What do Duran Duran, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Breeders, and Sleater-Kinney have in common? At first glance, it would seem not much. Yet each has not only spawned a spinoff band consisting of at least two members from the original group, but each spinoff band released exactly one album. While each record enjoyed a little chart success, the bands that made them continue to be overshadowed by the groups that gave rise to their members. All four releases deserve their own moment in the spotlight, though. Let’s give them another look.
1. Arcadia, So Red the Rose
Chart peak: No. 23 on the Billboard 200
Videos by American Songwriter
Duran Duran went on hiatus after the release of their 1984 live album, Arena, and their single “A View to a Kill” from the soundtrack to the James Bond film of the same name. None of the band members took time off, though, with guitarist Andy Taylor and bassist John Taylor joining their own spinoff band, The Power Station, and frontman Simon Le Bon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, and drummer Roger Taylor going on to form Arcadia. Both bands had success on the charts, but The Power Station’s self-titled debut bested So Red the Rose, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200.
The absence of Andy Taylor left Arcadia with less funk and edge than Duran Duran, but Rhodes filled the void with moody keyboard textures. While Arcadia was technically a three-piece band, So Red the Rose features a deep roster of contributors, including Sting, Grace Jones, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny Group bassist Mark Egan, and guitarists Masami Tsuchiya, Carlos Alomar, and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. Le Bon’s distinct vocals make it difficult not to associate Arcadia with Duran Duran, but especially on the album’s latter half, So Red the Rose has a much smoother, mellower feel than Duran Duran, Rio, or Seven and the Ragged Tiger.
2. Emerson, Lake & Powell, Emerson, Lake & Powell
Chart peak: No. 23 on the Billboard 200
Videos by American Songwriter
If not for Carl Palmer’s involvement with Asia, this 1986 album could have been a full-fledged Emerson, Lake & Palmer reunion. Instead, this spinoff group featured Cozy Powell, previously of the Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, and Whitesnake, on drums in place of Palmer.
Much in the way that Genesis and Yes streamlined their sound in the ‘80s while maintaining some of the prog rock elements they were known for in the ‘70s, the revamped ELP offered a blend of different styles. In the nine-minute album opener, “The Score,” Greg Lake reminds listeners of the band’s roots, singing, Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends—a line made famous by ELP’s “Karn Evil 9.”
While Emerson, Lake & Powell was technically a different band, their one-and-only album bears an important similarity to earlier ELP releases. It includes two tracks that are adaptations of earlier works—something that was an element of most of ELP’s previous albums. “Mars, the Bringer of War” is an adaptation of a movement from the Gustav Holst suite, The Planets. While a rock arrangement of an orchestral work fits right in with the ‘70s version of ELP, the album’s other adaptation is more novel. Keith Emerson’s keyboard melody for “Touch and Go,” the album’s lone radio hit, was adapted from a traditional English folk song called “Lovely Joan.”
3. The Amps, Pacer
Chart peak: No. 29 on the Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart
As with Arcadia and The Power Station, The Amps were the by-product of a popular band going on hiatus. In the case of The Breeders, it was guitarist Kelley Deal’s 1994 arrest for heroin possession that put their plans for a follow-up to their breakthrough album, Last Splash, on hold. Kelley Deal was initially involved in the recording of Pacer, which would have made The Amps a five-piece band: Kelley Deal and fellow Breeders Kim Deal (Kelley’s twin sister) and Jim MacPherson, plus guitarist Nate Farley and bassist Luis Lerma. Kelley Deal entered rehab before the album’s completion, though, and she was not replaced in the band’s lineup.
Pacer’s sound is lo-fi and stripped down, with Kim Deal’s vocals unintelligible at times. While the album’s unpolished sound may make it an acquired taste for some, the songs’ catchy melodies and unexpected quirks still make it a fun ride. Lyrics like Where’s the waitress? / Where’s my other shoe? and If you wore one big mask / You’d never get a chance to kick ass require listeners to stay on their toes, as do MacPherson’s inventive drum fills.
4. Wild Flag, Wild Flag
Chart peak: No. 53 on the Billboard 200
Sleater-Kinney broke up in 2006 and didn’t reform until 2014. In the interim, vocalist/guitarist Carrie Brownstein became best known for co-starring with Fred Armisen in the IFC sketch comedy series Portlandia. However, months before Portlandia debuted, Brownstein announced the creation of Wild Flag. Joining Brownstein was her former (and future) Sleater-Kinney bandmate, drummer Janet Weiss; vocalist and guitarist Mary Timony, formerly of Helium; and keyboardist Rebecca Cole, previously of The Minders.
One could imagine Wild Flag as a “lost” Sleater-Kinney album from an alternate universe where Timony replaces Corin Tucker and Cole is added, but it’s better to take it on its own terms. As with Sleater-Kinney, guitar interplay is central to Wild Flag’s sound, but Brownstein and Timony created something truly unique with their interweaving parts. From the opening bars of “Romance,” it’s also clear that Cole’s keyboard riffs make Wild Flag sonically distinct from any of the members’ previous bands. The songs are smartly written and powerfully performed, and Cole and Weiss’ backing vocals are sublime.
Since Wild Flag called it quits in 2013, each member has kept busy: Sleater-Kinney made four more albums, although Weiss left the band after making The Center Won’t Hold (her group Quasi would release Breaking the Balls of History in 2023); Timony made two albums with Ex Hex; and Cole joined Pavement as their touring keyboardist. Despite all the great work the foursome has done since Wild Flag’s breakup, it’s a shame we only got this one under-loved album out of their collaboration.
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella