Going solo - does the music get better or worse?

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List all the artists whose solo work eclipses (in quality, not necessarily in popularity) the work of the band that made them famous.

The only one I can think of off the top of my head is Neil Young.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 23 August 2004 15:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Spiritualized, I guess (if you can consider them a "solo" act, which I think you could make an argument for)

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 23 August 2004 15:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Dave Grohl? Maria McKee?

― phil d., Monday, 23 August 2004 15:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Bobby Brown? Michael Jackson? I suppose one could make a case for Dr. Dre OR Ice Cube.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Monday, 23 August 2004 16:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Skip Spence.

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 23 August 2004 16:01 (twenty-one years ago)

eno.

justin timberlake.

― Peter Watts (peterw), Monday, 23 August 2004 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I much prefer Mike Doughty's solo work to Soul Coughing.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Monday, 23 August 2004 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

oooh, Eno is a good one. Ice Cube too.

I don't agree at all about Michael Jackson (Dr. Dre is debatable).

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 23 August 2004 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Lou Barlow? Debatable.

― mike a, Monday, 23 August 2004 16:14 (twenty-one years ago)

John Coltrane

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 23 August 2004 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Bjork?

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Monday, 23 August 2004 16:30 (twenty-one years ago)

jazz doesn't count - different group/solo dynamic inherent in the genre.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 23 August 2004 16:31 (twenty-one years ago)

robert wyatt?

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Monday, 23 August 2004 16:34 (twenty-one years ago)

nick cave?

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Monday, 23 August 2004 16:34 (twenty-one years ago)

interesting to note that of these succesful "breakout" artists, almost none of them were the lead guitarist in their previous band. Maybe things only go wrong when lead guitarists make solo albums...

― Shakey Mo Collier, Monday, 23 August 2004 17:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Frusciante's music is supposed to be at least marginally better than RHCP, isn't it? (Haven't heard a note of it myself).

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Monday, 23 August 2004 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

ninetynine > Sleater-Kinney post-CTD

― mike a, Monday, 23 August 2004 17:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Why does it have to better or worse? A lot of folks go on to make music that's often as good as their previous band, even if it doesn't eclipse it in terms of sales, acclaim, or consistency. Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison all wrote some extremely worthwhile songs in their solo careers. I think that Stephen Malkmus has made two excellent solo albums, even though they'll never have that special Pavement magic. Every member of the Wu-Tang Clan has done some strong solo work (yeah, even Masta Killa and U-God).

I'm way more focused on invidual songs rather than full albums, so that's probably part of why I'm more forgiving of post-classic band solo artists...

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Monday, 23 August 2004 17:17 (twenty-one years ago)

robyn hitchcock was exactly as good as a solo artist as he was in the soft boys, more or less. which may or may not have anything to do with the fact that as a solo artist, his band consisted of 3 of the 4 soft boys.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 23 August 2004 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)

robert pollard was exactly as good as guided by voices as a solo artist, which may or may not have anything to do with the fact that it was unclear, for at least the first couple solo albums, if there was any difference at all between how and with who he made solo albums and how and with who he made gbv albums.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 23 August 2004 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison all wrote some extremely worthwhile songs in their solo careers.

Ringo had the most number ones!

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 23 August 2004 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Paul Simon. Although only a couple of Simon's solo records are really that good.

― Not That Chuck, Monday, 23 August 2004 17:27 (twenty-one years ago)

paul simon made some damn good solo records, but it's a stretch to suggest they eclipsed simon and garfunkel in quality.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 23 August 2004 17:29 (twenty-one years ago)

While it may be impossible to top James Brown, Maceo Parker made three of my favorite post-1980 funk albums (Mo' Roots, Southern Exposure, and Life on Planet Groove). I think they hold together as whole albums better than a lot of JB records, too.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 23 August 2004 17:39 (twenty-one years ago)

The Simon and Garfunkel stuff seems trite to me ("America," "The Boxer," "I Am a Rock," "Scarbourgh Fair," "Old Friends," "Sounds of Silence," etc.). I admit a lot of it sounds pretty good. And "Faking It" is a great song. Still, I much prefer *Paul Simon* and *Graceland.*

― Not That Chuck, Monday, 23 August 2004 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

For the most part, I've always believed that a great band is better than the sum of its parts, and that the purported "creative genius" behind the band is better off sticking WITH the band rather than going solo; but they never learn. I treasure LPs by the Velvet Underground/Nazz/Who/etc. and am largely indifferent to Lou Reed/Todd Rundgren/Pete Townshend/etc. Only one I can think of right now is Peter Gabriel, and I don't even really like his stuff that much. (I have a "grudging respect" for some of it.)

Oooh, Don Henley! I like "Boys of Summer" WAY more than any Eagles song.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 23 August 2004 18:46 (twenty-one years ago)

peter gabriel was first name that i thought when reading this thread. then Suggs. but i quickly realised i was oh so very wrong on that one.

― mark e (mark e), Monday, 23 August 2004 20:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Although I don't agree, many would say Michael Nesmith > the Monkees.

But then I would turn around and say Robbie Williams >>> Take That.

― Joseph McCombs, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 01:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Paul Simon's 'Hearts and Bones' is where he tops the S&G albums; it's the first release he put out with no duff songs(eg. Silent Eyes, Why Don't You Write me, etc) and speaking of which, his solo albums have all been reissued, remastered, prettied up, etc.

I'll suggest:
Richard Thompson post Fairport
Juliana Hatfield post Blake Babies
haha, Lisa Germano post Mellencamp

The only case I can say that the two are evenly matched is Sea and Cake/Archer Prewitt/Sam Prekop, all perfectly in sync.

an Andrew Scott solo album post Sloan would be AMAZING; I'll put money on it.

― derrick (derrick), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 05:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Gram Parsons

― piers (piers), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 05:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Neil Finn

― piers (piers), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 05:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll take Celebrity over Justified myself, re: Timberlake. Dude sounds like he's got more talent when he stands next to Lance Bass than when he stands next to Pharrell.

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 05:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I somehow read this thread title as
Guitar solo - does the music get better or worse?
and thought it would be about guitar solos that added or detracted from the rest of the song. I think I'll make that thread right now...

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 06:18 (twenty-one years ago)

ta da:
Guitar solo - does the song get better or worse?

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 06:25 (twenty-one years ago)

nteresting to note that of these succesful "breakout" artists, almost none of them were the lead guitarist in their previous band. Maybe things only go wrong when lead guitarists make solo albums...

Clapton

― phil d., Tuesday, 24 August 2004 08:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I think that Stephen Malkmus has made two excellent solo albums, even though they'll never have that special Pavement magic

Yair - although as I keep saying "Pig Lib" is as good if not better than a good 50% of Pavement's output.

*ducks*

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 09:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Bjork owns this thread

Rachel Stevens >>> S club 7
Lauryn Hill >>> Fugees
Elliott Smith >>> Heatmiser

― Sami (Sami), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 12:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Keith Richards' first solo album was also certainly better than anything the Stones were doing at the time. So was Jagger's actually. "Just Another Night" >>>>>>"Harlem Shuffle"

― Phil d., Tuesday, 24 August 2004 12:46 (twenty-one years ago)

like "getting divorced: does the person get better or worse?", it depends on who's side you are. (and you may have only ever cared about the "couple")

― dleone (dleone), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Cornelius.

Cece is right, but I'd say JC has at least equalled the collective body of NSYNC tunes I've heard.

― R.I.M.A. (Barima), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 14:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Richard D. James, if Tom Middleton is to be believed.

― Leeeter van den Hoogenband (Leee), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 21:23 (twenty-one years ago)

George Michael?

― Wooden (Wooden), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 21:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I hope Robert Smith makes that solo record someday. Just as long as there are no more Cure records.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 22:13 (twenty-one years ago)

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