Is there a side or solo project from an artist that you think eclipses their original work?

Question

I'm a huge fan of side projects. It's a way for listeners to see some of their favorite musicians break away from the formulas of their current bands and show a different side to their musical personalities. In most cases, I really dig the new stuff but I'm always happy to see them return to their original acts.

Can you think of any musicians that have done these projects and their work has exceeded where the bar had been set with their original group?

Deke - I have heard them before. I need to check that out.

MELicious VT - both of those are great examples. I was a huge Temple fan.

lovnrckets - "3 Libras" just played on my iTunes and inspired this question. :)

Prof - I completely agree about Sebadoh.

GK Dub - I won't crucify you for saying that. But that's just me. :)

LOL - I heard "Natural One" on the "90's at Noon" show in the car on the way back from lunch. How timely!

Prof - when your side project's album is released, I'll be among the first in line to pick it up. :)

James M - it's Rock & Pop here, so feel free to throw out some pop acts.

BuzzKill - drinking, despair, and failed relationships...right on...

I need to check out Weiland's solo album - I never heard it.

Answer 1

I am a casual Iron Maiden fan, at best, but Adrian Smith's side project Psycho Motel are outstanding. Their album 'Welcome To The World' is high on my list of under-the-radar CDs.

Answer 2

It goes back some years, and it only really applies to their first three records and the Kids Soundtrack, but I do feel that the Folk Implosion was better than Sebadoh. The last two Folk Implosion records were pretty bad (minus one or two good songs on each), but Lou Barlow's portion of the Sebadoh material was going downhill as well.

There was one record that Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard did (I'm not sure how that doesn't add up to Guided By Voices, but it isn't) as a side project that I would say is the best record in their catelogue in my opinion. It is very Guided By Voices like, but kind of different. It's a really amazing record. Had a cool album title too "Speak Kindly of your Local Volunteer Fire Department."

I hope the Pixies fans don't threaten me, but there are certain days, like today, that I'll wake up on a certain side of the bed and decide that 3 of Frank Black's solo records are better than any of the Pixies records. Same with Stephen Malkmus and Pavement, but I think today is a Pavement day.

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Oh yeah, I forgot the most important one. I know that when I drop Professor Anger and His Buzz Saw Arms it will be far more successful and acclaimed than the group that I am currently in Tiger-Bot and the Righteous Dropkicks.

Thanks by the way, I really like the earlier folk implosion stuff a lot. They were just a really interesting group. Neat combo of a pop sensibility (at least melodically) with a sort of weirdness.

Answer 3

The only one I can think of is my personal favourite:

Stevie Nicks

I have all her albums, and her early Buckingham Nicks album.

Her Fleetwood Mac songs were often arranged by Lindsey Buckingham, and she never had room for more than 3 or so songs per album.

As such, her solo songs have always been more in the style she originally intended, as well as allowing fans to see the bredth of her songwriting styles.



Then there's Sting.

I love almost all the songs on his album 'Brand New Day', and a large selection of songs from his other solo albums.


I also love several of Mark Knopfler's solo songs, especially his soundtrack work for 'Local Hero'.


And I nearly forgot Karen Matherson {of Capercaillie}!

Her 3 albums - 'The Dreaming Sea', Time to Fall' and 'Downriver' - contain some of the most wonderful lyrical Scottish / Scottish Gaelic songs.


I also like these particular albums from other musicians solo careers:

Robert Plant - Dreamtime
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
Ian Anderson - Calliandra Shade
Paul McCartney {Wings} - Band On the Run
Annie Lennox - Diva

Answer 4

Some of these may not qualify as rock..but here goes.

Beyonce is much better as a solo than she was in Destiny's Child. She can sing her lungs out. Jesse Johnson left the Time and soloed..excellent album. Kudos on the Justin Timberlake mention as well as Lionel Richie.
Does Michael Jackson count as a solo leaving the band. He has to be mentioned for Thriller and Off the Wall.

On the rock front; Ritchie Blackmore always comes up with something interesting when he leaves the band..

Answer 5

I really liked Temple of the Dog - which was a side project that combined members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden - as a tribute to Andrew Wood who had passed away. Andrew was the lead singer of Mother Love Bone - I believe he died of some form of drug overdose. Temple of the Dog was great, but I don't know that it exceeded the work done by either PJ or SG.

Now, do a 180 to a whole other Genre of Music: Lionel Richie, when he went solo was at least as good as and in my opinion sometimes better than when he was with the Commodore's.

I can't believe I forgot when Stevie Nicks went and did her own thing apart from Fleetwood Mac. I really think she's good too.

Answer 6

The metal-heads will throw tomatoes at me for this one but I have been very impressed with Stone Sour. Dare I say it's better than Slipknot? Very close. We got to see a whole different dimension to this very hard rocking scary outfit, the sensitive male. Check out the song Through Glass, it's borderline haunting.

Also, A Perfect Circle is just as good (and sometimes better) than Tool. This might be the best side project of them all right now. I hope the rumors aren't true that it's finished.

Great call about the Folk Implosion. I almost forgot about Natural One. Barlow was never in the game for album sales but I can't help but wonder if perhaps he should have taken advantage of his one hit song and thrown it on one of their albums.

3 Libras inspired the question, eh? Read your mind. :-)

Answer 7

I have to agree with lovnrckets on both counts. I enjoy a lot of Slipknot's stuff, but I think Stone Sour is much more solid. Both of their albums are excellent all the way through, and they seem to be a little more versatile. I also agree that A Perfect Circle is as good as Tool. Actually, I was a semi-fan of Tool, but I fell so hard for APC that it actually made me a bigger Tool fan. (Now I think they're about equal.) I think Rob Zombie's solo work is just as good if not better than his time with White Zombie. I'll get crucified for this, but I actually liked Audioslave even more than Rage Against The Machine, but not quite as much as Soundgarden.

Answer 8

As far as solo projects that come to mind:
Scott Weiland - 12 Bar Blues. Next to their debut release, this was the best thing Scott did in my opinion.
Jeremy Enigk - Return of the Frog Queen. I do enjoy Sunny Day Real Estate but his solo debut is still one of my top 20 best releases.
Gerald Collier (Best Kissers in the World) His folk-ish country sound is almost addictive. Songs about drinking, despair, and failed relationships? Who can't enjoy that?!

Answer 9

I'm not a big fan, but I think Justin Timberlake is on his way to exceeding what N'Sync did with his solo act. I know he has a better variety of fans now instead of just a huge crowd of screaming pre-teen girls.

Answer 10

Jon Lord the organist of Deep Purple became a composer and that music is amazing