Worst failed solo careers?

Phil Lynott: After Thin Lizzy broke up he tried to get things going with his band Grand Slam but he couldn't get signed. Then he went on a downward spiral and we all know the tragic end to that story.

and

Greg Lake: He did a couple of solo albums in the early 80's that really didn't go anywhere. After ELP split in 1998, every year he said he was working on a new solo album - or 2 at the same time. Nothing ever materialized except for some greatest hits tours, a tour with Ringo's all-stars and a tour with Keith Emerson.

 

That's his second solo album. The first was poetry and music on Elektra.

 

You mean Garfunkel? He got to do a few movies, at least.

 

Well, here in the US, Cliff Richard didn't have a very successful career either. Same planet, different worlds.

 

I believe this was released directly to the cut-out bins...kinda like movies that are direct to video.

Mark Farner

 

I don't think Oates counts. He never had any major label solo releases pushed with videos etc etc like Hall did. John's solo albums have been very modest, under the radar vanity releases and not much more.

 

Ace's last three albums have charted in the US Top 30, including a Top 10.

 

IMHO, he does. He released albums that did nothing. One of them was released three times to get people to bite and few did. Each time, they had sufficient distribution.

Ed

 

Yeah, but he didn't even have a solo album until 2002. Way too late in the game for expectations to be high at all.

 

That's really sad. I always find Phil Lynott so tragic.
I like one of the Grand Slam demos that can be heard on the Thin Lizzy box set.

 

Lynott did score one big hit with the "Yellow Pearl" remix (when it became the theme tune to Top of the Pops.)

 

I love Ace, but chart success doesn't always mean what it once did. He can sell 20 thousand copies of a record the first week to KISS super core fans who will buy anything band related, go top 20 on the albums chart, and end up selling 28,000 copies total. Though, doing it without a label, he's still going to make a little money on the deal.

 

I remember that on its release date he ran a full page ad in the Chicago Tribune saying that he wanted to reform Smashing Pumpkins. Okay.

 

Take your pick...

 

Liam Gallagher
Mick Jagger
Keith Moon
Peter Criss
Mike Love
Mick Taylor
Andrew Ridgely
Jani Lane
Chris Robinson
Steven Tyler
David Crosby
Billy Corgan
Scott Weiland

 

Chris Britton and Ronnie Bond from The Troggs both had incredibly unsuccessful solo careers

 

Didn't "French Kissing in the USA" at least scrape the Top 50 charts? I remember hearing it on the radio.

 

I don't think the Perry part fits, as, in the US anyway, as he had three hits from Street Talk alone, and he went right back to Journey. I don't think his second solo LP came out until he left Journey for good. That albums certainly wasn't a hit, but the single really should have been. Waited too long.

 

Pretty decent album too!

 

Yeah, I'm sure that they dropped the charts immediately but by the standard of the first post, Ace has had chart success.

 

I Want that Man was also a big hit.

 

The album's not even out yet!

(Not that early indications suggest that a classic is forthcoming.)

 

I'll be adding that to my do not buy under any circumstances list.

 

Clever!

 

Sorry to answer so often, but a little photoshop and this is the perfect album cover for Vladimir Putin's first solo album.