Reading the “The Talented One” thread reminded me how, just as some bands have just the one conspicuously talented member, so others have one conspicuous berk. Apologies if it’s been done before but I thought I’d see if any members of the Massive would like to point an accusing finger at anyone in particular.
Before I go on, can I plead that no-one propose Ringo as the weak link in The Beatles. That’s neither big nor clever. And Linda McCartney’s dead so let’s not be unkind to her either.
A misguided friend of mine holds that Steve Howe is the weakest link in Yes. He’s wrong of course.
My own pet example of this sub-species of musician is Daryl Stuermer. I’m sure he’s a nice man and he’s clearly a very talented guitarist but he is the wrong guitarist for Genesis. Firth of Fifth is one of my favourite Genesis tracks and features some of Steve Hackett’s finest playing – restrained, lyrical and very English. But Stuermer’s jazzy ooh-look-at-me noodling ruins it. I could go on and on but I won’t. I’m off for a lie down to try to forget I’ve had to listen to it again to make sure I’m not being unfair to Daryl. I don’t think I am.
John so-called “Rhino” Edwards, out of Status Quo – not a patch on Lancaster, as the recent reunion so eloquently demonstrated…..
No videos….I won’t give him the oxygen of publicity….
Plus didn’t he favour one of those steinberger bass guitars, the berk…
Good point….I’m sure he had one with a body but no head….knew he was a bounder and a cad….
The obvious (and possibly too simplistic) answer is “What was the point of Bez?”
Freaky Dancin’ and Vibes – and that’s about it
That’s surely a different thread. Which I think we’ve done before – featuring Stacia, Barry Mooncult, Jed and Bez – all in their different way on ‘vibes’ and not much else. But also – who can say nay – contributing something vital if not always obvious.
Stacia contributed something very vital indeed.
Two very vital things, in fact.
I have a memory of a dim and distant thread along similar lines – and, hey, where would the blog be if we didn’t recycle previous threads?
I seem to remember that the correct answer was ‘All three members of The Thompson Twins’.
Likely so, but I recall a time when the Thompson Twins, pre-Dr, Dr and all that nonsense, were were a well thought of 8 or 9 piece, a sort of Blue aeroplanes collective.
But I have never heard or had any proof…..
Over to you lot!
Andrew Fletcher from Depeche Mode doesn’t write songs and isn’t a musician. Yet his place in the band has been solid from the start and no one would consider the band without him. In the early days, Vince Clarke and Martin Gore are always described as “very quiet” whereas Fletcher is described as outgoing, friendly, funny and attention-seeking. It was important to create a buzz somehow when you are starting out. He was their mouthpiece had the confidence and “patter” to get people interested in the band.
Dave Gahan is the lead singer and writes songs now, but Fletcher’s musical involvement is zero. It’s one of the reasons why I like the band – not just the music but some of the decisions they’ve made and how they operate.
Many of the weakest links were displaced in a bands early days.
* Henry Padovani from The Police – Stewart Copeland taught him the chords half hour before recording “Fall Out” and he still got them wrong.
* Dennis Stratton appeared on the first Iron Maiden album before leaving (not a bad player, just not that great either)
That woman out of Deacon Blue…
WOOOooo WOOOooo-WOOOooo -WOOOooo!
Can’t be done without her. Ergo, no Deacon Blue.
….whaddaya mean, “What’s wrong with that?”
Ha! I’ve written a full piece about la belle Lorraine
http://sixsongs.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/the-other-guy-lorraine-mcintosh.html
Craig Gannon – was he really needed in The Smiths?
No.
I remember my brother getting really wound up by some guy in Supertramp on TotP back in the ’70s. ‘He’s not doing anything!’ I think I saw him clap his hands a couple of times and run his fingers round the rims of some wine glasses, though this may be a false memory. I presumed he was a competition winner.
Mr Dog, you on a wind up??
Ah yes, one major one for me, and he was the front man and focal point of a major band, and that man was Roger McGuinn. Not that he was entirely untalented, but with Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons all at various times relegated to backing vocals and finding their better songs often being neglected in favour of covers and McGuinn originals. I would also argue, perhaps Hillman aside, that Clark, Crosby and Parsons were all better singers.
Hmm controversial. And whilst I take your point he was the only Byrd on the original recording of Tambourine Man and it’s the signature 12 string Rick sound that was all McGuinn. Equal share for me.
The only Byrd? Shurely shum mishtake Welshy? Izat not Crosby I hear in the background, crooning?
Strictly speaking not a band member as such, but back in the eighties and nineties, whenever rich, well-heeled rock stars got together on stage at some charity concert or other for a meticulously rehearsed “bit of a jam”, one’s eye was inevitably drawn to the bald fellow arsing about behind a couple of congas, or shaking a tambourine next to a chime rack. I’m speaking of course about the one and only Ray Cooper…
On watching Ray Cooper in the Eighties….
“Is this really what we fought the punk wars for??”
Senseless waste of bongos….
Am I the only one who would cry out, “It’s Eddie Hitler!”
….twould appear so…
Aaaagh. I’d forgotten Ray Cooper. Why didn’t anyone shoot him? He ruined several otherwise excellent concerts for me – most annoyingly by playing a 15 minute percussion solo on all the wrong parts of a grand piano during Eric Clapton’s encore at the Albert Hall.
And then Rik Mayall hit him in the face with a saucepan.
No?
…still just me then….
If I had been close enough to do so I would’ve hit him with the heaviest thing that came to hand.
Senseless waste of bongos – today’s t-shirt slogan sorted.
That guitarist in Radiohead who isn’t Johnny Greenwood.
*googles*
Ed O’Brien, him. What does he do exactly? Possibly is a nice guy. Definately has known them all for ages. But really, if he left, would we notice?
All the backing vocals. He has his place.
Generally (particularly pre Kid A) Ed O’Brien handled the melodic guitar parts whereas Jonny Greenwood did the noisy bits. Without Ed O’Brien’s arpeggio’s Radiohead would be much less amazing…
What is this “arpeggio”?
Les McQueen. Baggage.
http://i.imgur.com/OXlzXSj.jpg
it’s a shit business…
Mickey Finn out of T. Rex.
Chick Churchill.
Might have been a good player but you could never hear him
I saw Lloyd Cole in concert once. The bass was too loud though. I couldn’t hear Lloyd because of the Commotion.
Arf.
I saw Elvis Costello in concert once. My view of the keyboard player was blocked by a pillar. I failed to see the Attraction.
I’m on a roll here.
Change your moniker to salami then….
I’m a bit far down the thread now, but the compulsion to condemn that Daryl Stuermer travesty in the video in the OP needs to be voiced. I’ve never heard that before, and won’t ever again. I stuck with them a fair bit into the pop period, but was well gone by 2007. It was, clearly, the right choice.
What’s baffling is that they’re all there standing there listening to him; can they not hear what’s wrong? Mind you, that keyboard sound that Tony Banks is using should never have seen the light of day either.
Even more bizarrely, in the recent Genesis documentary, Tony Banks made some comments that suggested that he thinks Stuermer represented an improvement on Hackett. And not because Stuermer does what Banks tells him but because Banks considers him a better guitarist.
Lol Tolhurst, particularly towards the end of his time in The Cure.