Multiple songwriters = more success?

by **ek88** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 1:16 pm

Got to thinking about this a little bit. Obviously we all know the songwriting capabilities of Styx. The Beatles, Eagles, and Journey come to mind as other successful acts with hits written by various members. Anyway, I'm trying to think of some comparatively successful bands with only one primary songwriter and am just drawing a blank. Would someone please hit me over the head with a few blatantly obvious ones before I lose more sleep over this?

by **froy** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 1:35 pm

ek88 wrote:Got to thinking about this a little bit. Obviously we all know the songwriting capabilities of Styx. The Beatles, Eagles, and Journey come to mind as other successful acts with hits written by various members. Anyway, I'm trying to think of some comparatively successful bands with only one primary songwriter and am just drawing a blank. Would someone please hit me over the head with a few blatantly obvious ones before I lose more sleep over this?

CCR
Boston
ELO

by **Angiekay** » Wed Apr 26, 2006 2:38 pm

Most of those bands you listed definetely had more then ONE primary songwriter. Henley/Frey, Lennon/McCartney, DeYoung/Shaw. In that light I could name more pairs then singles, but here are some both single and duos:

Rush-Peart/Lee

Heart-Both Ann and Nancy

The Police-Sting..one or two songs throughout their career handed to Summers and Copeland, but Sting gets credit for most of the hits.

Steve Miller

Genesis-Phil was the man for the most part

The Who-mostly Townshend

Led Zeppelin-Page/Plant

by **ek88** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 8:52 am

Thanks guys, I was just struggling to think of some!

by **gr8dane** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 9:25 am

Kinks.I believe Ray wrote everything.

Ooooooohhh.666(posts),does that make me the devil :twisted:

by **kansas666** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 12:10 am

Bruce Springsteen
ZZ Top
Cheap Trick
Collective Soul
Tom Petty
Beach Boys
Bob Seeger
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Everclear

by **froy** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 1:25 am

kansas666 wrote:Bruce Springsteen
ZZ Top
Cheap Trick
Collective Soul
Tom Petty
Beach Boys
Bob Seeger
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Everclear

hey Kansas nice to see ya back
I was going to list the Beech Boys not sure if it was all BW.

by **jimmy19029** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 2:43 am

The hits were all Brian alone or Brian with Mike Love or other partners like Gary Usher, Roger Christian or Tony Asher.
Smile was done with Van Dyke Parks and FINALLY completed and released in 2004!

by **froy** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 2:53 am

jimmy19029 wrote:The hits were all Brian alone or Brian with Mike Love or other partners like Gary Usher, Roger Christian or Tony Asher.
Smile was done with Van Dyke Parks and FINALLY completed and released in 2004!

So based on that the BB do not fit in this catagory

by **jrnyman28** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 4:17 am

Different genre but Warrant songs were all written by Jani Lane. That is why I find it difficult to listen to the new Warrant CD without him...

by **NealIsGod** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 5:14 am

jrnyman28 wrote:Different genre but Warrant songs were all written by Jani Lane. That is why I find it difficult to listen to the new Warrant CD without him...

I find it difficult because they SUCK! :lol:

by **Angiekay** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 5:43 am

NealIsGod wrote:
jrnyman28 wrote:Different genre but Warrant songs were all written by Jani Lane. That is why I find it difficult to listen to the new Warrant CD without him...

I find it difficult because they SUCK!

LMAO...I think NIG is channeling Deano this afternoon! I never had a problem with Warrant, they have a few good tunes.

by **jrnyman28** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:44 am

Hey, the genre imploded and the image swallowed up everything else. But there were some bands who wrote good songs. IMO Warrant was one of them. If they had never released Cherry Pie I think people would view them differently. But that one song ruined them...

by **ek88** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 10:09 am

So who would fit the description of most successful band with only one songwriter writing everything (not just hits)? I suppose most bands that come close to this description have the odd song or two written by someone else?

by **Angiekay** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 2:03 pm

ek88 wrote:So who would fit the description of most successful band with only one songwriter writing everything (not just hits)? I suppose most bands that come close to this description have the odd song or two written by someone else?

Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo(even if they weren't THAT successful) . The man is a one man band and movie soundtrack writing GENUIS!(Hey, it snagged him Bridget Fonda!)

by **classicstyxfan** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 5:06 pm

I dont think Art did much of the songwriting in Simon and Garfunkel.

didnt Iam Anderson do all the writing for Jethro Tull ?

Paul did all the writing for Wings....wasnt he in some band before Wings by the way ? :shock:

by **ek88** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 11:07 am

I guess that's what I'm after: Is there a successful band out there with only one studly songwriter . . .

by **Angiekay** » Mon May 01, 2006 7:47 am

ek88 wrote:I guess that's what I'm after: Is there a successful band out there with only one studly songwriter . . .

Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits

by **Monker** » Mon May 01, 2006 10:13 am

ek88 wrote:I guess that's what I'm after: Is there a successful band out there with only one studly songwriter . . .

Boston and Tom Scholz.

by **Moon Beam** » Mon May 01, 2006 10:26 am

Was Jeff Lynn the only songwriter for ELO?

by **jimmy19029** » Mon May 01, 2006 12:08 pm

Moon Beam wrote:Was Jeff Lynn the only songwriter for ELO?

He was, for the most part, after Roy Wood left in 1972. Jeff wrote all the hits of course.

by **SuiteMadameBlue** » Tue May 02, 2006 4:15 am

EK88,

I submitted this question to another board and received these answers. Some bands aren't as successful as others, but I listed them all.

The Smashing Pumpkins
The Who
The Kinks
CCR
Oasis - at the beginning of their career
The Strokes
Depeche Mode
Wings
Jethro Tull.
World Party
Crowded House
Mothers (Frank Zappa)
Nazz (mainly Todd Rundgren)
Modern Lovers (Jonathan Richman)
Only Ones (Peter Perrett)
Spandau Ballet (Gary Kemp)
Prefab Sprout (Paddy McAloon)
Blue Nile (mainly Paul Buchanan)
Cheap Trick (mainly Rick Neilsen)
Danny Wilson (Gary Clark)
Waterboys (mainly Mike Scott)
Beach Boys
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Spock's Beard (Neal Morse before going solo)
Porcupine Tree (Steven Wilson)
Depeche Mode (Martin Gore)
'Blues era' Fleetwood Mac - Peter Green
Travis - Fran Cosgrave
Alan Parsons Project (Eric Woolfson)
The Band
Wham
Counting Crows
The Plimsoles--Peter case
The Police
Violent Femmes
Simon & Garfunkel
The Pretenders
Dire Straits
Smithereens- Pat DiNizio
Dire Straits
Thin Lizzy
Modern Lovers
Velvet Underground
Big Country
Nirvana

by **ek88** » Sat May 06, 2006 12:45 pm

Thanks everyone! I knew there had to be some out there, but my music trivia knowledge is limited! There doesn't seem to be too many single songwriter bands that can compete with the success of those with multiple songwriters. Have we mentioned any bands that can hold a candle to our boys in Styx, or their peers in Journey et al?

MR

Multiple songwriters = more success?

Multiple songwriters = more success?

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