Top 10 Bands With Members Who Don’t Play Anything

I am using the write-in vote for Theo Van Rock, the live sound guy who was given full credit as a bandmember in The Rollins Band's first two incarnations.

write-in for Mugger

Mondays
Tribe

Write-in vote for Wojtek from the Blue Aeroplanes

Excellent poll topic. Had to go with Mondays, but BJM is nice too.

One highlight of the Tribe documentary was getting full clarification about the role and identity of Jarobi.

Public Enemy

Write-in vote for Wojtek from the Blue Aeroplanes

Co-sign. Saw them live and he was essential to the experience.

b-b-but Bez plays maracas sometimes!

Blue Aeroplanes all the way. They have Wojtek the dancer, plus a minimum of 3 guitarists at all times...

Rocket from the Crypt seems to be a missing option here.

Madness

nah i'm sure it was just an oversight.

tish and boom

voted for the Bosstone because have you ever watched that guy? i can't imagine bouncing around and skanking for like an hour straight, that has to be WAY more exhausting than playing their songs on bass or trumpet or whatever.

El Vez

Public Enemy

Madness

― Mr. Snrub, Friday, 13 January 2012 11:46 (30 minutes ago)

classic Snrub

the time

Duh, Hawkwind

Butthole Surfers

Flowered Up

Sunburned Hand of Man, for a while, and a dog at a couple shows

Human League (early)

Stacia out of Hawkwind

(check, like, 5 posts back)

I am using the write-in vote for Theo Van Rock, the live sound guy who was given full credit as a bandmember in The Rollins Band's first two incarnations.

In the same vein, Martin Swope from Mission of Burma

Jeanette Lee of Pil?

(check, like, 5 posts back)

oh yeah, sorry didn't see that.

Portland band Hazel used to have a dancer named Fred Nemo (bearded, often in a dress.) I can't find a decent clip of him doing his thing, but they were a great live band.

The three other guys in The Prodigy.

well, up until The Fat of the Land

re Madness : Chas/Carl now plays trumpet and writes some of the bands songs.

martin swope was "playing" tapes though, right, not just doing sound?

King Crimson until Peter Sinfield left.

Yeah, wasn't Sinfield credited with words, sounds and visions? Keith Reid from Procol Harum also, strictly a lyricist but credited as bandmember.

If you're going with Sinfied you gotta go with Robert Hunter with the Dead to. Same deal.

& Bernie Taupen & tons of others... Should prolly be a separate poll.

Was Hunter ever actually credited as a bandmember, though? Don't know, just asking...

Bez was more infamous than any of these guys, wasn't he?
I mean, he was the Mondays and he never played nor wrote anything!

Any excuse to post this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtpD5mOgyKo

That only needs Sean to throw one of the maracas up in the air to basically be the 2001 jump cut.

Was Hunter ever actually credited as a bandmember, though? Don't know, just asking...

― Oops, just a little Santorum surge... (Dan Peterson), Friday, January 13, 2012 2:31 PM (41 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I think he was on Europe 72.

You forgot Slipknot! Those two "percussionists" may bang on big drums, but it doesn't really actually contribute anything to the band's sound. Also, Immortal – Demonaz has just been the lyricist since the 90s.

jesus if you're gonna start lumping in every band member who plays an instrument that's low in the mix or doesn't make much of a difference in teh overall sound...

I've seen them live, those two guys mostly just act as hype men.

but do they bang on drums at all? because that's generally considered "playing an instrument"

The late, great Crash Worship used to tour with a bunch of provocateurs whose job was to start fires, light fireworks, and distribute bags of wine to the audience. Best live shows ever.

From the wiki:

Epileptic strobing lights, nudity, mysterious liquids, sex and smoke filled rooms (at next to zero visibility) were all a part of the average show. The chaos of these events often invited unwanted attention from police who would later forcibly shut down a large percentage of the band's performances.
After much successful touring of the United States, Crash Worship followed suit with two full European tours in the mid-90s. It was also around this time the band was deemed "unmanageable" by many labels, booking agencies and clubs which proved difficult to tour much afterward. Although at the height of notoriety, Crash Worship had been banned from countless cities across the United States making it almost impossible touring there or abroad.

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

Sex Pistols

I don't think they're like this anymore but Datarock used to have a bunch of members that didn't play or do anything - just wore the red tracksuit and danced

wasn't early scritti politti a "collective" w. a zillion ppl in it?

smashing pumpkins

manic street preachers till '95

Shinya Hyashida

EARL BRUTUS
THE PRE NEW

Pavement... allegedly

Duh, Hawkwind

― Then in walked Barbara Castle with the Lady Eleanor (Tom D.), Friday, January 13, 2012 9:48 AM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Stacia out of Hawkwind

― ban this sick stunt (anagram), Friday, January 13, 2012 2:18 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

This is the only thing I don't like about Hawkwind. I know it was a different era and all, but the disparity between a bunch of ugly hairy blokes playing instruments clothed and the naked woman they have gyrating is pretty gross. If it wasn't so clearly gendered I wouldn't have a problem with naked whirling and dancing, but it is that fucking DISPARITY that gets me every time.

lemmy is beautiful :(

Wham!?

much as i love pet shop boys, am suspicious of chris lowe's actual input

suspicious about, i mean to say

Now we're getting silly.

You'll be saying Ron Mael next!

I'll have no such allegation of Chris Lowe!
"Armani, Armani, ah-ah-Armani"

Kind of want to mention Jed here cos he was definitely part of Howard Jones's thing for a while.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_f4-2hOekhVw/SJ4hV0952oI/AAAAAAAABT8/3JwrNZH7oUQ/s400/howard_jones.jpg

Wham

Chris Lowe definitely the stupidest offering here

I don't think they're like this anymore but Datarock used to have a bunch of members that didn't play or do anything - just wore the red tracksuit and danced

they're more the opposite in that the band is two guys, only one of whom tours, so the live lineups are all non-"proper" members

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Bosstones for the win!!

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

i was thinking the other day, the isley brothers are obviously great musicians, but in some of their latter-day hits are obviously just ron isley and r kelly productions with no actual instrumental help. the "what would you do" video even has the other isley members miming drums, guitars etc. on what sounds like a completely synthetic beat!

This thread has just reminded me of Barry Mooncult. He made Bez look like a renaissance man.

Where's Fletch? :P

i was thinking the other day, the isley brothers are obviously great musicians, but in some of their latter-day hits are obviously just ron isley and r kelly productions with no actual instrumental help. the "what would you do" video even has the other isley members miming drums, guitars etc. on what sounds like a completely synthetic beat!

I think this is pretty common for funk/soul bands that started before the electronic dance music era, and continued until the 80s or later. For example, Midnight Star started out as funk band, and on sleeve of No Parking on the Dance Floor the band is still listed as having 8 members who play instruments like trombone, trumpet, flute, etc, when in reality it's an electro-funk album where most songs don't feature any of those instruments; even the drums are mostly drum machines.

i was thinking the other day, the isley brothers are obviously great musicians, but in some of their latter-day hits are obviously just ron isley and r kelly productions with no actual instrumental help. the "what would you do" video even has the other isley members miming drums, guitars etc. on what sounds like a completely synthetic beat!

― chilli, Monday, February 27, 2012 2:45 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

by the same token, Adam Levine is the only member of Maroon 5 actually on "Moves Like Jagger" -- a lot of sidemen get pushed way out of picture when live bands 'catch up with the times' and work with producers who make most of the backing tracks themselves

much as i love pet shop boys, am suspicious of chris lowe's actual input

― demolition with discretion (m coleman), Saturday, January 14, 2012 1

He wrote the lion's share of the music, and was responsible for most of the interesting chord changes. When you read the liner notes included in the reissue the ones for which Tennant claims full responsibility are the ones that sound like they could have been acoustic singer-songwriter stuff.

*reissues

Adam Levine is the only member of Maroon 5 actually on "Moves Like Jagger" -- a lot of sidemen get pushed way out of picture when live bands 'catch up with the times' and work with producers who make most of the backing tracks themselves

what would Mick Jagger think?

I guess he has "Dancing in the Streets" and "State of Shock" under his belt, amongst other things.

the ones for which Tennant claims full responsibility are the ones that sound like they could have been acoustic singer-songwriter stuff.

Which makes sense, given his background