{{Creed}} seem to be a magnet to troubled productions, due in no short part to the antics of Scott Stapp:

*** As time went on, Brian's mental health further declined and grew increasingly more eccentric and erratic. He shelved "Fire", believing that it was magically lighting fires throughout the town. When he walked into a theater showing the film ''Film/{{Seconds}}'' (which was partially financed by Brian's main inspiration, Music/PhilSpector), a character coincidentally said, "Come in, Mr. Wilson." [[ParanoiaFuel This convinced Brian that Spector was following him and had made a movie about him.]] He cut off contact with one of his friends because he was convinced that his friend's girlfriend was using ESP to stop Wilson from making the album. He suspected that his [[AbusiveParents father]] was spying on him from behind the scenes. As the recording sessions progressed, [[TheSchizophreniaConspiracy he even began]] {{hearing voices}}.

** ''Music/TheClashAlbum'' presented the group's relative inexperience making a record. The DIY nature of the production rattled their record company, CBS. Aside from not knowing how to handle the control knobs, there were equipment issues out the wazoo. This was before the days where punk albums became known for their rough production standards. The album is recognized as one of the greatest punk albums of all time.
** ''Give 'em Enough Rope'' presented the band having to deal again with CBS records. The first record sold well in the UK, but the label thought it was unsuitable for US release. This resulted in their first sessions for the album to be declined by the label. The band was instructed that additional time would need to be spent recording in San Francisco. Drummer Topper Headon and bassist Paul Simonon were left in the UK while Joe Strummer and Mick Jones flew to the US to continue production. The two, unfamiliar with the country, spent a lot of time wasting money and time exploring San Francisco. Around this time Mick started displaying his notorious PrimaDonna attitude, making unusual demands that would stick until his leaving the band. On top of that, the album's producer, Sandy Pearlman, who was gay, found himself the victim of relentless pranks pulled by the band and their chaotic manager Bernie Rhodes. The album was released to mild critical acclaim, though not as beloved as the first.

* Music/DefLeppard's most successful album, 1987's ''Music/{{Hysteria}}'', suffered from an immensely troubled production.

** To make matters worse, touring for the album was simply impossible. Warner and Geffin both wanted to cash in on the smash success of the album, but it was '''way''' too expensive to bring in the right number of musicians to do the songs justice. Enya was also awkward during promotion for the album, only doing bare-bones performances of the songs. She would notoriously perform "Orinoco Flow" with just her at a Casio keyboard since the song was simply too complicated to pull off well. Modern performances of the songs have fared better, as technology has advanced, but the singer has yet to do a complete concert performance of the whole album, despite fan demands.

** The lead up to ''Ire Works'' was a difficult one. Brian Benoit injured his hand and had to leave the band. Without him mediating the group, tensions band leader Ben Weinman and drummer Chris Pennie would get worse. Relations between the two were so bad that the two would go from talking to ''screaming'' at each other over the most trivial things. It got to the point where Weinman had to leave the band during a tour with Music/{{AFI}} as Weinman and Pennie could not get along, as well as deal with numerous injuries Weinman accumulated over the years. Pennie would ultimately leave the band to join Music/CoheedAndCambria. Singer Greg Puciato thought it was the end of the band, as Pennie was one of the few drummers out there who could track the complicated material the band usually wrote. After a bit of searching, Gil Sharone came in to track ''Ire Works.''
** ''One of Us Is The Killer'' and ''Dissociation'' were notable for the tensions between Weinman and Puciato reaching their apex. Puciato even said that many songs from the former were about the worsening relationship between him and the band, as well as relationships outside the band and music. While both albums were critical and commercial successes and lead to many tours, but the band decided to split at the end of 2017. It hasn’t been outright said, but its been heavily implied that the worsening relationship between Weinman and Puciato played a small part into their disbanding.

** ''Weathered'' started it's production right off the heals off of 4 long years of the band touring and recording constantly. Production times vary but the longest time the band could have had for a break was 6 months, not long enough to save ''Weathered'' from the drama that would ensue. Due to bassist Brian Marshall getting sacked, Mark Tremonti was now playing double duty as bassist and primary guitarist. A rift had also formed between Stapp and the rest of the band due to him getting all the attention from fans and press. 9/11 happened mid-production, leading to some alterations in the lyrics and a delay in recording. Stapp also wanted higher production quality with more strings and orchestrations than in previous albums. The record label butted heads with him and his ego over these facts, feeling some of the songs were overwrought as a result. ''Weathered'' sold just as strongly as their other albums, though critics were starting to get tired of the band.
* Music/CreedenceClearwaterRevival's ''Mardi Gras'' broke a long-standing pattern for the band by coming out two years after their last, instead of the usual six months or so (1969 alone saw the release of ''Bayou Country'', ''Green River'' and ''Music/WillyAndThePoorBoys''). Over the course of those two years, John Fogerty's IAmTheBand attitude caused the other three members to openly revolt and demand more control. Then Tom Fogerty quit anyway, taking with him 25% of the band. Then, for reasons that still aren't entirely clear, the decision was made that the next album would be an equal split in contributions between the three remaining members: Stu Cook and Doug Clifford would have to write, sing and produce their own songs, instead of John having full control. (Fogerty claims the other two demanded the chance to write their own songs; Cook and Clifford originally said Fogerty asked them for help because he was so burnt out, then pivoted to insisting that it was more of an ultimatum, intended to punish them; and both sides have clear motives to paint themselves as the wronged party and the other as the asshole(s) who doomed CCR.) The resultant album was, unsurprisingly, an absolute mess that crashed spectacularly, [[CreatorKiller the band broke up not too long afterwards]], apart from a couple of very short-lived reunions, and Cook, Clifford and Fogerty would cheerfully piss on each other's graves to this day.

* While Music/TheDillingerEscapePlan were recording their first album ''Calculating Infinity'', their bassist was in a car accident which left him paralysed. Lead guitarist Ben Weinman was forced to record the basslines himself.

** They still laid down a few tracks, but the process was so slow and frustrating that they spent as much time recording as they did around the pool or cruising the restaurants and cafés in Cannes. John Taylor recalled every band member [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs smoking a joint or rolling one]] at the time, which led to several [[EruditeStoner tripped-out discussions]] about things like the snare drum part or the bass line.

** ''Hats'' was apparently even worse. This time the band spent ''five'' years getting the recording together and even threw out an entire album's worth of material (a move that, in its day, was quite daring) and working from scratch. The goal of the album was to push the dynamic limits of the CD and set a bar for production. It succeeded, but not without causing much frustration for the band and producers alike. The band ended up facing a lawsuit from their record company, were forced to take a 2-year-long break because of the constant arguments between members, and almost ended the project completely. To this day, ''Hats'' is often debated to be better than its predecessor and sometimes mentioned as one of the greatest albums of the late 80s.

** ''Weathered'' started it's production right off the heals off of 4 long years of the band touring and recording constantly. Production times vary but the longest time the band could have had for a break was 6 months, not long enough save ''Weathered'' from the drama that would ensue. Due to bassist Brian Marshall getting sacked, Mark Tremonti was now playing double duty as bassist and primary guitarist. A rift had also formed between Stapp and the rest of the band due to him getting all the attention from fans and press. 9/11 happened mid-production, leading to some alterations in the lyrics and a delay in recording. Stapp also wanted higher production quality with more strings and orchestrations than in previous albums. The record label butted heads with him and his ego over these facts, feeling some of the songs were overwrought as a result. ''Weathered'' sold just as strongly as their other albums, though critics were starting to get tired of the band.

** The Doobies' renewed success from this album came at a great cost. [=McDonald=] became more the FaceOfTheBand, longtime fans [[ItsPopularNowItSucks disliked the new sound]] (listen to this album, especially its singles, and try to convince yourself that the band making it was once more or less the house band at Hells' Angels parties in the Bay Area) seeing the Doobies as following the general trend of bands that had started out DarkerAndEdgier in the early 1970s becoming noticeably mellow later in the decade after they had all moved to LA. Porter and another key early member, Pat Simmons, left after the next album, ''One Step Closer'' for precisely this reason[[note]]OK, Porter's cocaine addiction didn't help, either[[/note]], and as there were pretty much none of the original members left at that point the band broke up and [=McDonald=] began his solo career.

* The production of Music/{{Death}}'s ''Spiritual Healing'' and its surrounding promotion were very troublesome, to say the least. The band (including manager Eric Greif) spent the entire six weeks that it took to record the album living out of a motel room right down the road from Ride/BuschGardens in Tampa, where frontman Chuck Schuldiner and James Murphy fought ''constantly''. Relations with Terry Butler and Bill Andrews weren't much better, and just about every party involved has said that it's a miracle that the band even stayed together during this time. It got worse post-release, as Schuldiner refused to embark on a European tour due to what he felt was terrible routing (there was some precedent for this, as their previous European tour had been a disaster). Andrews and Butler decided to do it anyways and enlisted a pair of roadies to fill in the absent spots, which resulted in an enraged Schuldiner taking legal action and firing them from the band. It's likely that this was the reason why Schuldiner chose to use session musicians from that point forward so as to never have to deal with that type of internecine again.

** Before the album was recorded, Dance Gavin Dance went on their [[Main/ReleaseDateChange very delayed]] ''Afterburner'' tour in summer 2021, which was one of the first major tours to happen past 2020. While it was a success, it was plagued with members of the various bands on the tour contracting Covid-19. The worst was drummer Matt Mingus going through a patch of substance abuse and having to sit out the tour. While he bounced back, it was a sign of things to come.

** Later in June 2022, sexual misconduct allegations were laid on clean singer, Tillian Pearson. Dance Gavin Dance was quick to denounce his actions and forced Pearson to get professional help. With the album being released just a month away, the band made a statement that Pearson's vocals would still be included in ''Jackpot Juicer.'' For shows, Andrew Wells (Eidola) and former vocalist Kurt Travis would be sharing clean vocal duties.
** Dance Gavin Dance was also to be direct support for Music/CoheedAndCambria, but Dance Gavin Dance got thrown off that bill which caused a backlash on Twitter and Reddit, with many fans requesting refunds. Dance Gavin Dance would state in an update that it was ''not'' their choice to be kicked off the Coheed and Cambria tour.

* The Music/BlueOysterCult were originally formed with the intention of realising Sandy Perlman's dream of turning his imaginative myth-cycle ''Imaginos'' into a full-blown rock epic. While material and ideas from ''Imaginos'' found their way onto the band's first few recorded albums (especially 1974's ''Music/SecretTreaties''), the whole idea was largely forgotten and sidelined at their peak of big-venue commercial success, and an attempt to revive the original conceit is thought to have contributed to the original line-up splitting in some acrimony. When an LP ''called'' ''Imaginos'' was finally released in 1988, only two members of the original lineup remained, and the LP was put together with 80% of the input made by disinterested session musicians. The track listing told no coherent story, the record company realised it had a turkey on its hands, and the LP is not considered to be the band's finest hour. Very little from this album makes it into live concerts and nothing has escaped as part of any "Greatest Hits" collections.

** ''Music/SMiLE'' is one of the greatest rock albums never released, and there are many factors as to ''why'' it was never released.

** The band's second studio album, ''Music/{{Dirt}}'', was plagued by vocalist Layne Staley's huge drug addiction. Staley would arrive in the studio singing off key due to how stoned he was. At one point, his drug dealer even came into the studio, trying to tell longtime producer Dave Jarden how to mix the album. Staley ended up turning himself into rehab not long afterwards. On top of that, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr were struggling with alcohol addiction. There was also issues with the band arriving into the studio on time, as the day after they started recording the Los Angeles Riots had started, causing massive traffic jams. At one point, guitarist Jerry Cantrell actually watched a convenience store get held up by a robber. They ended up taking an emergency vacation into the Joshua Tree desert until the riots calmed down. Nonetheless, the album became a massive success, putting Alice in Chains in the same tier as Music/{{Nirvana}} for popularity in grunge at the time.

** The recording sessions for the songs "Get Born Again" and "Died" were the last ones Staley had done with the band. At that point, he was effectively a walking corpse, but one who could at least sing to some extent. Once again, the band had difficulties getting him to work as he would either not work at all or make up excuses to leave so he could get high. This upset Cantrell to the point where he yelled at Staley for his excuses and refused to work in the same studio with him. The recordings also initially involved Jarden, who was later replaced with Toby Wright as tensions rose.

** The band's second studio album, ''Music/{{Dirt}}'', was plagued by vocalist Layne Staley's huge drug addiction. Staley would arrive in the studio singing off key due to how stoned he was. At one point, his drug dealer even came into the studio, trying to tell producer Dave Jarden how to mix the album. Staley ended up turning himself into rehab not long afterwards. On top of that, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr were struggling with alcohol addiction. There was also issues with the band arriving into the studio on time, as the day after they started recording the Los Angeles Riots had started, causing massive traffic jams. At one point, guitarist Jerry Cantrell actually watched a convenience store get held up by a robber. They ended up taking an emergency vacation into the Joshua Tree desert until the riots calmed down. Nonetheless, the album became a massive success, putting Alice in Chains in the same tier as Music/{{Nirvana}} for popularity in grunge at the time.

** The recording sessions for the songs "Get Born Again" and "Died" were the last ones Staley had done with the band. At that point, he was effectively a walking corpse, but one who could at least sing to some extent. Once again, the band had difficulties getting him to work as he would either not work at all or make up excuses to leave so he could get high. This upset Cantrell to the point where he yelled at Staley for his excuses and refused to work in the same studio with him. The recordings also initially involved longtime producer Dave Jerden, who was later replaced with Toby Wright as tensions rose.

** The band's second studio album, ''Music/{{Dirt}}'', was plagued by vocalist Layne Staley's huge drug addiction. Staley would arrive in the studio singing off key due to how stoned he was. At one point, his drug dealer even came into the studio, trying to tell producer Dave Jarden how to mix the album. Staley ended up turning himself into rehab not long afterwards. On top of that, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr were also struggling with alcohol addiction. There was also issues with the band arriving into the studio on time, as the day after they started recording the Los Angeles Riots had started, causing massive traffic jams. At one point, guitarist Jerry Cantrell actually watched a convenience store get held up by a robber. They ended up taking an emergency vacation into the Joshua Tree desert until the riots calmed down. Nonetheless, the album became a massive success, putting Alice in Chains in the same tier as Music/{{Nirvana}} for popularity in grunge at the time.

** The band's second studio album, ''Music/{{Dirt}}'', was plagued by vocalist Layne Staley's huge drug addiction. Staley would arrive in the studio singing off key due to how stoned he was. At one point his drug dealer even came into the studio trying to tell producer Dave Jarden how to mix the album. Staley ended up turning himself into rehab not long afterwards. On top of that, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr were also struggling with alcohol addiction. There was also issues with the band arriving into the studio on time, as the day after they started recording the Los Angeles Riots had started, causing massive traffic jams. At one point, guitarist Jerry Cantrell actually watched a convenience store get held up by a robber. They ended up taking an emergency vacation into the Joshua Tree desert until the riots calmed down. Nonetheless, the album became a massive success, putting Alice in Chains in the same tier as Music/{{Nirvana}} for popularity in grunge at the time.

** The band's second studio album, ''Music/{{Dirt}}'', was plagued by vocalist Layne Staley's huge drug addiction. Staley would arrive in the studio singing off key due to how stoned he was. At one point his drug dealer even came into the studio trying to tell producer Dave Jarden how to mix the album. Staley ended up turning himself into rehab not long afterwards. On top of that, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr were struggling with alcohol addiction. There was also issues with the band arriving into the studio on time, as the day after they started recording the Los Angeles Riots had started, causing massive traffic jams. At one point, Jerry Cantrell actually watched a convenience store get held up by a robber. They ended up taking an emergency vacation into the Joshua Tree desert until the riots calmed down. Nonetheless, the album became a massive success, putting Alice in Chains in the same tier as Music/{{Nirvana}} for popularity in grunge at the time.
** Their self-titled album, which followed up ''Dirt'', was no slouch either. By the time of its production, Staley had deteriorated rapidly due to his drug addiction, and had to keep his addiction in check multiple times during the recordings. Relationships within the band were at an all-time low; days passed by while his bandmates and studio personnel were waiting for him to finally arrive, and hours passed by waiting for him to come out of the bathroom. When he did leave, it was anyone's guess as to whether they would be able to get some quality takes, or if the day would be a loss because he was too fucked up to do anything.

* Music/AliceInChains' second studio album, ''Dirt'', was plagued by vocalist Layne Staley's huge drug addiction. Staley would arrive in the studio singing off key due to how stoned he was. At one point his drug dealer even came into the studio trying to tell producer Dave Jarden how to mix the album. Staley ended up turning himself into rehab not long afterwards. On top of that, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr were struggling with alcohol addiction. There was also issues with the band arriving into the studio on time, as the day after they started recording the Los Angeles Riots had started, causing massive traffic jams. At one point, Jerry Cantrell actually watched a convenience store get held up by a robber. They ended up taking an emergency vacation into the Joshua Tree desert until the riots calmed down. Nonetheless, the album became a massive success, putting Alice in Chains in the same tier as Music/{{Nirvana}} for popularity in grunge at the time.

* The Music/BlueOysterCult were originally formed with the intention of realising Sandy Perlman's dream of turning his imaginative myth-cycle ''Imaginos'' into a full-blown rock epic. While material and ideas from ''Imaginos'' found their way onto the band's first few recorded albums, (especially 1974's ''Music/SecretTreaties'') the whole idea was largely forgotten and sidelined at their peak of big-venue commercial success, and an attempt to revive the original conceit is thought to have contributed to the original line-up splitting in some acrimony. When an LP ''called'' ''Imaginos'' was finally released in 1988, only two members of the original lineup remained, and the LP was put together with 80% of the input made by disinterested session musicians. The track listing told no coherent story, the record company realised it had a turkey on its hands, and the LP is not considered to be the band's finest hour. Very little from this album makes it into live concerts and nothing has escaped as part of any "Greatest Hits" collections.

* Music/{{Enya}} may seem like a calm and collected woman given the music she writes, however, reading about the production of her second album, ''Watermark'' would have you think otherwise.

** The initial demos were recorded in a basement studio owned by the Ryans, similar to the production of Enya's first self-titled album. They lacked proper equipment and staff to pull off the elaborate instrumentation. When they submitted the recordings to Warner records, They said the recordings were "too rough" and forced the trio to transport production to Orinoco Studios in London England.
** Even when production was moved, conditions somehow worsened. Enya found the city a distraction and disliked how it stalled her creativity. The track "Miss Clare Remembers" originally had vocals similar to the title track, "Watermark", but it didn't sound right so the vocals were scrapped, wasting hours of hard overdubbing work. When it came time to record "Orinoco Flow" Enya and Nicky Ryan found themselves at odds with the elaborate instrumentation, taking months to get it to sound just right.
** Towards the end of production, Enya slipped on the steps in front of the studio, giving her 2 huge gashes on her leg. She finished recording with her leg propped up on pillows doped out on pain killers, scaring the Ryans into thinking she was picking up a drug problem.
** To make matters worse, touring for the album was simply impossible. Warner and Geffin both wanted to cash in on the smash success of the album, but it was '''way''' too expensive to bring in the right number of musicians to do the songs justice. Enya was also awkward during promotion for the album, only doing bare-bones performances of the songs. She would notoriously perform "Orinoco Flow" with just her at a Casio keyboard since the song was just simply too complicated to pull off well. Modern performances of the songs have fared better, as technology has advanced, but the singer has still yet to do a complete concert performance of the whole album, despite fan demands.

* Music/TheAdventuresOfDuaneAndBrandO -- the video game-themed {{Nerdcore}} duo consisting of Duane Zuwala and Brandon "[=BrandO=]" Lackey -- experienced a multitude of behind-the-scenes problems following the release of their early work, including their debut ''LP of Devastation'' in 2009. Following a brief disbandment in 2010 (mostly the result of an extramarital affair), [[TenMinuteRetirement the two made up and officially reunited in 2012]], launching a Kickstarter campaign to cover a new tour and future content, covering not just the music and merch, but also personal living expenses (both were living in a rather poor section of Flint, Michigan). While the campaign was successful, they hit a major snag in 2013 as it discovered a vast majority of the funds -- whose responsibility fell directly on Duane; [=BrandO=] didn't even have a bank account at the time -- were straight-up missing with little to no explanation ([=BrandO=] suspects it might've gone to Duane's personal family expenses, but chose not to pursue legal action out of concern for Duane's children, as well as it being around the time Duane's brother passed away). The two managed to continue releasing content between 2014-15 -- a single based on ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'', an EP, and merch shipments to Kickstarter backers, with the promise of their second full-length album on the way -- but as [=BrandO=] would reveal later, this is because it was being paid for entirely out of pocket, as he believed he could potentially cover the lost money and no one would have to notice, but the financial and logistical strain became increasingly unbearable as the years went on. After a suspiciously long period of silence, [=BrandO=] spoke out in 2018 to reveal their financial situation, revealing that he and Duane had burnt out and were no longer on speaking terms, pretty much ensuring that the duo and their anticipated album [[DevelopmentHell were truly done for]].

* Music/TheAdventuresOfDuaneAndBrandO -- the video game-themed {{Nerdcore}} duo consisting of Duane Zuwala and Brandon "[=BrandO=]" Lackey -- experienced a multitude of behind-the-scenes problems following the release of their early work, including their debut ''LP of Devastation'' in 2009. Following a brief disbandment in 2010 (mostly the result of an extramarital affair), [[TenMinuteRetirement the two made up and officially reunited in 2012]], launching a Kickstarter campaign to cover a new tour and future content, covering not just the music and merch, but also personal living expenses (both were living in a rather poor section of Flint, Michigan). While the campaign was successful, they hit a major snag in 2013 as it discovered a vast majority of the funds -- whose responsibility fell directly on Duane; [=BrandO=] didn't even have a bank account at the time -- were straight-up missing with little to no explanation ([=BrandO=] suspects it might've gone to Duane's personal family expenses, but chose not to pursue legal action out of concern for Duane's children, as well as it being around the time Duane's brother passed away). The two managed to continue releasing content between 2014-15 -- a song of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'', an EP, and merch shipments to Kickstarter backers, with the promise of their second full-length album on the way -- but as [=BrandO=] would reveal later, this is because it was being paid for entirely out of pocket, believing that he could potentially cover the lost money and no one would have to notice, but the financial and logistical strain became increasingly unbearable as the years went on. After a suspiciously long period of silence, [=BrandO=] spoke out in 2018 to reveal their financial situation, revealing that he and Duane had burnt out and were no longer on speaking terms, pretty much ensuring that the duo and their anticipated album [[DevelopmentHell were truly done for]].