For the purposes of this thread, a “chimaera” band is formed when two (or more) musical groups break apart, and members of the separate groups band together to form a new group. So Van Halen doesn’t really count, since they kept the name, just not the lead singer. But A Perfect Circle does, because it’s a melding of members from several different bands, under a new name, etc.
There’s several prominent chimaera bands on the music scene today, at least in the rock/heavy metal genres I follow. I’m really enjoying Audioslave (Soundgarden + Rage Against the Machine) and Velvet Revolver (Stone Temple Pilots + Guns N Roses). Of course Chris Cornell is still spectacular, and who knew he even had a face until he joined Audioslave? VR’s new video “Fall To Pieces” is all over VH1 and FUSE, and I think it’s great. I was too young to be into GNR when they were huge, so that doesn’t really color my appreciation of this band.
Does anyone else have any chimaera bands they’re really enjoying?
The Breeders – whose initial membership included soon-to-be-former Pixie Kim Deal, post-Throwing Muses member Tanya Donnelly, Josephine Wiggs from a band I never heard of called Perfect Disaster, and former Slint drummer Britt Walford – had a couple of nice tunes … “Cannonball,” “Divine Hammer,” a couple of others.
Cannonball and Divine Hammer (which, I agree, are great songs) were on the Breeders’ second album (Last Splash, by which time Donnelly had left to form Belly and the Breeders was a showcase for the Deal sisters, not really a chimera at all any more.
Cripes, but music was so much more interesting then.
I’m sure I’ll get shouted down here, but wasn’t there a pre-chimera band in London in the late 60’s that broke up and eventually spun off Cream, the Who, and Zeppelin? Something like J Page, E Clapton, K Moon? I have in my head some idea that they never recorded together, but two of them were in the band and one of them sat in for a show… anyone?
This is from Jon Tiven’s liner notes on A Compleat Collection, White Boy Blues–Classic Guitars of Clapton, Beck, and Page on Compleat Records 672005-1.
“The incestuous situation which existed in the UK in the late Sixties has made an indelible stamp on the music of today. Groups would swap members for recordings, the looseness of the day permitted collaboration, and the prevailing atmosphere owed more to the music than to the music business. This was best typified in the recordings of Immediate Records, a company led by then Rolling Stones manager/ producer Andrew Oldham. Oldham encouraged his charges to write songs for one another, guest on each other’s recordings, and bring their talented friends in to make records.”
Tiven goes on to say that Page had ghosted for the Stones and the Kinks, and played in the later stages of the Yardbirds. Page recorded one-off sessions with Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. The Clapton/Page tracks included Bill Wyman on bass, Ian Stewart on piano, Mick Jagger on mouth harp, and Chris Winters (perhaps a Charlie Watts pseudonym) on drums.
The John Mayall Group was a revolving door for the stars of the day. At one time Eric Clapton played guitar, John McVie played bass, and Hughie Flint played drums.
Page and Jeff Beck did some sessions with the rhythm section of Cyril Davies’s All Stars band, including Nicky Hopkins on piano.
Santa Barbara Machine Head was an early group whose members later starred in famous groups. Ronnie Wood is now a Stone, but he passed through Rod Stewart’s Faces and The Jeff Beck Group. Keyboardist John Lord later shined in Deep Purple. Drummer Twink later was in Tomorrow and Pretty Things.
Note: Jeff Beck is not to be confused with today’s Beck, who had a hit with Modelawn, or something. Jeff Beck is a guitar wizard with a very long list of his own albums.
Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Fleetwood Mac - Pick an incarnation
Jamming With Edward (Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Steve Winwood, Ry Cooder & Nicky Hopkins)
Little Village (Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Jim Keltner, Nick Lowe) - Oh the possibilites.
Phantom Rock & Slick (Stray Cats sans Brian Setzer)
Sweet Thursday (John Mark, Johnny Almond, Nicky Hopkins, Alaun Davies)
Velvet Revolver (Buckcherry + GnR + Neurotica)
Well either John Entwistle or Keith Moon did inspire the group’s new name. One of them told Jimmy Page that his New Yardbirds lineup would “go over like a lead balloon”.
You’re probably thinking of the “Beck’s Bolero” session, with Keith Moon, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones. This lineup never got any farther than recording the one tune, mostly because Moon was “moonlighting” from the Who, but it sowed the seed for Led Zeppelin.
It’s hard to say for sure–misinformation and contradictory stories about this session are rampant! One story is that this was the band that was going to be called Led Zeppelin.
Golden Smog has featured (thought not all at the same time) members of The Jayhawks, Wilco, Soul Asylum, Run Westy Run, Iffy, The Honeydogs, The Replacements and Big Star. They are cool.
The usual explanation was that Moon and Entwistle were thinking of forming their own group and leave the Who. Moon used the “Lead Zeppelin” comment. Jimmy Page used the comment, and changed the name to “Led Zeppelin” so everyone would pronounce it right.
Add:
Delaney and Bonnie and Friends – included Eric Claption, Dave Mason (Traffic), Rita Coolidge (solo), Jim Gordon (Traffic plus hundreds of backup gigs).
Derek and the Dominoes – Clapton, Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon (from D&B&Friends), and Duane Allman (Allman Brothers Band)
Joe Cocker’s “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” backing band had many of the D&B&Friends, plus Leon Russell (Gary Lewis and the Playboys)
The Concert for Bangla Desh boasted an all-star band, but that’s different, since it was a one-time thing.
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