My pet hate. Well, OK, one of them. "Bands" which aren't really bands as such, they are just one man with some sidekicks.
Some examples:
Jethro Tull (really just the Ian Anderson Band)
Creedence Clearwater Revival (really the John Fogerty Band)
Passenger (another one-man show, if I remember correctly)
(various others, too many to list)
Now don't get me wrong, I love Jethro Tull and the lasting quality of Credence speaks for itself, but they weren't actually "bands" in the real sense of the term. They were solo acts, and no solo act can maintain a high level of creativity when one person does everything: lead singer, lead guitarist (or whatever instrument), song writer, lyricist, arranger, you name it. I would far, far rather they didn't try to pretend to be actual bands and just presented themselves as what they really are: a solo act with good sidemen.
The creative cross-fertilisation and sometimes tension you get with two (or more) creative people working together cannot be duplicated by any normal human being* working alone.
OK, let's take it a bit further. Tull were actually a proper band for a while, with creative contributions from various members, notably Martin Barre. It is no coincidence that those years were by far their best years.
* "Normal human being" - i.e., most people not named "Bowie".
Comments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=5m8_KogsHtk
Brad Delp was Boston's vocalist but it`s not difficult to argue that Boston was just the Tom Scholz band.
Edit: not a pet hate for me, these are 2 of my favourite bands!!
ABC (Martin Fry)
Camel (Andy Latimer)
Dinosaur Jr. (J Mascis)
ELO (Jeff Lynne)
Feeder (Grant Nicholas)
Grant Lee Buffalo (Grant-Lee Phillips)
Panic! At The Disco (Brendon Urie)
Sisters Of Mercy (Andrew Eldritch)
The The (Matt Johnson)
The Waterboys (Mike Scott)
White Stripes (Jack White)
... all of who have a sole songwriter/driving force behind the band. What's not to like? Even if all of them aren't necessarily your thing.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Violet Cold
The Algorithm
Plus a bazillion electronic types.
Annihilator. Jeff Waters. He’s always admitted it. Did let it go to his head for a bit. Before he was singing he still used to take the middle of the stage and have the singer off to the side!
I’m so bored I might as well be listening to Pink Floyd
I’m so bored I might as well be listening to Pink Floyd
In his own mind, New Order = Bernard Sumner
A milliquintitrillifourtimestable better then!
Give her my groveling apologies.
Rosie, oh Rosie...
How about a band named after one person that is really a band? I am thinking here of the magnificent and sensational Alex Harvey band