Although every band eventually splits up, there is often one member who rises from the ashes of his or her old group and gains new-found success as a solo artist. Very rarely do all members of a band find their way in the post-break-up world à la The Beatles; more often than not, only one or two of the members truly “make it.” Here are just a few examples:
Ben Folds — After the Ben Folds Five split up in 2000 (reuniting for a one-off in 2008), Ben Folds began to pave the way for a solo career. A year after the group dissolved, he released what is arguably his best solo record, “Rockin’ The Suburbs.”
Considering that Folds is a pianist, tracks laid down with the Ben Folds Five never focused on guitar sounds. Rather, they rocked as a piano, bass and drum combo. This provides listeners with a break from the average pop song. That being said, Folds’ music is still filled with catchy (and sometimes menacing) lyrics and very good musicianship.
Brian Wilson — The Beach Boys are under-appreciated. Wilson was, and continues to be, a genius. His writing is well above par and it’s unfortunate that he fell into the drug scene in the latter part of the 1960s. Beginning in the 1980s, Wilson has written, recorded and toured on his own, playing both classic Beach Boys tunes and tracks from his solo career. His most recent triumph, “That Lucky Old Sun,” is worth noting as one of the finest concept albums in recent memory.
Ray Davies — After the Kinks finally broke up in 1996, what was Ray Davies to do? He wasn’t talking to his brother and he wasn’t in his band (which had thrived for over 30 years). Well, writing a solo album wasn’t a bad idea.
1998’s “The Storyteller” was the starting point of a strong solo writing career (he had released a solo album in 1985 entitled “Return to Waterloo,” but I’m focusing more on the post-Kinks era). 2006’s “Other People’s Lives” was a fine piece of work coming after a gunshot wound that he received in New Orleans. Borrowing some Southern sounds and flavors, the music is fun, but the lyrical content reflects Davies’ reconciliation with the event.
Finally, there’s his most recent work, 2008’s “Working Man’s Café,” one of my favorite albums of that year. Davies is able to write pop songs in a way that very few can. You’ll find yourself humming cuts from this record, but if you actually sit down and read the liner notes and lyrics closely you’ll find a broken-hearted Davies struggling to keep strong his 20th century values in a 21st century world.
The most radical example of success in a post-break-up world may be Crosby, Stills and Nash. This group was formed by three individuals who had been either fired or left their respective groups.
David Crosby was dismissed from the Byrds after writing the song “Triad” about someone trying to coax a girl into a ménage à trois. Graham Nash left the popular English band The Hollies because he found them too conservative after they rejected his foreign hippie anthem “Marrakesh Express.” Finally, Stephen Stills came to the group after his previous group, Buffalo Springfield, dissolved; there had been much fighting among members of the group, especially between Stills and fellow bandmate Neil Young (who joined Crosby, Stills and Nash a year after their debut in 1970).
