Musicians that should produce a solo-album

[interbellum]

Looking forward to "Ostinato", the first solo-album from Stephen W Tayler, who has so many credits on so many albums.

[Rarebird]

I would love to hear a solo-album by Christoph Noppeney. When I still had some contact with Christian von Grumbkow he told me Christoph Noppeney was working on some music, but that was quite some time ago and it seems never to have materialised.

[ronmac]

I don't believe Alex Lifeson ever did a proper solo album. That would be cool.

As long as it's instrumental.



Has Bowie ever done one? I assume we're talking about the artist playing all the instruments, right?

[JKL2000]

I think Mark Kelly could do a nice solo album. Especially if it was in the vein of his piece "Liquidity" from Happiness Is The Road.

There's a sort of Marillion in-joke that Mark was working on a Dante's Inferno themed solo album decades ago. Needless to say, it never happened.

[JKL2000]

There are probably many band musicians who have not made solo albums with good reason - they don't have it in them, and they know it.

There should be no shame in being comfortable as part of a band. Some people are great musicians but cannot write a song to save their lives, and if you are only going to record somebody else's song, why not play in that person's band and use your talent to best advantage?

For example, I really cannot get into any of the solo work I have heard from either Colin Edwin or Richard Barbieri. It's not actually bad music, it just seems too simple or naive, there seems too little going on to keep my interest. On the other hand I cannot imagine Porcupine Tree without either of those two. Steven may have written all the material, but the band brought it to life.

True, the Barbieri stuff is rough.

[JKL2000]

I would love to hear a solo-album by Christoph Noppeney. When I still had some contact with Christian von Grumbkow he told me Christoph Noppeney was working on some music, but that was quite some time ago and it seems never to have materialised.

What's your connection with Hoelderlin?

[kayfabe58]

Although I'm not 100% sure and "Opinions aside"- Brian May's solo output seems pretty mediocre and uninspired. I would have expected a serious album (with his unique guitar arrangements) in more of an orchestral setting. I would love to hear a "dark" Brian May coax misery a tone at a time.

[WytchCrypt]

Sassy!

Eddie Van Halen: When VH first came out, I felt sure that at some point Eddie would outgrow that cock-rock and make at least one instrumental rock-fusion album. I stopped holding my breath decades ago and now I'm just as sure that he'll never do it. But it might've been interesting.

I would like to hear an instrumental album from Eddie and Alan Holdsworth...they could call it, "My Legato is Better Than Your Legato"

[Rarebird]

What's your connection with Hoelderlin?

I wrote some articles about them, for a Dutch magazine and a German magazine. And I had some contact with Christian von Grumbkow. I also have been at a rehearsal of the group when they were working on Eight.

[the ferret]

Bruce Hall.

[interbellum]

Looking forward to "Ostinato", the first solo-album from Stephen W Tayler, who has so many credits on so many albums.

Stephen W Tayler will perform his solo-album life on July 22nd: http://ostinatomusic.com/

[Tangram]

Of course some band and session musicians make the venture into solo and do pretty well for themselves. There is a guy who used to go by the name of Reg Dwight...

Nice! There aren't too many groups or solo acts who wouldn't want the success of good old Reg.

[Naytheet]

saro cosentino ? He released that in 2014

[bill g]

Kerry Minnear and Dave Stewart. Obviously Dave's would be instrumental, and Kerry's probably largely instrumental.

[Scott Bails]

I think Mark Kelly could do a nice solo album. Especially if it was in the vein of his piece "Liquidity" from Happiness Is The Road.

Not really a "solo" album, per se, but Kelly's Marathon album is pretty fantastic, IMO.

I missed this the first time around, but I always wondered why Steve Rothery never did a solo album, and now I'm thrilled that he did. And he's apparently working on another one!

[ledsox]

I would like to hear an instrumental album from Eddie and Alan Holdsworth...they could call it, "My Legato is Better Than Your Legato"

Eddie got Allan signed to WB and Allan didn't even want Eddie to play on the recordings (according to Ted Templeman's book).
There is a live jam on YT with pretty crappy sound but tons of notes.

[interbellum]

Eddie got Allan signed to WB and Allan didn't even want Eddie to play on the recordings (according to Ted Templeman's book).
There is a live jam on YT with pretty crappy sound but tons of notes.

Well, I guess it was logical Holdsworth didn't want to go Templeman's way. The producer wanted musicians with "more star-power", while Holdsworth wanted to do his own thing.

[Zeuhlmate]

Daniel Denis - Get back on the horse.

[GuitarGeek]

Eddie got Allan signed to WB and Allan didn't even want Eddie to play on the recordings (according to Ted Templeman's book).
There is a live jam on YT with pretty crappy sound but tons of notes.

I remember Allan saying in at least one interview the only reason Warners singed was to "keep Eddie happy". I think he said he had to "smuggle" Paul Williams onto...what was it? Road Games? Anyway, apparently Templeman didn't think much of Williams, and once it was realized that Williams made it onto the record, Allan said that there was "Well, you've been a naughty boy, then, haven't you?" attitude from Templeman.

[Garden Dreamer]

I wish Terry Kath was still with us and had made a solo album somewhere along the line...

[Piskie]

I think we'd end up with a longer list of people that shouldn't have done a solo album....

[BobM]

There's a very real reason musicians don't make solo albums. The collaboration with fellow band mates is an iterative process. A bass player focuses on his bass and the foundation of the song and possibly some interesting or harmonic devices strategically placed. The drummer is a master at rhythm and interesting fills and drama creation. The guitarist at rhythm and lead lines. The singer on melody and drama. The keys on atmosphere. Of course they all have input to the final product and can suggest something they hear to the other band members, but for one person to just say "I want it this way" and be correct all the time is unlikely, or takes a huge amount of time listening or trying out alternatives. It's also why many solo artists bring in experienced studio guys to flesh things out and bring another set of ears to the party.

Sure, any band member can write a tune, but it takes the group to turn it into something worth publishing. Special talents like Sting or Bowie or Peter Gabriel usually take forever to finish a song. They have the money and time and reputation and experience to do that, but for a regular Joe musician, as talented as they may be on their instrument, usually fall kind of flat and put out songs that are less than what their band does collaboratively.

[Dana5140]

I'd love solo discs from either Phillip Bussonnet or Isabelle Feuillebois.

[Halmyre]

There's a very real reason musicians don't make solo albums. The collaboration with fellow band mates is an iterative process. A bass player focuses on his bass and the foundation of the song and possibly some interesting or harmonic devices strategically placed. The drummer is a master at rhythm and interesting fills and drama creation. The guitarist at rhythm and lead lines. The singer on melody and drama. The keys on atmosphere. Of course they all have input to the final product and can suggest something they hear to the other band members, but for one person to just say "I want it this way" and be correct all the time is unlikely, or takes a huge amount of time listening or trying out alternatives. It's also why many solo artists bring in experienced studio guys to flesh things out and bring another set of ears to the party.

Sure, any band member can write a tune, but it takes the group to turn it into something worth publishing. Special talents like Sting or Bowie or Peter Gabriel usually take forever to finish a song. They have the money and time and reputation and experience to do that, but for a regular Joe musician, as talented as they may be on their instrument, usually fall kind of flat and put out songs that are less than what their band does collaboratively.

Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton: three of the most respected guitarists in history with three vastly different solo careers.

[interbellum]

Of course, not every musician is a good composer. But through the years I often wished some musicians would (have) release(d) an album with their own stuff. I'm sure you know what I mean. I start with two musicians:

- Jamie West-Oram, The Fixx-guitarist who has also played with amongst others Laurie Anderson, Jane Siberry, Thinkman, Rupert Hine and ... Tina Turner.

Almost 10 years after my original post Jamie West-Oram released his first solo-album, called Skeleton Key.

Here's the track Collusion Blues: