Rock bands that never/rarely wrote their own songs

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Cryptical17, Nov 5, 2021.

  1. Ephi82

    Ephi82 Still have two ears working

    Location:
    S FL
    Word is the manager Loog Oldham locked them in a room and wouldn’t let them out until they’d written a song. Pivotal moment.
     
  2. dmiller458

    dmiller458 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midland, Michigan
    The Detroit Cobras...
     
  3. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Fair enough then, it's not an interesting thread in that case. It's easy to list bands from the early to mid 60s who mostly didn't write their own material.
     
    Glenn Christense likes this.
  4. Cryptical17

    Cryptical17 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York
    Oooo controversy is arisen :p
    In all seriousness it’s just a fun thread. No need to get that uptight or upset.
    Time to move on
     
  5. A Grain of Sand

    A Grain of Sand Forum Resident

    Location:
    Riverside, CA
    They were known to plagiarize in concert. Lots of good original stuff too.
     
  6. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Who's upset? I thought the thread was quite interesting to begin with, because it seemed to be about a rare phenomenon, but it turns out it wasn't. No big deal.
     
  7. Randall DeBouvre

    Randall DeBouvre forum resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    the supremes
    the 5th dimension
     
  8. erikdavid5000

    erikdavid5000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    He’s also usually listed in the album credits as being a member.
     
  9. rockerreds

    rockerreds Senior Member

    Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas
     
    instrofan likes this.
  10. Mollusk

    Mollusk I AM THE STALLION

    Location:
    USA
    Not sure if this falls under a technicality, but do we count Elton John & the Elton John Band as bands that rarely wrote their own songs? Bernie's never officially been considered a part of the band, but he's essentially Elton's dedicated songwriter.
     
    FuturisticWorkshop likes this.
  11. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    George Thorogood & the Destroyers
     
    Fullbug likes this.
  12. Jay_Z

    Jay_Z Forum Resident

    Bernie was usually pictured in the album jackets. Seems like a member to me.

    Rare Earth rarely wrote their own material.
     
    Mollusk likes this.
  13. LandHorses

    LandHorses I contain multitudes

    Location:
    New Joisey
    Love them.

    Only one original song……..”Hot Dog.”
     
    dmiller458 likes this.
  14. mtvgeneration

    mtvgeneration Forum Resident

    Location:
    CA
    Starship, if 1) it's considered a rock band and 2) if we agree it's separate from Jefferson Starship.
     
  15. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    Whatever, the title of the thread mentions "rock bands" and The Monkees, The Carpenters, Hermans Hermits and Dave Dee, D,M& T simply weren't.
    Maybe the OP should get a Gort to change the thread title?
     
  16. carlwm

    carlwm Forum Resident

    Location:
    wales
    Over the course of their catalogue, the majority of the material is band written though.
     
  17. carlwm

    carlwm Forum Resident

    Location:
    wales
    Fairport Convention spent many years using a mixture of traditional songs and outside writers, with the occasional one written in-house. Bit more balanced since Chris Leslie joined but they are still happy to bring in material from without the band.
     
    joy stinson and newelectricmuse like this.
  18. The Lone Cadaver

    The Lone Cadaver Bass & Keys Cadaver

    Location:
    Bronx
    Steeleye Span, too. However Maddy Prior wrote the majority of her solo work.
     
    newelectricmuse likes this.
  19. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    I remember Dave Pegg saying in the 90's that no one in the Fairport lineup at that time could write lyrics - of course it was different in the early albums with Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny.
     
    newelectricmuse and carlwm like this.
  20. The Lone Cadaver

    The Lone Cadaver Bass & Keys Cadaver

    Location:
    Bronx
    Three Dog Night, although they did write 14 of their songs in one combination or another. No hits, though.
    The Grass Roots are also in this category although they wrote 37 of their songs. Again, no hits.
     
    joy stinson likes this.
  21. Hagstrom

    Hagstrom Please stop calling them vinyls.

    I mentioned the Beatles...
     
  22. brucewayneofgotham

    brucewayneofgotham Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bunkville
    The Monkees wrote/co-wrote more of their songs , then 90% of the bands of the 60s
     
    joy stinson likes this.
  23. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    Though Steeleye did wind up writing a bunch of original songs that sounded like trad numbers. I believe every song on Sails of Silver was group written.

    Fairport didn't have a songwriter between 1986-97 when Chris Leslie joined, so they made a bunch of albums where the only originals were the instrumentals. When Chris joined they seemed so glad to have him that they let him write entire albums!
     
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  24. Steve Carras

    Steve Carras Golden Retriever

    Location:
    Norco, CA, USA
    Most of Three Dog Night's songs,indeed, their biggies, were covers, but they did write some very popular B sides (JAM, other side of OLD FASHIONED LOVE SONG,1971, and, of course, OUR B SIDE, other side of SHAMBALA,1973)

    The Monkees at first (which was why they almost quite their show!)

    The Partridge Family

    The Carpenters (well, Karen didn't write,Richard did)

    The Chipmunks-Ross Bagdasarian wrote them.

    Note all of the above are more pop/rock, yet similiar ones, Tommy James and the Shondells, did have two songwriters in their members, leader Tommy James and Peter Lucia ("Santa Lucia",now plays in my brain)

    Oh, back to another that didn't write their own,until later
    Paul Revere and the Raiders. hwever, in 1969, almost a year before his own 1969/70 solo breakout ARIZONA, Mark Lindsay did write MR SUN, MR MOON, and a few others that I can't recall..
     
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2021
  25. Guy Smiley

    Guy Smiley America’s Favorite Game Show Host

    Location:
    Sesame Street
    No. That’s just picking nits. Call it “pop-rock” if you must.
     

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