User-friendly technology and reasonably priced gear have made home studios a viable proposition for just about any recording artist. But playing almost all the instruments and performing nearly all the vocals on a full-length album requires an altogether different set of skills. Remarkably, some of the greatest “one-man-band” albums were made during the’70s, when the process was much more painstaking than it is today. Below are 10 of the very best.
10. Paul Westerberg, Folker (2004)
Paul Westerberg’s post-Replacements’ career sputtered at first, as his major-label solo albums seemed calculated ever-so-slightly to gain him the stardom he deserved. Beginning in 2002, however, he hunkered down in his basement and started making beautifully messy slop-rock fitted with sharp hooks, Keith Richards-inspired rhythm chops and the occasional ballad done in his classically disarming style. All of Westerberg’s DIY discs are winners, but Folker is a notch above the rest.
9. Prince, For You (1978)
Prince was already being hailed as a teen phenom before he released this stunning debut in early 1978. Having just signed a multi-million-dollar deal with Warner Brothers, the Purple One delivered a pop-funk roadmap for the direction he would pursue into the ’80s. Prince’s erotic suggestiveness was already in full bloom, as evidenced by the infectious “Soft and Wet,” a tune he described to one interviewer as a song about deodorant.
8. Steve Winwood, Arc of a Diver (1980)
Hard to believe, but former teen sensation Steve Winwood was contemplating leaving show business when he made this masterpiece, which he recorded in a home studio at his farm located north of London. Buttressed by the Top 10 hit “While You See a Chance,” the album framed Winwood’s blue-eyed soul in atmospheric arrangements and languid tempos. A heavy MTV presence later pushed Winwood’s career to further heights.
7. Grant Lee Phillips, Mobilize (2001)
Fans of Grant Lee Buffalo’s cinematic, heartland-drenched arrangements were likely surprised by the approach Grant Lee Phillips took with this do-it-yourself solo debut. Although the golden pop grandeur remained intact, Phillips achieved it in minimalist fashion, nestling 12-string acoustic guitars, bass and horns in a bed of digital percussion and treated keyboards. Michael Stipe, who snapped the cover shot, has long cited Phillips as one of his favorite songwriters.
6. Jason Falkner, Bedtime with The Beatles, Pt. 2 (2008)
Paul McCartney himself gave his blessing to this odd, but winning, collection of instrumental renditions of classic songs from the Fab Four catalog. A pop maestro in his own right, Falkner offered up hypnotic arrangements that could serve as lullabies for adults and children alike. Just prior to making the disc, Falkner had been recruited by McCartney to play guitar on Macca’s Chaos and Creation in the Backyard album.
5. Roy Wood, Boulders (1973)
As co-leader and co-founder of both The Move and the Electric Light Orchestra, Roy Wood demonstrated a supreme penchant for making commercially viable pop music. With this solo album, he also proved that great melodies could accommodate the most outlandish eccentricities. Delighting in absurdist humor and studio trickery, Wood sounds like he’s having the time of his life on this do-it-yourself disc.
4. Todd Rundgren, Hermit of Mink Hollow (1978)
Todd Rundgren’s eighth solo album saw him return to the dazzling pop smarts he had demonstrated on masterworks like Something/Anything? and Todd. Having experienced the collapse of his longstanding relationship with Bebe Buell (Liv Tyler’s mom), Rundgren wrote and recorded a clutch of richly melodic tunes, many of them tinged with heartbreak.
3. John Fogerty, Centerfield (1985)
John Fogerty rediscovered his songwriting mojo with this stunning effort, which earned the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman his first #1 album since leaving his old band. Sunny rockers such as “Rock and Roll Girls” and the title track, along with the swamp-guitar gem, “The Old Man Down the Road,” recalled the glory days of AM radio. Working from meticulously crafted demos, Fogerty made the album for a mere $35,000.
2. Foo Fighters, Foo Fighters (1995)
Few knew, but during his stint with Nirvana, drummer Dave Grohl was making home recordings that would form the foundation for his first post-Nirvana album. Recorded in just one week, the cannily titled Foo Fighters retooled the best of those songs into a pop-punk triumph. In a twist of irony, the disc was nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Alternative Music Album” category in 1996, but lost out to Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York.
1. Paul McCartney, McCartney (1970)
Paul McCartney opted for a low-key approach on his first post-Beatles album. Working mostly in his home studio, Macca burnished a batch of pop rockers and ballads with an organic brush, eschewing polish in favor of charm. Perhaps the ex-Beatle was trying to minimize expectations, but tracks like “Maybe I’m Amazed” continue to dazzle even after all these years.
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