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

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed
Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (217 of them)

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

Tony Levin wouldn't actually join King Crimson until 1981 or so, but both him and Fripp are on the Roches 1979 debut.

Ambient Police (sleeve), Friday, 7 June 2019 18:49 (five years ago) link

The Fripp/Levin connection probably started in 1978 on Peter Gabriel's 2nd album.

Hideous Lump, Friday, 7 June 2019 20:04 (five years ago) link

The Jayhawks back Joe Henry on 'Short Man's Room', also there's Vic Chestnutt's 'Salesman and Bernadette' where he's backed by Lambchop.

Grantman, Saturday, 8 June 2019 14:51 (five years ago) link

Thank you! I knew Lambchop did this but had totally forgotten about that (great) album. Yesterday I spend some time googling "did Lambchop back Yo La Tengo on tour" and "lambchop east river pipe" and other plausible combinations.

Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 8 June 2019 14:54 (five years ago) link

isn't there a david kilgour album with lambchop backing him? (have a vague memory from seeing them in the early 2000s with an encore consisting of tally ho! with kilgour taking the vocals)

no lime tangier, Saturday, 8 June 2019 15:25 (five years ago) link

Some of Lambchop appear on David Kilgour's Frozen Orange - both acts would have been on Merge at the time?

Grantman, Saturday, 8 June 2019 16:33 (five years ago) link

Coldcut were in contractual disguise as The Plastic Population on Yazz's The Only Way Is Up.

quelle sprocket damage (sic), Saturday, 8 June 2019 20:11 (five years ago) link

2/3s of Gone became half of the Rollins Band before one of them was replaced by Melvin Gibbs who is famous in his own right.

Stevolende, Sunday, 9 June 2019 10:27 (five years ago) link

^ that Rollins Band lineup was later replaced wholesale by the young members of non-famous metal band Mother Superior

(before a brief and aggravating reunion tour of the prior lineup, that proved to be the end of his musical career, Rollins reissued all the albums by the third lineup, now on his own label, as Henry Rollins & Mother Superior)

quelle sprocket damage (sic), Sunday, 9 June 2019 11:01 (five years ago) link

all half

quelle sprocket damage (sic), Sunday, 9 June 2019 11:06 (five years ago) link

Speaking of half, can someone sort out the Moe Tucker Half Japanese thing for me? Sorry, it’s been a while.

TS The Students vs. The Regents (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 June 2019 11:49 (five years ago) link

I saw them in 88 or 89 . I think it was Moe, thae current line up of half japanese plus a guitarist who was putting things out through 50 Skidillion Watts which was the half japanese label. Charlie something I think. I'm picturing him as having a haircut like the guy in Lexx the sci fi show.

Stevolende, Sunday, 9 June 2019 12:18 (five years ago) link

xpost There was once a Yo La Tengo tour with Lambchop opening, where Yo La Tengo featured Mac from Superchunk and David Kilgour as auxiliary members. I seem to recall seeing them here in 2000 or so and most of everyone encoring with Tally-ho!.

Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 9 June 2019 12:31 (five years ago) link

xp Thinking of Moe Tucker, I heard she was the original drummer for the band that became Sun City Girls back when the Bishop brothers were working under the name Paris 1942

Stevolende, Sunday, 9 June 2019 12:34 (five years ago) link

Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. are, oddly enough, the rhythm section on some of Nanci Griffith's "Flyer." And all of U2 play on the first Robbie Robertson album, though that makes a little more sense.

Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 9 June 2019 12:47 (five years ago) link

Todd Rundgren & Utopia on Shaun Cassidy's Wasp.

Todd Rundgren & Utopia on Hall and Oates' 'War Babies'.

Bloody Snail, Sunday, 9 June 2019 13:47 (five years ago) link

The Cure backing up their postman (?) for the "I'm A Cult Hero/I Dig You" single.

Carly Jae Vespen (Capitaine Jay Vee), Sunday, 9 June 2019 14:08 (five years ago) link

This happened a fair bit in the '60s for British blues bands. Most of Fleetwood Mac backed up Otis Spann (Mick Fleetwood wasn't involved) on the fantastic "The Biggest Thing Since Colossus" LP. The Yardbirds backed up Sonny Boy Williamson II in '63. Along the same "British Invasion band backing up Americans", the Hollies backed up the Everly Brothers - and wrote most of the songs - on "Two Yanks in England" (also a fantastic record)

Flood-Resistant Mirror-Drilling Machine (rushomancy), Sunday, 9 June 2019 14:19 (five years ago) link

The Animals backed up Sonny Boy II, uh, too.

a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 9 June 2019 14:39 (five years ago) link

Clover & Elvis Costello

Believe that was mentioned upthread, as was Two Yanks in England.

TS The Students vs. The Regents (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 June 2019 14:49 (five years ago) link

can someone sort out the Moe Tucker Half Japanese thing for me? Sorry, it’s been a while.

they toured together with HJ as the backing band for Moe, also I think HJ is the band on Life In Exile?

Ambient Police (sleeve), Sunday, 9 June 2019 15:01 (five years ago) link

The Cure backing up their postman (?)

Obscured by subsequent lineup changes in and famousness of the Cure, but this was a Crawley supergroup of various non-famous people, including Robert on guitar and Lol on drums. Bassist Michael Dempsey is relegated to keyboards, the keyboardist for the Magazine Spys also plays keyboards, the bassist for the Mag Spys plays bass, Robert’s sister’s boyfriend plays second guitar, Robert’s sister and Robert’s other sister and another local band are on backing vocals. It was, yes, a local postman on lead vocals.

Having checked that they could be drunk all night in a studio together, Robert fired Dempsey & hired the Mag Spys bassist, whose keyboardist pal came along for a six month stint. The bassist has spent most of the next forty years in The Cure, quitting for a year or three here and there. Smith’s sister’s boyfriend did some art and played some sax for the band five years later, then did two 6+ year stints on guitar, 13 years apart.

So while there are a lot of eventual Cure members on the single, it’s more of an audition for them to be in this indie band from the local town with one half-promising album, than global superstars The Cure backing someone.

quelle sprocket damage (sic), Sunday, 9 June 2019 18:33 (five years ago) link

(Most of the people involved were teenagers at the time; Robert & Lol were 20.)

quelle sprocket damage (sic), Sunday, 9 June 2019 18:39 (five years ago) link


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.