famous bands (or significant portions thereof) who backed up a solo artist or were absorbed into an existing band for a single album: the thread

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Although they didn’t play on the whole album so doesn’t seem to count.

TS The Students vs. The Regents (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 17:43 (five years ago) link

So Alone is an allstar session innit. Phil Lynnott and members of the oNly Ones and people too aren't there.

CTI Allstars got around a lot and were Allstars too weren't they?

Who is band on Love , Devotion, Surrender. THat's half of 2 groups or something innit?

Stevolende, Wednesday, 5 June 2019 17:55 (five years ago) link

a way more fun example of Yes is on that Frankie Goes to Hollywood record, though it probably doesn't count since it's just Trevor Horn & Steve Howe

I think the first few records by The Tangent were just Andy Tillison + The Flower Kings

Teddy Lasry's Univeria Zekt basically was Magma

frogbs, Wednesday, 5 June 2019 18:06 (five years ago) link

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band made not one but two albums as the backup band (although supplemented with Asbury Jukes members and others) for Gary U.S. Bonds.

TS The Students vs. The Regents (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 18:10 (five years ago) link

Faust's rhythm section plays on Slapp Happy's Acnalbasac Noom

Ambient Police (sleeve), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 18:11 (five years ago) link

Frankie Ford’s “Sea Cruise” vocal was superimposed over a backing track recorded by Huey “Piano” Smith and the Clowns but not sure about who played on the album.

TS The Students vs. The Regents (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 18:15 (five years ago) link

Two members of Darker My Love (Tim Presley and Rob Barbato) were drafted into The Fall for Reformation Post TLC, though I dunno how famous they were.

eatandoph (Neue Jesse Schule), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 18:59 (five years ago) link

not very I don't think, but I was aware of them (and saw them live once) because my brother-in-law was a fan. Tim Presley might be better known for White Fence now

Colonel Poo, Wednesday, 5 June 2019 19:38 (five years ago) link

Bunch of Triffids on Bill Drummond's The Man LP

That Ellen Foley record with The Clash on it

umsworth (emsworth), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 20:05 (five years ago) link

Durutti Column people on the Pauline Murray & The Invisible Girls LP

Ambient Police (sleeve), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 20:07 (five years ago) link

Booker T & The MGs (w/Stephen Still subbing for Steve Cropper) are the backing band on Bill Withers' Just As I Am.

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 20:42 (five years ago) link

Also on Neil Young’s Are you Passionate

Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 21:15 (five years ago) link

Little Feat on Paris 1919

Stevolende, Wednesday, 5 June 2019 21:34 (five years ago) link

That was already mentioned upthread

TS The Students vs. The Regents (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 21:41 (five years ago) link

There's an Arthur Lee live album with Shack as the backing band.

Hideous Lump, Wednesday, 5 June 2019 21:45 (five years ago) link

Ian Hunter's LP "You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic" has the E-Street rhythm section (Garry Tallent- bass
Max Weinberg - drums & Roy Bittan- keyboards) with Mick Ronson producing and playing lead guitar. It even has John Cale playing on one track too. Good record.

earlnash, Wednesday, 5 June 2019 21:51 (five years ago) link

Faust's rhythm section plays on Slapp Happy's Acnalbasac Noom

― Ambient Police (sleeve)

Goddamn it, way to steal my answer ;_;

emil.y, Wednesday, 5 June 2019 21:52 (five years ago) link

How about Dolly Mixture backing Captain Sensible, then?

emil.y, Wednesday, 5 June 2019 21:54 (five years ago) link

There's an Arthur Lee live album with Shack as the backing band.

― Hideous Lump, Wednesday, June 5, 2019 10:45 PM (nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I saw 2 nights of that tour. London and Liverpool. Arthur Lee even paid me back after i'd had to pay in in Liverpool when he'd said he'd put me on the guestlist. Quite amazing.

Stevolende, Wednesday, 5 June 2019 21:58 (five years ago) link

xp emil.y I didn't know that one either!

Ambient Police (sleeve), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 22:03 (five years ago) link

Ian Hunter's LP "You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic" has the E-Street rhythm section (Garry Tallent- bass
Max Weinberg - drums & Roy Bittan- keyboards) with Mick Ronson producing and playing lead guitar. It even has John Cale playing on one track too. Good record.

Buncha E Street guys on Bat Out of Hell too.

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 22:09 (five years ago) link

The Hollies and some British session dudes (including Jimmy Page) provide most of the backing on Two Yanks In England by The Everly Bros.

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 22:15 (five years ago) link

The Weirdos backing Lydia Lunch on 13.13

Ambient Police (sleeve), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 22:15 (five years ago) link

Honeymoon in Red is her with the birthday party.
Some Velvet morning is her with the future These Immortal Souls
& the collaboration with Rowland S Howard as Shotgun Wedding is pretty great too

Stevolende, Wednesday, 5 June 2019 22:32 (five years ago) link

I believe all of Pere Ubu appeared on the Red Crayola's Soldier-Talk (...plus Lora Logic, as well!)

Theodor Adorno, perhaps the greatest philosopher alive today (morrisp), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 22:42 (five years ago) link

good call! also on Kangaroo?

Ambient Police (sleeve), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 22:43 (five years ago) link

and the amazing 'Born In Flames' single

Ambient Police (sleeve), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 22:44 (five years ago) link

Those have different personnel -- Epic Soundtracks, Gina Birch, Lora Logic, Ben Annesley... plus Allen Ravenstine from Pere Ubu played on Kangaroo?, not sure about the amazing "Born in Flames" single

Theodor Adorno, perhaps the greatest philosopher alive today (morrisp), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 22:55 (five years ago) link

(jammin' "Born in Flames" now; I don't hear Ravenstine's synth)

Theodor Adorno, perhaps the greatest philosopher alive today (morrisp), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 22:57 (five years ago) link

oh yeah you're right, even Ravenstine isn't on the single, my bad

Ambient Police (sleeve), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 23:00 (five years ago) link

your *good*; got me listening to Red C.... :)

Theodor Adorno, perhaps the greatest philosopher alive today (morrisp), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 23:05 (five years ago) link

Todd Rundgren & Utopia on Shaun Cassidy's Wasp.

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 23:08 (five years ago) link

Sunn O))) and Scott Walker

Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 23:28 (five years ago) link

^^ thought of that one, too, but it seems more of a collaboration instead of one band acting as a backing band tbh

Uptown VONC (Le Bateau Ivre), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 23:33 (five years ago) link

The Dap-Kings on Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, at least quite a lot of it

Josefa, Wednesday, 5 June 2019 23:47 (five years ago) link

the olivia tremor control back up kahimi karie on her "once upon a time" ep

oh, how about cheap trick backing up john lennon on one song?

Flood-Resistant Mirror-Drilling Machine (rushomancy), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 23:49 (five years ago) link

also this is stretching the definition of "famous" but giles, giles, & fripp backed up al stewart on a bbc session for "my kind of folk" in late '68

i've heard the session, ggf sound fucking awful

Flood-Resistant Mirror-Drilling Machine (rushomancy), Wednesday, 5 June 2019 23:51 (five years ago) link

Liza Minnelli's Results: produced by Pet Shop Boys, 7 out of 10 songs written for the album by Tennant / Lowe (plus three covers), played on by both Boys and sung on by Neil, plus regular PSB guitarist J.J. Belle, and frequent collaborators Anne Dudley and Julian Mendelsohn. (with bonus Angelo Badalementi!)

Dunno how/if this would count, but the then-Who (Townshend, Entwistle, Kenney Jones) as backing band for Roger Daltrey on most of the McVicar soundtrack, billed as a Daltrey solo album.

Kinda similar to the Dead backing Bob Weir on his first solo alb?

Morrissey's third solo single features four members of The Smiths on both sides. (Craig Gannon, not Johnny Marr, on guitar.)


Sleater-Kinney backing the Go-Betweens on The Friends of Rachel Worth.

Only on one song ftr.


Bunch of Triffids on Bill Drummond's The Man LP

All the Triffids bar singer David McComb, plus Kid Chaos from Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction, and "Voices Of The Beehive" on backing vox iirc.


That Ellen Foley record with The Clash on it

Spirit Of St Louis - this is straight-up a fourth disc of Sandinista!, right down to the lineup including Mickey Gallagher on keyboards, Norman Watt-Roy on bass, and Tymon Dogg on violin. Half the songs are written by Strummer / Jones, Tymon Dogg wrote a few, Bill Price engineered and "My Boyfriend" produced (ie Mick).

Bonus points to Ian Hunter's Short Back & Sides, 8/10 of which is produced / sung on / guitared by Mick Jones & Mick Ronson, with Bill Price engineering, plus Topper on drums, Tymon on violin and Ellen singing.

quelle sprocket damage (sic), Thursday, 6 June 2019 00:16 (five years ago) link

Sub Quasi for S-K on Rachel Worth then.

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 6 June 2019 00:25 (five years ago) link

Spirit Of St Louis - this is straight-up a fourth disc of Sandinista!

OK I gotta hear this, always passed it over

Ambient Police (sleeve), Thursday, 6 June 2019 00:30 (five years ago) link

Sub Quasi for S-K on Rachel Worth then.

Been thinking I saw Quasi backing up Elliott Smith on tour, not sure if they recorded an album in that format and thinking that since they had already been in bands together it doesn’t really work.

TS The Students vs. The Regents (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 June 2019 00:47 (five years ago) link

It’s not good! But it’s a curiosity.

quelle sprocket damage (sic), Thursday, 6 June 2019 00:51 (five years ago) link

xpost

quelle sprocket damage (sic), Thursday, 6 June 2019 00:51 (five years ago) link

jeez, way to kill my enthusiasm there :)

Ambient Police (sleeve), Thursday, 6 June 2019 00:51 (five years ago) link

I think a couple of PAVEMENT guys were on the first Silver Jews.

Jim O'Rourke and Sonic Youth.

nicky lo-fi, Thursday, 6 June 2019 00:56 (five years ago) link

Malk & Nasty were in the Joos before both were in Pavement

Theodor Adorno, perhaps the greatest philosopher alive today (morrisp), Thursday, 6 June 2019 01:09 (five years ago) link

jeez, way to kill my enthusiasm there :)

just didn't want to get your hopes unnecessarily raised! I'm totally down with all of Sandinista itself as a coherent listen, no make-a great-single-album fantasy games, but the songwriting well was getting dry by the time they got to Side H.

I had it on 2nd-hand LP in the early '00s, should give it another ear myself in case I'm being mean

quelle sprocket damage (sic), Thursday, 6 June 2019 01:18 (five years ago) link

ooh there's an "expanded edition" on Spotify, bring it on

Ambient Police (sleeve), Thursday, 6 June 2019 01:23 (five years ago) link

The Rolling Stones on John Phillips' Pay, Pack, and Follow/Pussycat.

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 6 June 2019 04:07 (five years ago) link

The Lilys were basically Kurt Heasley backed by The Beachwood Sparks circa 2001-2.

Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Thursday, 6 June 2019 04:12 (five years ago) link


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