The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Niveous, kinda checking in. I am stretching myself thin with FAWM this year alongside things like working full time and parenthood. But I'm enjoying the creative push. Same with doing SF:TR (though a different kind of creative push). Okay, gotta rush back to the work world.

QotD: In the movie Boyhood, there's a nice concept called the Black Album. Ethan Hawke's character gives his son a Beatles Black Album, it's a collection of compilation of the best work from the Beatles after they broke up. Here's more about the concept: http://www.buzzfeed.com/ethanhawke/boyh ... ?bftw=main

My question is can you think of any other bands that you could make a good Black Album with?

I'm struggling to think of any other bands where more than two members went on to have a solo career with multiple noteworthy, memorable songs.

Genesis had Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins. A compilation that alternates Peter solo songs with Phil solo songs could be interesting... possibly whiplash-inducing.

Led Zeppelin? Robert Plant has had a varied career of solo effort and collaborations, and both Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones have been in at least a couple of bands since the split.

Barenaked Ladies are technically still together, but they might make the most interesting case study, among the examples I can think of. From them came The Brothers Creegan, a duo composed of their former keyboardist and current bassist. Kevin Hearn (the replacement keyboardist) had a career with his band Thin Buckle before he joined the band. Steven Page and Stephen Duffy did an album under the name The Vanity Project before Page got kicked out of left the group, and he's come out with some amazing solo work since his departure, too.

P.S. Niveous... check you private messages.

Cibo Matto, which is also interesting to consider because the core band (Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori) got back together (as "Yeah Basically Cibo Matto") which makes for another step to look at.

Also it's kind of hard to tell whether their "black album" should track Sean Lennon or not since I get the impression that he wasn't really a core member so much as he toured with them and was in a couple of tracks on Stereo*Type A when he and Yuka were dating. Also his solo career started before he quasi-joined them, and his own musical style isn't even remotely like Cibo Matto.

Also Cibo Matto would be another case of a band where the post-breakup stuff could very well include Yoko Ono.

I wanted to do this with Midas Touch at one time. Martin Kershaw was the guitarist for Midas Touch, though Martin's solo work is a lot more acoustic; Midas Touch was rocky. Also, Harry Rabinowitz was a member of Midas Touch, and he went on to do some British movie/TV music under the name Milton Hunter. Martin Kershaw did tons of music for shows like The Muppet Show (The band Midas Touch did the music for Debbie Does Dallas! What a contrast!), but that would be a good black album! I believe a guy named Varrell was with Midas during the early Debbie-age years of Midas Touch, and he did some drumming on the Muppet Show as well. But Sonny and Cher could also have a black album; yes, Cher has done dozens of beautiful albums as many people know, but Sonny has done quite a bit on his own as well. And I think now's a good time for a Song Fight reference; the Frontalittle Squad! Yes, that group of songfighters who decided to all become a massive nerdcore clan? Well, I heard that some of the members did songs by themselves (some of were probably Song Fight entries) were not nerdcore at all, while others were. So yeah, a Frontalittle black album!

FAL didn't break up, they just forgot where the IRC channel was.

I wasn't implying they broke up; I just know they've done solo work, and I was just saying, a black album of their solo work.

fluffy wrote:FAL didn't break up, they just forgot where the IRC channel was.

Eh.... We've done, what, three songs in the last six years? What construes being broken up, anyway?

"We"? So you're part of Frontalittle too? Cool! We're putting you on the Frontalittle black album ... after we finish our Midas Touch one.

Any Progressive Rock Geek like myself sees the obvious answer to this question.
The band is: YES!

Solo stuff from: Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Bill Bruford, Trevor Rabin, Patrick Moraz, etc. The best of which would make a great album.

Also along the same lines Genesis as mentioned, but you didn't mention the Steve Hackett and Tony Banks solo albums. They have good stuff too.

I hear some of the Traveling Wilburys solo stuff was good too.

glennny wrote: I hear some of the Traveling Wilburys solo stuff was good too.

Nice.

But seriously - you only mentioned Yes and Genesis to piss me off, didn't you

glennny wrote:Any Progressive Rock Geek like myself sees the obvious answer to this question.
The band is: YES!

Solo stuff from: Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Bill Bruford, Trevor Rabin, Patrick Moraz, etc. The best of which would make a great album.

Also along the same lines Genesis as mentioned, but you didn't mention the Steve Hackett and Tony Banks solo albums. They have good stuff too.

I hear some of the Traveling Wilburys solo stuff was good too.

Good point about Yes. Rick Wakefield was also with them for a while.

It could be equally fun to put together albums like this for supergroups like The Traveling Wilburys, composed of the songs from before the group got together. Especially if it's a group where all the members share songwriting duties.

Generic wrote: It could be equally fun to put together albums like this for supergroups like The Traveling Wilburys, composed of the songs from before the group got together.

Like Caravan Ray and the Washington Playboys?

(I can't remember if we actually had a name)

not famous, but we did release the 'black' album in aught 10
roktot.com

sorry, i guess i don't know how to do the web address, blue letters thingy....

Niveous, I briefly considered the FAWM this year but, too overwhelming !!! good luck !!!!

Toby Roktot wrote:Niveous, I briefly considered the FAWM this year but, too overwhelming !!! good luck !!!!

Thanks! So far, I'm ahead of pace.

Caravan Ray wrote:But seriously - you only mentioned Yes and Genesis to piss me off, didn't you

I'll go ahead and further your rage and mention Pink Floyd.
1. Roger Waters - Pink Floyd, The Bleeding Heart Band
2. David Gilmour - Pink Floyd, Jokers Wild, Kate Bush, the Orb, Paul McCartney, Bryan Ferry
3. Syd Barrett - Pink Floyd, Stars
4. Nick Mason - Pink Floyd, Sigma 6, The Screaming Abdabs, The Tea Set, Mason & Fenn, Robert Wyatt, Carla Bley, Michael Mantler
5. Richard Wright - Pink Floyd, Zee, David Gilmour, The Screaming Abdabs (Sigma 6)

Tyler Zahnke wrote:"We"? So you're part of Frontalittle too? Cool! We're putting you on the Frontalittle black album ... after we finish our Midas Touch one.

I think it's easier to ask who hasn't been in Frontalittle. I've been in it too.

Hell, even Tycho from Penny Arcade was in it.

How about Nirvana? Both Dave Grohl and Courtney Love have had music careers post-Cobain.

Many of The Band's members had solo careers after some of The Band's breakups.

fluffy wrote:How about Nirvana? Both Dave Grohl and Courtney Love have had music careers post-Cobain.

Many of The Band's members had solo careers after some of The Band's breakups.

You say this as if Courtney Love was in Nirvana and not HOLE

I do, because I am brainfarty.

Oh well. Hole also had a breakup and subsequent solo projects by its disbanded members.

Pink Floyd and the Yardbirds are both such good answers that I'm kicking myself for not thinking of them myself.

I wonder if you could scrape together one halfway decent LP from the highlights of the four KISS solo albums?

It also occurred to me that you could easily do a "Black Album" of post-band solo material from any number of prominent rap groups, especially Wu-Tang Clan and NWA. (And OutKast kind of did one for themselves with Speakerboxxx/The Love Below).