Are solo efforts ever better?

It's a fine line between better and different. I applaud musicians who have the courage to make a clean break rather than staying in the comfort zone of their bands viz. Paul Weller, Mark Knopfler and Sting. Of those three, only Mark Knopfler's post-band music really appeals to me, but I appreciate what Paul Weller and Sting have done post the Jam and the Police.

Nico.

DeKay

First, a mea culpa on my part. Some of my above nominations are completely inappropriate in terms of the thread’s stated topic and intent, some of them noted by others as being sidemen who later became "leading men" (using the analogy of actors). I will also concede that most of my choices had not been in "monster" bands, but rather in cult-level ones. I don’t consider that distinction artistically relevant, but this is not my thread ;-) .

But there is one name that simply can not be ignored: Richard Thompson. While his output in Fairport Convention may be the equal of his solo work in terms of quality (imo an unnecessary comparison), his solo body of work is far more extensive in quantity. Live on stage Richard is absolutely, unbelievably great! See him before he dies :-( .

And then there is David Lindley. Though he made his name playing on the albums of many of the L.A. singers/songwriters, Lindley was before that in the L.A. band Kaleidoscope. I much prefer his solo albums, and live he is astounding! Sharp dresser, too ;-) . 

A couple of these might be arguable depending on your tastes and preferences.

Joe Walsh

Donald Fagen

Bjork

Natalie Merchant

Janis Joplin

Billy Idol

Ice Cube

Ronnie James Dio

Sammy Hagar

St. Vincent

Joan Jett

Moby

Tom Petty

If you start digging into jazz, it would be easy to come up with a list 2 or 3 times longer.

I'm with lowrider57 when it comes to Debbie Harry and Eric Clapton. I saw Deborah Harry and Blondie at the Santa Monica Civic. They were just plain fun. I still listen to a couple of their albums.

As for Clapton, thanks to his work with the Blues Breakers and Cream, he remains my favorite electric guitarist. He's the reason I bought an electric guitar. I got to say, though, that when I saw him in concert he was a bit of a snooze.