It's a small world after all
March 16, 2005 11:23 PM Subscribe
Six degrees of Nirvana, see how bands are connected to each other.
Bachman-Turner Overdrive to Buzzcocks in 15 steps
And those 15 steps were gruelling.
posted by underer at 11:52 PM on March 16, 2005
And those 15 steps were gruelling.
posted by underer at 11:52 PM on March 16, 2005
Split Enz to Dead Kennedys in 17 steps. Crazy. I recall seeing one of these before but with no pictures of the albums. May have been a Misfits site, methinks. Anyway, a pre-emptive
[this is good]
posted by bdave at 12:24 AM on March 17, 2005
[this is good]
posted by bdave at 12:24 AM on March 17, 2005
Ahh, blessed Google. The previously mentioned similar page, albeit offline for now.
posted by bdave at 12:31 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by bdave at 12:31 AM on March 17, 2005
Huey Lewis & The News to Gwar in 18 steps
Which included Shellac and Mission of Burma!
posted by underer at 12:41 AM on March 17, 2005
Which included Shellac and Mission of Burma!
posted by underer at 12:41 AM on March 17, 2005
Les Claypool is the chronic link between every band I've tried. My largest degree of separation so far is twelve.
posted by trinarian at 12:46 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by trinarian at 12:46 AM on March 17, 2005
But if you try and go from Talking Heads to Public Image Limited, it takes a step longer than it ought. Adrian Belew played with Talking Heads directly so there is, as ever, NO NEED FOR THE TOM TOM CLUB.
posted by handee at 12:48 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by handee at 12:48 AM on March 17, 2005
I've got 19 now between Snot (mid-90's metal band that would have gone somewhere save the death of its lead singer) and The Animals (House of the Rising Sun), which went through both Ugly Kid Joe and Jimmy Page :-)
posted by trinarian at 1:01 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by trinarian at 1:01 AM on March 17, 2005
Ruins to The Alan Parsons Project in 19 steps
And you can only ever get 15 steps away from Nation of Ulysses.
posted by underer at 1:41 AM on March 17, 2005
And you can only ever get 15 steps away from Nation of Ulysses.
posted by underer at 1:41 AM on March 17, 2005
Crazy Horse to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in 17 steps. Hmm, that's efficient.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 3:26 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 3:26 AM on March 17, 2005
Guns'N'Roses to The Vandals in way too many steps cos Josh Freese drummed for both. Or maybe he didnt. Now I dont know!
posted by 13twelve at 4:46 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by 13twelve at 4:46 AM on March 17, 2005
It's amazing how many band links/albums/members this database doesn't have. I'm willing to bet that most of these band-to-band links can be done in a half-dozen steps, but the DB just doesn't have the info to map it properly.
posted by Jairus at 4:53 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by Jairus at 4:53 AM on March 17, 2005
Bolt Thrower to anything is good for some uncomfortable squirming regarding one's musical past.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:03 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:03 AM on March 17, 2005
" Crazy Horse to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in 17 steps. Hmm, that's efficient."
And Neil Young is not one of those steps!
posted by MotorNeuron at 5:32 AM on March 17, 2005
And Neil Young is not one of those steps!
posted by MotorNeuron at 5:32 AM on March 17, 2005
Out of about 10 linking attempts, 8 of them involved Rainbow as a step. Wild.
posted by Wulfgar! at 6:07 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by Wulfgar! at 6:07 AM on March 17, 2005
It cheats a bit by using compilation albums, but still quite rad. Anal Cunt to Bikini Kill? No problem!
posted by bardic at 6:12 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by bardic at 6:12 AM on March 17, 2005
The Beatles to Poison in 9 steps? Whoa.
You all remember Poison, don't you? Unskinny bop bop bop bop...
posted by emelenjr at 6:30 AM on March 17, 2005
You all remember Poison, don't you? Unskinny bop bop bop bop...
posted by emelenjr at 6:30 AM on March 17, 2005
Can't even find my favorite band, moe. And they backed up Bob Weir on at least one Furthur Festival tour, so I at least expected to see some connections. *shrug*
posted by terrapin at 6:42 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by terrapin at 6:42 AM on March 17, 2005
>22 steps from Atheist to Big Audio Dynamite II.
And so not worth the trip.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:44 AM on March 17, 2005
And so not worth the trip.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:44 AM on March 17, 2005
Great stuff, though very uneven as previously mentioned. I was surprised to see Air Miami, who I was just listening to this morning and thinking how nobody's heard of them these days. On the other hand, let's look at the letter Q...
Qango, Quasi, Queens Of The Stone Age, Quicksand, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Quiet Riot, Quiet Sun
Hmmmmmm... seems like there might be some low-profile band missing there... and don't tell me not one member ever worked with anybody else...!
posted by soyjoy at 7:25 AM on March 17, 2005
Qango, Quasi, Queens Of The Stone Age, Quicksand, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Quiet Riot, Quiet Sun
Hmmmmmm... seems like there might be some low-profile band missing there... and don't tell me not one member ever worked with anybody else...!
posted by soyjoy at 7:25 AM on March 17, 2005
Someone entering the band data etc likes DC punk rock, which is always a good thing to like. Air Miami was the first band I saw and realized that the site was going to have music I cared about. They even have the Vile Cherubs.
Very cool.
posted by OmieWise at 7:52 AM on March 17, 2005
Very cool.
posted by OmieWise at 7:52 AM on March 17, 2005
This is really fun.
Although the guy who owns this site has a really weird record collection.
I mean seriously, Midget Handjob? ... Worst. Band. Name. Evar.
posted by sour cream at 8:12 AM on March 17, 2005
Although the guy who owns this site has a really weird record collection.
I mean seriously, Midget Handjob? ... Worst. Band. Name. Evar.
posted by sour cream at 8:12 AM on March 17, 2005
Brian Setzer Orchestra to Electric Light Orchestra in 10.
Brian Setzer Orchestra to Shellac in 8.
I can hear the music of the spheres...
posted by Ptrin at 8:18 AM on March 17, 2005
Brian Setzer Orchestra to Shellac in 8.
I can hear the music of the spheres...
posted by Ptrin at 8:18 AM on March 17, 2005
Tony Iommi and Al Pitrelli are also huge hubs in this network.
posted by Wolfdog at 9:14 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by Wolfdog at 9:14 AM on March 17, 2005
The previously mentioned similar page, albeit offline for now.
This is actually an updated version of that page, done by the same people. And yes, one of the people doing the research is a punk fan from DC. They're continuously adding stuff to the database, so feel free to email them with stuff you know that they've left out, althought they're apparently swamped with emails as it is.
posted by LionIndex at 9:26 AM on March 17, 2005
This is actually an updated version of that page, done by the same people. And yes, one of the people doing the research is a punk fan from DC. They're continuously adding stuff to the database, so feel free to email them with stuff you know that they've left out, althought they're apparently swamped with emails as it is.
posted by LionIndex at 9:26 AM on March 17, 2005
Musicplasma shows how bands (they extended the service, now works with movies too) are connected according to "interests, style, epoch and other criteria". Requires flash, but it's funny.
posted by donut at 9:48 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by donut at 9:48 AM on March 17, 2005
Who'da thought that The Smiths to The Rapture would take 20 steps and go through Eric Clapton? Also, it's interesting to note that if you reverse the order of the endpoints, you can get a slightly different route. Though I suppose it would be harder to design an algorithm that DIDN'T have this property.
posted by jeffj at 11:10 AM on March 17, 2005
posted by jeffj at 11:10 AM on March 17, 2005
Anal Cunt to Hole in 13 steps.
Only took me two dates.
posted by lazaruslong at 12:31 PM on March 17, 2005
Only took me two dates.
posted by lazaruslong at 12:31 PM on March 17, 2005
Wow. I am so bookmarking this link. Thanx drezdn.
posted by alumshubby at 1:52 PM on March 17, 2005
posted by alumshubby at 1:52 PM on March 17, 2005
The only way any band connects to U2 is via Brian Eno, it seems. Which probably makes sense, considering "Passengers" (with Brian Eno) is the only sideproject any U2 guy has ever been in.
Pretty cool.
posted by Kleptophoria! at 2:05 PM on March 17, 2005
Pretty cool.
posted by Kleptophoria! at 2:05 PM on March 17, 2005
It's good to see that so many people are enjoying the site. I saw a few things that I'd like to respond to all at once:
> Crazy Horse to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in 17 steps.
> Hmm, that's efficient.
Right now, bandtoband.com focuses on bands as individual units. We exclude solo artists (Madonna is not a band) and we exclude collaborations between bands (Run D.M.C. and Aerosmith recording "Walk This Way" together is a collaboration involving two bands, not one super-band in which Reverend Run and Steven Tyler are both members).
Sure, we recognize that Neil Young & Crazy Horse is important, but because Crazy Horse, the band has released albums apart from Neil Young, the solo artist, we think of Neil Young & Crazy Horse as a collaboration. If a supporting band only records with a solo artist fronting the band, as in the case of Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, we'll list the whole unit as one band because there's no other way to get the supporting band into the tree.
We've got some pretty detailed rules on how and why we do things the way we do: http://www.bandtoband.com/index.php?Page=Rules
> But if you try and go from Talking Heads to Public Image
> Limited, it takes a step longer than it ought. Adrian
> Belew played with Talking Heads directly so there is, as
> ever, NO NEED FOR THE TOM TOM CLUB.
If I remember correctly, Adrian Belew was a contributor to one studio album ("Remain in Light" on which he doesn't seem to be treated as a band member) and he also performed on a live album. For a number of reasons, we avoid live albums unless the band in question only put out live albums. One of the reasons (and of course, nobody has to agree with us) is that we think it's very easy for someone to temporarily "join" a band as a substitute member or as part of an augmented performance lineup and then disappear without ever contributing to the music-making process. We also do not count guest appearances, session musician participation (e.g., Aynsley Dunbar played drums on tons of albums, but we only list him as a band member when appropriate), production credits, or "my brother was a backup hand-clapper on one song" as signs of legitimate band membership. So, on those theories, WE DO NEED THE TOM TOM CLUB. Excuse me for shouting. Of course, we're not experts on every band (I've only heard one Talking Heads song), so if we're wrong, please email us so we can shorten the connection.
> It's amazing how many band links/albums/members this
> database doesn't have.
Ouch! I'm amazed that we even have 2000. There are just two of us doing it (along with a handful of loyal and persistent contributors) and we go to great lengths to verify all the data. It takes a lot longer than you might think. For the past seven weeks, we've averaged about 100 new bands per week and we thought that was great. It's a work-in-progress that we add to when we have time. If you want to start paying us, I'm sure we can do it full-time... And if you want to start contributing, please visit the "Help" page: http://www.bandtoband.com/index.php?Page=Help
> It cheats a bit by using compilation albums, but still
> quite rad.
Bandtoband.com considers only "official" band lineups that released music on a single, a full album, or a compilation album. Sometimes the only appearance of a legitimate band member is on a compilation. One example of this is Jason Everman, a former member of Nirvana who recorded only one song with the band, which was released on a Kiss tribute album. In our database, we treat compilations like one-song albums by the band in question, thereby ignoring every other band on the album. We do NOT use compilations to connect to other bands that happen to be featured on that album. That certainly would be cheating.
Sometimes we throw in a compilation album so you don't have to see the same image every time. For example, we got really tired of seeing the same old Mad Season and Class Of '55 album covers, so we found compilation albums that featured the same lineups.
> This is actually an updated version of that page, done by
> the same people.
It's the third online version we've worked on. You can also see the original "paper" version on the "Fun Stuff" page.
Thanks for visiting the site.
http://bandtoband.com
posted by go vegan at 3:35 PM on March 17, 2005
> Crazy Horse to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in 17 steps.
> Hmm, that's efficient.
Right now, bandtoband.com focuses on bands as individual units. We exclude solo artists (Madonna is not a band) and we exclude collaborations between bands (Run D.M.C. and Aerosmith recording "Walk This Way" together is a collaboration involving two bands, not one super-band in which Reverend Run and Steven Tyler are both members).
Sure, we recognize that Neil Young & Crazy Horse is important, but because Crazy Horse, the band has released albums apart from Neil Young, the solo artist, we think of Neil Young & Crazy Horse as a collaboration. If a supporting band only records with a solo artist fronting the band, as in the case of Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, we'll list the whole unit as one band because there's no other way to get the supporting band into the tree.
We've got some pretty detailed rules on how and why we do things the way we do: http://www.bandtoband.com/index.php?Page=Rules
> But if you try and go from Talking Heads to Public Image
> Limited, it takes a step longer than it ought. Adrian
> Belew played with Talking Heads directly so there is, as
> ever, NO NEED FOR THE TOM TOM CLUB.
If I remember correctly, Adrian Belew was a contributor to one studio album ("Remain in Light" on which he doesn't seem to be treated as a band member) and he also performed on a live album. For a number of reasons, we avoid live albums unless the band in question only put out live albums. One of the reasons (and of course, nobody has to agree with us) is that we think it's very easy for someone to temporarily "join" a band as a substitute member or as part of an augmented performance lineup and then disappear without ever contributing to the music-making process. We also do not count guest appearances, session musician participation (e.g., Aynsley Dunbar played drums on tons of albums, but we only list him as a band member when appropriate), production credits, or "my brother was a backup hand-clapper on one song" as signs of legitimate band membership. So, on those theories, WE DO NEED THE TOM TOM CLUB. Excuse me for shouting. Of course, we're not experts on every band (I've only heard one Talking Heads song), so if we're wrong, please email us so we can shorten the connection.
> It's amazing how many band links/albums/members this
> database doesn't have.
Ouch! I'm amazed that we even have 2000. There are just two of us doing it (along with a handful of loyal and persistent contributors) and we go to great lengths to verify all the data. It takes a lot longer than you might think. For the past seven weeks, we've averaged about 100 new bands per week and we thought that was great. It's a work-in-progress that we add to when we have time. If you want to start paying us, I'm sure we can do it full-time... And if you want to start contributing, please visit the "Help" page: http://www.bandtoband.com/index.php?Page=Help
> It cheats a bit by using compilation albums, but still
> quite rad.
Bandtoband.com considers only "official" band lineups that released music on a single, a full album, or a compilation album. Sometimes the only appearance of a legitimate band member is on a compilation. One example of this is Jason Everman, a former member of Nirvana who recorded only one song with the band, which was released on a Kiss tribute album. In our database, we treat compilations like one-song albums by the band in question, thereby ignoring every other band on the album. We do NOT use compilations to connect to other bands that happen to be featured on that album. That certainly would be cheating.
Sometimes we throw in a compilation album so you don't have to see the same image every time. For example, we got really tired of seeing the same old Mad Season and Class Of '55 album covers, so we found compilation albums that featured the same lineups.
> This is actually an updated version of that page, done by
> the same people.
It's the third online version we've worked on. You can also see the original "paper" version on the "Fun Stuff" page.
Thanks for visiting the site.
http://bandtoband.com
posted by go vegan at 3:35 PM on March 17, 2005
How I can I take this seriously when The Tragically Hip isn't listed?
posted by bwg at 2:01 AM on March 18, 2005
posted by bwg at 2:01 AM on March 18, 2005
Cheers go vegan - I'd assumed it was to do with being credited on album sleeves, rather than through actual band membership. Although band membership is a decidedly nebulous thing - some "bands" (the The or anything involving Eno for example) seem to be one person with different musicians each album. Whether or not Adrian Belew made as much of a contribution to Remain In Light as Johnny Marr did to Mind Bomb is one of those questions I could probably ponder for far too long, but by your rules - you do need the tom tom club. bad luck:)
posted by handee at 2:06 AM on March 18, 2005
posted by handee at 2:06 AM on March 18, 2005
I always thought this game would work best with Elvis Costello.
posted by ParisParamus at 5:05 AM on March 18, 2005
posted by ParisParamus at 5:05 AM on March 18, 2005
> is a decidedly nebulous thing - some "bands" (the The or
> anything involving Eno for example) seem to be one
> person with different musicians each album.
No doubt. It's a lot harder than we thought it would be, especially when we know so little about most of the bands being submitted now. We created the "rules" so we could be consistent about who we treat as band members and bands, but it obviously creates some bizarre results!
posted by go vegan at 10:05 AM on March 18, 2005
> anything involving Eno for example) seem to be one
> person with different musicians each album.
No doubt. It's a lot harder than we thought it would be, especially when we know so little about most of the bands being submitted now. We created the "rules" so we could be consistent about who we treat as band members and bands, but it obviously creates some bizarre results!
posted by go vegan at 10:05 AM on March 18, 2005
Regarding Brian Eno and U2 and connecting to the band, that really shouldn't be true. I think it's an artifact of the rules (no session gigs, no production credits, etc.) For instance, Daniel Lanois was credited as co-producer with Eno all the way, and has done some substantial production work, including playing instruments, with Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris--and Emmylou should connect you to just about anybody, considering the number of folks she's sung duets with or backup for (Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams, Steve Earle, Neil Young, and a whole host of other artists).
I guess that's as good a reason as any to restrict these connections to permanent band members. Someone like Emmylou would shortcircuit all of these connection chains. For instance: Emmylou's 1995 album Wrecking Ball featured Daniel Lanois in the booth... and Larry Mullen, Jr. on drums. So U2 to Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams, etc. in two steps.
posted by tjarrett at 5:59 AM on March 19, 2005
I guess that's as good a reason as any to restrict these connections to permanent band members. Someone like Emmylou would shortcircuit all of these connection chains. For instance: Emmylou's 1995 album Wrecking Ball featured Daniel Lanois in the booth... and Larry Mullen, Jr. on drums. So U2 to Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams, etc. in two steps.
posted by tjarrett at 5:59 AM on March 19, 2005
Klepto: More U2 'side projects' which spring to mind: U2 played backup on "Sweet Fire of Love", from a Robbie Robertson album; Bono sang a duet "In A Lifetime" on a Clannad album, and The Edge recorded a movie soundtrack Captive in 1987, on which Sinead O'Connor & Larry Mullen performed.
posted by serafinapekkala at 2:49 PM on March 23, 2005
posted by serafinapekkala at 2:49 PM on March 23, 2005
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posted by milnak at 11:36 PM on March 16, 2005