The one-head band

It was John Lee Hooker who coined the concept of the "one-head band". The one-head band is where by happenstance or maybe serendipity the right bunch of people happen to come together to form a musical juggernaut. Where every member of the band is on the same page musically and mentally to form an almost telepathic connection. Where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The members of a one-head band need not be virtuosos on their instruments or even all that experienced on them. It generally requires though that they be highly intelligent, have an intuitive grasp on their instrument and know how to deploy it effectively in an ensemble. But most importantly they must dig the music they are making.

I think The Stooges were the quintessential one-head band. The Stooges boys dicked around with various instruments before they found the instrument of their calling. It no doubt helped that they all knew each other. It also helped that they had over a year to play together before any recordings were made. But this alone cannot explain the magic they made. After 2 classic albums they fired the bass player, replaced him with an 18 year old and added a second guitarist. Still a one-head band. Then they demoted their original guitarist to bass, with the new guitarist taking his place. The resulting album Raw Power was arguably their best ever. The decision was made  that they needed to supplement their sound. A piano player who had played with Iggy in the Prime Movers was coaxed by James Williamson to join the band. A risky move. Still a one-head band? Indeed. I think the band's music swung like never before.

However I think that things get dicey as we approach the reunion era. I think Mike Watt fit in well with the band. The live shows from 2003 - 2008 are solid, before Ron's unfortunate death in early 2009. But for whatever reason the decision was made to retain Steve Mackay on saxophone for the subsequent Raw Power era reunion tour with James Williamson. Other than on "I Need Somebody" I just don't think that sax sounds good on the Raw Power material. But I guess they liked Steve and wanted to keep him employed.