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Rock "solo projects"/"side projects"


Rooster_Ties

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Lord, I can't believe the things I'm remembering from well over 10 years ago.

Anyway, I had a roommate back in college who really liked the Alan Parsons Project, and this was a sort of spin-off project with many of the same musicians, and was produced by Parsons -- and definitely had that same APP vibe going for it at times.

c836715p312.jpg in the U.S. and U.K. - - - - - (or in Germany: c84077k5cl8.jpg )

Freudiana from 1990. The AMG review explains this peculiar release, though I remember the music as being every bit as good (or bad - depending on your perspective) as any Alan Parsons Project albums I had ever heard. (Not that I thought they were really bad, but my interests at the time were definitely somewhere else --- and still are.)

( The AMG implies that the German version might actually be in German (lyrically), but I have no idea if this is true or not. )

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A recent odd release from Peter Gabriel. This looks like a duck (side-project), and quacks like a duck (side-project), so I think of it as being a duck (side-project)...

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Never released in the U.S. (but released in the U.K., Europe, and Japan), Peter Gabriel's OVO: Millennium Show (from the year 2000), is sort of like a real Peter Gabriel album, but with a ton of guest vocalists on nearly every track. Gabriel only sings (or sings lead) on like 2 songs, and the results are mixed. If you really like Gabriel and find this for a reasonable price ($12 or so), it's probably worth picking up --- but I wouldn't pay any nasty import prices for it.

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Hindu Love Gods released in 1990, but appears to have been recorded in about 1986. Basically R.E.M. with Warren Zevon on lead vocals (instead of Michael Stipe). All cover tunes, including a couple Robert Johnson tunes, one each by Willie Dixon, Bo Diddley, Woody Guthrie, and a great cover of Prince's "Raspberry Beret". I haven't heard this in years, but remember it as being a fairly interesting outing.

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I've all all three of these on CD, but I like the first one best by some margin. Side-project / "super group" featuring: Bernard Sumner (lead vocalist for New Order), Johnny Marr (former guitarist of The Smiths), and their first album also featured Neil Tennant (lead singer of the Pet Shop Boys). Pretty good stuff for those that like New Order, The Smiths, and/or The Pet Shop Boys.

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I've never heard this one personally, but I've thought about trying to track it down sometime. Any opinions???

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Max Q from 1989, which was a side-project lead by Michael Hutchence (lead singer for INXS). I've heard or read that it's a more weighty and perhaps slightly more political album than anything that INXS did. (I haven't ever heard it, but I'd probably buy it if I ever found it used and cheap.)

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I won't claim these two Jimmy Page outings are both great albums, but they do have a few fine moments here and there, particularly a few surprises on the Death Wish II soundtrack. If you see 'em real cheap, take a chance.

John Paul Jones did a solo album, a soundtrack to a movie called Scream for Help, which I got when I was going thru a Zeppelin-obsession in high school. It had Jon Anderson on vocals on a few cuts, and Jimmy Page on a couple others. It was okay, basic mid-80’s synth-rock, nothing more.

Your memory is amazing, Rooster. Half of these albums I'd forgotten about (or tried to, anyway)!

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John Paul Jones did a solo album, a soundtrack to a movie called Scream for Help, which I got when I was going thru a Zeppelin-obsession in high school. It had Jon Anderson on vocals on a few cuts, and Jimmy Page on a couple others. It was okay, basic mid-80’s synth-rock, nothing more.

Yeah, I had that same album at one time. I went through a brief Zep phase too, in college, and raided the music library of the college's low-watt radio station. (Perfect place for finding all kinds of stuff/crap that nobody's otherwise ever heard of.)

As I recall, "Scream for Help" had like one good tune on it, probably one of the ones with Jon Anderson (or perhaps he only sang on one cut). Forgettable, to be sure...

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Well, if Pete Townshend's solo work can get some mention in this thead, then I should probably also mention Peter Murphy (who was, for many years prior, in Bauhaus).

I totally dig Peter Murphy's solo work, damn near all of it. Probably my favorites are...

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1988 Love Hysteria

1990 Deep

1992 Holy Smoke

1995 Cascade

:w:tup:w:tup:w:tup:tup:tup

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How are these???? - while we're at it...

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As I understand it (and verified by the AMG), Klark Kent was really a series of recordings released by Stewart Copeland around about 1980 or so, supposedly mostly tunes he wrote for the Police - which the Police never recorded.

On paper, these recordings sound very interesting. Anybody here heard any of them??? Thumbs up, or down???

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I used to have this ("Wonderwall Music" from 1968), years and years ago, on LP. (Got it when I was a freshman in college, circa 1987). Haven't seen it in years, and have no idea what happened to it -- or maybe I borrowed it from somebody??. In any case, I have no memory of the music either, I'm afraid...

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And I've never heard Harrison's "Electronic Sound" LP either, I'm afraid. It was from 1969.

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I quite like much of George's solo work otherwise, in the 70's and 80's. And that reminds me... You wanna talk about side-projects...

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Never heard, heard of, or ever seen this one before today... (Edit: Make that both of these - never heard, or heard of the 2nd one either.)

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Ringo Starr: "Sentimental Journey" (recorded in late 1969)

Ringo Starr: "Beaucoups of Blues" (recorded in early 1970)

Edited by Rooster_Ties
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And perhaps one of the very best side-projects of all...

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XTC's side band/project under the name The Dukes of Stratosphear, which released one EP and one full album, which have both been combined on one CD: Chips from the Chocolate Fireball.  Frankly, as much as I love XTC (and I do really like XTC quite a lot!!!), I think I like The Duke's output as much as anything in the entire XTC catgalog.  Yes, it's in print.  Sound samples are HERE.

I love these records. It's amazing they got Geffen to issue this stuff, with no mention of XTC anywhere in the packaging and VERY limited sales potential.

Edited by Brandon Burke
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Anybody ever heard this???

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Neil Young's soundtrack to the movie "Dead Man" (from 1996)

Well, if you've seen the film then you should know what to expect. If you haven't seen the film then I advise you to do so APAP. Very....er....'deliberatrly paced', but that kind of stuff doesn't bother me. If you know anything about Jim Jarmusch then you already understand this. Beautiful high-contrast b/w featuring cameos by Iggy Pop, Billy Bob Thornton and Gibby Haynes (of the Butthole Surfers). He basically revisits his 'DOWN BY LAW' formula--'DBL' featured Tom Waits, John Lurie and Roberto Bengini--in a Cormac McCarthy-inspired setting (a la 'BLOOD MERIDIAN', etc.). 'DOWN BY LAW' is among my top five films of all time and last year's Criterion DVD looks great.

Edited by Brandon Burke
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I'm also a big fan of the Latin Playboys. When Los Lobos recorded 'KIKO' in 1992, David Hidalgo, Louie Perez, (engineer) Tchad Blake, and (producer) Mitchell Froom recorded some extra tracks that evolved into another project altogether: the Latin Playbos. Much more angular and experimental than Los Lobos. Basically like 'KIKO' or 'COLLOSAL HEAD' but more psychedelic and engineered in the same vein as the mid/late-80's Tom Waits records. I prefer the self-titled one but they're both really good.

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  • 1 year later...

I've never heard this one personally, but I've thought about trying to track it down sometime. Any opinions???

d13767d0x86.jpg

Max Q from 1989, which was a side-project lead by Michael Hutchence (lead singer for INXS). I've heard or read that it's a more weighty and perhaps slightly more political album than anything that INXS did. (I haven't ever heard it, but I'd probably buy it if I ever found it used and cheap.)

For what it's worth, I found a used copy of this in the $1 CD bins about 6 or 8 months ago. Didn't care for it the first couple times I listened to it (especially in the car, for some reason), but I've had it on one or twice more around the house, with slightly better luck.

(Easily worth the $1 that I paid for it, but probably not worth a whole lot more than that -- if you know what I mean.)

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