Second Banana Syndrome: Members of a group that would have been the main attraction had s/he not had the misfortune of being in a group with a bonafide genius, visionary and / or natural-born star

You got to think The Who perhaps had other plans eventually for "Heaven and Hell" as they opened with it live for a couple years and it didn't end up on the original Live at Leeds. Never know if "Heaven and Hell" and "Naked Eye" would have been put out as a 2LP version of Live at Leeds in 1970 at the time they would have become classic rock nuggets like "Young Man Blues".

Another angle to take on this threads question would be to look at bands that lost a member to death that took a perhaps a different pathway because of their loss. I'd think Metallica's story would be quite a bit different if Cliff Burton didn't die in the wreck, if nothing else, there probably would have been bass on And Justice for All. I'd think Terry Kath's death probably took out the last of the rock guitar out of Chicago's music and left the mike for Peter Cetera to become the primary lead singer.

I'm sure getting the short shrift from guitarists in Sabbath and Rainbow definitely was the reason Ronnie James Dio named his band after himself...after all kinda hard to get fired from the band when it's named after you. And after Dio had success, he really did not let the sidemen share the cash and/or credit according to what I have read. Ozzy was even more mercenary in his solo career, which according to some started as a band and evolved to the singer's name prominent once the record came out. Same time period and David Coverdale probably needs to thank his bank book that he did the two albums with John Sykes, even though he fired him before touring the second album came out when he started to sell out stadiums. I'm sure this is of the same angst from earlier dealings with Blackmore etc.

But guitarist Jimmy Nolen seems the least well-known, despite creating a new language for the electric guitar, starting with "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.
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--Nolen was with JB for only five years and died in 1983. Most Brown fans know him, but probably lower profile than Clyde or Fred or Maceo in the greater world. Shoulda been at least as big a solo star as Little Beaver...

Wimmels Ren wrote the rhymes for all three on that record

Xp

― Οὖτις, Monday, September 5, 2016 5:09 PM (one minute ago)

Nah, The DOC was the chief ghostwriter on EFIL4ZIGGAN

― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Monday, September 5, 2016 8:13 PM (thirty-four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post P

Didn't know this!

Ren and DOC always shared writing for Dre it's easy to tell who wrote what

In any case disagree strongly to me Efil is Ren's record, AND I think his stuff like If it Ain't Ruff is way undervalued on Compton

Also Shockm of the Hour is the super great

Godamnit this sucks I can't even believe someone would say Ren is bad

No one's saying that! But there's no way he could have carried a group any more than PMD or Sen Dog could have (ok that last one was a cheap shot)

And I really like Efil4zaggin, and want to go back to it now and try to figure out what Dre verses were written by DOC and which were written by Ren. I'm assuming DOC was still ghostwriting for Dre on The Chronic, since he appears on that album (which makes the "like my nigga DOC: No One Can Do It Better" line pretty funny, if DOC wrote it about himself)

i saw that show! calderone concert hall. the internet tells me it was 3/26/75. there was, like, no one there. it was earthshakingly loud, is about all i remember.

― Thus Sang Freud, Monday, September 5, 2016 8:37 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Ha, no way! From what I've read, the tour was a mix of empty headlining venues and arena slots opening for Humble Pie. Also, the guitarist in Entwistle's band imitated Townshend's stage moves, upstaging John in his own band.