Name a band where arguably their singer isn’t the most famous member

[paddingofpaws]

I have two considerations:

Blink-182 and Led Zeppelin

Happy Mondays - Bez

The Mamas and Papas? Denny Doherty sang lead, with Cass Elliott doing her share, and harmonizing, but arguably Michelle Phillips was the main attraction.

I had no idea he was in Nirvana.

Vince Neil singer (temporarily replaced by John Corabi)
Mick Mars lead guitar, permanently replaced by John 5

Spice Girls.Victoria Beckham is the most famous.

The Who are the best example of this.

Really this only happens when one of the band has a reputation as the creative genius but doesn’t want to do the singing, so a pal gets brought in to be frontman but is too humble to demand a lyric-writing role.

Depeche Mode would have sort-of counted at one time (and for two separate eras!) but Dave really took hold of things from about 1990 onwards. On a far tinier scale The Boo Radleys had this dynamic.

I suppose there’s another category where one of the musicians gets super-famous for extra curricular stuff (or for being really good!). Again, The Who. Red Hot Chili Peppers maybe?

John Taylor

When starting Yazoo and Erasure, Vince Clarke would have been the bigger name than Alison Moyet or Andy Bell.
@SerafinasGoose youre right about the unusual Fleetwood Mac setup. Eagles did something similar with various members taking the lead, I can’t think of any others.

Didn't they also have a bit of a Milli Vanilli thing going on, whereby the band members you thought were singing actually weren't necessarily?"

The La’s - John Power

Maybe Kim Deal from the Pixies

I presume you're referring to Queen now - long after Freddie's death, when they've teamed up with various other front men?

I know that they're nowhere near as charismatic and extroverted as Freddie was, but Brian and Roger have fantastic voices, so there's no need to bring in any other singer in the first place.

I'm sure it's just some bizarre link in my own head, but every time I hear the name of Captain Sensible, my mind instantly gives me an image of Captain Beany: the bloke who was briefly famous once (decades ago) for having baths in tubs full of baked beans for charity

Love The Yardbirds, and I can't argue.

No way.

We all fancied JT at the time but SLB married a supermodel ,had yachts and was unequivocally the name of DD. Have a look at the videos- he features way more.

@RememberBeKindWithKaren i personally would say it’s unusual not to be aware that Morrissey went off the right wing deep end years ago and was cancelled, though it wasn’t called that then. Tbh he’s a pioneer of it. I have to admit I don’t know the details as although I am exactly the right age to be a Smiths fan I was much too uncool and southern to be anything of the kind, so I only picked up what the average Snash Hits/Guardian reader would know.

Anyone saying Queen and that that Deacon May or Taylor were more popular that the one and only Freddie are deluded, sorry

I think the women actually did their own singing, but the dancing man didn't.

Gosh, can't agree with you there. I think Cass Elliot is absolutely the person from Mamas and Papas that most people would be able to name. I saw a documentary a few months ago and it was the first time I had actually been made aware of Michelle Phillips really. I mean I knew there was another female singer obviously but didn't know her name, or that of her husband, strangely, as he wrote most of the songs. MP's voice was/is as insipid as her stage presence whereas Cass Elliot you saw and heard. She is the voice of the M&Ps and what makes a song identifiable as one of theirs.

🤣

I don't think people are talking about Queen whilst Freddie was still alive, are they? Surely not?!

Thanks, that sounds more familiar now. Was it Frank Farian who recorded the male vocals himself and it was made to appear like the dancing man was singing them?

Was he their producer? If so yes it was him!

Yes, it was Frank Farian, who also produced Milli Vanilli. I've just been reading up on it and it was only two of the women who actually sang on the records.

The Beatles, although they all took turns singing?

The Travelling Wilburys