Mostly abysmal solo careers that get a pass based almost entirely on past successes with respective bands and / or good will

Same with Clapton to a lesser degree, I think.

This is what I was getting at: I doubt the people who made "Tears in Heaven" #1 on the AC charts were all Yardbirds or Cream fans or even aware of early Yardbirds. Did the Yardbirds even score any big hits before Beck replaced Clapton?

Unless "get a pass" refers to critical acclaim, not to popular appeal.

for your love was a big hit!

I kind of agree on Nick Cave, tho, not so much as "he gets a free pass" as his badass history let him get away with a lot of balladeering

it was their biggest u.s. hit by far. and its kinda why clapton left the group. he didn't want to be a "pop" star.

I love the idea that Nick Cave is just "former Birthday Party frontman Nick Cave". That's like saying Neil Young is best known as an ex-member of Buffalo Springfield.

surely anagram, you'd mention Pete Hammill there?

mos def. the three post-reunion albums all sound like PH-plus-organ to me (or PH-plus-organ-and-sax in the case of Present) in a way that the 70s albums certainly don't.

I thought Jeff Beck played on "For Your Love", probably because it sounds more pop and less blues than most Clapton-era Yardbirds. My mistake, sorry.

also I'd say the 3 Hammill albums after Pawn Hearts seemed to hint at what was to come with Godbluff

I know he has his fans, but ... Bob Mould.

we've already been down the mould route up top.