Entertainment For Lively Minds
'Proper' solo albums
Just listening to Stevie Winwood's 'Arc Of A Diver' and it struck me that this is a rare example of a true solo album - I seem to recall that Winwood plays every note of every instrument.
Off the t of my h I can only recall Prince and Todd Rundgren having made similar fully multi-instrumental albums where they play every part. Even Mike Oldfield had some help with Tubular Bells.
Obviously there's myriad acoustic guitar/vocals and 'stacks o'keyboards' albums out there but I'm thinking more about examples of an artist playing all the parts themselves. Any others?
Tom Scholz did the first three Boston albums pretty much himself - getting Brad Delp in for vocal chores - but that still disqualifies it from being a 'proper' solo album.
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Paul McCartney
McCartney?
OK, Linda did some b/v. But Macca played every note and he wrote all the songs, whereas Winwood only co-wrote his album.
McCartney II too
That's all Macca.
Chaos and Creation
I'm 99% sure that McCartney played every instrument on Chaos and Creation, too (except the orchestral ones).
Truly fine album, by the way.
Almost
There are strings and oversubscribed on C&C which are not him. But it's almost all Macca.
Most of the recent Macca records have the solo Macca track an it's usually ace. I'm thinking of Flaming Pie, put It There. Did he play everything on the last Fireman record?
without googling ...
I think Roy Wood's 'Boulders' might be a solo effort. And maybe something by Stevie Wonder?
And probably everything by Bill Nelson since 1995.
Stevie Wonder
from "Music Of My Mind" on, except for a few horn players and guests.
I love his drum feel which sets up the whole track
Beats me
how such an apparently simple drum pattern just sounds so good. Lifts me up every time I hear it.
"Boulders"
You're right about Roy Wood's "Boulders", Eisenhower. From Wikipedia:
"Apart from harmonium on track 1 played by John Kurlander, all the instruments (including guitars, cello, saxophone recorders) and voices were by Wood, who also wrote, arranged, and produced the whole album, and did a self-portrait for the front cover."
Jason Falkner
I'll keep singing this feller's praises 'til the world gets it.
Two masterpieces ...Presents Authour Unknown and Can You Still Feel feature JF on every note apart from any string arrangements (which he scored, of course). And he's made a couple since which also feature just him.
As in Ex- Jellyfish
Jason Falkner?
This corner of the world
gets it!
John Fogerty
John Fogerty played everything on The Blue Ridge Rangers and on the follow-up John Fogerty album too, I believe.
I knew he had played pretty much everything
on 'John Fogerty' - includes the original (and best) version of "Rockin' All Over The World".
Didn't realise that this was a follow-up. I had assumed that it was hist first solo album - I bought it on vinyl on release.
I do!
I think a few members of the massive do the same too. I cheat on the drums a bit though (drums machines and loops). Drums often seem to be the missing element of these sorts of albums, Bernard Butler's People Move On for example, he does pretty much everything except the drums.
I was going to suggest McCartney, but how about Foo Fighters? They're a band now, but I think Dave Grohl plays every instrument on the debut.
I'm sure
the mighty Greg Dulli helped out.
You're right
You're right, I should have checked.
According to Wikipedia, Greg Dulli plays guitar on X-Static. 11 songs out of 12 are just DG though, so I was close.
John Fogerty
released Centrefield in the 80s and I recall that was all done by him. I'm sure someone will correct me..
Boston
yes, Tom Scholtz masterminded the production of their albums, but to suggest the first album might even remotely qualify as a solo album is misleading. Barry Goudreau played many of the best lead parts, including the main solo on Long Time.
Strict Tempo
Richard Thompson plays everything guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, banjo, mandocello, dulcimer, harmonium, pennywhistle, dobro.
The only other player is drummer Dave Mattacks, and he only plays on one track 'Ye Banks And Braes'.
Ben Folds - Rockin' The Suburbs
Benny comes close, then has to add strings, "beats" and guitar on one song, and a couple of guest vocals. Still, making 2/3 of the album completely solo isn't bad going.
Emmitt Rhodes
If my memory doesn't deceive me (unlikely, I admit),Emmitt Rhodes played everything on his solo albums. Rather good the first one is too - the second and third less so
A ghost of a memory there
Wasn't Emmitt Rhodes the man dubbed by his record company "a one man Beatles"?
Pretty sure he was
Certainly, his debut was compared favourably to Macca's at the time.
Solo?
I think Mr. Winwood had a helping hand with the words from a certain Ginger Geezer.
That said, is this a good moment to big-up Olias of Sunhillow?
Olias
From the evidence of my ears, I cannot believe that the keyboard parts on Olias are not Vangelis. I know this is oft denied but I call BS.
Aye
You're probably right. It wasn't a good moment to bring up Olias of Sunhillow.
Is it ever a good moment to bring up Olias Of Sunhillow?
Nice artwork on the original vinyl release though...
Not only
were Yes putting out multi disc LPs in the mid-70s, every member of the band also released at least one solo album.
No band could sustain that kind of output without a major dip in quality.
And so it turned out...
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
Thought somoeone would have mentioned this one.
After hurtling out of Moby Grape and into a mental house and then out again, Skip Spence recorded 'Oar' all by himself. Give or take an engineer.
He then hopped on a motorbike and sped off in a northeasterly direction and kept on keepin on.
Gene Parsons - Kindling
He probably played everything on this one. Although the late great Clarence White may have featured.
Probably not......
Gene Parsons - guitar, bass, drums, vocals
Clarence White - guitar, mandolin
Vassar Clements - violin
Gib Guilbeau - violin
Roger Bush - bass
Bill Payne - keyboards
Nick DeCaro - accordion
Ralph Stanley - tenor vocal
Red Callender - tuba
Andy Newmark - drums
Good to hear a shout for one of my most favourite LPs, now available expanded on CD, pop-pickers.
Thanks Retropath
I sold my vinyl about 15 years ago, but this was a bit of a gem. I ripped-off the fine open-tuned version of Willin' from this album.
Vaguely remember a line about 'Do not disturb my dog on the porch....' etc. in one of the songs.
Lewis Taylor...
.."Stoned" is a fucking masterpiece.
Peter Hammill
Many of his solo albums are entirely his own, the more so now there is electronic help. He's certainly played guitar, piano, keyboards, bass and drums on his solo efforts alongside multi-tracked vocals.
Pink Moon
Didn't Nick Drake play it all on Pink Moon? It's so bare (in every sense) that it's hard to believe any body else was anywhere near it
Cale
Think that's John Cale playing piano on title track, but yes other than that, just solo. Thanks for the reminder, I'll dig it out now. Perfect for a rainy afternoon!
I think that's Nick himself..
,,on piano.
Cale arranged some of "Bryter Layter" and played celeste.(..and maybe viola?)
The piano on "Bryter.."is Chris McGregor.
"Pink Moon" doesn't really count, though..there are millions of acoustic guitar solo albums around. (Not as good as "PM", obviously.
You are right
God knows where I got that from! Still, it remains a hauntingly beautiful album.
Bruce
'Nebraska'.
The Winner is
Bobby McFerrin,so solo he doesn't even need instruments :).
It's a draw!
Because neither does Todd Rundgren on his 1985 album A Cappella.
Every sound on the album was made with his mouth, even the drums.
Like this...?
("Blaze Away", 'sung' by Vivian Fisher under the name of Me, Myself & Me Again.)
Kind of like that
but much, much better
(Todd Rundgren - Something To Fall Back On)
No I actually found that..
pretty humdrum. Maybe you are making a fuss out of nothing after all?