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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Another Booker T & The MGs one: The Detroit-Memphis Experiment w/Mitch Ryder.

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 6 June 2019 04:20 (five years ago) link

Dungen on Melody's Echo Chamber's Bon Voyage

I've listened to this album tons of times and never knew this. Makes total sense though.

Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Thursday, 6 June 2019 04:30 (five years ago) link

Not a full album, but Earth Wind & Fire were the backing band for half of Ramsey Lewis's Sun Goddess.

Chic became the backing band

Tuomas, Thursday, 6 June 2019 07:07 (five years ago) link

Chic became the backing band for several already-established artists for an album or two, such as Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, and Debbie Harry.

Tuomas, Thursday, 6 June 2019 07:11 (five years ago) link

Ornette Coleman's group => Don Cherry, Ed Blackwell and Charlie Haden backing John Coltrane on The Avant Garde

Stevolende, Thursday, 6 June 2019 07:24 (five years ago) link

The Ruts were the backing band for the first half of Kevin Coyne's "Sanity Stomp" double album (Robert Wyatt et al on the second half).

John Harris is a Guardian columnist (Tom D.), Thursday, 6 June 2019 07:30 (five years ago) link

An early version of Earth Wind and Fire are the band on Melvin Van peebles Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song which includes vocals by him.

Don't think I've seen a listing for who the backing players on the 3 solo lps by him are but they're also pretty great. Don't think there are credits for them on the solo lps and definitely aren't on the Rated X By An All White Jury set I have them as.

Stevolende, Thursday, 6 June 2019 07:37 (five years ago) link

Eno backed by The Winkies for a Peel session and tour, if that qualifies?

MaresNest, Thursday, 6 June 2019 12:13 (five years ago) link

There’s a song on Kelis’s Wanderland where the three instrumentalists from No Doubt are her backing band.

shared unit of analysis (unperson), Thursday, 6 June 2019 12:23 (five years ago) link

another Meters example, they all played on Dr. John's In the Right Place and Desitively Bonnaroo
albums.

mizzell, Thursday, 6 June 2019 12:27 (five years ago) link

Beak> produced and played on Anika's (now Exploded View) debut album.

ˈʌglɪɪst preɪ, Thursday, 6 June 2019 12:36 (five years ago) link

Ah shit, that's a good one that I should've thought of.

emil.y, Thursday, 6 June 2019 13:58 (five years ago) link

Devo backed Toni Basil on her debut album, Word Of Mouth

Br. Des Shadows (NickB), Thursday, 6 June 2019 14:30 (five years ago) link

!!!

Ambient Police (sleeve), Thursday, 6 June 2019 14:34 (five years ago) link

The Cars backed Bebe Buell on an EP.

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 6 June 2019 15:25 (five years ago) link

The Sadies became Neko Case's backing band for a little while.

Ex Slacker, Friday, 7 June 2019 01:14 (five years ago) link

You guys, the Meters and Booker T & the MG s don't count, they were essentially session units that happened to release instrumental records too. They backed up everyone.

change display name (Jordan), Friday, 7 June 2019 03:52 (five years ago) link

The Wondermints were Brian Wilson's band for a while.

reggae mike love (polyphonic), Friday, 7 June 2019 04:11 (five years ago) link

The Sadies did an album with John Doe too.

Hideous Lump, Friday, 7 June 2019 04:22 (five years ago) link

Three-quarters of Talking Heads recorded an entire album in this vein:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Talking,_Just_Head

(...wow, I didn’t know that Byrne sued them over it)

8. "Indie Hair" (Kowalczyk)
Vocals and lyrics by Ed Kowalczyk – 3:49


I’ve never heard the LP, but I’m kind of morbidly fascinated to hear this track...

I liked the album, but the Kowalczyk track really sucks. Shaun Ryder one is p bad too, really recapturing that Yes Please! magic.

(they toured with Johnette as lead singer & were planning a second album with her until Byrne sued)

Wondermints are one for the other thread. Two of ‘em have stayed in Wilson’s band for two decades, the third has been in & out for years at a time, and Darian has been his main arranger on some projects, but they’re sidemeeces playing in a bigger band. Brian’s onstage and ontour right-hand-man redefected to the Beach Boys a few years ago, incidentally.

quelle sprocket damage (sic), Friday, 7 June 2019 05:03 (five years ago) link

^ doesn’t fit the thread but felt on-topic!

quelle sprocket damage (sic), Friday, 7 June 2019 05:09 (five years ago) link

Yo La Tengo were Ray Davies's backing band for a few shows in 2000

Colonel Poo, Friday, 7 June 2019 06:54 (five years ago) link

Big Mama Thornton has an album called “With the Muddy Waters Blues Band”. That ones self explanatory.

o. nate, Friday, 7 June 2019 12:42 (five years ago) link

Kaleidoscope (US) back Leonard cohen on several tracks on his first lp

^also backed larry williams & johnny guitar watson on a single release in '68

there's at least a couple of byrds on david hemmings' happens

two thirds of the cake were in ginger baker's airforce

arbete och fritid on margareta soderberg's sole album

elephant's memory on ono's approximately infinite universe

& the holy modal rounders became fugs for the duration of their first lp

(stretching the famous qualifier on some of these, maybe)

no lime tangier, Friday, 7 June 2019 12:45 (five years ago) link

the holy modal rounders became fugs for the duration of their first lp

I knew there was some crossover like this, but couldn’t remember the details...

Dr. John's band backing up James Booker on the Lost Paramount Tapes.

change display name (Jordan), Friday, 7 June 2019 14:37 (five years ago) link

another esp-disk crossover: erica pomerance's you used to think features all the members of octopus

no lime tangier, Friday, 7 June 2019 15:05 (five years ago) link

One of my favorite shows ever was Elliott Smith with Quasi. I want to say ...Quasi played first, as the usual duo, then he joined them on bass, then they backed him for his set?

Josh in Chicago, Friday, 7 June 2019 15:12 (five years ago) link

only ever heard one track off this on the epitaph for a legend comp but 13th floor elevators/lightnin' hopkins!

no lime tangier, Friday, 7 June 2019 15:19 (five years ago) link

or, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Form_Patterns

no lime tangier, Friday, 7 June 2019 15:20 (five years ago) link

^^Just the rhythm section. Stacy Sutherland wasn't able to make the session, and was mad about that for a long time afterwards.

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 7 June 2019 15:23 (five years ago) link

ctrl + f "Metallica"

change display name (Jordan), Friday, 7 June 2019 15:23 (five years ago) link

it goes w/o saying

Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Friday, 7 June 2019 15:28 (five years ago) link

You talking about when Lou Reed backed them up?

Josh in Chicago, Friday, 7 June 2019 15:29 (five years ago) link

Oh, have we mentioned David Bowie in Iggy's band?

Josh in Chicago, Friday, 7 June 2019 15:29 (five years ago) link

The Band on Clapton's No Reason To Cry

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 7 June 2019 15:31 (five years ago) link

Rhythm section from Big Country became Pete Townshend's band, iirc.

Josh in Chicago, Friday, 7 June 2019 15:32 (five years ago) link

Los Lobos backing Paul Simon (who was frontin').

Josh in Chicago, Friday, 7 June 2019 15:33 (five years ago) link

should give it another ear myself in case I'm being mean

I wasn’t

quelle sprocket damage (sic), Friday, 7 June 2019 15:34 (five years ago) link

Rhythm section from Big Country became Pete Townshend's band, iirc.

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, June 7, 2019 8:32 AM (one minute ago)

SDRE's rhythm section became Foo Fighters'.

Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Friday, 7 June 2019 15:35 (five years ago) link

Astrobal is the band for Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble.

Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Friday, 7 June 2019 15:35 (five years ago) link

xxp yeah I burned out somewhere during side 2 as you noted, still a neat curio and it's cool to hear Strummer on vocals

Ambient Police (sleeve), Friday, 7 June 2019 15:36 (five years ago) link

Badfinger on All Things Must Pass

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 7 June 2019 15:40 (five years ago) link

Rhythm section from Big Country became Pete Townshend's band, iirc.

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, June 7, 2019 11:32 AM (eleven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Tony Butler (bass) and Mark Brzezicki (drums) only played together on one of the Empty Glass tracks ("A Little Is Enough"), though Tony played on the whole album. They may have played together on some tracks on All The Best Cowboys and White City, but I don't know which ones -- there are multiple drummers and bassists listed for each of those albums, but no track-by-track breakdown.

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 7 June 2019 15:48 (five years ago) link

JSBX on RL Burnside's "A Ass Pocket Of Whiskey"

Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Friday, 7 June 2019 15:51 (five years ago) link

members of the Posies joining reunited Big Star

Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Friday, 7 June 2019 15:57 (five years ago) link

The dB's (well, minus Chris Stamey and plus Mitch Easter) backed up Kimberley Rew for a single, collected on The Bible of Bop

nerve_pylon, Friday, 7 June 2019 18:01 (five years ago) link

This thread

One of my favorite shows ever was Elliott Smith with Quasi. I want to say ...Quasi played first, as the usual duo, then he joined them on bass, then they backed him for his set?

Yes, this sounds right

TS The Students vs. The Regents (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 7 June 2019 18:44 (five years ago) link


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