MUSICIANS WHO PLAY ALL INSTRUMENTS

MCCARTNEY
PRINCE
TODD RUNDRGREN
STEVIE WONDER- EXCEPT GUITAR
CHRIS MARS-PLAYED GUITAR DRUMS AND KEYS
MIKE OLDFIELD
PAUL WESTERBERG

Inevitably, the drumming seems to suffer the most when artists play all the instruments themselves. It's gotten to the point with Westerberg where, when I listen to his latest albums, all I hear is that godawful ride cymbal flopping around like a garbage can lid and cant even concentrate on the song. Stevie was a pretty poor drummer also but managed to hide it well for the most part, and of course his keyboard playing was always brilliant.

David Gilmour single-handedly rerecorded Money (the version on A Collection of Great Dance Songs) due to label rights infighting.

Not exactly the most difficult drumming, but more than competent and not very distinguishable from the LP version, which says a lot I think.

My Dad Is Dead
Klark Kent

Obviously the drumming didn't suffer much on that last. Same goes for the first Foo Fighters album, where Grohl played all of the instruments except on one or two songs.

And Mitch Easter did much of Big Plans for Everybody by himself and acquitted himself quite well on the drums (though he's no Rob Ladd or Eric Marshall).

Also, wasn't Green Mind mostly a Mascis solo album, for all intents and purposes? Again, pretty good drumming.

Green Mind is a big exception. I love love love the drums on that record!

Didn't Jeffrey Lee Pierce play all the instruments on some of the Death Party ep? (maybe it was just some of the instuments on all of the ep).
Can't be sure but I've always had a soft spot for that release.

These days, with all the 'bedroom recording' going on, it's not that rare anymore.

One person in particular though, who does it continually at an amazingly high level across a lot of aliases, is Scott Herren.

Hasil Adkins
Smashing Pumpkins (at least the early stuff)
M
Tears for Fears (Roland's done at least one Tears For Fears release w/o Curt or anyone else)
Sentridoh (Lou Barlow)

Not to mention all the one-person electronica/electro-pop/experimental outfits that have roamed the earth.

did dave edmunds play all instruments ?
nick lowe played bass n guitar not sure if he played keys.

Devin Davis
Adam Schmitt
Liam Finn (and he does it live, with loops/pedals)

One of the greatest - heck in my opinion, THE greatest of them all - Roy Wood. Played every instrument on his masterpiece Boulders (except for harmonium on one track) and the almost as great Mustard.

The wikipedia list of instruments he's played on his albums: guitars, bass guitar, sitar, cello, double bass, saxophones, clarinet, trombone, tuba, recorders, oboe, French horn, banjo, mandolin, bassoon, drums, percussion, vibraphone, bagpipes and keyboards.

My dad heard Wood's banjo picking on "When Grandma Played the Banjo" and proclaimed him "as good as Roy Clark," which was high praise indeed.