Solo/Side Projects That Are Better Than the Bands They Diverged From
 

It seems to me when I look through my artist library at the solo works/side-projects which have branched off of various bands that they are never as good as the whole band collaborating together--even when the artist is the main driving force behind the band anyways.


Thom Yorke on the side has never come close to Radiohead. The dozens of Broken Social Scene projects can't compete with the eclectic combination of tens of artists combined. The New Pornographers trump the work of Neko Case, Dan Bejar, and AC Newman combined. Justin Vernon has put his hands on so many projects that they've all become boring, but it doesn't detract from the magic of Bon Iver, and don't even start me on the Beatles. Every example off the top of my head makes the point, but it's surely not a universal law.

Which solo/side projects have eclipsed the original bands in quality? Is it as rare a phenomena as it appears to be? Why do you think this is the case--the absence of collaborative ideas? An artist's free-reign and inability to self-edit? SHARE.

For Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age is much better than the Foo Fighters.

It's a very good point and something I've looked at in some depth in my "Gone solo in the game" slot in my journal. Why do some band members feel the need to go solo, either completely leaving the band --- Fish from Marillion --- or just doing a side project while remaning a part of the band --- Phil Lynott, Mick Jagger, Freddie Mercury etc? Sometimes it seems it's down to the fact that within the band structure they're constrained to play a certain type of music, either because all the other members like it and don't want to step outside the dreaded comfort zone, or because the band's fans expect a certain uniformity or even predictability from them.

It's certainly evident in the case of Freddie. You can see "Hot space" was an attempt for Queen to branch into disco music, a bit of electronica, and the end result was that the fans didn't really like the album. But Freddie does the same thing on his own solo albums and they like, or accept it. It's almost as if an artiste is allowed to try new things if they're solo --- all bets are off --- while within the band structure they have to conform to certain guidelines and not step too far outside those. Also, within the band they have the worry of impacting upon the other members (and sales) if they try "something new" whereas if they're doing it solo there's really only themselves to consider.

Solo better than group though? Nothing really springs to mind at this particular moment, though I will think more on it.

Good thread, Ped! :thumb:

Well, if you count Wu-Tang then quite a few solo albums are better than anything the group did collectively.

I have several projects come to mind, although there isn't one that is actually *better* than the parent band, but all as good, IMO, brilliant in their own right, typically in a different way...

In 1976 each of the 5 members of Yes released solo albums, and I consider 2 of those albums to be essential to anyone that is interested in discovering the best of their catalog.

Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow





...and Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water





Robbie Robertson's 1987 eponymous solo album is about as different from The Band as one could possibly imagine, but it's wonderful and I would put it on my "Best of the '80's" list




I really like Jerry Cantrell's Boggy Depot, although TBH it does sound s lot like a Layneless Alice In Chains album





^^^sexy video^^^


...I'll think of more. Great topic idea :)

Two words: Billy Idol. I like Generation X a lot, but they never released any albums half as good as Rebel Yell or Whiplash Smile.

good call. liquid swords by gza is one of my top 3 albums ever and definitely better than anything wu did collectively. rae's ob4cl is good too albeit overrated in my opinion. still better than 96% of what wu did collectively.

@Paul - I think popular consensus at the time of Boggy Depot was those were songs AIC had in the vault or had intended to release. I loved that album, saw him tour with metallica that year, but I think theres a reason we didn't see anything else from him.

I prefer any solo Neko Case album to those of the New Pornographers. The NP albums are hit-and-miss for me.

Also like the two Eleanor Friedberger solo albums better than anything the Fiery Furnaces released.

I prefer Diamond Terrifier's (Sam Hillmer's solo project) first album "Kill the Self That Wants to Kill Yourself" to most of Zs's material. DT's new album "The Subtle Body Wears a Shadow" doesn't quite hold up to Arms or New Slaves, though.

Also, Maurizio Bianchi's "Symphony for a Genocide" is one of my favourite harsh noise records and I feel that it surpasses his work with Whitehouse. In these two cases, the original band and solo project are both great, I'd say.

Is this based on my thread idea? I liked mine better :P Though this thread comes with interesting bonus questions that I wouldn't have asked.

Okay, my entry is Belinda Carlisle - better songwriting, better production, and better musicians (including Dan Huff and Thomas Dolby) on her albums vs. those by The Go-Go's. Her voice might have improved during that period, also.

My guess is that the usual solo/side project doesn't get as much label support (e.g., funding) and suffers from a lack of ideas (musically and lyrically) due to the lack of band members.

How about Panda Bear? I've never been able to get into Animal Collective but Person Pitch is a fantastic album.

The album John Paul Jones did with Diamanda Galas pisses on anything he recorded with Led Zeppelin from a great height.

He recorded things with Led Zeppelin from a great height?

It was the 70s maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan

:laughing:

Sometimes it's not so much a case of better as different. I mean, Stevie Nicks' solo work is not necessarily better than her material with Fleetwood Mac, but it is vastly different, as is (chortle all you want) Robbie Williams' from Take That.

I prefer Them Crooked Vultures also. +1 on Billy Idol having better material then Gen X also. I also appreciate Gen X but prefer his solo stuff.

I disagree on Belinda Carlisle having better material solo then The Go-Go's. The Go-Gos songs were far more catchy and lively. There was a great chemistry in their music which was always missing in Carlisles bland solo pop.

i've really been thinking hard on this one and i have top agree with Pedestrian

at first i went through the 600 side projects of Ministry....all are great but none are as good as Ministry

ironically i am listening for the first time to David Yow's solo album....and i don't think it is comparable to anything he has ever done

i agree that the Go-Gos put out better albums than any of them on their own....Beauty and The Beat still gets constant play in these ears :)

i think the only thing that really comes close for me at least is that i enjoy all of the Nico albums over any of the Velvet Underground albums....but then she was never really a band member so it doesn't really count i suppose

what about Micheal Jackson....surly all of his solo albums are considered better than the Jackson 5 bubblegum pop stuff

One person that comes to mind when thinking about this subject is Tarja Trunen, former vocalist of the Finnish heavy gothic symphonic metal band Nightwish. The band is pretty good without her, but with her amazing voice she does phenomenal with her solo career.

With the mention of Belinda in mind, it also must be mentioned that she had occasional help from one Charlotte Caffey, who was also a Go Go to those who don't know. I might want to dive into Viola sometime, however. I liked "Mad About You" and maybe a couple of other singles, but by the time of Live Your Life Be Free, it was time to stop wishing for a full decent album that returne to better days. It was the New Pop kid in me keeping up until the 90's.

The Go Gos debut and even Talk Show are decent memories, and I still have the later today (thanks to the Dollar used bin I go through for the reunion after not having the album for years).

Artists Whose Solo Projects You Prefer Over Their Bands
 

Self-explanatory.

Robin Trower, of Procol Harum



Ihsahn, of Emperor



Justin Timberlake, of N'Sync



Danzig, of Misfits



Karl Sanders, of Nile



Frank Zappa, of The Mothers of Invention

Good idea Carpe, but this already exists :)

I am with you on my man JT.

I suppose I would put EL-P in there, as he was originally in Company Flow. Aceyalone of Freestyle Fellowship. GZA and Ghostface of Wu-Tang Clan, whilst Raekwon, ODB and Method Man are either pretty close or on par (selected albums of course).

Going really old school, Simon was much, much better off once he ditched Garfunkel. Dude was dead weight.

I disagree with Misfits. I enjoyed Danzig's first 3-4 albums but I much prefer Misfits (with Danzig of course).

wow i couldnt disagree more about Ihsahn and Emperor. Emperor was great, Ihsahn's music is.. not.