famous bands (or significant portions thereof) who backed up a solo artist or were absorbed into an existing band for a single album: the thread

Drive-By Truckers were the band for Bettye LaVette album The Scene of the Crime

Spoon backed up Sally Crewe on Drive it Like You Stole It.

I guess since I started the thread I'm at liberty to broaden the purview and will do so now to include famous bands which morphed, in a more permanent way, into other famous bands (eg Joy Division > New Order, The Ants > Bow Wow Wow)

Related: Bands sucking other entire bands into themselves

Cobra Verde on GBV's Mag Earwhig

Thanks, morrisp. TBRR, I'd be shocked if there isn't already an extant thread devoted to this topic in general.

famous bands which morphed, in a more permanent way, into other famous bands

The Hawks becoming the Band = I guess an example of this (and also sort of an example of the "famous backing band" scenario, although they became more famous after they struck out on their own?)

The Band backed Dylan again on Planet Waves and Before The Flood.

Which reminds me: The Band on the self-titled Bobby Charles album.

'Japanese Girl' by Akiko Yano had Litle Feat appear on it for most of the record.

too bad no other VU members ever did an album with a famous band

i see you president keyes

Paul Cook and Steve Jones on Johnny Thunders’ So Alone.

Although they didn’t play on the whole album so doesn’t seem to count.

So Alone is an allstar session innit. Phil Lynnott and members of the oNly Ones and people too aren't there.

CTI Allstars got around a lot and were Allstars too weren't they?

Who is band on Love , Devotion, Surrender. THat's half of 2 groups or something innit?

a way more fun example of Yes is on that Frankie Goes to Hollywood record, though it probably doesn't count since it's just Trevor Horn & Steve Howe

I think the first few records by The Tangent were just Andy Tillison + The Flower Kings

Teddy Lasry's Univeria Zekt basically was Magma

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band made not one but two albums as the backup band (although supplemented with Asbury Jukes members and others) for Gary U.S. Bonds.

Faust's rhythm section plays on Slapp Happy's Acnalbasac Noom

Frankie Ford’s “Sea Cruise” vocal was superimposed over a backing track recorded by Huey “Piano” Smith and the Clowns but not sure about who played on the album.

Two members of Darker My Love (Tim Presley and Rob Barbato) were drafted into The Fall for Reformation Post TLC, though I dunno how famous they were.

not very I don't think, but I was aware of them (and saw them live once) because my brother-in-law was a fan. Tim Presley might be better known for White Fence now

Bunch of Triffids on Bill Drummond's The Man LP

That Ellen Foley record with The Clash on it

Durutti Column people on the Pauline Murray & The Invisible Girls LP

Booker T & The MGs (w/Stephen Still subbing for Steve Cropper) are the backing band on Bill Withers' Just As I Am.

Also on Neil Young’s Are you Passionate

Little Feat on Paris 1919

That was already mentioned upthread

There's an Arthur Lee live album with Shack as the backing band.

Ian Hunter's LP "You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic" has the E-Street rhythm section (Garry Tallent- bass
Max Weinberg - drums & Roy Bittan- keyboards) with Mick Ronson producing and playing lead guitar. It even has John Cale playing on one track too. Good record.

Faust's rhythm section plays on Slapp Happy's Acnalbasac Noom

― Ambient Police (sleeve)

Goddamn it, way to steal my answer ;_;

How about Dolly Mixture backing Captain Sensible, then?

There's an Arthur Lee live album with Shack as the backing band.

― Hideous Lump, Wednesday, June 5, 2019 10:45 PM (nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I saw 2 nights of that tour. London and Liverpool. Arthur Lee even paid me back after i'd had to pay in in Liverpool when he'd said he'd put me on the guestlist. Quite amazing.

xp emil.y I didn't know that one either!

Ian Hunter's LP "You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic" has the E-Street rhythm section (Garry Tallent- bass
Max Weinberg - drums & Roy Bittan- keyboards) with Mick Ronson producing and playing lead guitar. It even has John Cale playing on one track too. Good record.

Buncha E Street guys on Bat Out of Hell too.

The Hollies and some British session dudes (including Jimmy Page) provide most of the backing on Two Yanks In England by The Everly Bros.

The Weirdos backing Lydia Lunch on 13.13

Honeymoon in Red is her with the birthday party.
Some Velvet morning is her with the future These Immortal Souls
& the collaboration with Rowland S Howard as Shotgun Wedding is pretty great too

I believe all of Pere Ubu appeared on the Red Crayola's Soldier-Talk (...plus Lora Logic, as well!)

good call! also on Kangaroo?

and the amazing 'Born In Flames' single

Those have different personnel -- Epic Soundtracks, Gina Birch, Lora Logic, Ben Annesley... plus Allen Ravenstine from Pere Ubu played on Kangaroo?, not sure about the amazing "Born in Flames" single

(jammin' "Born in Flames" now; I don't hear Ravenstine's synth)

oh yeah you're right, even Ravenstine isn't on the single, my bad

your *good*; got me listening to Red C.... :)

Todd Rundgren & Utopia on Shaun Cassidy's Wasp.

Sunn O))) and Scott Walker

^^ thought of that one, too, but it seems more of a collaboration instead of one band acting as a backing band tbh

The Dap-Kings on Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, at least quite a lot of it

the olivia tremor control back up kahimi karie on her "once upon a time" ep

oh, how about cheap trick backing up john lennon on one song?

also this is stretching the definition of "famous" but giles, giles, & fripp backed up al stewart on a bbc session for "my kind of folk" in late '68

i've heard the session, ggf sound fucking awful

Liza Minnelli's Results: produced by Pet Shop Boys, 7 out of 10 songs written for the album by Tennant / Lowe (plus three covers), played on by both Boys and sung on by Neil, plus regular PSB guitarist J.J. Belle, and frequent collaborators Anne Dudley and Julian Mendelsohn. (with bonus Angelo Badalementi!)

Dunno how/if this would count, but the then-Who (Townshend, Entwistle, Kenney Jones) as backing band for Roger Daltrey on most of the McVicar soundtrack, billed as a Daltrey solo album.

Kinda similar to the Dead backing Bob Weir on his first solo alb?

Morrissey's third solo single features four members of The Smiths on both sides. (Craig Gannon, not Johnny Marr, on guitar.)


Sleater-Kinney backing the Go-Betweens on The Friends of Rachel Worth.

Only on one song ftr.


Bunch of Triffids on Bill Drummond's The Man LP

All the Triffids bar singer David McComb, plus Kid Chaos from Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction, and "Voices Of The Beehive" on backing vox iirc.


That Ellen Foley record with The Clash on it

Spirit Of St Louis - this is straight-up a fourth disc of Sandinista!, right down to the lineup including Mickey Gallagher on keyboards, Norman Watt-Roy on bass, and Tymon Dogg on violin. Half the songs are written by Strummer / Jones, Tymon Dogg wrote a few, Bill Price engineered and "My Boyfriend" produced (ie Mick).

Bonus points to Ian Hunter's Short Back & Sides, 8/10 of which is produced / sung on / guitared by Mick Jones & Mick Ronson, with Bill Price engineering, plus Topper on drums, Tymon on violin and Ellen singing.

Sub Quasi for S-K on Rachel Worth then.

Spirit Of St Louis - this is straight-up a fourth disc of Sandinista!

OK I gotta hear this, always passed it over

Yup. Hindu Love Gods was stuff recorded during level checks and downtime during the SH sessions.

I guess in jazz it's more fungible but Norman Connors' 'Dance of Magic' is essentially all of Pharoah Sanders' band at the time minus Pharaoh but including most of the Headhunters

The Fabulous Thunderbirds are the backing band for most of Carlos Santana's Havana Moon.