The annuls of rock are littered with performers who left a successful group to go solo. Whether driven by ego, greed, boredom or the need to "fulfill one's artistic destiny," the result very often was disappointing, if not unlistenable. And I'm not talking about lead singers who managed one or two songs, then disappeared (see David Ruffin, Steve Perry...). I mean major stars whose music just makes you want to vomit.
For example:
Diana Ross -- Love the Supremes, can't stand her (Is it "I'm Coming Up" or "It's Coming Up"?)
Peter Cetera -- some pretty good songs with Chicago, screetchy and overblown on his own
Lionel Richie -- "Hello"? Goodbye!
Phil Collins -- should have stayed in the background with Genesis
Sting -- instrumentation carried The Police, not Gordon's tone-deaf pooly enunciated ramblings

So, who are your solo no-no's?

Janis Joplin - Big Brother and the Holding Company, yes, on her own just ehh.
David Byrne - Love the Talking Heads - Not into his solo work

Can't think of to many classic rock examples at the moment, but Chris Cornell from Soundgarden and laterAudioslave. He went solo and i can't even listen to one whole song!

Great thread. Chris Cornell is a perfect example of this.

Phil Collins to an extent too-- I liked 'Face Value' for its pop-legend status and polished sound but nothing else made much of a mark with me. But Genesis was great through and through.

Agree complete about Phil Collins.:thumbsdn:

This may cause some debate, but I think the only Beatle who couldn't produce a couple of decent solo albums is Ringo. Although I must admit Ringo has its charms, the rest of his albums are pretty forgettable.

Robert Plant- really not into his non-Zep stuff.

I'm with you guys. Phil Collins shoulda never put down his sticks and Zep's remaining members should have completely retired from music once Bonzo passed.

Mick Jagger - Can't stand his solo stuff at all
Paul McCartney - Without the Beatles or Wings, I really didn't care for much of anything he ever did beyond those groups
Ray Davies - I absolutely love the Kinks, but what has Ray done ever as a solo artist that is lasting?
Roger Waters - I know many people here love some of his solo stuff, but I am not one of them.
Art Garfunkel - Paul Simon succeeded, Art didn't...hmmm
Jon Anderson - Okay, I like Loved by the Sun for some reason, maybe because I liked Legend, but c'mon....
Billy Corgan - Made two good albums with Smashing Pumpkins - Went solo, never recovered...

Mick Jagger - Can't stand his solo stuff at all
Paul McCartney - Without the Beatles or Wings, I really didn't care for much of anything he ever did beyond those groups
Ray Davies - I absolutely love the Kinks, but what has Ray done ever as a solo artist that is lasting?
Roger Waters - I know many people here love some of his solo stuff, but I am not one of them.
Art Garfunkel - Paul Simon succeeded, Art didn't...hmmm
Jon Anderson - Okay, I like Loved by the Sun for some reason, maybe because I liked Legend, but c'mon....
Billy Corgan - Made two good albums with Smashing Pumpkins - Went solo, never recovered...

Jon Anderson?? have you heard Song of Seven, Animation, Olias of Sunhillow, and there are some more recent ones that are good...although some dogs are in there.

Alex Lifeson - Rush
His solo album "Victor" absolutely blows...
Getty Lee's album "My Favorite Headache" on the other hand is fantastic!

Sting

And what about the four Solo Kiss Albums. Aside from Back in the New York Groove by Ace Frehley, absolute crap!

Thanks for the painful memories, Cool Manchu! :) I just remembered that when I was twelve I loved Kiss and had ALL their albums, including the four solo ones. Those were pretty much the last four nails in the Kiss coffin as far as my interest was concerned.

WhiteSE, as much as I love Ray Davies, I think that's a pretty good list. All of Jagger's stuff stinks to high heaven.

Clyde: There are Rush solo albums? What rock have I been under? Why am I not surprised Lifeson's album's a stinker? Now I gotta find Geddy's though...

How about an opposite look?
I dislike The Eagles but Joe Walsh is killer as a solo act!

Thanks for the painful memories, Cool Manchu! :) I just remembered that when I was twelve I loved Kiss and had ALL their albums, including the four solo ones. Those were pretty much the last four nails in the Kiss coffin as far as my interest was concerned.

WhiteSE, as much as I love Ray Davies, I think that's a pretty good list. All of Jagger's stuff stinks to high heaven.

Clyde: There are Rush solo albums? What rock have I been under? Why am I not surprised Lifeson's album's a stinker? Now I gotta find Geddy's though...

www.rush.com

www.rush.com

figures...

In the opposite column, I nominate Paul Weller hitting a career nadir while looking fabulous in the Style Council, somehow recovering and going on to produce the best music of his career as a solo artist.

Robert Plant...

Agree complete about Phil Collins.:thumbsdn:

This may cause some debate, but I think the only Beatle who couldn't produce a couple of decent solo albums is Ringo. Although I must admit Ringo has its charms, the rest of his albums are pretty forgettable.

Robert Plant- really not into his non-Zep stuff.


Ringo is a pretty good album and stands as the only one where all 4 Beatles played post Abbey Road, although not at the same time. Thus the closest thing to a Beatles reunion- more so than those two singles at least.

Other than that, I think only Beaucops of Blue is considered noteworthy.

I have to retract something I said earlier- I still agree with WhiteSE's list, but McCartney, Ram and Red Rose Speedway are in my favorites list. Otherwise, spot on.

And I would like to add Steve Winwood, Lionel Richie and Steve Malkmus.

How about an opposite look?
I dislike The Eagles but Joe Walsh is killer as a solo act!

I fully agree with you Clyde! I am full-on Big Lewbowski about the Eagles, but I dig Joe Walsh. :)

Another artist I love solo, but when he get's into groups is David Bowie. Tin Machine would be a good case and point.

Now for artists I considered for putting on the list, but didn't because I cannot stand anything they have done include:

Journey/Steve Perry
Creed/Scott Stapp

Immediately, Morrisey of the Smiths came to mind

Morrisey went solo before I'd ever heard the Smiths, so I assumed I'd hate them, but after I heard them, the opposite happened...still hate Morrisey though!

Another artist I love solo, but when he get's into groups is David Bowie. Tin Machine would be a good case and point.



Oh yeah.. Tin Machine... they hardly even qualify as a band, but yeah, I agree totally!

Also, I think Adrian Belew was pretty good in King Crimson and when he was a sideman for Talking Heads, but I think his solo work is... cheesy might be the word.

Thanks for the painful memories, Cool Manchu! :) I just remembered that when I was twelve I loved Kiss and had ALL their albums, including the four solo ones. Those were pretty much the last four nails in the Kiss coffin as far as my interest was concerned.

WhiteSE, as much as I love Ray Davies, I think that's a pretty good list. All of Jagger's stuff stinks to high heaven.

Clyde: There are Rush solo albums? What rock have I been under? Why am I not surprised Lifeson's album's a stinker? Now I gotta find Geddy's though...

ponderbear...that I aint my list...I was only pointing to some good Jon Anderson output.

Here's one we all overlooked: Michael Jackson
I still enjoy some of the Jackson 5 tunes; still hate every overproduced and overplayed piece of excrement MJ put out on his own.

ponderbear...that I aint my list...I was only pointing to some good Jon Anderson output.

And here I am trying to give you credit for Cool Manchu's list. Repeatedly.

Sorry!

PS agree with you about the Jon Anderson solo.. I like to put Olias on every once in a while..

Roger Daltry of the Who (one of the best front men ever IMHO). Solo not so good -he needed Townsend, Moon & Entwinstle

Pete Townsend on the other had some solo success esp. "Rough Mix" with Ronnie Lane -more a joint effort.

AS for the opposite. Jack White. I am luke warm on the White Stripe but Love the Racontuers. Consolers of the Lonely is excellent

Roger Daltry of the Who (one of the best front men ever IMHO). Solo not so good -he needed Townsend, Moon & Entwinstle

Pete Townsend on the other had some solo success esp. "Rough Mix" with Ronnie Lane -more a joint effort.

AS for the opposite. Jack White. I am luke warm on the White Stripe but Love the Racontuers. Consolers of the Lonely is excellent

Agree with your assessment here.. although I loved "Free Me" from the McVicar soundtrack. I think he had some good sidemen on that project.

Pete- I have such a soft spot for his stuff. That Rough Mix album is pure gold. I put that one on more than any who album, I have to admit (though my itunes playlists are peppered liberally with who tracks).

I think Who Came First and Empty Glass are pretty great, too.

AND I agree with you about the Raconteurs! I like that stuff, not fond of the White Stripes at all.

And David Lee Roth -- somewhat borderline call, since he was kicked out rather than left, but definitely better songs with VH.

Excellent lists.

I'd add Humble Pie/Peter Frampton.

"Frampton Comes Alive" pales in comparison to "Rockin' the Fillmore."

And, ponderbear, what about Brian Wilson? Better with the Beach Boys? "Pet Sounds" v. "That Old Lucky Sun." Or is this not a fair comparison due to the age difference?

I saw Brian Wilson with the Wondermints backing him when he performed "Pet Sounds," so I'm tempted to cut him major slack for recognizing what his best work was/is, rather than going the Mike Love "oldies" route.

Ken

Although I don't hate Neal Morse's solo releases, I prefer his work with Spock's Beard. The same applies to Tarja Turunen and Nightwish.

And, ponderbear, what about Brian Wilson? Better with the Beach Boys? "Pet Sounds" v. "That Old Lucky Sun." Or is this not a fair comparison due to the age difference?

I saw Brian Wilson with the Wondermints backing him when he performed "Pet Sounds," so I'm tempted to cut him major slack for recognizing what his best work was/is, rather than going the Mike Love "oldies" route.

Ken

That is a great question, Ken.

I agree with what you're saying about Brian and the Wondermints. Plus he went on to at least tie up the loose ends and end some speculation about his intent with Smile. Big kudos for that.

On one hand- some of the greatest pop ever from that band. I don't even need to list the great songs they made.

On the other hand- I wonder if the touring band had been more involved with the making of Smile, it might have grounded Brian, kept him from locking himself in his bedroom for a year, might have produced what Brian Wilson fans would probably have wanted more than anything, a Smile with Brian's writing skill AND the rest of the band's stamp on the sound and the themes.

Then, instead of retreating into a more watered-down, safer sound, we could be talking today about a altogther different- I would like to think, stronger, more interesting, Beach Boys in retrospect.

I think when the Beach Boys the band were at their best was definitely Pet Sounds. It was the culmination of what came before, but the flowering of the band's primary songwriter was able to lift it into the realm of true artistry.

Brian, the songwriter, was limited in his potential by his musical outlet, the Beach Boys, yet he vitally needed the grounding probably only they could provide.

What a dilemma, I'm not sure I can say one way or the other.

David Gilmour. Still interesting music in solo works but the lyrics were cliches strung together.

How about Burton Cummings of The Guess Who, he went solo, he did some corny stuff with Guess Who too like Star Baby and Clap for the Wolfman and he always seemed pretty arogant with his white leisure suites.

Other weak solo guys;

Sting, Steve Winwood, Phil Collins, it's bad enough you have to here it in the elevator . . . .
then you have to here when you get in the dental office :boring:

I agree with most said. But I do like Tin Machine. Reeves is one helluvan Axman.

I certainly don’t hate his solo work—it’s terribly erratic but not terrible—but Alex Chilton gets my vote. Almost impossible to beat what he accomplished in Big Star. Given his avatar, Ponderbear might disagree with my assessment. :D

Ponder and KeninDC
I thought about listing Brian Wilson in my original post, but opted not to because he never actually left the group to go solo, he just quit touring. Fortunately for the music world, Brian was much more interested in writing, composing, arranging and producing than he ever was in being a pop star.
BTW, I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Brian in 2004 during his Smile tour. He was very gracious and modest, and seemed geniunely touched that so many people still want to listen to his music. I thanked him for providing so much joy over the years and told him that I, for one, will be playing his records till the day I die.

excellent story, anytune. Thanks for sharing.

I feel exactly the same way about his music.

I certainly don’t hate his solo work—it’s terribly erratic but not terrible—but Alex Chilton gets my vote. Almost impossible to beat what he accomplished in Big Star. Given his avatar, Ponderbear might disagree with my assessment. :D

Hey, I've said it before, I'll say it again.. everybody is entitled to an opinion.. even if they are wrong ;)

To be honest, though, Big Star's some pretty big shoes to fill. And there is no denying Alex's solo career has been.. um.. colorful, to say the least. His less than perfect moments are undeniably an acquired taste. So I can see why anyone would feel the way you do. No blame.

I just have a thing for immediate, off the cuff performances, which make up the bulk of his solo stuff. I enjoy the sloppy edits, the improvisation and the audacity with the same pleasure I enjoy early rock and roll, garage and punk. Plus the man knows his way around a pop song, which makes it all the more twisted.

I feel like Alex and Neil Young are kindred in this way. I read the Neil Young bio Shakey and was impressed by how Neil strove at all times to cut the frills out of his music and capture the musicians' spontaneous reaction to the songs. True, the resulting recordings are sometimes far from perfect, but there is a spirit there that I get energy from when I hear things like this. Maybe the humanity of it.

I dunno. It's hard to explain.

Great picture - anytune.

Brian Wilson was always able to put that sonic texture into a Beach Boys pop song that would delight your brain (e.g., intro to "California Girls"). "Smile," while musically appealing (I have three versions of it), is mostly sonic texture without the context.

I'd have to say that the mere fact Mr. Wilson is touring, although he is not really singing or playing too much, is a treat.

Ken

And then there's the case of Ian Hunter, who departed the mighty Mott The Hoople in 1974 to record a brilliant solo debut (Ian Hunter, 1975), an album filled with excellent songs (some of the best "MTH-sounding" tracks ever) and the services of Glam über-guitarist Mick Ronson. Late MTH vs. Early IH about a tie, possibly IH by a nose? I for one, prefer IH's solo debut to MTH's album The Hoople.

Hey, I've said it before, I'll say it again.. everybody is entitled to an opinion.. even if they are wrong ;)

To be honest, though, Big Star's some pretty big shoes to fill. And there is no denying Alex's solo career has been.. um.. colorful, to say the least. His less than perfect moments are undeniably an acquired taste. So I can see why anyone would feel the way you do. No blame.

I just have a thing for immediate, off the cuff performances, which make up the bulk of his solo stuff. I enjoy the sloppy edits, the improvisation and the audacity with the same pleasure I enjoy early rock and roll, garage and punk. Plus the man knows his way around a pop song, which makes it all the more twisted.

I feel like Alex and Neil Young are kindred in this way. I read the Neil Young bio Shakey and was impressed by how Neil strove at all times to cut the frills out of his music and capture the musicians' spontaneous reaction to the songs. True, the resulting recordings are sometimes far from perfect, but there is a spirit there that I get energy from when I hear things like this. Maybe the humanity of it.

I dunno. It's hard to explain.

I can certainly see the attraction in Alex’s often “loose” performances, both on disc and live (I’ve seen him in concert a few times). Hey, I love ragged rock and roll as much as the next guy, but sometimes I can’t help get the feeling that he’s phoning it in, especially given his formidable legacy. He’s gotten better in that regard in recent years, IMO; he showed numerous flashes of brilliance on the Big Star reunion album In Space, which I mostly really liked.

David Lee Roth

Then there are great groups like Journey. That pick up guys like Steve Perry and ruin the whole group.

I almost hate to say this because he's such a nice guy, but Ronnie James Dio's solo albums really pale in comparision to his work in Rainbow and Sabbath. "Holy Diver" is a great song, but too much of his solo work is just not very good. He get's huge thumbs-up though with his work with Ritchie Blackmore and Tony Iommi. Those albums are legendary efforts!

I used to like The Moody Blues, still do really but I made the mistake of thinking the component parts would be ok. Yeah!
Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge all found their way into my collection with their solo drivel. If Mike Pinder released one (don't know if he did) I probably would have bought it too. Jeez I was stupid then. :D

I used to like The Moody Blues, still do really but I made the mistake of thinking the component parts would be ok. Yeah!
Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge all found their way into my collection with their solo drivel. If Mike Pinder released one (don't know if he did) I probably would have bought it too. Jeez I was stupid then. :D

i love the moodies....i thought bluejays was ok but thats all the outside moody stuff i heard

Avoid at all cost
Graeme Edge Band Kick Off Your Muddy Boots
Justin Hayward Songwriter
Ray Thomas Hopes, Wishes and Dreams
I thought I had one by John Lodge but since I can't find it, maybe I didn't, so could be I've just maligned him. I've put in Ray Thomas instead and possibly that's the worst of the lot...pure tripe. Of course that's just my opinion. :D

I think 'hate' is a pretty strong word, so I dont think I hate any artist solo, but I do FAR prefer:

Dickey Betts & Warren Haynes both with Allman Brothers rather than their own respective solo efforts.