Rock's Finest Debut Solo Albums From Former Band Members

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Our article “Rock’s Finest Debut Solo Albums from Former Band Members” presents a list of debut solo albums from rock and roll artists who were part of famous rock bands. Leaving a famous group isn’t easy, but it’s happened thousands of times in classic rock history. It’s usually a lead singer, but not always, who thinks they can make it on their own. Many have succeeded, sometimes even surpassing their band careers—though that’s open to debate. This list focuses on the first major solo albums that launched or defined these artists’ post-band solo chapters, not their entire careers.

Many released a great first solo album and then faded away or returned to their bands. Others released a few solo albums before rejoining their original groups. Some never left their bands but still put out solo albums. The really special cases are those who left their bands for good, released a great solo album, and then continued on with a legendary solo career. In some cases, band members put out solo albums because their bands broke up. Can anyone say the Beatles? When you’re in a famous band that everyone loves, you’ll never stop hearing comparisons between your current work and what you did with the band. Most classic rock fans tend to prefer the original material. But not everyone feels this way. Here’s a list of 10 great ones.

# 10 – I Can’t Stand Still – Don Henley

Don Henley released his first solo album in the summer of 1982, just a few years after the Eagles released what seemed to be their final studio album, The Long Run, in 1979. Henley, who sang so many hits throughout the seventies as a member of the Eagles, continued his commercial success with his debut album, I Can’t Stand Still. The album featured the top 10 hit single “Dirty Laundry,” which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was constantly played on the radio.

I love the opening groove on “Dirty Laundry,” which took what Henley had done so well with the Eagles and twisted it around a little to capture the ’80s modern music scene. Henley also celebrated two more top 50 singles from the album, including the title track and the song “Johnny Can’t Read.” The album is fueled by a host of great guest musicians, including former Eagles bandmates Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, along with longtime Eagles collaborator J.D. Souther. It also features all-stars like Warren Zevon and Bill Withers singing backing vocals. Those are some pretty impressive backing singers; I tell you that, my friends.

# 9 – Nine On A Ten Scale – Sammy Hagar

Whenever we get a chance to talk about Sammy Hagar, we’re always going to take it. While Nine on a Ten Scale isn’t our favorite Sammy Hagar album, it was a wonderful solo debut for the man who was the lead singer of Montrose. Sammy Hagar left Montrose in 1975, and the following year, in the spring of 1976, he released his debut solo album. Although the album didn’t do well commercially, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a powerful rock and roll record. Sammy Hagar was making a statement: first and foremost, he was a singer and an artist to be reckoned with. Our favorite track on the album has always been “Urban Guerilla”—just a smoking, killer tune. If you’ve never heard this song, check it out.

# 8 – The Dream Of The Blue Turtles – Sting

Do you remember how upset most fans were when The Police went on hiatus? Sting’s solo debut album The Dream of the Blue Turtles sounded nothing like the music he composed and performed with The Police. Although, if you listen closely, there are still so many elements of what he did with The Police scattered throughout this record. It’s the musicians on this album that make it sound so different. Sting assembled a brilliant group of jazz musicians to play on the record.

These brilliant musicians included Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Darryl Jones, and Omar Hakim, all of whom already had serious jazz credentials and careers of their own. With such a fabulous set of musicians on board and a whole new selection of freshly written, brilliant compositions, Sting’s solo debut album was a commercial success. This is one that we never get tired of.

# 7 – Ignition – John Waite

The golden silk vocals of John Waite were first introduced to the public as the lead singer of The Babys. That band had so many hits in the seventies. I always loved the way they merged pop music and rock and roll into big-time commercial hits. The Babys’ first album featured John Waite, Wally Stocker, Michael Corby, and Tony Brock. Founding member Michael Corby was eventually kicked out of the band, which we could assume was because he wasn’t the most fun guy to be around, a sentiment we assume based on the way he talked to us. Nonetheless, after five studio albums, the band broke up and John Waite released a solo album entitled Ignition.

The album featured the single “Change,” which became an AOR favorite in 1982 and later reached the Billboard Hot 100 after being reissued in connection with the 1985 film Vision Quest. It was a great rock and roll record highlighted by John Waite’s killer vocals. Only two years after Ignition, he would become one of the biggest stars in the world when “Missing You” went straight to number one.

# 6 – Street Talk – Steve Perry

Steve Perry and Journey had so many hits in the 1970s and early ’80s. There weren’t many better singers in rock and roll than Steve Perry. It’s a shame what happened between him and Journey. I would love to go to a Journey concert and see Steve Perry sing lead vocals. However, that doesn’t seem likely to happen again. Nonetheless, we could argue that his album shouldn’t qualify for this list because Steve Perry was still a member of Journey when he released his solo album. Yet, because he would eventually leave Journey, I figured why not throw this one into the mix anyway.

Steve Perry’s debut solo album was just phenomenal. Released in 1984, Street Talk gave him one of the decade’s best pop records with the song “Oh Sherrie,” which reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Only a voice like his could start a rock and roll song a cappella and turn it into a massive hit. But it wasn’t just that song; the album features so many classic tunes that showcased both the lower and higher ends of his voice. This one was a real keeper.

# 5 – The Nightfly – Donald Fagen

At the halfway point on our Rock’s Finest Debut Solo Albums from Former Band Members list is Donald Fagen’s brilliant debut solo album, The Nightfly. If you hadn’t known that Steely Dan had broken up and heard this album on the radio, you would have thought it was obviously a Steely Dan song. There’s not much difference between any track on Gaucho and any song on The Nightfly.

This album is pretty much just a continuation of what Donald Fagen did so well with Steely Dan. Steely Dan had split in 1981 when The Nightfly was released in 1982. Fagen and Walter Becker would reunite in the 1990s, although there would not be another Steely Dan studio album until Two Against Nature in 2000. It was good to have Donald Fagen still releasing music because there wasn’t much stuff like this anywhere else.

# 4 – Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel’s debut solo album after he had left Genesis was released in the winter of 1977. In short, this album was a masterpiece. While Genesis continued on and released great music, it just was not the same band without Gabriel. Listening to the music that Gabriel composed on this record made his impact while he was a member of Genesis quite evident.

This was really original-sounding stuff, featuring well-written songs, brilliant production, and magnificent playing by musicians such as Robert Fripp, Tony Levin, Steve Hunter, and Larry Fast. Peter Gabriel even brought the London Symphony Orchestra on board for the songs “Down the Dolce Vita” and “Here Comes the Flood.” This is one of those albums that everyone should have in their record collection. It marked the start of a magnificent solo career, one in which Gabriel has had massive success.

# 3 – Blizzard of Ozz – Ozzy Osbourne

I’m not sure if anyone expected the late Ozzy Osbourne to have such huge success as a solo artist after he left Black Sabbath. I mean, of course, he was Ozzy Osbourne, and his role as Black Sabbath’s lead singer helped that band become maybe the most famous metal rock band of all time. Coming out of Black Sabbath and achieving the success he did as a solo artist was simply stunning. His larger-than-life personality certainly played a significant role, and assembling a whole set of great musicians for his records also mattered.

Blizzard of Ozz, released in 1980, introduced Randy Rhoads’ extraordinary guitar playing to a massive audience. But in the end, it was the songs, really brilliantly written songs that his rock and roll fans fell in love with, making him even bigger than he was before when he was just a member of Black Sabbath.

# 2 – Eat ‘Em And Smile – David Lee Roth

For all his charisma, showboating, and stage persona, David Lee Roth understood one thing: If he was going to leave Van Halen and have a successful solo career, then he needed to put together a band that could compete with Van Halen and deliver an album full of powerful songs so that he wouldn’t be laughed off the stage. That’s exactly what he did. After first releasing the Crazy from the Heat EP in 1985, Roth delivered his first full-length solo album, Eat ‘Em and Smile, in 1986.

Hiring Steve Vai was one of the most brilliant moves he ever made. With Gregg Bissonette and Billy Sheehan on board, he had a band that could compete with Van Halen on the world stage. Oh, what a fun time this was when David Lee Roth released Eat ‘Em and Smile and Van Halen released 5150. The competition between these two camps was fierce and, in the end, so beneficial to rock and roll fans as the Roth versus Hagar saga helped deliver some of the greatest music of the ’80s.

# 1 – All Things Must Pass – George Harrison

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass [LP] (Vinyl/LP)

We close out our Rock’s Finest Debut Solo Albums from Former Band Members list with George Harrison’s triple LP solo album All Things Must Pass. This breathtaking album was released in 1970, just after The Beatles had broken up. Although it was not the first solo work that George Harrison had put out—he had released Wonderwall Music in 1968 and Electronic Sound in 1969—those albums don’t really count for this article’s focus because he was still a member of The Beatles at the time. For the purposes of this list, All Things Must Pass represents Harrison’s first major post-Beatles solo statement.

All Things Must Pass made quite a statement. The often-ignored Beatle, or at least the man who was usually allowed only one or two songs per album, broke out big time with this record. It must have felt good for George to have such success with this record. You don’t know what the other Beatles were thinking when they saw what George had done with All Things Must Pass. If only they had let Harrison contribute more songs per album, it would have been really interesting to hear those Beatles albums with more Harrison songs. But you can’t rewrite history; all you can do is write about what’s already happened.

George Harrison had a massive hit single with “My Sweet Lord” from this album. It became the biggest-selling single of 1971 in the United Kingdom and was the first solo single by a former Beatle to reach number one in both the United States and the United Kingdom. And think about its U.S. flip-side and double-A-side companion, “Isn’t It a Pity”—what a song that was. Of course, there were so many other great tunes on this record, like “What Is Life,” “All Things Must Pass,” “I’d Have You Anytime” (written with Bob Dylan), and many more.

It’s also stunning to look at the musicians who appeared on this album, from his ex-Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr to rock god Eric Clapton. There were also Billy Preston, Gary Wright, Alan White, Bobby Keys, Jim Gordon, Bobby Whitlock, and many more who performed on the record. All Things Must Pass went to number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, the official UK Albums Chart, and topped charts in numerous other countries. This one was truly epic.