# Musicians who play all/most of the parts on their albums? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2007, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025 "2007-04-29T05:05:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/21 "2007-04-29T15:03:14Z")
[QUOTE=fishbicycle] Emitt Rhodes played and sang everything on his debut album. Not sure about the others, but it’s definitely all him on the first one. He wrote, engineered and produced it, too. It’s a '70s classic that everyone should hear. [/QUOTE] Great album, and he did do everything on his second. Unfortunately, the record company rushed him and the result was weak, and he vanished. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/22 "2007-04-29T15:13:07Z")
[QUOTE=Krokodil] I vaguely recall Eddie Corgan playing everything but the drums on a Smashing Pumpkins album. [/QUOTE] \*Billy Corgan ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/23 "2007-04-29T15:14:54Z")
If you count solo acts, there are many. Loudon Wainwright III played all instruments, did all vocals, and acted as producer for his first album, but since it was just him and a guitar, it was relatively easy. ---
**Author:** ![VanillaGorilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@VanillaGorilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanillaGorilla)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/24 "2007-04-29T15:36:53Z")
[Laleh](http://www.laleh.se/) is a very talented Swedish artist who played all instruments on her first record, and most of them on her second. She also produced at least her first album, and possibly the second too (not sure). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/25 "2007-04-29T15:51:57Z")
Stephen Stills played guitar, bass, and piano/organ on most of the songs of the Crosby, Stills, & Nash album and on Suite: Judy Blue Eyes he played drums as well. Karl Walliger is essentially the only person in World Party, and plays most of the instruments on most of the albums. Matt Johnson is the sole person behind the group The The, although I don’t know whether he does all the instruments himself or just rotates backup musicians. Steve Winwood can play every instrument needed for a rock song and then some, so I’m sure there are some tracks or possibly whole albums he’s done by himself. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/26 "2007-04-29T16:13:10Z")
There’s an album I’ve loved for years, called [Gypsy Soul](http://www.answers.com/topic/gypsy-soul-1997-album-by-ashik) by Ashik (I know nothing about him, sorry), where the credits go like this: Ashik (Bass), Ashik (Guitar), Ashik (Percussion), Ashik (Violin), Ashik (Arranger), Ashik (Keyboards), Ashik (Whistle (Instrument)), Ashik (Engineer), Ashik (Sampling), Ashik (Main Performer), Bhikkhu (Director), Waduda (Art Direction) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/27 "2007-04-29T16:17:34Z")
Townshend’s _“Scoop”_ series comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/28 "2007-04-29T16:22:04Z")
**Ben Folds** did this on _Rockin the Suburbs_ for the most part, and does a lot of the instrumentation still on his newer stuff but he still needs people to come in and play horns and strings from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/29 "2007-04-29T17:29:29Z")
Speaking of Ben Folds, his pal John Mark Painter plays most of the instruments for **Fleming & John** (Fleming does the vocals), and an impressive array of instruments they are, including horns and strings. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/30 "2007-04-29T18:22:22Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] Prince. [/QUOTE] This is actually a common misconception; Prince has almost always worked with a team of session musicians on his records. In fact, he’s known for being really great at taking the credit for their work. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/31 "2007-04-29T21:35:29Z")
The first Foo Fighters album was entirely written and recorded by Dave Grohl. Other musicians have made up the band since, and I don’t know what % of the other albums are just Dave or collaborative works. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/32 "2007-04-29T22:32:27Z")
**Roy Wood** also did pretty much all the instrumentals and vocals on his first solo album, _“Boulders.”_ ---
**Author:** ![guppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@guppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guppy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/33 "2007-04-29T22:43:30Z")
Stevie Wonder plays most of the instruments on his recordings. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/34 "2007-04-29T22:52:36Z")
Do vocals count? I’m pretty sure every “instrument” on _Simple Pleasures_ came out of Bobby McFerrin’s mouth. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/35 "2007-04-29T23:18:45Z")
I’m pretty sure most Beck albums feature just Beck and maybe some guest singers… unless you count samples. Not too sure about his new stuff, though. ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/36 "2007-04-30T01:12:37Z")
An obscure blast from the past. Way back in the predigital 1970;s, the Cdn Art rock band KLAATU ( [http://www.klaatu.org/](http://www.klaatu.org/) ) put out an album called “HOPE”. Working anonymously, the 4 members recreated an orchestra and a variety of other sounds uising tape layering and other analogue technology. It is a beautiful album. FML ---
**Author:** ![Grey\_area](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Grey\_area](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey_area)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/37 "2007-04-30T01:15:35Z")
[QUOTE=Ellef] I think Moby does this kind of thing. [/QUOTE] Moby works with different vocalists for many of his songs. A lot of electronica artists probably do everything solo though, Aphex Twin being an extreme case where allegedly he programs his own music software. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/38 "2007-04-30T01:54:51Z")
Rick Wakeman, keyboard virtuoso, has done all of the work on quite a few of his solo albums, though through the years he’s also brought in players to augment. My fave Wakeman album is the soundtrack he did for the 1976 Winter Olympics Film, entitled “White Rock”. Sparkling work. Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/39 "2007-04-30T02:03:27Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] **Adrian Belew** plays all the instruments on at least some of his solo albums. (And, speaking of Belew, he’s co-produced and contributed guitar parts to a couple of albums by multi-instrumentalist Rick Altizer, who otherwise plays almost everything on them.) [/QUOTE] Not to mention contributing to a few albums by the aforementioned Trent Reznor / Nine Inch Nails. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025/40 "2007-04-30T02:08:20Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] Mike Oldfield famously played pretty much everything on Tubular Bells [/QUOTE] And there were dozens of instruments involved, some obscure. More remarkably, he was 19 when he recorded the album. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-who-play-all-most-of-the-parts-on-their-albums/402025.md?page=3)