In previous articles for Music Times, I've written about musicians who went solo pointlessly, as well as successful musicians who never went solo at all. Today, I'm looking into the very rare case of bands whose members have never released a single solo album. It's not nearly as common as you would think.
1. Metallica
If Metallica's infamous group therapy sessions hadn't succeeded in bringing the band back from the brink of destruction, we'd probably have at least a few Kirk Hammett or James Hetfield solo albums at this point. However, none of the members of Metallica, including former members such as Jason Newsted and Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, have ever gone solo.
2. The Beastie Boys
The way that the Beastie Boys structures its songs makes it difficult to really separate the members from one another. Unlike other rap groups such as the Wu-Tang Clan or A Tribe Called Quest, the Beastie Boys don't trade verses so much as they trade lines and even individual rhymes, integrating their flows so closely that all three become a single force. As much as I love the Beastie Boys though, I honestly don't think their individual voices could stand on their own. An entire album of just Mike D might get a little grating after a while.
3. De La Soul
Like most rappers, all three members of De La Soul have contributed guest verses to other rapper's songs (one of the most famous was Trugoy's spot on A Tribe Called Quest's "Award Tour"), but in the group's more than 25 years together, none of them have ever recorded a solo LP.
4. Joy Division/New Order
When looking at most of the bands from the post-punk/new wave era, such as the Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen, and Depeche Mode, they've all had members that eventually went off and released solo albums. However, none of the members of Joy Division (and therefore New Order) have ever gone solo, despite involvement in outside projects. The closest any of them have come to solo work is bassist Peter Hook, who now tours with his band Peter Hook and the Light performing Joy Division and New Order songs, but not original material.
5. ZZ Top
It's impressive enough that none of the current members of ZZ Top have ever released a solo album, but what's even more impressive is that none of them have even left the band at all. Since 1969, the line-up of ZZ Top has remained the core trio of guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard.
