Authentic "One Man Bands?"
07-03-07, 04:58 PM
#1
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Thread Starter
Authentic "One Man Bands?"
I only know of two albums that were recorded by just one person playing all the instruments themselves.
01: Centerfield by John Fogerty (1985)
02: McCartney by Paul McCartney (1970)
That impresses the hell out of me, for some reason. One person laying down separate tracks (drums/guitar/vocals) to make one complete song/album.
Are there any other "one man band" albums/songs out there that have escaped my notice?
01: Centerfield by John Fogerty (1985)
02: McCartney by Paul McCartney (1970)
That impresses the hell out of me, for some reason. One person laying down separate tracks (drums/guitar/vocals) to make one complete song/album.
Are there any other "one man band" albums/songs out there that have escaped my notice?
07-03-07, 05:20 PM
#2
DVD Talk Special Edition
Didn't Billy Corrigan play Siamese Dream singlehandedly? I'm pretty sure that Keller Williams plays every instrument on his albums, and, more incredibly, on the road as well.
cheers,
-the Jesus
cheers,
-the Jesus
07-03-07, 07:17 PM
#6
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Originally Posted by Hollowgen
didn't dave grohl play all the instruments on the first FF album?
Basically yes, but not quite. Greg Dulli of Afghan Whigs played guitar on X-Static.
As someone who is doing the same thing, I have the most respect for anyone who does it. Its harder than one would think. But I do love having no one trying to screw with my songs.
07-03-07, 08:56 PM
#8
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Jeannette Kantzalis - allmusic describes her as a "sloppier, lower-fi version of the Muffs". Garage/punk/pop with a good songwriting sense and a sense of humor.
The Chubbies first album, I'm the King (1995), was all done by Jeannette Kantzalis. Drums, Guitar, Bass, recording/multi-tracking.
Later albums added a drummer (mostly added so she could tour) and on one or two releases had 3 members. Then they left and the album, American Swagger (2000), was Jeannette alone again. I think the album New Wave Boyfriends (2002) was all her too, but she may have had some help on drums or something from the person who produced the album- the liner notes aren't too clear.
Her current incarnation, A Brokeheart Pro - The Kitten Next Door (2007), is also performed completely by her.
She had an album released in 1992 under the name Jeannette Katt called Pink Mischief that I'm pretty sure was recorded in the same way.
Myspace links for each of her incarnations:
www.myspace.com/abrokeheartprofessional
www.myspace.com/thechubbies
www.myspace.com/jeannettekatt
The Chubbies first album, I'm the King (1995), was all done by Jeannette Kantzalis. Drums, Guitar, Bass, recording/multi-tracking.
Later albums added a drummer (mostly added so she could tour) and on one or two releases had 3 members. Then they left and the album, American Swagger (2000), was Jeannette alone again. I think the album New Wave Boyfriends (2002) was all her too, but she may have had some help on drums or something from the person who produced the album- the liner notes aren't too clear.
Her current incarnation, A Brokeheart Pro - The Kitten Next Door (2007), is also performed completely by her.
She had an album released in 1992 under the name Jeannette Katt called Pink Mischief that I'm pretty sure was recorded in the same way.
Myspace links for each of her incarnations:
www.myspace.com/abrokeheartprofessional
www.myspace.com/thechubbies
www.myspace.com/jeannettekatt
07-04-07, 10:04 AM
#13
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Originally Posted by GuessWho
AFAIK, Nine Inch Nails is Trent Reznor... the other guys are just for concerts
07-04-07, 11:04 AM
#14
Moderator
On Something/Anything Todd Rundgren played all the instruments on three of the album's four sides. There are probably lots of others but I'm just not remembering any right now.
07-04-07, 11:36 AM
#16
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally Posted by wendersfan
On Something/Anything Todd Rundgren played all the instruments on three of the album's four sides. There are probably lots of others but I'm just not remembering any right now.
07-04-07, 11:39 AM
#17
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally Posted by Buttmunker
McCartney by Paul McCartney (1970)
07-04-07, 12:09 PM
#18
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Speaking of the first McCartney solo album, at the same time that Paul was doing his one man band album so was Emitt Rhodes. If you like Paul's melodic song stylings, you should check out this gem. This guy should have been huge but he got screwed by his label early on.
Emitt Rhodes (1970)
But by 1969 Rhodes, now 19, grew tired of the inevitable in-fighting that comes with being in a group. He wanted to make music for himself and by himself, so he set up a makeshift studio in a shed behind his parents house. "I bought myself a machine. It was an old four track machine, an Ampex," Rhodes recalled. "It had huge knobs and giant meters. It was the size of a washing machine. It looked like something out of Flash Gordon." With his brand new four-track, Rhodes began bashing out songs for his first solo album. His desire to record everything himself was practical because he didn't have any money to hire musicians. Alone in the studio he was open to experimentation. "I was a drummer and I had a piano and I had a guitar and I just started there. The next thing I knew I wanted to play the violin and the sax and the flute and the harmonica and the banjo and everything. I'm a tinkerer. I would buy an instrument and an instructional book, and just play scales for an hour a day until I felt comfortable doing it. And then I would write parts. I was more of an arranger I guess."
With only three mics, two mixers and his four track crowded in the 20 foot long by 10 foot wide shed, recording was a time consuming process. "I had the machine on one end and the drums on the other, and I'd press the record button and run over and sit down and put the phones on. It was pretty rudimentary." As Rhodes assembled the record, he had no idea he was creating his masterpiece. "I was just doing the best I could do, writing what I thought was important at the time."
Emitt Rhodes (1970)
But by 1969 Rhodes, now 19, grew tired of the inevitable in-fighting that comes with being in a group. He wanted to make music for himself and by himself, so he set up a makeshift studio in a shed behind his parents house. "I bought myself a machine. It was an old four track machine, an Ampex," Rhodes recalled. "It had huge knobs and giant meters. It was the size of a washing machine. It looked like something out of Flash Gordon." With his brand new four-track, Rhodes began bashing out songs for his first solo album. His desire to record everything himself was practical because he didn't have any money to hire musicians. Alone in the studio he was open to experimentation. "I was a drummer and I had a piano and I had a guitar and I just started there. The next thing I knew I wanted to play the violin and the sax and the flute and the harmonica and the banjo and everything. I'm a tinkerer. I would buy an instrument and an instructional book, and just play scales for an hour a day until I felt comfortable doing it. And then I would write parts. I was more of an arranger I guess."
With only three mics, two mixers and his four track crowded in the 20 foot long by 10 foot wide shed, recording was a time consuming process. "I had the machine on one end and the drums on the other, and I'd press the record button and run over and sit down and put the phones on. It was pretty rudimentary." As Rhodes assembled the record, he had no idea he was creating his masterpiece. "I was just doing the best I could do, writing what I thought was important at the time."
07-04-07, 12:32 PM
#19
Moderator
Originally Posted by nazz
I've been admiring Todd's amazing talents for many years but didn't realize that fact about Something Anything. I'll have to break that one out and give it a spin.
He probably did that with other albums, but that's the only one I know for sure.
07-04-07, 06:03 PM
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To the person commenting about NiN - it's true, that NiN is Trent Reznor, but , in the studio a lot of times Reznor has help, as he has admitted he is terrible with the guitar. Everyone of his albums, at some point, have someone else playing instruments.