Arcticmonkey wrote on 06/02/11 at 15:22:23:

• Nina Simone
• Keith Hudson
• Orchestra Baobab
• Kraftwerk
• Joe Higgs
• Dusty Springfield
• Franco & TPOK Jazz
• Stan Getz
• Suicide
• The Smiths
• Johnny Osbourne
• The Clash
• Bob Dylan
• Willi Williams
• Billy Bragg

PS. I hate Pink Floyd.

@ErictheRed

Yes, Roy Buchanan was a favourite of mine, too.  Kossoff had amazing tone and was pretty special.
The best guitarist I was lucky enough to see play here in the UK was a guy called Vernon Reid who used to play in a band called Living Colour, an 80s funk/metal/jazz type of band, ahead of their time conceptually but with the burden of some lumpy songs and a lead singer who was occasionally flat. Anyway, Vernon is amazing and although prone to overplaying he's worth a listen. 
Similarly to the discussion here abut Dylan, Pink Floyd are one of those bands I simply never 'got' - I don't like any of it, really, despite knowing how revered they are. 
I also like Tom Verlaine of the band Television; his music was structurally interesting and didn't rely on pentatonic scales too readily, for example, unusually for the genre. His track (and album) Marquee Moon still sounds quite fresh today, nearly 35 years on.
 
Still, I agree that it's obviously futile to try to decide what or who are the best ever, when it comes to music.  There's so much choice...



 

Yea the solo in 'Time' is insane. 

To be perfectly honest, i enjoy the solo at the end of 'pigs (three different ones)'.

I totally agree that there is no best band ever. How would you prove it? obviously popularity doesnt make sense, otherwise justin bieber would be the best artist ever. You also can't say to someone, 'No you don't enjoy that, your wrong about ur own feelings about the song', OR 'My opinion counts more than yours because i'm more educated'. So, its just all opinion. 

Still, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Dream Theater (although they really need to work on their appearance, they look disgraceful all the time, even though their insane musicians you can't look bad every time people see you) are my favorite bands since 1970 i suppose. 

Cool responses in general

@MNb:

The Nederlandse Blues Scene is great since years and I was happy to live in Aachen for 16 years and having excellent live bands in the neighbourhood.

You're right too that there's more than the six reasons in the article. And you're right that Gentle Giant is great. But they aren't ugly in my ears. Their dodecaphonism needs some adaption, but then you'll start singing with them. 

Hi Eric,

I've been a fan of J Mascis since buying You're Living All Over Me in my youth. His guitar playing is very underrated and although often compared to that of Neil Young I must say I prefer the Dinosaur Jr music - one thing that has surprised me is how the new records (Farm, Beyond) actually sound better than the 80s/90s stuff, something many artists fail to achieve.
I know 3 or 4 of the other artists you list but they don't really do much for me, but as you mentioned Calexico I should add that I was/am a big fan of Thin White Rope, should you remember them...?
I was a guitar playing teen myself and grew up on The Clash, Husker Du and Stevie Ray Vaughan, who inspired me to listen to a lot of blues. 
I think SRV outdid Hendrix, actually, and he's required listening for any guitarist, of course.
As a Black Keys fan do you also like the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion?

ErictheRed wrote on 06/04/11 at 13:52:05:

@Eric:
I have forgotten to write that this kind of music works better on stage indeed. In The Netherlands this kind of blues is quite popular. When on some local music festival I run into an unknown band (the only name I remember is Eelco Gelling) playing rock'n'roll, boogie and blues I am lost for the duration of the concert. I sincerely hope that culture will never disappear.
As you love Led Zep too your musical knowledge is incomplete if you haven't checked Budgie too. Moreover I would like to recommend I'd love to change the World by Alvin Lee's Ten Years After.
I'm afraid the other artists you mention are not for me.
You should ask TalJechin for Johnny Cash. He has explained in a crystal clear way why I (me, personally, the subjective guy I am) should not listen to him (and thus others should).

@Jupp53:
while I think all 6 reasons are valid there may be more. Like Downward I think emotion very important - and I hear it were not that many people can; if you want some intentionally ugly aggression try Gentle Giant's Design to give an extreme example. Just atmosphere is not enough for me though; I demand clever ideas too. That doesn't necessarily mean that music has to be complex; clever ideas can be very simple too.

MNb wrote on 06/04/11 at 12:28:51:


I whole-heartedly agree that the music is rather derivative.  But to me that's the amazing charm; The Black Keys were able to revisit time-trodden blues riffs and change them just enough to make them feel fresh and new again--at least to me, and I've listened to a LOT of this kind of music.  People like Joe Bonamassa bore the crap out of me, to be honest, but The Black Keys blow me away with the amount of expression they're able to convey with only a guitar and drumset.

By the way, I think their music is much better when performed live, which is why I posted some of those videos.  Also check out Chulahoma, which is maybe my favorite cd of theirs, even though the whole thing consists of covers of Junior Kimbrough's songs.  If you compare the originals to the Black Keys' versions I think you'll see what I mean about changing the songs just enough to make them interesting all over again.

So far we haven't really discussed other genres besides "rock"; what about Jonny Cash?  Richard Thompson?  What about those very original "shoegaze" type bands that lasted only a little while, like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive?  There's just too much good music out there, in wildly different genres, to be able to say what's best.  I mean, if it weren't for MBV, Slowdive, Ride, The Cure, Dinosaur Jr, etc., we'd still be listening to Great White, Skid Row, Def Leppard, etc. etc.

I love music!

Jupp53 wrote on 06/04/11 at 09:33:49:

I have been waiting for this. While I certainly don't want to rule out the important role of taste I also think there is more to it.
Everybody prefers Mozart to Salieri, even the latter (and no, he didn't kill Mozart for it).
There is a modern pendant: everybody prefers The Beatles to The Monkeys.
So there must be more than just I like this or I like that.

I liked Goodbye Babylon and Unknown Brother. The music is rather derivative, but I don't care when the riffs are great. Anyone who likes this should check Budgie too. Begin with Guts and Crash Course in Brain Surgery. Then try In the Grip of a Tyrefitter's Hand.