Mostly abysmal solo careers that get a pass based almost entirely on past successes with respective bands and / or good will

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Stewart Copeland's Rumblefish soundtrack comes to mind.

frogbs, Monday, 4 February 2013 22:08 (eleven years ago) link

Those first three Phil Collins solo albums are still underrated.

the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 February 2013 22:10 (eleven years ago) link

i'm gonna say nick cave too. in a pretty cool band. got more deadly boring/tedious/lazy with every album and people treat him like an art installation.

Nick Cave does do art installations though. heh

pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Monday, 4 February 2013 22:25 (eleven years ago) link

PAUL MCCARTNEY! Holy shit. That's the best answer to this, and I am astounded that no one has mentioned this.

Poliopolice, Monday, 4 February 2013 22:33 (eleven years ago) link

wut? I wouldn't call most of McCartney's solo career (at least the first 15-20 years of it) "abysmal" at all.

Johnny Fever, Monday, 4 February 2013 22:34 (eleven years ago) link

and at their peak Wings fans were too young to know the damn Beatles.

the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 February 2013 22:34 (eleven years ago) link

Yeah, I don't agree with McCartney whatsoever. The guy was still having BIG hit singles well into the '80s.

The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Monday, 4 February 2013 22:36 (eleven years ago) link

In fact, McCartney is the one "solo Beatle" who I feel doesn't deserve to be in this category.

The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Monday, 4 February 2013 22:37 (eleven years ago) link

Oh hell no. His solo career is full of total crap that no one would be talking about without his Beatles career behind him.

Poliopolice, Monday, 4 February 2013 22:41 (eleven years ago) link

SIMPLY HAVING A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIIIIIIMMEEEEEEE

Poliopolice, Monday, 4 February 2013 22:42 (eleven years ago) link

I have the two albums John Fogerty did in the '70s, but not the two from the mid-'80s (I know "Centerfield" and a couple of other songs). Not abysmal by any means, but they might count as coasting or getting a pass. Centerfield finished Top 10 in Pazz & Jop, with two double-sided singles in the Top 15. A bit much? "Centerfield" the song is pretty ordinary.

clemenza, Monday, 4 February 2013 22:42 (eleven years ago) link

His solo catalog is vast enough to contain garbage that's not contingent on Beatlemania.

the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 February 2013 22:43 (eleven years ago) link

and at their peak Wings fans were too young to know the damn Beatles

Their peak was probably Speed of Sound/Over America...I'm sure they had some really young fans, but just don't think is true at all.

clemenza, Monday, 4 February 2013 22:47 (eleven years ago) link

If you were the age of the teens in Dazed and Confused listening to "Silly Love Songs" dominate the summer, it was your music in a way The Beatles weren't.

the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 February 2013 22:49 (eleven years ago) link

That was me: 15 in 1976, a Wings fan. And the Beatles meant a hundred times more.

clemenza, Monday, 4 February 2013 22:52 (eleven years ago) link

"I've Had Enough" would have sent me scurrying back to my older bro's copy of "Eleanor Rigby" to hear what I missed.

the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 February 2013 22:55 (eleven years ago) link

I don't know enough about The Mars Volta to say "The Mars Volta" but don't even Mars Volta fans old ATDI in higher regard?

flamboyant goon tie included, Monday, 4 February 2013 22:57 (eleven years ago) link

*hold not old

flamboyant goon tie included, Monday, 4 February 2013 22:57 (eleven years ago) link

James Jackson Toth

pfunkboy (Algerian Goalkeeper), Monday, 4 February 2013 23:00 (eleven years ago) link

Nick Cave does do art installations though. heh

― pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Monday, February 4, 2013 4:25 PM (31 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

not the nick cave who was in the birthday party...

1staethyr, Monday, 4 February 2013 23:03 (eleven years ago) link

wanna be positive and ask: who was once a member of a popular/respected/etc band who made really great solo albums that are underheard/underrated?

Martin Rev. Michael Nesmith.

wk, Monday, 4 February 2013 23:07 (eleven years ago) link

not the nick cave who was in the birthday party...

I said "heh"

pun lovin criminal (polyphonic), Monday, 4 February 2013 23:08 (eleven years ago) link

Johnny Fever otm re Ozzy -- anything after Rhoads is fucking dire, he was just trading on the name.

Chris Cornell belongs here.
Euphoria Morning was a fine 'hey guess what I really dig the beatles' album and had a few nice tracks but after that it was just GO THE FUCK AWAY and that billie jean cover should never have been a thing.

Rob Halford - bleh to both Fight and Halford.
but I dunno how popular that stuff was or what kind of a pass it got, if any.

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 4 February 2013 23:10 (eleven years ago) link

that billie jean cover

excuse me?

the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 February 2013 23:10 (eleven years ago) link

159th response hall of fame xpost to AG

ima go (DJ Mencap), Monday, 4 February 2013 23:10 (eleven years ago) link

What else - Weiland covering "Smooth Criminal"?

the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 February 2013 23:11 (eleven years ago) link

for better or worse I think The Mars Volta evolved into their own thing

ima go (DJ Mencap), Monday, 4 February 2013 23:12 (eleven years ago) link

wanna be positive and ask: who was once a member of a popular/respected/etc band who made really great solo albums that are underheard/underrated?

Roger Daltrey's first (Daltrey) is reasonably solid, but also has some of his most amazing vocal moments. I'd listened to the Who for 25 years before I heard Daltrey, and it increased my appreciation of his approach exponentially.

John Entwistle's first two solo records (Smash Your Head Against the Wall and Wistle Rymes) are great, but after that he ran out of ideas. Unfortunately, he still made four more solo records.

Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Monday, 4 February 2013 23:14 (eleven years ago) link

If you were the age of the teens in Dazed and Confused listening to "Silly Love Songs" dominate the summer, it was your music in a way The Beatles weren't.

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, February 4, 2013 5:49 PM (23 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That was me: 15 in 1976, a Wings fan. And the Beatles meant a hundred times more.

― clemenza, Monday, February 4, 2013 5:52 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

A good parallel would be Justin Timberlake, no? A lot of the youngs love him, but really don't remember or have purposely forgotten N*Sync as best they could.

Johnny Fever, Monday, 4 February 2013 23:15 (eleven years ago) link

Nothing against 'N Sync, and I know they had a couple of huge albums, but I don't think they quite blanketed the culture the way the Beatles did. The Beatles were still a very immediate presence to me in 1976, and their music was still heard on the radio all the time. (That may have been the year Lorne Michaels made big news with his fake offer to reunite.) Were 'N Sync still a big deal in 2006? Maybe they were, I don't know.

clemenza, Monday, 4 February 2013 23:24 (eleven years ago) link

Just remembering that the first (of countless) Beatles revivals happened in the mid-'70s. The Red and Blue albums came out in '73, then Rock 'n' Roll Music in '76 (in conjunction with "Got to Get You Into My Life" making it into the Top 10). They were anything but a distant memory.

clemenza, Monday, 4 February 2013 23:30 (eleven years ago) link

shorter list would be people whose solo careers eclipse their band careers, methinks

neil young
van morrison
michael jackson
brian eno
paul simon

+ Peter Hammill

If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Monday, 4 February 2013 23:33 (eleven years ago) link

James Jackson Toth

― pfunkboy (Algerian Goalkeeper), Monday, February 4, 2013 6:00 PM (32 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Hardy har har. I'll never top The Blood Group I guess. ;)

If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Monday, 4 February 2013 23:34 (eleven years ago) link

This probably makes your point for you, but what band was Peter Hammill in?

Johnny Fever, Monday, 4 February 2013 23:34 (eleven years ago) link

Van der Graaf Generator

pfunkboy (Algerian Goalkeeper), Monday, 4 February 2013 23:38 (eleven years ago) link

xpost in 1976 less time had passed since the last new Beatles album was released than has now since the last Timberlake album.

President Keyes, Monday, 4 February 2013 23:46 (eleven years ago) link

Yeah, I'll rep for both The Idiot and Lust For Life (though the latter is about three good songs and a shit ton of filler), the same way I'd rep for about 50% of All Things Must Pass. But, God, after these, woof.

What he said ^^

kwhitehead, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 00:38 (eleven years ago) link

i dunno man van der graaf owns the zone dogg

downton arby (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 00:45 (eleven years ago) link

many xposts to Alfred:

re Cornell's billie jean - avail yourself of the complimentary vomit bag at any time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2MgwAJrfXo

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 00:46 (eleven years ago) link

And Jon Spencer, maybe.

kwhitehead, Tuesday, 5 February 2013 00:47 (eleven years ago) link

OTM re VdGG.

Also

I don't know enough about The Mars Volta to say "The Mars Volta" but don't even Mars Volta fans old ATDI in higher regard?

No way.

Ozzy and Chris Cornell are two answers that really make sense to me. I really doubt that e.g. "Tears in Heaven" was charting because of Clapton's history with Cream and the Bluesbreakers.

EveningStar (Sund4r), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 00:48 (eleven years ago) link

Cornell should do Nothing Else Matters in the style of Billie Jean to balance things out

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 00:48 (eleven years ago) link

I dunno, Clapton seems solid to me.

It's no so much him being part of Cream but that whole 'Guitar God' thing that started around then gave him sooooooooooooooo much license after he left Cream. That's why people gobbled up his terrible solo stuff. His name may as well have been a brand by the time that godawful Unplugged thing came out

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 00:51 (eleven years ago) link

solid as in yes his solo output was horrible and got a pass for blah blah

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 00:51 (eleven years ago) link

after he left cream? dominos. ugh. I need to go to bed.

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 00:52 (eleven years ago) link

I don't mind his Phil Collins-produced shit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0XQwazkx10

the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 00:54 (eleven years ago) link

yeah that's the 'mostly' qualifier of the abysmal career. I love that

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 00:55 (eleven years ago) link

my feeling is he's classic for yardbirds and cream and kinda dud for everything else. even as a 15-year-old classic rock fiend the 'layla' album always put me to sleep.

(The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 01:01 (eleven years ago) link

I want those of you who don't rep for Iggy's Party to know that you are dead to me

available for sporting events (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 01:04 (eleven years ago) link

in the Ginger Baker documentary Clapton presents himself as the sanest, most benevolent man in rock and it's a fucking chore and I don't believe it for a second.

the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 5 February 2013 01:06 (eleven years ago) link


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