OT: Greatest American Rock n Roll Band
- Thread starter WhichReligionIsRight
- Start date
Yes.
I thought about it before I included them. They're my favorite band that's out there now.
Their last three studio albums and their live album Live Drugs are being heavily played by this guy for quite a while now. I love Granduciel's guitarwork.
It's my opinion.
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I saw Little Feat open for the Dead in Maine and then again at the State Theatre in New Brunswick. I was going to buy tix at the box office but then a guy said some of his friends didn't show up and sold me three tickets, second row center for under face. It was an incredible show. No Lowell George obviously, but the band was tight and I always loved their songs. It was around the time they re-united and toured after releasing that single Texas Twister.
So it would’ve been just Crosby Stills counting the Americans.
Both Neil Young and Graham Nash are currently American citizens.
I didn't remember that or I would have added Neil Young and Crazy Horse to my list above.
Sidetracking here to the “what if” category. Guns and Roses would have to be near the top of this list if they would have just kept themselves somewhat professional.
I said before I just can't take Axl's voice for more than 60 seconds or so, nails on a chalkboard. Slash carries GNR imo.
What rock band does. lol but GNR are an all time great. Van Halen has to be top 5 for just about everyone. I can't find any way that they cant fall there. Even if you are 70+ and only naming bands prior to 1975(which it seems half the group posting may fall into)
Not for nothing- hate to say it out loud- but Kiss has to fall in there too. Heart is another ground breaker- and if you want to go Rock vs rock band- Pat Benatar, Joan Jett and Lenny Kravitz
One of the best- and everyone knows their songs- but no one knows who they are - Zebra - ask almost anyone from 70's-80's that were in the business...You mention Zebra and they will have nothing but the best for them.
I’d say Metallica (formed in LA) is an American band. Not sure they are in my top ten.
Also, the OP did not exclude bands with front men and the first reply included Bob Segar and the Silver Bullet Band, so I’d say bands with front men should be eligible.
As such, Bruce and the E Street band would have to be way high on the list. The Eagles would be my #2 followed by Bob Segar and REM.
Also, the OP did not exclude bands with front men and the first reply included Bob Segar and the Silver Bullet Band, so I’d say bands with front men should be eligible.
As such, Bruce and the E Street band would have to be way high on the list. The Eagles would be my #2 followed by Bob Segar and REM.
I do remember their origin story began with Nash touring Cali with his band the Hollies and meeting Crosby then. I think they sang something together and knew right away that they would succeed together…and Nash wanted to live in Cali.
This is a good podcast, though I find the narrator's voice to be tedious sometimes. The episode on the Dead was one of his best. I'm learning at lot from it. For example, For What's it Worth (The iconic song that mostly recently appeared at the Democratic National Convention) was about protests/riots in LA over a bar curfew where patrons were getting too rowdy). I always thought it was an anti-war or free speech protest song.
Episode 165: “Dark Star” by the Grateful Dead
Episode 165 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Dark Star” and the career of the Grateful Dead. This is a long one, even longer than the previous episode, but don’t wor…500songs.com
Wow. That was epic. Thanks for sharing. I'm a deadhead and learned a lot, That guy does some serious research.
Who knew deadheads invented the internet! LOL.
Over the last 3-5 years they're one of the better out there.
Petty and the Heartbreakers top 7 for me too. Mike Campbell certainly added lots of licks to Petty’s raw ideas so they certainly count as a band in my opinion.
I mean if we are throwing in personal favorites I’m throwing Wilco into the ring
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Was a huge Yes, Genesis and Pink Floyd fan in the 70s, so I'm quite familiar with long musical attention spans, lol. It all comes down to subjective tastes and while there are several Dead songs I love, there's just too much I don't like that much for me to elevate them in this discussion. And I've seen all of them live, with the Dead finishing last.
Way too many complications in trying to get people to agree on anything, as many have noted. What is rock and roll? Should "frontman" led groups be considered "bands?" Is longevity necessary? etc.
I believe in a pretty expansive definition of rock and roll, which would absolutely include the Beach Boys (a top ten US band, IMO), hip-hop (the fact that it pisses off "the establishment" just like R&R originally did, before it became "mainstream" is almost enough for me), country and plenty of pop, all of which are generally eligible for the R&R HOF, but that's an unpopular stance on this board based on previous threads.
On the frontman front, Dylan, Bruce, Prince, Marvin Gaye, and Tom Petty are all big, important, and popular enough for consideration, IMO. Taylor Swift and Drake, too, the biggest selling artists ever (with regard to numbers of top ten hits). And if longevity didn't matter, Nirvana would top my list and frankly, longevity is overrated, IMO.
For the more mainstream folks, I don't recall seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers discussed or Sly and the Family Stone or Weezer (maybe I just missed them).
I believe in a pretty expansive definition of rock and roll, which would absolutely include the Beach Boys (a top ten US band, IMO), hip-hop (the fact that it pisses off "the establishment" just like R&R originally did, before it became "mainstream" is almost enough for me), country and plenty of pop, all of which are generally eligible for the R&R HOF, but that's an unpopular stance on this board based on previous threads.
On the frontman front, Dylan, Bruce, Prince, Marvin Gaye, and Tom Petty are all big, important, and popular enough for consideration, IMO. Taylor Swift and Drake, too, the biggest selling artists ever (with regard to numbers of top ten hits). And if longevity didn't matter, Nirvana would top my list and frankly, longevity is overrated, IMO.
For the more mainstream folks, I don't recall seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers discussed or Sly and the Family Stone or Weezer (maybe I just missed them).
I can't imagine liking only 2 of those bands, but then again, I was never a big Rush fan...
I could never handle the vocalist for Yes...sorta a castrato I think.
Also, their lyrics were uninteresting to put it mildy.
Cada loco con su tema.
BTW, to put them in the same category with Peter Gabriel or Roger Waters/Dave Gilmour is laughable.
Agree that Yes's lyrics were not their strong point, for the most part, but I loved Anderson's voice and how it fit into the incredible musicianship and songwriting of the band. You make yourself look a bit silly when you say "laughable" about someone else's taste in music - it's inherently subjective.
You're entitled to your opinion. There are lots of people whose taste in music I laugh at. Been doing it for about sixty years. As Van Morrison said "It's Too Late To Stop Now".
Yeah. Threads like this are fun because everybody has an opinion, and it's interesting to hear the thoughts of others. But that's as far as it should go.
Sometimes I'll read a comment where somebody says "A, B, C,D and E are hall of famers!". And when I get to "E" I'm like "WTF!" And I'm sure everybody else is doing the same.
Great thread...
I am going to go a little different - but Blondie/Heart/Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - I would have Pat Benatar up here as well but consider her more of Solo artist even though she had a band behind her that was pretty consistent through the years
Pat Benatar is really a duo - her husband Neil Giraldo is her primary collaborator, writes pretty much all the music and is lead guitarist in the band.
Giraldo was a member of RIck Derringer's touring band, along with drummer Myron Grombacher, who was around for the first 9 PB albums but was replaced by Chris Ralles.
Charlie Giordano (keyboards) was around for the big-time popular era, as well, but replaced Danny Federici in the E Street Band in 2007.
There have been a number of bassists and guitarists.
This is why I still consider her solo but at least 3 of them were together for majority of her hits...As far as R&R in America- she belongs but not for a band.
Well two of the four got do because they had a Canadian member. Othe two are in my top because of the amount of vinyl I have. Of course its all subsjective.
Have a friend who was a traveling musician and had a lot of stuff in his parents house. Had a falling out with his father and had to go to court to be allowed to get his stuff, but had limited time to do so. Went to help him, he had a large record collection and knew he couldn’t take it all so he told me to pick out some for me to take. First thing I picked was an Eagles album. He got incensed that I had such poor taste to pick that before any of the really good albums that he wouldn’t let me take any. End result, his dad and brother wound up getting the albums I would have taken.
I don't consider rap/hip-hop rock n roll, but I am suffering through a different (though similar) conundrum. No one would argue with the idea that Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton or the Rolling Stones are among the greatest Rock and Roll Bands/Acts, but we don't consider BB King or John Lee Hooker. British Blues is Rock n Roll, but somehow Black Blues (whether it be Memphis, Mississippi or Chicago) someone isn't Rock n Roll. I don't make the rules - it's just kinda weird.
Agree, and I feel that exclusion of “The Band” is applying a legalistic definition. Possibly the most American band ever.
I would use the phrase “British Blues” with caution. Clapton, Winwood, Burden, John Mayall, Zeppelin, Most others were watered down variations. It was Blues influenced rock, as was early American rock and roll. What is considered Rock music needs to be a large umbrella, many streams running into the large river of Rock music. Blues, Soul, Country , Gospel, Jazz to some degree are the major influences . Classical music to some degree .I think the RNR HOF has done a decent job under the “Early Influence” category to recognize those very vital Blues influences like all the Kings, Elmore James, Hooker , Johnson, T Bone Walker, etc.
This is very true. Black blues guitarists from the big Memphis / Chicago era just don't get their due.
I'd wager no more than 2 people here have ever heard of Lonnie Brooks, if they're being honest. That's just a shame.
Bigger tragedy re: RRHoF? Like, maybe the absolute biggest? Peter Frampton is not in the Hall of Fame. WTF sense does that make?
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