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Post by kds on Jun 28, 2019 14:25:17 GMT
Sheriff, Captain, and my (maybe I need a rank too) discussion about BB solo albums prompted me to think about various solo albums by prominent band members that I really enjoy. In most cases, they don't come close to the bands they were / are in, but still very good.
Roger Waters - Amused to Death - Roger Waters was the brain of Pink Floyd's classic era, but he wasn't the heart, and that heart was missing on his solo career, much of which can be a downright depressing listen. But, 1992's Amused to Death is a very good album, with some great songs like It's a Miracle, The Bravery of Being of Range, Three Wishes, and What God Wants Part 1.
Brian Wilson - That Lucky Old Sun - Even with the clunky spoken word bits, this compact album, is (sorry Sheriff) easily my favorite Beach Boys solo effort.
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass - Arguably the best solo album from a Beatle. It's a near masterpiece. It might've benefited from a little trimming, but it's top shelf stuff.
John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band - It's hard to believe Phil Spector had a hand in this pretty stripped down album, especially when you compare it to Let It Be and All Things Must Pass. In my opinion, this and Imagine are Lennon's finest post Beatle efforts and nothing really comes close.
Paul and Linda McCartney - Ram - I was going to cite Band on the Run, but since it's Wings, it's not technically Paul solo.
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman - After being fired from Black Sabbath, Ozzy run the ground running with Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. Even despite the death of Randy Rhoads after Diary, Ozzy has one of the better solo catalogs of anyone from a big band.
Dio - Holy Diver - Ronnie James Dio had two great stints with Rainbow and Black Sabbath before forming his own band. Holy Diver is a first rate classic metal album. Dio released a lot of great material with his band, but a lot of it started to get into "paint by numbers" territory later in his career.
King Diamond - Abagail - For my money, the only solo artist whose material I prefer to his band (Mercyful Fate). King released a lot of horror story albums, none better than Abagail.
Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare - The first album for Alice Cooper the man, not Alice Cooper the band. This Bob Ezrin produced concept album is right up there with the material from the classic Alice Cooper band, and he never got close to it as a solo act.
Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard - For as revered as EC is, his almost 50 year long solo career is patchy as hell. While it lacks the fire of The Yardbirds or Cream, the 461OB album is a solid collection of songs.
David Gilmour - On an Island - I like all four of Gilmour's solo albums, but I love his 2006 album, which features probably the best playing of his solo material, and probably the most Floyd esque solo album of any of the Floyd guys.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 28, 2019 14:54:12 GMT
Agree with a lot of those. Especially on Lennon, where I think people forget how mediocre and uneven his career was just because of how good the best parts were.
A few more.
John Phillips, John the Wolf King of LA. Not a GREAT album, but a really good slice of Laurel Canyon from 1970.
Gram Parsons, GP and Grievous Angel. He was a part of some great albums with the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, but these two albums are really, really strong, too. Plus, what a band! Ronnie Tutt drumming, James Burton on guitar, Emmylou Harris singing...
Lou Reed, Transformer. His best solo album, many thanks to Bowie and especially Mick Ronson. It was tight with commercially satisfying songs like Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side as well as gems like Vicious, Andy's Chest, etc.
George Michael, Faith. Maybe it isn't fair because Wham was a George Michael vehicle anyway, but the guy was really talented. (He also never even approached the quality of Faith ever again, sadly.)
Paul Simon, almost too many choices to name, but Graceland is my favorite. Maybe not fair since his "band" was already all his songs and arrangements to begin with.
Levon Helm, Electric Dirt. Amazing that after throat cancer, Levon returned to create what I think is probably his best solo album. (I like it more than anything by anyone from The Band.) His take on Tennessee Jed is great, as is his own Growin' Trade.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 28, 2019 14:59:33 GMT
Also while it might not count (and might go without saying), Ace Frehley's 1978 solo album is better than at least half of KISS's albums, and all of his other solo albums.
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Post by kds on Jun 28, 2019 15:01:53 GMT
Here's another one
John Fogerty - Centerfield - Other than some electric drums, Fogerty successfully avoided many trappings that so many legacy artists fell into in the mid 1980s, and this 1985 album is so CCR like, that he even got sued for copying himself.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 29, 2019 13:26:56 GMT
Ray Manzarek...Ray released two solo albums - The Golden Scarab (1974) and The Whole Thing Started with Rock And Roll Now It's Out Of Control (1975) - shortly after the surviving Doors broke up. Scarab is the better of the two, but they both have several musical high points. Ray is Ray; you know what you're getting with him. Yeah, he wasn't the greatest singer and his lyrics could make you wince and cringe, but he was so brilliant on the keyboards that you just overlooked the flaws. It was obvious that Ray was going to do things his way. Again, I would listen to some of Ray's slightly pretentious lyrics and concepts, and just kind of smile. But these two albums were important to me. I was very much into The Doors at that time, and Ray's solo albums served as a way to keep the group, the Doors' vibe alive in some way. It was NEW music by a Door, and that meant something. Disappointingly, both of these albums were not commercial successes, nor were they really critical successes; they got mostly mixed reviews. However, I do think they are essential for any Doors' diehard.
Robby Krieger...Shortly after The Doors broke up, Robby released two albums with The Butts Band. The first one was OK, the second was a disaster. Then Robby proceeded to release a series of solo instrumental albums that were heavy on jazz, funk, and some rock. I bought a few of them and then faded away. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I love Robby, he's one of my favorite guitarists and songwriters, but his solo career has been a definite disappointment. This was the guy who wrote "Light My Fire", "Love Me Two Times", "Touch Me", "Love Her Madly" and several other Doors' songs. It's hard to find a solo song of Robby's that even approaches those. I want to end on a positive note: I saw Robby Krieger live about two years ago and it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen. He and his band played all of the Doors' hits and he was just masterful on the guitar.
Syd Barrett...Syd's first two albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett fall into the woulda/coulda/shoulda category for me. Obviously Syd had...something...left but it was fading fast. I like most of the songs on these albums, but he needed the right producer to pull everything together and help/make these songs reach their full potential. And he didn't get that producer. On The Madcap laughs, I think Peter Jenner and especially Malcolm Jones were onto something. Their tracks show the most potential. Then Roger Waters and David Gilmore came in, and, well, I don't agree with their approach. Yes, there is something to be said for "honesty" in recordings, but I think they took it too far, especially considering the condition Syd was in at that time. The production on Barrett is better, but I don't think the material is as strong.
Carl Wilson "Youngblood"...I just wanted to mention this solo album because I always liked it, I think it's a good album, and I usually rank it as the second best BB solo album behind Pacific Ocean Blue (though No Pier Pressure is gaining ground). Carl finally, as he promised, stepped out from The Beach Boys and did something a little different. The album rocks in places, has a few nice ballads, and, as usual, Carl's vocals are magnificent, maybe his best album vocally. This album deserved better fate in 1983 and I still don't think it gets the respect it deserves.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 29, 2019 15:21:52 GMT
I have to disagree on the ones I know, which are Carl Wilson and Syd Barrett.
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Post by kds on Jul 1, 2019 12:16:55 GMT
I think if you take the best tracks on The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, you might have enough material for a decent album.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 1, 2019 13:01:31 GMT
I think if you take the best tracks on The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, you might have enough material for a decent album. Agree. And both albums were released within a year - 1970.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 5, 2023 12:15:57 GMT
Resuscitating an old thread because I saw a little article on the topic, " 10 Declarations of Independence: Rock's Best First Solo Albums," published in Ultimate Classic Rock. I'll ruin the suspense and share their picks. (They were just in alphabetical order, so that's how they are listed below.) There are brief explanations/descriptions of each in the article. Ronnie James Dio, Holy Diver, 1983 Peter Gabriel, S/T, 1977 George Harrison, All Things Must Pass, 1970 Janis Joplin, I Got Dem..., 1969 Ozzy Osbourne, Blizzard of Ozz, 1980 Keith Richards, Talk is Cheap, 1988 David Lee Roth, Eat 'Em & Smile, 1986 Paul Simon, S/T, 1972 Sting, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, 1985 Roger Waters, The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking (1984) Thoughts on that list? Alternative suggestions?
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Post by kds on Jul 5, 2023 12:22:24 GMT
Resuscitating an old thread because I saw a little article on the topic, " 10 Declarations of Independence: Rock's Best First Solo Albums," published in Ultimate Classic Rock. I'll ruin the suspense and share their picks. (They were just in alphabetical order, so that's how they are listed below.) There are brief explanations/descriptions of each in the article. Ronnie James Dio, Holy Diver, 1983 Peter Gabriel, S/T, 1977 George Harrison, All Things Must Pass, 1970 Janis Joplin, I Got Dem..., 1969 Ozzy Osbourne, Blizzard of Ozz, 1980 Keith Richards, Talk is Cheap, 1988 David Lee Roth, Eat 'Em & Smile, 1986 Paul Simon, S/T, 1972 Sting, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, 1985 Roger Waters, The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking (1984) Thoughts on that list? Alternative suggestions? I can't disagree with Dio, Gabriel, Ozzy, Harrison, or David Lee Roth. I'd swap out Roger Waters's Pros and Cons for David Gilmour's self titled debut from 1978. I think Gilmour's album is a far better solo debut. I think I'd include Yngwie Malmsteen's first solo album - Rising Force also. Granted, Yngwie wasn't very prolific before going solo, but that was a landmark album for the shred movement.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 5, 2023 12:30:21 GMT
I want to insist on Plastic Ono Band (1970), though I'm not sure it counts.
John and Yoko had released albums before, but they were experimental and not pop. What's more, technically, that wouldn't be "solo." And anyway, if Paul Simon's second solo album counts as his debut, I think John's first pop album should count. So that would be on my list.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 5, 2023 12:32:06 GMT
Oh, and I guess it should go without saying that Dennis Wilson's Pacific Ocean Blue deserves consideration. Even if I don't like it as much as a lot of BBs fans do, it's hard to argue it wasn't a massive, impressive debut statement from someone previously so constrained within an identifiable band.
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Post by kds on Jul 5, 2023 12:54:58 GMT
I agree on both Lennon and Dennis. And, I think you can make an argument for Paul McCartney's McCartney album too.
I don't really feel strongly about Sting, Paul Simon, or Keith Richards. I've really never been a Janis fan.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 5, 2023 13:02:03 GMT
For me, McCartney's debut wouldn't be in the conversation. I just don't think it's a very good album--just a few decent songs.
I don't know those albums by Sting, Richards, or Joplin. But I know I don't like Sting or Joplin, so I can guess what I'd say.
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Post by kds on Jul 5, 2023 13:07:37 GMT
For me, McCartney's debut wouldn't be in the conversation. I just don't think it's a very good album--just a few decent songs. I don't know those albums by Sting, Richards, or Joplin. But I know I don't like Sting or Joplin, so I can guess what I'd say. I personally don't think it's that great, but I feel like I'm in the minority on that. As for Sting, he has a handful of solo songs that I enjoy. I think one or two are on his debut. But, in general, I much prefer with work with The Police. I actually recently did a listen of Peter Gabriel's solo career too, and I can say that I think I was right to stick to the one compilation I have from him. But, his debut is pretty good.
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