# Singers who were great in a group, but suck solo **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 25, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139 "2004-10-25T23:02:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/1 "2004-10-25T23:02:15Z")
Or, The Belinda Carlisle Award. Her singing style was great for the Go-Go’s, but it evolved into a nasal vibrato that got old real quick. Anybody else? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/2 "2004-10-25T23:09:11Z")
Are we just talking about their voices, or the overall quality of their work? If the latter, I’ll nominate Sting. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/3 "2004-10-25T23:11:05Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Are we just talking about their voices, or the overall quality of their work? > > If the latter, I’ll nominate Sting. More so the quality of their work. Carlisle’s solo stuff sucked as much as her voice. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/4 "2004-10-25T23:11:15Z")
As soon as saw the thread title, I thought Sting. But I see **ultrafilter** already beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/5 "2004-10-25T23:12:46Z")
I nominate all of the Beatles, as well as Roger Waters. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/6 "2004-10-25T23:14:03Z")
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, too. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/7 "2004-10-25T23:14:37Z")
David Lee Roth. Well, _Just A Gigolo_ was OK, but otherwise, suck city. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/8 "2004-10-25T23:15:59Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Are we just talking about their voices, or the overall quality of their work? > > If the latter, I’ll nominate Sting. His has been a most consistent decline from Police to Adult Contemporary flatulence. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/9 "2004-10-25T23:17:20Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > I nominate all of the Beatles, as well as Roger Waters. Hadn’t thought about Waters, but I definitely had the Beatles in mind. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/10 "2004-10-25T23:25:40Z")
Oh, and let’s not forget Ozzy either. ---
**Author:** ![fruitbat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@fruitbat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fruitbat)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/11 "2004-10-25T23:39:35Z")
My ultimate dissapointment is Paul Westerberg formerly of the Replacements. They were among the greatest bands of all time, and though they lost some edge as they aged they made up for it with more mature song writing. They break up and Westerberg turns into, well, Sting. Unless you are a lite rock afficionado that is clearly a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/12 "2004-10-25T23:48:43Z")
Roger Daltrey. But Pete Townsend put out some excellent records after the Who split up for the first time. Steve Perry of Journey (just kidding). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/13 "2004-10-25T23:49:02Z")
Lionel Richie. I liked “You Are”, but everything else bit. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/14 "2004-10-25T23:56:54Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > His has been a most consistent decline from Police to Adult Contemporary flatulence. Hey! I _like_ Adult Contemporary flatulence! And the Beatles were the first to come to my mind, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/15 "2004-10-26T00:09:22Z")
> [@AlbertRose](#): > > Roger Daltrey. But Pete Townsend put out some excellent records after the Who split up for the first time. _Empty Glass_ was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/16 "2004-10-26T00:26:14Z")
> [@fruitbat](#): > > They break up and Westerberg turns into, well, Sting. Unless you are a lite rock afficionado that is clearly a bad thing. Too true, too true. The 'Mats were one of my faves. I think, in Paul’s defence, we must remember the guy is not well emotionally, and his anxiety and depression were not being treated (in any conventional sense) while still in the Replacements. (What’s that they say about genius and madness?) These days he’s constantly medicated, which is good for him healthwise, but it seems to have blunted his creativity and softened his edge considerably. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/17 "2004-10-26T00:31:40Z")
Paul Simon. Simon & Garfunkle were great, Simon _sans_ Garfunkle… eh at best. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/18 "2004-10-26T01:08:33Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Paul Simon. Simon & Garfunkle were great, Simon _sans_ Garfunkle… eh at best. Garfunkel was no day in the park, either. ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/19 "2004-10-26T02:04:20Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > David Lee Roth. Well, _Just A Gigolo_ was OK, but otherwise, suck city. I liked “Gigolo” and thought Roth was cool, until I heard the older Louis Prima version and realized that he stole … every … last … inflection in the song from him. The Beatles probably deserve the award if you’re measuring the greatest distance from the top to the bottom, and when you’re down to Paulie’s “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” you’re scrapin’ Uranus at that point. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139/20 "2004-10-26T02:07:58Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Paul Simon. Simon & Garfunkle were great, Simon _sans_ Garfunkle… eh at best. Woah, woah, woah. Stop The Music. _Paul Simon?_ _There Goes Rhymin’ Simon?_ _Graceland?_ _Rhythm Of The Saints?_ _Still Crazy After All These Years?_ Garfunkel, maybe. But not Paul Simon. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-who-were-great-in-a-group-but-suck-solo/271139.md?page=2)