Who’s the Secret Sauce in each of the following bands? You know, the not-always-obvious band member who adds that special, hard-to-define something to put their band over the top?
This exercise doesn’t work in bands with Rock Superpowers throughout, such as The Beatles, and it won’t work in trios with a dominant member. The Secret Sauce is more likely to reside – discretely – in a larger, faceless band. Let’s try our hand at this, shall we? You don’t need to know the name of the Secret Sauce – you may simply refer to the person as “the bassist” or “the drummer.” When you’ve completed your answers/rationales (if necessary) to as few or as many bands as you like, feel free to add your own band for Special Sauce identification. Only one Secret Sauce member is allowable per band.
- The Band
- The Beach Boys
- Steely Dan
- Yes
- Heart
- Echo and the Bunnymen
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Chicago
- Pere Ubu
- The Dammed
- Jethro Tull
- REM
- Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
- New York Dolls
- Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
- Any one of David Bowie’s backing bands
- The Byrds
- Flying Burrito Brothers
I look forward to your answers.
I do not feel qualified to comment on most of these groups but several jump out at me,
The Band – Rick Danko
Echo and the Bunnymen – Pete Defrietas – if you ever saw them live you realized they actually were a “Rock” band’
The Damned – Rat Scabies – hmm two drummers… how about Dallas Taylor in CSNY? But actually, I can’t stand CSNY so I guess I must hate Dallas Taylor as well. Now I feel like saying Mike Love just to be contrary.
plasticsun, although there are few “right” answers in this exercise, you may have hit on a couple of them!
The Band – Danko I loves me some band and there’s lots of potential for secret sauce selections,including Robbie’s subtle guitar playing on the first few albums, when he lost the Jaime and decided to be a guitar hero again. But Danko’s slightly untethered singin’ and playin’ adds an element of genuine chaos in their incredible loose tightness.
Beach Boys – Mr. Mod, although I know the correct answer is Mike Love, I’m goin’ with Carl for his vocal on God Only Knows along with the reconstuction of Surf’s Up form the Smile Sessions for the Surf’s Up album. As I recall, he was the main force behind that, and he put something so coherent from the random scraps that Brian pretended it was what he always intended when he rerecorded Smile from scratch.
Steely Dan – I’m not sure, but whoever the secret sauce is, there’s something in there that I’m allergic to.
Yes – Hate ’em but I’d go for Bruford
Heart – Nancy’s cute. I hate the band so the guy from Spirit ain’t cuttin’ it. I’ll go Nancy.
Lynyrd Skynyrd – The third guitarist doin’ the wheedle-dee-deedle-dee riff?
ChicagoThe rhythm section in Chicago was not bad. Unfortunately they were in Chicago and Cetera sang.
Tom Petty – Stan Lynch laid down a nice groove for Petty’s second-hand rockin’.
New York Dolls – It’s no secret, but Johnny Thunders was not only the secret sausce but the main nutritional content of the band.
Graham Nash may have been the only member of CSNY that the other three didn’t want to punch out more often than not.
Pere Ubu – The drummer, Scott Krauss, who kept the garage groove underneath the avant.
The Dammed – Lu Edmonds of the Mekons and Billy Bragg did a spell in the Dammed. He’s some nice secret sauce though I’m not sure what he tasted like with the Dammed at all.
Jethro Tull – Was Martin Barre the guitarist? If so, for his somewhat appropriate last name.
REM – Don’t like ’em but I’m pickin’ the bass guy for his terrific Rick attack on the youtube version of Radio Free Europe on Letterman. And I don’t even like the rick bass sound.
Bowie – I love the clunky funky bass playing on Low. I think the same guy might have been on Station to Station.
The Byrd’s – Obviously the secret sauce is McGuinn. He’s the only branded ingredient and I’m not sure I could evewn pick his voice out of a line-up.
Chris Ethridge was the secret sauce of the Flying Burrito Brothers. The best thing about the Burritos’ first album is not the country, it’s the Memphis Soul. I attribute that to Ethridge and it seemed to leave with him.
geo, I’m with you on Danko – and you’re right, there are a lot of .
Believe it or not, I don’t consider Love the Secret Sauce in The Beach Boys but the seeded bun. There’s nothing subtle about his strengths. Al Jardine is the Special Sauce, in my book, strictly for his Satanic gaze on the cover of Pet Sounds.
I’ll comment more as thoughts come in. Nice answers!
Like plasticsun, I will only comment on acts for which I am qualified.
The Band — Garth Hudson for those heavy, churchy organ sounds. Eerie.
The Beach Boys — Al Jardine because he was the least annoying of the bunch.
Steely Dan — Gotta be Skunk Baxter, even though he wasn’t a full fledged member (was anyone really, other than Becker & Fagan?). The lead for Reelin’ in the Years is cool, but I’m unsure if he even played on that one.
Yes — Jon Anderson. Although I cannot stand Roundabout but can tolerate Yours Is No Disgrace, his voice just does it for me. Angelic, I say.
Heart — Whoever came up with the riff for Barracuda.
Lynyrd Skynyrd — Billy Powell on piano. The three guit players all sorta blended in with each other so you never knew who was playing what. Billy tore it up on the keys.
Chicago — Terry Kath. He laid down some tasty licks on those early hits, but as soon as Cetera went all soft and Terry died, these guys were over for me. Come to think of it, by the second record they were over for me.
Jethro Tull — Martin Barre, if only for the opening of Locomotive Breath.
REM — I’ve always said Mike Mills is the secret weapon (sauce) in this band. His backing vocals are stellar and I hope he wrote them for It’s The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine): “I might have some time alone.” Great stuff.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers — Without Mike Campbell, The Heartbreakers are just another rootsy bar band. He takes it to the next level.
New York Dolls – Johnny Thunders is the only one worth mentioning here. Johansen is a lame Jagger impersonator.
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young — Neil Young, cause they were always better with him than without him.
Any one of David Bowie’s backing bands — Mick Ronson from the Ziggy era. Wasn’t he the prototype of the Ziggy character, what with God-given ass and all?
The Beach Boys–Mike Love may be the face and the frontman, but anyone knows that Carl Wilson was the glue that held that band together both musicially and fundamentally. They would have broken up shortly after Brian’s SMiLE breakdown had it not been for Carl. I also believe that Carl was responsible for the recruitment of Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin.
REM–Mike Mills is most definitely the secret sauce here for all the reasons above. He is the Brian Jones of REM.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers–Mike Campbell.
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young–Neil Young
Any one of David Bowie’s backing bands–I’ve always enjoyed the work of Reeves Gabrels.
The Byrds–Surely McGuinn, but damn Clarence White was a delight during that late incarnation.
Flying Burrito Brothers–Chris Etheridge.
TB
The Band – Danko. Others have said why better than I could.
The Beach Boys – Brian Wilson in his Producer role. I don’t like The Beach Boys because I don’t like the songs, but they sound spectacular.
Steely Dan – Walter Becker. All those years relegated to bass, and it turns out he’s as good a guitar player as anyone they’ve ever used, and that’s saying something. BTW, Denny Dias and Elliot Randle did the guitars on Reelin’ In the Years, and Elliot Randle is the one that played the lead.
Yes – Steve Howe. I like Yes (a hangover from my adolescence I suppose), but the bad without Howe is never as good.
Heart – Howrd Leese. He made them sound like real pro’s right from the start.
Echo and the Bunnymen – Bunnyman number four.
Lynyrd Skynyrd – I agree that it’s Billy Powell. That dude was terrific and never did too much or too little.
Chicago – Who cares?
Pere Ubu – Jim Jones.
The Dammed – Brian James.
Jethro Tull – All I ever hear is guitar and flute, so I’ll say the guy that takes care of the guitars and flutes.
REM – Bill Berry. Did anyone ever notice he left?
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Stan Lynch. Without him, they’re just Mudcrutch.
New York Dolls – Johnny Thumders. Maybe not the secret sauce, but maybe the only thing worth coming back for.
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young – Young. The other three blow.
Any one of David Bowie’s backing bands – Mick Ronson for sure, but I saw him with Earl Slick twice, so I’m going with Earl. That guy was awesome to see live.
The Byrds – I only know Maguinn and Maguire and I don’t know what either of them do so I guess I don’t care. Their secret sauce is just thousand island dressing.
Flying Burrito Brothers – Cholula. That stuff is great on everything!
How can you pick one for Bowie? Mick Ronson. Mike Garson. Herbie Flowers. Earl Slick. Even Michael Kamen? Forget about it!
That live at the Tower album is sick sick sick.
Oh yeah, Luther Vandross on backup? Who wasn’t the secret sauce?
There aren’t many “wrong” answers, but I think we can do better than Neil Young for CSNY. It’s no secret he’s the best thing that band had going for it.
I like how 2K phrased the importance of former Heartbreakers’ drummer Stan Lynch. There are a few really good musicians in that band that make Tom Petty something more than the semi-talented stoner in any high school we may have attended, but I’m leaning toward Lynch myself.
Feel free to leave your own bands and secret sauce nominees as you answer from the list I provided. For instance, I’d say Phil Lesh is the secret sauce for the Dead.
The Band- Danko
The Beach Boys- Carl
Steely Dan- Skunk
Yes- Bruford
Echo and the Bunnymen- Pete
REM- Bill
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers- C’mon, Benmont Tench!
Any one of David Bowie’s backing bands- Dennis Davis, the drummer from Station to Station through Scary Monsters
The Byrds- Uh, Skip Batten?
Flying Burrito Brothers- Sneaky Pete
I’m with 2000 Man and Oats on REM. Bill Berry, Bill Berry, Bill Berry.
How can he NOT be REM’s special sauce, when the instant he left the band, they were so completely and immediately sauceless?
* The Band — Hudson
* The Beach Boys — Carl
* Steely Dan — Denny Dias
* Lynyrd Skynyrd — Leon Wilkeson!
* Jethro Tull — Martin Barre
* The Byrds — Bass player dude’s hair, ca. 1975
Martin Barre’s definitely the Secret Sauce in Jethro Tull, although the bass player early on (I don’t know how long he lasted) – the one with the lace-up suede boots and the harmonica holder in The Rolling Stones’ Rock ‘n Roll Circus – runs a really close second.
Blondie-Jimmy Destri, the keyboard player
The Cure-Simon Gallup-bass
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure-Phil Hartman co-writer
Donna Summer-Giorgio Morodor-Producer
Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons-Bob Gaudio-hit writer
Crazy Horse-David Briggs-Producer
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-Mick Harvey, has played every instrument at one time or another, the only constant member from the beginning, sometime co-writer, and holder of Nick Cave’s hand.
I think Crosby was the secret sauce in both the Byrds and CS&N. That guy really knows harmony singing, and his rhythm guitar was essential to records like Eight Miles High.
Ronson seems too high profile to be the “secret sauce” for Bowie. I say it’s anybody who played the great, unhearalded bass parts in his band during his peak: Tony Visconti on The Man Who Sold the World and Trevor Bolder on Hunky Dory through Pin-Ups.
Can we hear some more about the satanic gaze of Al Jardine?
The Band – Garth Hudson
The Beach Boys – Dennis (if only for Pacific Ocean Blue)
Pere Ubu – Alan Ravenstine
New York Dolls – Thunders
Any one of David Bowie’s backing bands – Eno
The Byrds – Gram Parsons
Flying Burrito Brothers – Sneaky Pete
alexmagic, I’ll try to work out my thoughts on Jardine and the role of Satan in The Beach Boys over the coming days or weeks. I’ve been thinking about this for years, but I’ve never pieced it all together. Truth be told I’m leery of going public with this research as long as Jardine and Mike Love walk this earth.
The bass player from Wilco.
Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols.
Bruce Thomas from the Attractions.
Did Arthur Kane really play bass on Personality Crisis? If so, I say that he is the Secret Sauce because that song would be in shambles without that bass line.
The Band – Rick Danko
The Beach Boys – ?
Steely Dan – Skunk Baxter
Yes – Chris Squire
Heart – Nancy Wilson
Echo and the Bunnymen – Pete de Freitas
Lynyrd Skynyrd – ?
Chicago – Danny Seraphine
Pere Ubu – ?
The Dammed – The Captian
Jethro Tull – Barriemore Barlow
REM – Mike Mills
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Mike Campbell
New York Dolls – Thunders
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young – Young
Any one of David Bowie’s backing bands – Adrian Belew
The Byrds – ?
Flying Burrito Brothers – ?
Here’s my Secret Sauce picks among the bands that I have an interest in:
The Beach Boys: Carl Wilson
The Damned: Captain Sensible (who has worked w/& is friends w/Martin Newell)
NY Dolls: Sylvan Sylvan
The Byrds & Flying Burrito Bros.: Chris Hillman
Also, for the Kinks, I would have to say Mick Avory
* The Band
Seagram’s, despite their press release saying it’s Kentucky Gentleman
* The Beach Boys
A nice Pinot Noir, not too expensive
* Steely Dan
Henessey
* Yes
Chivas
* Heart
Southern Comfort
* Echo and the Bunnymen
Worcestershire
* Lynyrd Skynyrd
Jack Daniel’s
* Chicago
Heinz 57
* Pere Ubu
Pimm’s
* The Dammed
Heaven Hill Bourbon
* Jethro Tull
Gordon’s Dry Gin
* REM
Fondue, could be cheese, could be chocolate
* Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Dickel Straight Whiskey
* New York Dolls
Johnny Walker Red Label
* Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
Gravy, oh wait, Crosby’s only first
* Any one of David Bowie’s backing bands
J&B, God knows they need it
* The Byrds
Gravy, well, wait, is it Crosby’s band?
* Flying Burrito Brothers
Jose Cuervo Peuter
That’s genius, Mockcarr. I would only suggest that So Co might be a little strong for Heart. Consider replacing it with Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill.
AC/DC = Malcolm Young, with Bon Scott getting honorable mention.
I’m changing my Bowie answer to Stevie Ray Vaughan during the Let’s Dance era (OK, it was only one album). Side note: Bowie asked him to tour as his guitar player and SRV told him to take a hike. Turned out to be his best career move.
Worst SRV career move? Taking Clapton’s seat on the chopper.
Top Secret Sauce: Stones-Purdie
Pardon the super-long paste:
Engineer of “Life’s Rich Pageant,” Ross Hogarth comments on Mike Mills:
REM for me was always interesting to listen to
whether you got it or not
and
this for me is pretty stock
Mike Mills, who I think is the understated genius of the band
always came up with the counter melody, overlay that made the songs go from cool to wow
on this song his part is a stock background part
i will continue to love REM as I do U2 and many other bands who I feel have passed their prime because history has shown that
every now and then someone gets off of the canvas and rocks it up
my opinion comes from my experiance of REM
my experience of REM was funny and mixed one
when Don Gehman called to say that we were going back to Indiana, to John Mellencamps Belmont Mall, to make a new REM record,my response was, really ? why ? Belomont was built for John to have a studio and we made Scarecrow there and he was headed off on the road for months because Scarecrow was blowing up.
My only experience at the time with REM was seeing them open for The Dream Syndicate, and for me, it was a snoozefest … i didn’t get it at the time ..now you have to understand I was not in college ..i was making Mellencamps records,heavy metal records like Ratt and Dio and Motely and for me the shoe gazing mumbling of Stipe and Steve Wynn went over my head.
it wasn’t until i was in the studio making their record that i went back and listened to Fables and Murmur
and then hanging out with them day in and out did i come to think that in their own way
they were one of America’s greatest bands
band being the key word
Mike Mills needed Stipes lyrics
Peter Buck needed Mike Mills coaching
they relied on Bill Berry to drive in his own relatively loose but forceful way
all together they made great music
interesting clever and unique
i was sold
and it is also interesting
that I never felt that they made a record as good as Fables,Mumur or Pageant again
they made some great records with great songs
but when Bill left
for things really changed
he was Mills best friend
when they showed up in Indiana
first thing they did was rent a fishing boat so they could go fishing before sessions
Stipe had his own apt
Peter his own
but
Mill and Berry roomed together
they were pals
it showed in the music
so now
when i make a judgement call on this new song
it comes down through a filter of 22 years of personal feelings and emotions
I have to say also
Mike Mills to this day is one of the humblest, funniest, coolest rich musicians …he is awesome
i have not seen Peter for a long time but I did run into Michael in So Ho a few years back and we had a long reminiscing conversation
if you saw REM back then, Stipe always wore a green suit
he bought that with me in a thrift store in Bloomington
he wore it until it would stand up and then while he was in the studio
we would force him to take it off so we could clean it
not for him but for us because it smelled so bad
then he went out wore it for the next 2 years
that was a good time … REM really made a mark on me at the time
to this day I am extremely proud of the work and the life experience of being with those guys for 5 months
Funny you should mention Bernard Purdie, kilroy. Well played! In the shocking photos thread I’ve been thinking I should post a link I found to a photo of Charlie Watts actually recording with the Stones.
The long, fragmented paste job you provided was worth it, cher. Thanks.
Here are my Secret Sauce selections:
The Band – Rick Danko
The Beach Boys – Jardine
Steely Dan – whoever plays lead on “Reelin’ in the Years”
Yes – Steve Howe
Heart – As someone said already, whoever developed the riff for “Barracuda”
Echo and the Bunnymen – Pete de Freitas
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Ed King
Chicago – whoever came up with their album titles
Pere Ubu – TONY MAIMONE! (Scott Krauss is a close runner-up)
The Dammed – Chuck Crisafulli, a wise senior friend my freshman year in college who played me something called The Black Album, I believe, during the first hour of a certain first mind-expanding activity. The Dammed would never sound so good again.
Jethro Tull – Martin Barre
REM – I’m not tasting any…
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Stan Lynch
New York Dolls – Jerry Nolan
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young – whoever played bass on songs like “Suite Judy Blue Eyes”
Any one of David Bowie’s backing bands – Rick Wakeman, or whoever it is playing piano on Hunky Dory
The Byrds – the good-looking drummer who sat out on their recording sessions
Flying Burrito Brothers – Whichever Chris plays bass on the first album – I’m never sure I know the difference between Hillman and Etheridge beside their Look.
Carlos Alomar from Bowie’s bands. He looked the coolest when he wore a fez.
Also, it was Glenn Cornick who played bass in early Jethro Tull. He had the bandana and the quirky, jerky performance.
Oh, and how about Greg Hawkes from The Cars??? That’s some good Armadillo Sauce and solidified that band’s sound.
It took me years to figure out that Greg Hawkes was the reason that I didn’t like the Cars. He’s not like the secret sauce, he’s more like the secret hair that you find in the burger after taking a bite.
The secret sauce at Bronco Burger is ketchup and mayonnaise.