Gabriel is a good vote here. No chance on Sting.
@dekay the Beatles are the epitome of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Not sure many would agree with your assertion.
Are solo efforts ever better?
I’m sure someone will think of something, but IMO, I can’t think of any artist that went solo and produced a significant amount of material that was “better” musically than what they did with their bands. Paul Simon did some decent stuff, but I don’t think it ever reached the artistic levels of what S&G did together. Sting, Fogarty, Bruce… I guess Diana Ross and Beyoncé were far more successful solo, but I think the Supremes and Destiny were more of window dressing for the star and less of a collective effort. Again, IMO. What do you think?