The Best "And The" Band Of All Time

& the Blowfish

 

Interesting choice.

But it really doesn't fit the topic. Siouxsie didn't write the songs and present them to the "and the" part of the band. Bruce, Petty, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Bowie...they wrote the material and had their backing band contribute parts. McGeoch , Severin, and Budgie were the band. Without them I think Siouxsie would have been a store clerk or something.

 

Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy
Neil Young & The Restless (honest to God, he used this one for his Eldorado EP, 1988)
? & The Mysterians
James Brown & His Fabulous Flames
Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Gary & The Boners (a last-minute anonymous pseudonym name for the Replacements)
John Denver & The Muppets
Dr. Teeth & The Electric Mayhem
Mojo Nixon & the Toadliquors (get it, "toad lickers"??)

 

Holly and the Italians!

 

Professor Longhair and his Shuffling Hungarians. It must be nice to have your own shuffling Hungarians.

 

Keith Richards & the X-Pensive Winos.

 

I'm saying that the form of the name doesn't necessarily reflect the internal workings of the band - so in some cases yes it does and in others no it doesn't, and all shades in between, for both 'The ___' and '___ & the ___s' aggregations. At best there might be a tendency, and in many/most I think things were a little more complicated than a simple dichotomy - there were many bands with a significant player other than the named leader.

 

The Band of "Bob Dylan & The Band"

 

Not to be confused with James White & the Blacks.

 

I haven’t verified this but I’ll just repeat what I heard on Radio Caroline Flashback once: Following the changing of the band’s name to Eric Burdon and The Animals, they had no more hit records.

 

They had hits in North America at least after that; and it wasn't just a name change, it was a different band so changing the name was entirely appropriate.

 

In some cases, you're right that the bands are still pretty "democratic" - especially in the case of bands like Hootie and the Blowfish, since there was no one named "Hootie".

But I suspect with most "Real Artist & the..." bands, "Real Artist" is firmly in charge.

Springsteen and E Street is pretty damned one-sided - I'm sure the E Streeters have some input, but I doubt it's much.

With Elvis/Attractions, I suspect Elvis gave the band some leeway with the instrumental parts but he still dominated to a large degree.

Petty/Heartbreakers was more "democratic", I suspect - mainly because it seems like Petty like Mike Campbell do a lot.

There are a decent number of Petty/Campbell co-written songs, whereas I'm not sure if Bruce ever shared credit with anyone. (Probably - too lazy to check!) Elvis probably didn't share many - if any - credits with the Attractions, either.

Anyway, I don't view most of the "Real Artist & the..." bands as "real bands" ala the Stones or Beatles or Led Zep.

They're usually at least 75% dominated by Real Artist. The backing bands have varying levels of input but usually really just are backing bands...

 

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

 

The best hasn't been mentioned yet!
Diana Ross & the Supremes

 

As Paul Harvey used to so eloquently refer to during his daily radio segment, “and now, the the rest of the story”.

 

Ian Dury and the Blockheads

 

Bob Marley & The Wailers

 

TP and the Heartbreakers. No Contest.

 

Yes. The bass player alone makes your selection a top choice.
Norman Watt-Roy's work with Ian Dury -- and his work with The Clash and The Selecter -- is epic.

 

While I get your point, I think you are a bit harsh about Siouxsie Sioux contribution to the band.

 

These 3. And in this order. Thanks for this. Fourth would be Graham Parker & The Rumour

 

I believe "When I Was Young", "San Franciscan Nights", "Monterey" , and "Sky Pilot" all did decent enough on the charts to be considered hits.

 

From Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49: Sick Dick and the Volkswagons.

 

Courtesy of local freeform station WFMU,

PMS and the Mood Swings

 

“The Blue Moon Boys” (Scotty Moore & Bill Black)

You’re statement makes no sense. These guys needed each other to cause the revolution in the 50’s.