LimeWire Music Blog

A few weeks prior, LWMB featured a list of musical children, artists who carried on their parent’s legacy to the next generation.  Family matters, and I’m moreso intrigued by musical siblings, brothers and sisters who take their sibling rivalry and transform it into pure musical energy.

Of course, lists like these are often subjective, and often feature the same obvious choices.  We are all familiar with those rascally Gallagher boys and their pompous antics, nod our heads to the Greenwood brothers, the Deal sisters, and of course, the ubiquetious Jackson clan, and we should all know that neither the Righteous Brothers nor the Walker Brothers were in fact, related, right?  With this in mind, here’s ten of my favorite musical siblings both past and present, with a few clips attached for essential listening.

1. Russel and Ron Mael (Sparks)
We’ll kick things off with my very favorite pair of musical siblings, the quirky Mael brothers, who formed art-pop outfit Sparks in 1970.  Ever the pop shapeshifters, Sparks have been regularly releasing records since their inception, and are still thankfully cranking out masterpieces to date.
Essential listening: “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For the Both of Us,” “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth,” “No. 1 Song In Heaven”

2. Jerry Only/Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (The Misfits)
Here’s the first of several punk icons to make the list.  Both Jerry and Doyle (Gerald and Paul Caiafa, respectively) played together in the original incarnation of the Misfits, sporting devilocks, prominent face make up, and donning their instruments with primal punk fury.  Both siblings continued playing as the Misfits in 1995, after legally earning the rights to continue under the moniker, but it’s their original trailblazing material that earns them the place on this list.
Essential listening: “Bullet,” “Where Eagles Dare,” “Last Caress”

3. David Sylvian/Steve Jansen (Japan)
Another pair of pseudonym siblings, David and Steve (both originally donning the last name Batt) formed Japan in 1974. Taking much of their early style and substance from David Bowie and Roxy Music, Japan were one of the forerunners of the New Romantic movement, and one of the best pop bands of the early ’80s.
Essential listening: “Quiet Life,” “Adolescent Sex,” ”Nightporter”

4. Jim/William Reid (The Jesus and Mary Chain)
Notorious as one of rock’s premier feuding siblings, The Jesus and Mary Chain kicked off their fuzzed-out career with a series of riots and otherwise shrill, noisy gigs.  Their records were psychedelic bliss, and the band quickly became one of the most influential bands of the era, ushering in a wave of shoegaze and alternative rock into the ’90s.
Essential listening: “April Skies,” “Reverence,” “Sidewalking”

5. Karen/Richard Carpenter (The Carpenters)
Bear with me on this one.  No matter how you feel about the Carpenters brand of  ’70s A.M. radio gold, this brother-and-sister duo wrote some great songs.  Don’t buy it?  Check out Sonic Youth’s cover of the band’s finest moment, which might spark some out-of-context love and a gateway to acceptance.  Then work backward, and enjoy some of the most dramatic and lasting pop songs of a forgotten generation.
Essential listening: “Superstar,” “Rainy Days and Mondays,” ”Close to You”

6. Jay/Michael Aston (Gene Loves Jezebel)
Though these pair of siblings originally worked in harmony in the original lineup of Gene Loves Jezebel, their egos (and hair) quickly got out of control and split the band.  To date, there are two incarnations of Gene Loves Jezebel in the performing circuit, each led by an Aston brother, with neither harnassing the original power of the band’s earlier lineup.
Essential listening: “Worth Waiting For,” “Desire,” “Motion of Love”

7. Ray/Dave Davies (The Kinks)
While we’re talking about feuding siblings, let’s round the trifecta out with the original sibling rivalry of Dave and Ray Davies, the primary driving forces of the Kinks.  Though the two brothers can hardly stand each other these days (despite reunion rumors buzzing about), the Kinks managed to write some of the most lasting British singles to date.  Often imitated, but never duplicated, the Kinks have more than earned their place in rock ‘n’ roll history.
Essential listening: “Where Have All the Good Times Gone,” “Set Me Free,” “Waterloo Sunset”

8. Richard/Tim Butler (The Psychedelic Furs)
This particular pair of siblings formed the original six-member lineup of the Psychedelic Furs.  With Tim’s trademark bass playing and Richard’s druggy take on Johnny Rotten’s vocal style, the band quickly turned from promising post-punk pioneers to early new wave giants.  Though the band split in the early ’90s, the brothers Butler have reactivated the Psychedelic Furs in the new millenium, and continue to perform.
Essential listening: “Sister Europe,” ”All of This and Nothing,” ”Flowers,” and if you must, “Love My Way”

9. Ron/Scott Ashton (The Stooges)
Though dubbed by Iggy Pop as the “Dum Dum Boys” (along with deceased bassist Dave Alexander) after their original breakup, the Ashton brothers made up a half2 of punk pioneers The Stooges, who trailblazed a path of debauchery from 1967-1974.  Though the band reunited for gigs and a reunion record in 2003, it’s the band’s original output and legacy that earns them a spot on this list.  R.I.P., Ron!
Essential listening: “TV Eye,” “Down on the Street,” “I Wanna Be Your Dog”

10. Philippe/Hervé Lomprez (Trisomie 21)
Allow me to conclude this list with a purely personal choice, with a powerful French coldwave band helmed by two native siblings. Trisomie 21 were one of the forerunners of the coldwave movement, a subdivision of post-punk which drew primarily from Joy Division’s icy edge.  Though this particular band split in the ’90s, they have recently reactivated, and are gearing up to release a new studio record.
Essential Listening: “The Last Song,” “La Fête Triste“, ”Logical Animals“