Albums That Have Sold Almost Solely Based on the Backing Musicians
By Mr. Moderator on Sep 20, 2008
Townsman cdm's Last Man Standing thread on bands named after band members who are not the front man got me thinking about an album by a solo artist that I bought solely on the strength of the backing musicians. I was going to suggest Jackie Lomax was a solo artist who was not the front man of his own band, but I'd already had enough creative suggestions shot down. I'm not bitter. Instead, in this offshoot thread, I'd like your thoughts on albums that have sold almost solely based on the backing musicians. There's no way to quantify this, but I would suspect that 99% of the people who bought that first Jackie Lomax album did so because of the backing musicians, including his "sponsor," George Harrison, other Beatles, Eric Clapton, and a host of other late-period Beatles associates. I'm too lazy to pull out the record right now and list all the credits, but trust me. Similarly, I'd bet about 85% of those who bought the Delaney and Bonnie album that includes Harrison and Clapton bought it almost solely based on their being on the record.
There's no shame in any of this. It must be great for an unknown artists to see a few more than 500 albums thanks to the input of well-known backing musicians. I'd like to know a couple of things:
- Which albums do you suspect sell to any degree based almost solely on the allure of the backing musicians? (Since you have no way of calculating this, your personal experience with said albums should be a prime factor in your answer!)
- Who's your favorite previously unknown artist that you were turned onto thanks to some better-known supporting musicians?
- Which artist, for you, failed to capitalize on this opportunity?
I look forward to your thoughts.
18 comments
Oooo. This is a great topic for me as I have a tendency buy any old crap based solely on whose playing/producing or whatever. Talk about unconditional love. Let me compile my list in order to answer the questions and get back to this one.
TB
TB
09/20/08 @ 12:44
Comment from: andyr [Member] 
Does the Attractions solo LP "Mad About the Wrong Boy" count?
09/20/08 @ 13:02
Comment from: BigSteve [Member]
Would The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions be the first, or one of the first, examples? The Fleetwood Mac Blues Jam in Chicago albums are kind of a reverse example of this concept.
09/20/08 @ 13:30
Comment from: alexmagic [Member]
I've never heard anything by Jackie Lomax except for Sour Milk Sea. What does the rest of that album sound like?
Comparing his version to the Harrison/Beatles demo, though, he'd fall into that last category. Dropped the ball on what could have been a pretty good song, at the very least on the Savoy Truffle level.
Comparing his version to the Harrison/Beatles demo, though, he'd fall into that last category. Dropped the ball on what could have been a pretty good song, at the very least on the Savoy Truffle level.
09/20/08 @ 16:18
Comment from: hrrundivbakshi [Member]
Otis Spann's "The Biggest Thing Since Colossus" (great LP title, by the way) wasn't bought by the legions of Otis Spann fans out there. (It was another Fleetwood Mac LP.)
09/20/08 @ 16:27
Comment from: saturnismine [Member]
not *quite* what you're asking for, but....I have a couple of crazy horse discs I never would've bought were it not for their association with that canadian guy.
turns out that the one that includes Danny Whitten is a fucking BLINDER of an album.
turns out that the one that includes Danny Whitten is a fucking BLINDER of an album.
09/20/08 @ 17:43
Comment from: andyr [Member]
Ellen Foley - "Spirit of St Louis" -backed up by The Clash
09/20/08 @ 19:40
Comment from: BigSteve [Member]
Ellen Foley reminds of Pearl Harbour (& the Explosions). Her record Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too was produced by Blockhead Mickey Gallagher, and backing musicians include a Rich Kid and the brother of a Clash (Pearl was married to Simonon). Good record too, though it didn't sell much.
09/20/08 @ 19:58
Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]
GREAT examples, especially - from my own experience - Spirit of St. Louis. The Attractions and Crazy Horse "solo" albums are a good offshoot category as well.
Alexmagic, to tell the truth I can't remember what any of the other songs on that Lomaz album sound like. Maybe I'll have to burn some and share.
Alexmagic, to tell the truth I can't remember what any of the other songs on that Lomaz album sound like. Maybe I'll have to burn some and share.
09/20/08 @ 23:30
Comment from: hrrundivbakshi [Member]
Martin Newell -- "Greatest Living Englishman" -- as great as that album is, and much respect to Mssr. Newell, who I know is a friend to RTH. But I must confess I, like most others, bought it for the Partridge-ian contributions.
09/20/08 @ 23:58
Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]
Like you, Hrrundi, Andy Partridge's contributions to The Greatest Living Englishman was the reason I ever came across Newell, with an assist from Andyr, who sent me the album on cassette the year we lived in Hungary, after he'd taken a flyer for the same connection.
The appearance of Partridge (and Colin Moulding) also got me to take a chance on an album by Peter Blegvad, The Naked Shakespeare, which I dig to this day. I'd never heard of the guy before then. Moulding's bass playing on Sam Phillips' Martinis and Bikinis was the only thing that kept me from giving up on that album for the first 6 months I owned it, before Phillips' own songs and arrangements finally clicked for me.
When I first got into The Residents I was so taken by the little world of their Ralph Records that I bought a lot of stuff on that label, much of it possibly including contributions from The Residents. Who knew, but Snakefinger, Renaldo and the Loaf, and other Ralph bands sounded enough like The Residents to make their records worthwhile.
The appearance of Partridge (and Colin Moulding) also got me to take a chance on an album by Peter Blegvad, The Naked Shakespeare, which I dig to this day. I'd never heard of the guy before then. Moulding's bass playing on Sam Phillips' Martinis and Bikinis was the only thing that kept me from giving up on that album for the first 6 months I owned it, before Phillips' own songs and arrangements finally clicked for me.
When I first got into The Residents I was so taken by the little world of their Ralph Records that I bought a lot of stuff on that label, much of it possibly including contributions from The Residents. Who knew, but Snakefinger, Renaldo and the Loaf, and other Ralph bands sounded enough like The Residents to make their records worthwhile.
09/21/08 @ 00:09
Comment from: dbuskirk [Member]
Carlene Carter's MUSICAL SHAPES, which has Rockpile backing up Mrs. Nick Lowe. She's not so bad though.
09/21/08 @ 03:13
Comment from: dr john [Member]
I picked up the Kate and Anne McGarrigle record because Lowell George played on it. Glad I did.
09/21/08 @ 13:52
Comment from: diskojoe [Member]
I was listening to Greatest Living Englishman last night (capping off an evening which began w/Teenage Fanclub & The Byrds). I think the people who put out the albums wanted to highlight Andy's contribution because my original U.S. copy (found in a Borders bargain bin reads "Martin Newell, featuring the new and improved Andy Partridge".
09/22/08 @ 08:15
Comment from: Oats [Member]
I'm pretty sure I bought Rufus Wainwright's first album and a couple of others because of Jon Brion.
Jarvis Cocker isn't on that Charlotte Gainsborough album that came out last year, but he wrote most of the lyrics and that's why I bought it.
Jarvis Cocker isn't on that Charlotte Gainsborough album that came out last year, but he wrote most of the lyrics and that's why I bought it.
09/22/08 @ 09:16
I suppose the "unconditional love" that we spoke of previously has reared its ugly head on more than one occasion in my record buying habits.
I can't tell you the number of crappy and boring soundtracks and compilations I own just because Bob Dylan is there. Wonder Boys is one thing, but Ya-Ya Pants or whatever? Egad!
I've also bought numerous albums and justified their inclusion to my collection because of the presence of Brian Wilson. He's sung back up on a few later Ringo records, which are fine enough. But, I also own the Rob Wasserman trios album. That one is even okay because of E.C. and a host of other top-notch performers. The Wilsons album is a bit of a stretch. Carnie and Wendy. Brian produced and sung on a few of the tracks makingit a "Wilsons" album. I forgive the Brian tracks, but most of the record is miserable pop crap.
It doesn't hurt that I'm a Macca completist. I even have that Allen Ginsberg maxi-single that Paul played on. So, it's cool when someone like Pete Townshend plays on a turd of an album like Press To Play. I still never bought that last Jagger solo record because of Pete's presence, but I've picked it up too many times to count. I do have the Bowie record Pete plays on. I guess I just have to hear Pete slashing away on power chords.
I know there's probably more, but I don;t know if it's the completist in me or just a total sickness. I have to own EVERY STINKING NOTE that one of my favorite artists plays or sings.
TB
I can't tell you the number of crappy and boring soundtracks and compilations I own just because Bob Dylan is there. Wonder Boys is one thing, but Ya-Ya Pants or whatever? Egad!
I've also bought numerous albums and justified their inclusion to my collection because of the presence of Brian Wilson. He's sung back up on a few later Ringo records, which are fine enough. But, I also own the Rob Wasserman trios album. That one is even okay because of E.C. and a host of other top-notch performers. The Wilsons album is a bit of a stretch. Carnie and Wendy. Brian produced and sung on a few of the tracks makingit a "Wilsons" album. I forgive the Brian tracks, but most of the record is miserable pop crap.
It doesn't hurt that I'm a Macca completist. I even have that Allen Ginsberg maxi-single that Paul played on. So, it's cool when someone like Pete Townshend plays on a turd of an album like Press To Play. I still never bought that last Jagger solo record because of Pete's presence, but I've picked it up too many times to count. I do have the Bowie record Pete plays on. I guess I just have to hear Pete slashing away on power chords.
I know there's probably more, but I don;t know if it's the completist in me or just a total sickness. I have to own EVERY STINKING NOTE that one of my favorite artists plays or sings.
TB
09/22/08 @ 09:40
Comment from: mockcarr [Member]
Are there still bands like Poco, where the whole thing is made up of backing musicians? Even the Golden Paliminos had some guys who were recognizable.
09/22/08 @ 10:02
Comment from: alexmagic [Member]
I don't know if the backing musician thing is totally accurate, since I assume he's writing the songs, but I bought the Eagles of Death Metal albums because of Josh Homme.
I also think I bought Adrian Belew's Young Lions album because of Bowie's song, and I think that might be the only song on there I like. The album after that was pretty good, though.
I also think I bought Adrian Belew's Young Lions album because of Bowie's song, and I think that might be the only song on there I like. The album after that was pretty good, though.
09/22/08 @ 11:28
Comment feed for this postComments are not allowed from anonymous visitors.
| « Is There a Drummer in the House: Earl Palmer Has Left the Building | Mystery Date Revealed! » |
