Your 10 Favourite Solo Albums from Established Singers/Musicians

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

An idea I've nicked from the Sea of Tranquillity YouTube channel...

What are your 10 favourite albums by solo artists who have previously been in a band?

RULES:
The artist must have been an established member of a group. They can have left the band forever or just to make that album they always wanted to.

They can't have been a solo artist first before joining a band.

SoT have restricted it to 1 per artist, but I don't think we need to do that.

Post your top 10 counting down one per day.

=========

I haven't finalised my ten yet, so will start posting later today. I'll be including album covers when I can.

[Charger]

Hmm...interesting.

BUT a question...just a solo artist or does a solo band count? As one could argue that DIO was never a solo thing but a proper band...so that would have to be excluded then right?

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I know what you mean and the Sea of Tranquillity had the same question. He decided to exclude Dio, Ozzy and Gillan because they had bands. But I don't think we need to as the named leader is so prominent and important to the group. Additionally I'd have to revisit my list quite substantially.

[Charger]

Hmm...alright. This is gonna need some thought.

[Zzzptm]

So it needs to be a proper solo album and not "The Your Name Here Band" or "Your Name's Band Name Here" - so no Rainbow, as well, with that rule. Jimi Hendrix also ruled out, as he was either JH Experience or Band Of Gypsys.

One that I just listened to recently and have listened to every fall with regularity for maybe 8-10 years is Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour's first solo album, "David Gilmour". That's on my list.

So is Rory Gallagher's "Photo Finish". He was in Taste to kick off his career, but made his name as a solo performer and never had "The Rory Gallagher Band" or anything like that. That's on me list, as well. I'll add "Calling Card" and oooooooh "Irish Tour '74" has to be in consideration, as well!

Janis Joplin's "Pearl". Big Brother was holding her back, so she went solo and made a beautiful album.

Billy Squier's "Don't Say No". The Piper albums are fun, but Squier comes into his own with this solid release.

Ian Anderson's "Walk Into Light" caught me off-guard as a teenager when I expected something more Jethro Tull-y, but grew on me since then.

Todd Rundgren - once in Nazz, but set free, what a solo output! I'll go with his "Hermit of Mink Hollow", which is the album of his I keep going back to for the tasty tracks on it. I can also add "Something/Anything" and be fine with that.

"High on You" by Sly Stone. Released as an actual solo album and not in association with The Family Stone, it's a solid piece of funk rock before his drug use got in the way of his recording schedule.

"Teaser" and "Private Eyes" from Tommy Bolin. If I had to pick one, it would be the one with "Post Toastee" on it. He was in The James Gang, among other bands.

Tony Martin's impeccable "Thorns". I want to include that, as well, but I think I'm going over 10 soon and will need to make hard choices. Fulfills all the promise he potentially had with Black Sabbath.

How about an Ozzy album? "Blizzard of Ozz", absolutely. His former band? Wasn't it called Earth or something like that?

Both "The Nightfly" and "Kamakiriad" from Donald Fagen are gems. I'm putting them into consideration. Fagen, of course, was in a little band called Steely Dan.

Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs" is a masterwork. He's strong in Procol Harum, but lights up the sky with this album.

"Frampton Comes Alive" because Dooooo YOU / feeeeeeeeeeel like I dooooo Ex-Humble Pie guitarist does good with this set.

So that's 16... 17... 18? Ohhh myyyy, that would be a LOT of ties to get them into a list of 10, wouldn't it? Maybe I could get 2 more and make it a list of 20 favourites?

Glenn Hughes - "Building the Machine" is one of my faves from his solo output. But was he in another band? I think he was in... Trapeze?

Lou Rawls - "All Things in Time", fantastic soul record, I must consider that one from the former member of The Pilgrim Travelers.

Curtis Mayfield's "Back to the World" is another favorite of mine from the guy who used to sing lead with The Impressions.

Oops now I got 21... Might as well make it 22 with Junie Morrison's (ex-Ohio Players) "Freeze".

23 will be from a guy who got his start in Buster Brown's Orchestra - Little Richard! While his earliest albums are collections of singles, his 1967 release "The Explosive Little Richard" is a solid, true album that I play frequently.

Lyn Collins, a backup singer with James Brown & The J.B.'s had a smash album with "Think (About It)" and maybe if I moved the funky stuff to a list of its own, I could have two top ten lists... oh wow this is going to take some thinking and I hope I don't find another album while I think...

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

My number 10

Iommi - The 1996 DEP Sessions

I prefer this one to Fused

[Zzzptm]

Oh snap, one more solo album to consider!

 

[Charger]

Okay. I'll start by doing this one by one!

#10

MELANIE C - The Sea



It was either this or Beautiful Intensions...but Melanie had been on a year break between albums after This Time (which was actually a pretty weak album) but she came back to glory with this brilliant release. Songs like the Title track, Weak, Stupid Game, Burn and especially the epical Enemy are all absolutely suberb tracks and showcase why Melanie is so great. The b-side to the single Rock Me, Stop This Train is actually the best track of them all...just a suberb song!

[Charger]

Oh and what about Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie...techincally both (although being leaders in their previous bands) are labeled as solo artists....?

[Zzzptm]

I would allow both, but only when it was clear that they were as solo artists and not in an eponymous band.

And to make things easier on myself, I'm going to apply that one-per-artist restriction for my list.

[Zzzptm]

If I make a list of Honourable Mentions, I can do a top ten list...

ZZZPTM'S HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Lou Rawls - All Things in Time
Ian Anderson - Walk into Light
Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive!
Glenn Hughes - Building the Machine
Little Richard - The Explosive Little Richard
Lyn Collins - Think (About It)

Now to do some listening to sort out my places on the list...

[Zzzptm]

10. David Gilmour - David Gilmour



There is a cold exterior to the album, but the sap runs warm under the bark and the ground is hot under the snow. There are standout songs, but as a whole, the album is greater than the sum of its parts. Gilmour's solos are in great form and his backing band was very well-selected. A true VSOP of a release.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

^^^
That was Pete Pardo's choice today on Sea of Tranquillity.

[Zzzptm]

^^^
That was Pete Pardo's choice today on Sea of Tranquillity.

How about that!

I see some of my other picks on his other entries, I may have some significant overlay with the rest of his entries.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

No. 9

I really had to think hard before including this one. It's a great album but really bends the rules of a "solo" album. But it does have his name front and central!

Geezer Butler - Black Science


It may be a bit more commercial than his other albums, but that's fine by me. I like the 60s/70s SF references and who can deny the unspeakable evil of Elvis!