1975 – The Year of Going Solo

As we all get our feet under the 2025 table, it’s notable to consider the music world of fifty years ago (1975), as it serves as a shake-up year for the Rock and Roll establishment. A bumper crop of prominent members from successful bands decided “going solo” was their best strategy for their musical careers. Most of these decisions led to positive outcomes, others fell flat, while others were inconsequential. In any case, history has proven that these newly emerged 1975 soloists had an impact on the R&R landscape forever.

February- Alice Cooper Leaves the Alice Cooper Band

The Alice Cooper Band started out like so many groups of the ’60s and ’70s: a bunch of high school friends (Cortez High School, Phoenix, AZ) with limited musical abilities, but in possession of enthusiasm and drive. Formed in 1964, leader Vincent Damon Furnier (a.k.a. Alice Cooper) paved the way while the band worked through the rough patches of the business. They toured tirelessly and over the next several years became international stars through their “Shock & Roll” stage theatrics. By 1973, they had platinum record sales and sold-out concerts.

After six albums, each topping the next in worldwide sales, the band released Muscle of Love in 1974 which didn’t do as well. This would be a bellwether moment; they hadn’t experienced less than top-charting success before. Reports began emerging that the high school chums were having disagreements. It was decided that a rest from one another might be best.

The break from the band worked as Furnier’s muse; he doubled down on his Alice Cooper persona. He legally changed his name to “Alice,” moved to LA, and became a “celebrity” of sorts appearing on Hollywood Squares and in a returning role for the Snoop Sisters TV series. Now comfortable in his Alice character, he was ready to step out on his own.

Alice Cooper officially became a solo artist with the release of Welcome to My Nightmare in February of 1975. It became a top 20 hit in the US with “Only Women Bleed” as the popular single.

 

 

At the time, he explained his move away from his band, “It got very basically down to the fact that we had drawn as much as we could out of each other,” Cooper reflected. “After 10 years, we got pretty dry together. What started in a sense as a pipedream became an overwhelming burden.” Alice Copper never returned to the Alice Cooper Band line-up, except for spotty reunion shows over the next 50 years.

March- Jeff Beck breaks up Beck, Bogert & Appice

Jeff Beck was taking the Eric Clapton career approach up to this point in 1975; he would play in a band for a few years and then move on. Witness The Yardbirds, the Rod Stewart-driven Jeff Beck Group, and his power trio Beck, (Tim) Bogert & (Carmine) Appice. By the time 1975 came along, his next product would be two-fold: he would not include anyone from his formal bands AND he would make an instrumental album.

Blow by Blow would become one of the most successful and influential albums of the decade. After recruiting top English players for the album, Beck reached out to friend Stevie Wonder to play clavinet and loan a few of his tunes of fresh material. But Beck had one remaining magic arrow in his quiver: he requested that ex-Beatles Producer George Martin steer the musical ship (along with the string arrangements).

While recording at Martin’s Air Studios in London, the team advanced a combination of rock, jazz fusion, and classical instrumental tracks that stretched the guitarist’s imagination. Blow by Blow would go platinum and Beck would receive a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental for his 1976 solo album Wired.

 

April – Ian Hunter Leaves Mott the Hoople

As Mott the Hoople’s main writer, lead singer, and public face, Ian Hunter knew he’d gone as far as the band could take him. Having great success musically with their last album, The Hoople (released March 1974), and gaining commercial success with the single “Roll Away The Stone,” Hunter felt the pressure to continue writing hits. He figured he could do it on his own and gave his notice to the other Mott players (who would continue on their own with two inconsequential albums). At that point, Hunter turned to his old friend and lead guitarist Mick Ronson (formerly of David Bowie’s band the Spiders from Mars) to help him put a studio band together to record the eponymous Ian Hunter album.

The album was a hit with both critics and fans alike, with Ronson painting high-suspension guitar riffs all over the recordings. The album spawned the single “Once Bitten Twice Shy” which would later become a big hit in 1989 for Great White. Hunter went on to have a consistent solo career, releasing 16 albums and including a few Mott tunes when performing live.

June- Richie Blackmore Leaves Deep Purple

From its beginnings in 1968, Deep Purple was a powerhouse bolstered by Richie Blackmore’s reputation as a studio guitarist. He and the classic lineup of Jon Lord (keyboards), Roger Glover (bass), super drummer Ian Paice, and Ian Gillan’s iconic vocals hit a popularity peak during the years 1971 – 1974. The public raised Blackmore to guitar-god status during this period; they had become the top international hard rock draw, surpassing Led Zepplin as the top-selling hard rock artist in the USA for 1973. Their blockbuster release was the album Machine Head (including the classic “Smoke On the Water”) along with the platinum live album Made In Japan. This put them firmly at the epicenter of hard rock.

By 1973, tensions began to build within the band, culminating with the firing (at Blackmore’s insistence) of Roger Glover and Ian Gillan. Jon Lord would call these partings, “The biggest shame in rock and roll. God knows what we would have done.”

Although Richie Blackmore’s influence over the band was now supreme, the adoption of new vocalist David Coverdale and bassist Glenn Hughes changed the dynamics, with a new funk and blues sound that Blackmore had a hard time digesting.  By June of 1975, he was upset enough to leave the still-popular band to recruit for his own act, Richie Blackmore’s Rainbow.

With Ronnie James Dio on vocals, Blackmore was able to write more in a medieval style, often using a cello for musical compositions, and bringing a baroque sound to the band. Rainbow went on to enjoy a moderate level of success (they were nominated for a Grammy for their instrumental ballad “Anybody There” in 1983).

But his Deep Purple history continued to haunt Blackmore, and by 1984 he agreed to rejoin the classic Deep Purple lineup which produced three albums.

August- Peter Gabriel Departs Genesis

In the early days of Genesis (1968-1975,) Peter Gabiell’s presence was the main attraction of the band. His stage theatrics, outrageous costumes, and lyrical stories overshadowed the rest of the band.

With the success of ’75’s The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, (#10 in the UK), Genesis was breaking new markets and seemingly on the cusp of international stardom. That was until Peter gave the band his notice of leaving after the spring tour. The band was not surprised, with guitarist Mike Rutherford stating, “We all could see it coming.” Keyboardist and close friend Tony Banks put it straight, “Pete was also getting too big for group. So, [his departure] was actually a bit of a relief.”

Writing a press release in August entitled “Out, Angels Out”, Gabriel explained his disillusionment with the music business and desire to spend more time with his family. The “family thing” was not a cover for his leaving:  Gabriel was often absent from the band’s writing sessions due to difficulties with his wife’s first pregnancy (their daughter). In retrospect, Rutherford had regrets about this era, saying the band and himself were “horribly unsupportive” of Peter’s situation.  This left a stain on the group’s relationship with Peter, and although the band hoped to have him reconsider, Genisis was left to accept his decision and carry on.

They auditioned nearly 400 applicants for their new vocalist. As legend would have it, this was when Banks and Rutherford turned to drummer Phil Collins and said, “Well, you know all the songs, why don’t you become the singer?” Thus, was the moment that would lead to 80s superstardom for both Collins and the band.

Meanwhile, Gabriel made the most of his solo career, first hitting major paydirt with his Peter Gabriel (a.k.a Peter Gabriel 1) album in February 1977, reaching #7 in the UK. While springboarding the supporting tour with the album’s lead single, “Solsbury Hill,” Peter described the song’s meaning as “…being prepared to lose what you have for what you might get.”

Gabriel would continue with a robust career, reaching his commercial summit in 1986 with So, one of the decade’s best-selling efforts. It reached number 1 in the UK (#2 in the USA) on the strength of three top 20 singles. In fact, “Sledgehammer” knocked out Genesis’ “Invisible Touch” for the top slot in May of that year.

-Steve Valvano

Photo: Peter Gabriel, 1980 (Theo Blonk via Wikimedia Commons)