Don't Go Solo!

        It seems that some very talented performers lost something when going solo...

• Robin Zander from Cheap Trick...Yikes!

• Belinda Carlisle from The Go-Go's...Ouch! Stop!

• Phil Collins from Genesis.  In spite of his famous solo hits, he could have released them on Genesis albums.  It never stopped him before!

• Bill Wyman from The Rolling Stones.  Though I like some of his solo songs, it's a guilty pleasure.  His solo output certainly doesn't stand out in the rock 'n' roll universe, but he's said as much in his brilliant tune "A New Fashion" from his self-titled '82 release.

• Debbie Harry from Blondie.  In spite of heavy radio rotation of the single "Backfired" and a visually grabbing album cover, the record Koo Koo tanked.  It died for the right reasons, but that didn't stop her from making more after Blondie's final album, The Hunter.  Looking back, I actually like more songs from Blondie's The Hunter than Autoamerican.  If they had picked a different single, album title, and wig & make-up for the cover of The Hunter, it might've been a bigger seller.

• Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys.  Lover of pre-rock 'n' roll to a deadening degree : (

• Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys.  What good moments are on Pacific Ocean Blue are actually on the first track.  From thereafter it's Peter Criss time for Dennis and it is sad that he sounds so ravaged by the bottle.

• Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys.  When he lead the group in the early '70's, he made new, original classics which would be the last great music from the group.  He was on such a roll that they even named the group Carl & the Passions for an album!  Forward to the early '80's for the self-titled solo album and it's time to hide my ears.

• Sting from The Police.  Like Phil Collins, he certainly made plenty of good mellow music without the need for a solo outing.  Although he enhanced the pallet of 'smooth jazz,' one record or two would have sufficed.  A million years later, the mind goes flatlining when I hear him sing anything nowadays.  As one co-worker called him ... Stink.  But, whatever makes the Liza, Barbara, Barry Manilow season ticket holders happy!