June 29, 201016 yr They started as a 3 piece, but later on, morphed into a 4 piece band. I think you will find a lot of examples of bands doing this during their time -- oftentimes after sustained success leads the band searching for more depth of instrumentation or to make things easier on the main singer/songwriter. Nirvana adding Pat Smear, for example.
June 29, 201016 yr Author Primus will never get a lot of commercial airplay, but those are 3 excellent musicians. Claypool is an amazing bass player. He actually auditioned for Metallica when their original bass player was killed and they were amazed by him, but his style didn't fit their style. Larry "Ler" LaLonde is an amazingly proficient guitarist who studied under Satriani, although you would hardly tell it from his style. VERY underrated! Whether you dig the Primus sound is one thing, but it's hard to deny the talent. Claypool gets most of the love, and he deserves it because he's a virtuoso on the bass. But, the other guys aren't too shabby themselves. Nobody else sounds like Primus. At least that I've heard. That in itself is an accomplishment. I think. They are truly unique. I found a video of them playing Master Of Puppets. Pretty cool.
June 29, 201016 yr I actually can't wait to get Rush: Beyond the lighted stage on DVD tonight (I think today is the official DVD release date). I missed it on VH1 and those I talked to loved it. I still pull out Rush 2112 about 3-4 times per year and listen to it from beginning to end. I remember sitting with my guitar playing along with the entire album when I was a teenager. They are one of my favorite bands, much less 3 piece. I really liked that the record company didn't want any more long drawn out songs before 2112 and their response was a true masterpiece with one song lasting an entire album side. It broke down the barriers and Rush sold a TON of albums. The record company never questioned their vision again.
June 29, 201016 yr I think you will find a lot of examples of bands doing this during their time -- oftentimes after sustained success leads the band searching for more depth of instrumentation or to make things easier on the main singer/songwriter. Nirvana adding Pat Smear, for example. It does open up more opportunities for musical creativity by adding a 4th member and does take some of the load off the 'main man' so to speak. It also can give a much fuller sound live adding another guitarist or even a keyboard player. Even Van Halen (while technically a 3 piece with a frontman with DLR) took a keyboard player on tour who played many of the keyboard parts off stage.
June 30, 201016 yr Author It does open up more opportunities for musical creativity by adding a 4th member and does take some of the load off the 'main man' so to speak. It also can give a much fuller sound live adding another guitarist or even a keyboard player. Even Van Halen (while technically a 3 piece with a frontman with DLR) took a keyboard player on tour who played many of the keyboard parts off stage. The musicianship has to be really good in a three piece, IMO. Better not have a shabby rhythm section with no additional guitarist to fill the void. Also, I've always had an appreciation for guys who can play an instrument at a high level and sing while doing so. Some songs are difficult for me to do both. For example, there's no way I could play bass like Geddy Lee and sing to boot.
June 30, 201016 yr The musicianship has to be really good in a three piece, IMO. Better not have a shabby rhythm section with no additional guitarist to fill the void. Also, I've always had an appreciation for guys who can play an instrument at a high level and sing while doing so. Some songs are difficult for me to do both. For example, there's no way I could play bass like Geddy Lee and sing to boot. Geddy Lee always amazed me with his ability to sing and play the bass, especially the way he plays. Very impressive indeed and an excellent example of the challenges of playing in a 3 piece band and being effective. I played in a 3 piece for years and had to sing lead. The best thing that ever happened was bringing in a lead singer. It freed me up for focusing on the guitar and the lead vocals got MUCH better when I was singing backup!!
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