Bands with an amazing frontman but ordinary other members

[Dhoni Dakurri]

A band that comes to mind for me is The Killers. Seen them live a couple of times, Flowers is great (IMO) but the rest just stand there and aren’t particularly amazing musicians.

What bands do you think fit this category?

 

[La Dispute]

A band that comes to mind for me is The Killers. Seen them live a couple of times, Flowers is great (IMO) but the rest just stand there and aren’t particularly amazing musicians.

What bands do you think fit this category?

I’d say Brandon Flowers is probably on par with the rest of the band as a musician. I personally like his voice, but he isn’t necessarily a gifted singer. He’s a good showman though.

The Killers are an indie pop band and I guess there’s no huge expectation of virtuosity from any band member, but the drummer can come up with some decent beats and the bass player has a couple of memorable basslines on Hot Fuss.

Someone like Matt Bellamy from Muse is far and away the most talented member of the band, and the bass player and drummer rarely play anything remarkable.

 

[Dhoni Dakurri]

I’d say Brandon Flowers is probably on par with the rest of the band as a musician. I personally like his voice, but he isn’t necessarily a gifted singer. He’s a good showman though.

The Killers are an indie pop band and I guess there’s no huge expectation of virtuosity from any band member, but the drummer can come up with some decent beats and the bass player has a couple of memorable basslines on Hot Fuss.

Someone like Matt Bellamy from Muse is far and away the most talented member of the band, and the bass player and drummer rarely play anything remarkable.

Disagree. Chris Wolstenholme is an exceptional bass player. But his stage presence is non-existent borderline cringeworthy.

 

[La Dispute]

Others:

The Gaslight Anthem - Brian Fallon is a great lyricist, and IMO carries the band with his songwriting. The guitarist plays simple leads, bassist isn’t memorable and drummer plays pretty standard pop-punk beats mostly.

Manchester Orchestra - Another band centred around good lyrics and great singing. Think Andy Hull actually plays a bit of lead himself, and trades off guitar lines with the other guitarist. Drummer, bassist, keyboardist are nothing to write home about.

Silverchair - Daniel Johns is far and away the most talented, and mid-way through their career he’d essentially just write an album and call the other members of the band in once the songs were almost finished.

The White Stripes - Obvious nod, but Meg White is a human metronome for Jack White’s virtuosic guitar work.

 

[La Dispute]

Disagree. Chris Wolstenholme is an exceptional bass player. But his stage presence is non-existent borderline cringeworthy.

His basslines are mostly just him comping Matt’s guitar riffs.

I like the Hyper Music bassline, but there aren’t too many particularly strong or inventive basslines in his repertoire.

The Muscle Museum snake charmer line is decent though now I’m thinking about it.

 

[Dhoni Dakurri]

His basslines are mostly just him comping Matt’s guitar riffs.

I like the Hyper Music bassline, but there aren’t too many particularly strong or inventive basslines in his repertoire.

The Muscle Museum snake charmer line is decent though now I’m thinking about it.

Hysteria?

 

[Dhoni Dakurri]

Others:

The Gaslight Anthem - Brian Fallon is a great lyricist, and IMO carries the band with his songwriting. The guitarist plays simple leads, bassist isn’t memorable and drummer plays pretty standard pop-punk beats mostly.

Manchester Orchestra - Another band centred around good lyrics and great singing. Think Andy Hull actually plays a bit of lead himself, and trades off guitar lines with the other guitarist. Drummer, bassist, keyboardist are nothing to write home about.

Silverchair - Daniel Johns is far and away the most talented, and mid-way through their career he’d essentially just write an album and call the other members of the band in once the songs were almost finished.

The White Stripes - Obvious nod, but Meg White is a human metronome for Jack White’s virtuosic guitar work.

Silverchair - definitely

 

[Dhoni Dakurri]

His basslines are mostly just him comping Matt’s guitar riffs.

I like the Hyper Music bassline, but there aren’t too many particularly strong or inventive basslines in his repertoire.

The Muscle Museum snake charmer line is decent though now I’m thinking about it.

The more I think about this, the more terrible this call becomes. Muse was a live three piece for a long, long time, often with Bellamy playing songs only on piano. Maintaining those chaotic, intense musical dynamics would never have happened if Wolstenholme wasn’t as prolific with his unique and more than competent ability to write and play quite complex bass lines with his signature style and sound.

 

[utility]

Does GG Allin count?

 

[raskolnikov]

Jarvis Cocker (Pulp)

 

[Bostonian]

Linda Ronstadt when in the Stone Poneys.

 

[rank and file]

George Thorogood and The Destroyers
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

 

[La Dispute]

The more I think about this, the more terrible this call becomes. Muse was a live three piece for a long, long time, often with Bellamy playing songs only on piano. Maintaining those chaotic, intense musical dynamics would never have happened if Wolstenholme wasn’t as prolific with his unique and more than competent ability to write and play quite complex bass lines with his signature style and sound.

He's a solid bassist, but he's not in the same tier as Matt musically. Matt's always lacked lyrically, but he has virtuosic ability on piano and is a pretty decent guitarist too. I wouldn't call his basslines complex either - some are harder than average (Hysteria looks easy when you look at a guitar tab, but when you're playing it at the speed he is, it takes a bit of time), but again, compare that to the kind of skill Matt displays on songs like Space Dementia and they are poles apart in talent.

Undoubtably the band wouldn't have the same sound without his influence, but he's not especially good.

 

[radiojake]

Silverchair - Daniel Johns is far and away the most talented, and mid-way through their career he’d essentially just write an album and call the other members of the band in once the songs were almost finished.

a couple of old Silverchair videos popped up in my youtube recommendations and watched them for nostalgia's sake

Chris Joannou would have to be the prototype 'rock' bass player - non-descript, mostly root note stuff that literally any person could have done if they were mates with Johns since they were 12

 

[DaRick]

INXS - Michael Hutchence was a really good frontman and a good vocalist but the other band members weren't particularly notable by comparison. Their one post-Hutchence album (Switch) only got anywhere because JD Fortune tried his hardest to emulate Hutchence (and because Rockstar: INXS).

The Human League - Phil Oakey and the rest. The two female singers were a point of difference but weren't notable by themselves.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Karen O and...who else?

Twisted Sister - Dee Snider overshadowed everybody else for various reasons, and popped up in Australia recently to protest Clive Palmer ripping off his song.

The Cure and Nine Inch Nails are slightly downplayed examples, because both Smith and Reznor have worked with capable musicians.

 

[Dhoni Dakurri]

He's a solid bassist, but he's not in the same tier as Matt musically. Matt's always lacked lyrically, but he has virtuosic ability on piano and is a pretty decent guitarist too. I wouldn't call his basslines complex either - some are harder than average (Hysteria looks easy when you look at a guitar tab, but when you're playing it at the speed he is, it takes a bit of time), but again, compare that to the kind of skill Matt displays on songs like Space Dementia and they are poles apart in talent.

Undoubtably the band wouldn't have the same sound without his influence, but he's not especially good.

He is mate. There’s only so much a bassist can do on stage. If you ever get a chance to watch some videos of the behind the scenes workings of making a muse album he’s with the other two calling the shots, writing parts for other instruments, producing etc.

 

[Dhoni Dakurri]

Tom De Longe formally of Blink 182 might the worst live musician to ever take a stage. Part of their charm of the band I guess is the discord created with Travis Barker going mental playing ridiculously behind them.

 

[PhatBoy]

The classic Oasis line-up if you were to substitute Noel in as lead singer. Not even John Fogerty carried as many people in a rock band. Admittedly Liam's sneering vocals were crucial to their sound but boy oh boy what a luxury to do nothing to earn your millions than occasionally hold a tune,

Actually there you go, Fogerty was another classic example. there was nothing remarkable about his brother, Stu Cook or Doug Clifford.

 

[DaRick]

To a certain degree, Brian Setzer of The Stray Cats.

Not an amazing frontman, but a good, bluesy guitarist and the only member of that band who was even close to nameworthy. Later appeared on the Simpsons.

 

[PhatBoy]

While I do like the stuff James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlain brought to the Smashing Pumpkins (I think I heard once that D’arcy Wretzky was taught by someone else in the band), it’s hard to imagine that even if the Smashing Pumpkins found someone who could sing like Billy Corgan, that they’d be anything like the same band

 

[Roobs321]

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

fail

 

[Dhoni Dakurri]

The Verve. Ashcroft was amazing in Urban Hymns but I can’t even picture another band member.

I’ve liked a few of Ashcroft’s solo songs after the Verve - Break the night with colour, a song for lovers, why not nothing. But sadly the main thing his solo career has done for him is prove he is generally a terrible, terrible lyricist. He can barely string a couple of decent lyrics together on most of his songs. He’s still going, bleeding the stone dry from his Urban Hymns days, but it’s a tragic mess.

 

[Roobs321]

If we could include twosome duos, then Savage Garden and especially Wham! I'd back Daniel Jones to edge Andrew Ridgeley in the musician stakes (although Andrew helped out more on the showbiz side and managed a solo hit in Australia in the early 90s), but even the male members of the likes of Bachelor Girl and Madison Avenue are a bit more accomplished than Jones. George was already sole-producing their work by Make it Big on top of the voice, songwriting, etc.

Most other famous ones have a fairly even distribution.

 

[JackOutback]

A band that comes to mind for me is The Killers. Seen them live a couple of times, Flowers is great (IMO) but the rest just stand there and aren’t particularly amazing musicians.

What bands do you think fit this category?

Saw them live and the drummer went off. I think he was the only other original band member besides Flowers touring, the others stayed home, but he was impressive.

That said, he’s obviously not crucial to their sound. If you’ve heard Flowers’ solo stuff, they are basically additional Killers’ albums.

 

[Catfish Alley]

Gord Downey with the Hip