"In Another Land" and "Downtown Suzy". Thing is, I love both greatly!!

How does BW's solo catalogue rank against these? Is it in the same vein, or something else entirely that might miss any good influence from the band? ...Good stuff anyway?

I have not listened to his first solo effort: Stone Alone.

But I have heard the Willy and the Poorboys stuff and it's good basic blues/rock. Though I believe other vocalists do the singing.

The guy was always up against the old guard.

Monkey Grip was okay 1974

I like the first two solo albums, which are sort of like Ringo albums had Ringo been a Stone. I mean, Bill's influences are all clear from the Rhythm Kings' rather pallid covers, but his songs, generally misunderstood as merely dumb, have a bemused, laconic attitude, and a self-deprecatory ('Im Gonna Get Me A Gun') charm and humor, plus he likes to write about sex. Thus 'Monkey Grip Glue'(worthy of Julia Lee & her Boyfriends), the hilarious 'It's Peanut Butter Time' (as he sings the title the b.g. vocalists breathe breathy bubblegum orgasm noises - his way of coming to terms with early Donna Summer), and the debut's hoe-down 'Pussy' perhaps is the purest essence of the Wymanian worldview....Boy, Great musicians congregate around sessions at Criteria studios in Miami (home of T.K.) Florida - Lowell George, George & Gwen McCrea, Dallas Taylor, Dr John, Van Morrison (sax), Pointer Sisters (before they sold out), Leon Russell....And dig the skating rink organ (no pun etc) on 'What a Blow.' Issued a month before, Stone Alone is Bill's "Black & Blue." Even has Ron Wood for a track. Then, around 1981 Bill discovered computers, resulting in some truly souless dreck. (Check his "Blues Odyssey" book/cd/dvd - better than Ken Burns' humorless myopic pic.