solo acts and bands

Vibrationbaby wrote: Ghost Rider wrote: If I have to think of one example of an artist I prefer solo rather than with his band, I'd have to take Peter Gabriel. Even though I know it may sound like heresy to many here,  I think his solo output really shows all his potential as a vocalist and as a songwriter.  I second this .

Oh, I forgot Gabriel. Yes some of his solo stuff is very very good for sure, but I don't think he is better than some music he did with Genesis. It's even steven.

You mention Omar Rodriguez-Lopez as an example in the first post. Here's a nice little story for all of you:

Discovering Omar and Cedric's pre-TMV band At the Drive-In started a revolution in my attitude towards music. Hearing their album In/Casino/Out for the first time blasted open a door in my mind that had been firmly shut for as long as I had listened to music actively. It made me realise that Prog (and a few 70's Rock bands) wasn't "the only objectively good taste in music" or something, it opened me to try any kinds of music regardless of genre. A lot of the music I listen to today is stuff I couldn't have imagined enjoying a year ago. Before At the Drive-In I alienated myself from vast amounts of great music without even knowing what it was, without even thinking about giving it a fair chance, simply because it wasn't Prog. Of course, there aren't too many people calling At the Drive-In Prog either, but I was and still am a big The Mars Volta enthusiast, so I thought "it can't be that bad, if it's with the same guys". As it turned out, it was very different from The Mars Volta, but I enjoyed it tremendously.

Of course, one can't like all music, but I believe in giving things a chance before deciding whether one likes it or not. Avoiding music because it doesn't belong to a certain genre, doesn't fall within one's comfort zone, is a great way to miss out on a lot of great music.

This is probably not the kind of response you expected, but in relation to the topic I can say this: I prefer At the Drive-In to The Mars Volta. Anyway, my post isn't intended as some kind of lecture, it's just me expressing my thoughts. I don't wish to start a debate really.


Edited by Philéas - October 27 2007 at 12:09

Dick Heath wrote: IMHO Allan Holdsworth has done better as a solo artist than what he did with Soft Machine, Gong, Lifetime, UK, etc. (all of which have highs) - although I think his very best playing come when he is guesting on somebody else's album and playing somebody else's compositions.

Speaking of Soft Machine, I tend to prefer Robert Wyatt's "solo" (I quote solo due to the stellar people he has worked with) work to his Soft Machine and Matching Mole work.  Well, all are great, really, but I have a particular soft spot for the Rock Bottom album.

Daevid Allen is another Soft Machine (and Gong) alumnus that has done good, interesting solo work.  Kevin Ayers, another alumnus of Soft Machine, has done wonderful solo work.  What a talented bunch of people.

Generally, I do prefer the band-work over solo outings, however (though some so-called solo artist albums are really very collaborative efforts -- far beyond e.g. taking on musicians-for-hire).

Ghost Rider wrote: If I have to think of one example of an artist I prefer solo rather than with his band, I'd have to take Peter Gabriel. Even though I know it may sound like heresy to many here,  I think his solo output really shows all his potential as a vocalist and as a songwriter.

I second this .

Well I don't know enough different stuff but the music is somtimes compleatly different for example David Gilmour's On an Island is brilliant an I love it but you can't compare it to Pink Floyd as its nothing like it.

For me Steve Hackett is one of the best guitarists in the world! Both on acoustic and electric. I love Hackett, but I also love the earlier works of Genesis.
I prefer Yes, but some of the works of Wakeman and Howe is great as well!

Well, It's hard to compare bands and artists within the bands.

IMHO Allan Holdsworth has done better as a solo artist than what he did with Soft Machine, Gong, Lifetime, UK, etc. (all of which have highs) - although I think his very best playing come when he is guesting on somebody else's album and playing somebody else's compositions.

I would definitely take Devin Townsend over SYL (although The New Black had some stuff that was really reminiscent of his solo work/DTB, which was pretty fantastic).

the only one I can think of is Devin Townsend vs. Strapping Young Lad, and given the choice, there's no contest to the former

fuxi wrote: Fascinating question. Most of Yes' early 1970s albums are amazing, but as soon as Bill Bruford's solo career took off, he started recording albums that were consistently more inspired than anything his former band were doing at the same time. FEELS GOOD TO ME and ONE OF A KIND were just the beginning. Earthworks took BB's career to a new level!