# Best Band?



## Edward Elgar

What's your favourite band? Mine's Dire Straits. Do any of you play a modern instrument?


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## Josef Haydn

*Hey my baroque brother!*

Dire Straits rule but I have to stick with my heritage and QUEEN RULE!


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## Edward Elgar

Ohh? I don't know about that?!


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## Scottie

The Flaming Lips. Love 'em.


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## Tom Gilroy

Um, I'm gonna say a slight more obscure one. Alien Love Child. Awesome stuff.

And I'm an electric guitarist who got into classical to broaden his horizons.


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## Drowning_by_numbers

Hurray! Queen rule!

Also Led Zep, Franz Ferdinand! Eric Clapton, In any of his bands!!

I play a little guitar myself.


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## blackroot

I'm into Breaking Benjamin right now.
http://www.napster.com/artist/11649949


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## ikklebassoonist

Queen are pretty good.... But I have to say my favourite band at the minute are Placebo.
And, in answer to do I play a modern instrument, yes I play bass.


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## CML

There are and there have been lots of great bands, so it makes the answer kind of 
difficult. But in my humble opinion, The Beatles are the all time great pop/rock band.


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## SchubertObsessive

It's funny how people who listen to Classical music can have such unrefined tastes outside of that it, descending into the moron-music of Placebo, Franz Ferdinand, The Flaming Lips or Breaking Benjamin.

I'll mention those already posted in the 'Neoclassical' thread, viz: Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, King Crimson, Sol Invictus, Klaus Schulze, Dead Can Dance, Lustmord, Demilich, Summoning, Graveland, Immortal, Burzum


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## Hannibal

SchubertObsessive said:


> It's funny how people who listen to Classical music can have such *unrefined tastes *outside of that it, descending into the *moron-music *of Placebo, Franz Ferdinand, The Flaming Lips or Breaking


One thing is certain, SO: You don't pull any punches. 

Anyway, on topic: My all-time favourite band is Black Sabbath.
Here are some of the runners-up: Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Motörhead, George Jones, Angel Witch, Angra, Merle Haggard, Kamelot, Cloven Hoof, Judas Priest, Howlin' Wolf, Art Blakey, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Manowar, Candlemass, Bolt Thrower, Doomsword, Leobard Cohen, Carcass, Reverend Horton Heat, Missisippi John Hurt, Bukka White, Stormwitch, Manilla Road, Nocturnal Rites, Nile, Slough Feg, Virgin Steele, Ralph Stanley, Louvin Brothers, Waylon Jennings, Hank I, II and III, Pentagram, Iced Earth, Jag Panzer, AC/DC and a whole heap more...

(Sorry, I'm pretty bored right now...)


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## lumbogue

Metallica and Iron Maiden are the best!

Some more: Yngwie Malmsteen, Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Slayer, Dokken, Whitesnake.................

I do not know so many bands


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## Topaz

Pink Floyd


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## Topaz

Anyone interested in Pink Floyd, note there is a concert tour in the UK next April of _Australian Pink Floyd._ I've seen them twice before and they are very good indeed. One of the best tribute groups around.

I saw the real thing many times, and they of course were unbeatable, but this Australian band is a very good substitute. They get very close to the original sound, and their stage performance is impressive. Their repertoire is extensive, and the vocals are very good.

Are there any other Floyd fans out there? Best band ever, along with the Beatles of course.

Topaz


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## Mahler Maniac

One of my Favs is 'The Mates of State'


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## Mark Harwood

I used to like Pink Floyd a lot, and still listen to Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and Dark Side of the Moon occasionally. My wife Carol didn't grow up with them as some of us did, but she admires their musical qualities: structure, feel, and listening to one another.
I was a Hawkwind nut for an unhealthy number of years.
Favourite band, though: the Memphis Jug Band.


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## Eric

Oh man, Pink Floyd rule! Tool do too. I also like Opeth, Gojira, Art Blakey, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, among others.


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## Guest

There were many great bands in the 1968-73 era (which was then referred to as "underground"), but the only one I still go to see is Jethro Tull who have been creating and performing original and quite unusual material world-wide for close on 40 years now.

Their musicianship and energy on stage are still superb despite the fact that Ian Anderson has lost a bit off the top (vocal register and hair!). Fortunately he can compensate with 
They still manage to regularly fill large concert halls and it is not unusal to see three generations of a family in the audience.


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## IAmKing

Naked City

Everyone here should check them out. The most fresh, alive sounding music I've ever heard. They covered a few classical pieces (by Ives, Messiaen, Debussy etc.) on one of their albums too.


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## sopisue

The Who, The Stones, Bruce Springsteen's E Street band, any swing band (Basie, Ellington etc).

Play soprano and alto saxes. Will play any genre.


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## Frasier

I have to admit, just as with classical music, I'm looking backward - with this, back to the progressive rock era, including PF Saucerful, Atom Heart Mother (positively symphonic) Zeppelin 1 & 2, Hawkwind 1, King Crimson (Court) and kindred bands.


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## tzadik

My favorite band would be the mars volta. They play a mix of blistering rock, jazzy improvisations, funk, salsa, prog, hardcore and ambient. Somewhere between Pink Floyd, Santana, Mahavishnu Orchestra, King Crimson and Led Zeppelin.


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## Eric

King Crimson is great, I love them


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## ChamberNut

Some of my favorite Rock bands before I got into classical were:

Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, The Police, Supertramp, Beach Boys, Van Halen (heavily influenced by classical music), Def Leppard, Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhodes years), AC/DC, Fleetwood Mac.......and lots more.

Don't really listen to any of it anymore.


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## zlya

Clarinet is a modern instrument. It's only about 300 years old. And Saxophone is less than 160! Modern piano's an absolute baby at just over 100. Compared to that, Guitar has at least 500 years. So yes, I'd say I do play a modern instrument.

And I like Classic Rock and hair bands. I met Gene Simmonds once while waitressing. He's even scary looking without the makeup. (Gives a good tip though).


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## Eric

zlya said:


> I met Gene Simmonds once while waitressing. He's even scary looking without the makeup. (Gives a good tip though).


that's awesome!


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## Mrs Malapup

Steeley Dan, Pat Metheney, Beatles, Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks.......


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## Guest

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW

I absolutly love these guys and they show the true diversity in my taste of music. It is the absolute oppisite of classical music but it is still wonderful. They got me to start playing the banjo.


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## Chi_townPhilly

Mrs Malapup said:


> Steeley Dan


Obliged to respond to a post involving Steely Dan! Both Mrs. Philly and I love Steely Dan. She likes the musicianship, I'm a bigger fan of the lyrics. I liked Robert Palmer's "sound-bite" remark on them: "Rarely have such glossy petals concealed such sharp thorns."

A related anecdote: I've had occasion to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio; USA. At that time, they had an exhibit called "In Their Own Write," (harkening back to the Lennon opus), where displays of songwriting efforts were shown. By far the most common example was the "word-stanzas" of lyrics, with little more musical remarks than the here-and-there chord change noted on the page. Standing out distinctly from all examples was something written on this recondite material colloquially referred to as "staff paper." And this, the only example of musical notes on staves found _in the entire room_ was from Donald Fagen of Steely Dan renown.


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## Rod Corkin

I play the Gibson SG, the best guitar money can buy. Best band? Easy, AC/DC.


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## jacobedmund

*MY best Band*

HI 
The best band I like is Beatles. I also like Pink Floyd and Guns N Roses.


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## Saturnus

I can't choose between Pink Floyd and Sigur-Ros


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## Hiapoe

Most definitely Queen !
I have all the CD's, all the DVD's, a reds special replica guitar, the AC30BM amplifier (500pc limited edition) and the digitech red special pedal.

Queen rock!


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## Lisztfreak

Queen, Simon & Garfunkel, Pink Floyd.

But modern musicians I like best are Sinéad O'Connor and especially Enya.


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## toejamfootball

No offense, but liking something as technical as Classical Music, how can you enjoy something like AC/DC? The Guitar might be technical sometimes, but the bass is so boring I want to blow my brains out.

Anyway, my favorite bands are..

The Beatles, Steely Dan, Moody Blues, Ten Years After, Billy Joel, Supertramp, Uriah Heep, and Cream.

There are more I just cant remember them all off the top of my head.


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## Amy

*Beethoven: the misborn metal-head!*

I find it really interesting that the majority of classical enthusiasts usually tend to be drawn to the 'rock' end of the music specrum as opposed to 'pop' when enjoying contemporary music. I am a classical gal/ renaissance babe/ metal-head, so I guess I fit the bill  My favourite bands are Korn, System of a Down and Lamb of God. I still stand by my theory that if Beethoven lived today that he would not have composed orchestral music but would have probably been the lead singer/guitarist of Rammstein (German metal band). When he released his 3rd Symphony it was remarked that it 'was not even music at all' because of it's 'brash' nature. I have heard similar remarks about Slipknot- usually by my mother who is a Pussycat dolls fan, who whines 'ooh this is even worse than that 'Berliooze'- it's just shouting!' hehe.


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## Chi_townPhilly

Amy said:


> I still stand by my theory that if Beethoven lived today that he would not have composed orchestral music but would have probably been the lead singer/guitarist of Rammstein (German metal band).


This brought back a memory of my partially mis-spent youth- a short story called _Gianni_ by Robert Silverberg. I encountered it in [well... I'm not sure I want to say- but it's proof that I read the _articles_..... let's just say February 1982]. Well, the premise is that Pergolesi was time fowarded to a period not too far from our own era, and embraced Sex&Drugs&Rock'n'Roll.

There is a dozens deep honor roll of musicians who died early- but if you think of Pergolesi transposed to the 21st century and ending up addicted to the leading "recreational" drug of the day, or Beethoven launching riffs from a 6-string Stratocaster, perhaps it's not so bad that they had liveth in their own hour.


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## rojo

True.

I tend to like individual songs better than groups, because I won`t like all songs by a group. That said, I like stuff by-

Yes
Genesis
Bjork
Queen
A-ha
Beatles
Police
Deep Purple
Billy Talent

and many others. But approx. 90% of my listening is classical.

Your signature made me laugh, Chi_town/Philly.


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## Evan Roberts

The Beetles, Oasis (first two albums), Radiohead and the Arctic Monkeys

That's pretty much it as far as my taste for rock music goes. There are a few other decent bands, but I wouldn't bother buying their cds these days.


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## Rondo

Yngwie Malmsteen, Dream Theater, Metallica, At Vance


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## Harmonie

The Beatles is my favorite band.

Yeah I know... they're mentioned all of the time. I don't care, though. There is no other band that has as many songs that appeal to me as they do.


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## Amy

I agree that the Beatles are awesome- my first musical fixation was dedicated to them when I was a child, long before I got into classical music. Recently I've been really getting into Lamb of God and Nothingface- they both kinda remind me of early Slipknot...


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## SchubertObsessive

I really cannot understand how somebody can listen to Lamb Of God and Slipknot as well as have a genuine interest in Classical music. Eh, gotta keep your MySpace popular somehow.


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## Amy

Lol I won't deny that I do get that a lot- especially when I go to classical performances looking like a grunge mosher  I love classical music more than metal, though that's definately up there too. I am drawn to both genres for similar reasons- I love to feel like I'm part of something greater than myself I suppose. When I listen to Beethoven and Korn I can hear their emotions and they're raw and exposed and it's like I can empathise. I suppose if you take left and right wing extremism in anything then you will almost always inevitably return to a point where both almost collide.


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## Guest

SchubertObsessive said:


> I really cannot understand how somebody can listen to Lamb Of God and Slipknot as well as have a genuine interest in Classical music. .


First, you have to understand that Slipknot are Clowns. check it out:


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## SchubertObsessive

Amy said:


> Lol I won't deny that I do get that a lot- especially when I go to classical performances looking like a grunge mosher  I love classical music more than metal, though that's definately up there too. I am drawn to both genres for similar reasons- I love to feel like I'm part of something greater than myself I suppose. When I listen to Beethoven and Korn I can hear their emotions and they're raw and exposed and it's like I can empathise. I suppose if you take left and right wing extremism in anything then you will almost always inevitably return to a point where both almost collide.


We're talking about Rock music contra Classical, not Metal. Metal makes sense. The _best_ Metal shares the ideals that guided the best Classical music. It's just a different aesthetic, different packaging, different breed of artist (disenchanted youth) and historical context.

The depth of emotion Rock music like KoRn acheives is barely worth mentioning. Their 'music' is a product and it is aimed at the lowest common denominator. They try to create music that appeals to as many people as possible, so any sense of 'emotion' is very vague and to mention them alongside Beethoven is frankly laughable.


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## Amy

Ooh, like a knife through the heart  Poor ol' Korn! I bet Beethoven's sat up there right now listening to Freak on a Leash...lolol


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## SchubertObsessive

Amy said:


> Ooh, like a knife through the heart  Poor ol' Korn! I bet Beethoven's sat up there right now listening to Freak on a Leash...lolol


Yeah, I bet he slit his wrists to it, too.


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## EricIsAPolarBear

hahahaha
i have only just recently started listening to classical music, but before was a big blues and folk music fan, i'd say the top five most played for me are Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Mississippi John Hurt (ooooo if i could play fingerstyle like THAT), as well as Pink Floyd and Leonard Cohen. no room for Korn i'm afraid. 

now i'm on a bit of a kick with The Band


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## Sarah

www.myspace.com/thelancashirehotpots


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## Amy

lmao. SchubertObsessive rocks! Don't be silly dear they're not emos...


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## Mark Harwood

EricIsAPolarBear said:


> hahahaha
> ...Mississippi John Hurt (ooooo if i could play fingerstyle like THAT)...


It's not hard. Mr. Hurt's style is fairly basic fingerpicking. Go for it!


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## MrJiveBoJingles

Probably my favorite kinds of rock anymore are "postrock" and shoegaze. Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, My Bloody Valentine, M83, etc.


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## Rod Corkin

AC/DC are still the best, new triple DVD to be released this month!


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## opus67

Hello, Rod. Welcome back.


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## Edward Elgar

Here's a thought, what are your opinions on the taking classical music and making popular songs off the back of them. For example - Evernessance made a song based on the first couple of bars of Mozart's Lacrymosa. I'm quite indifferent to this idea, partly because of the immense wealth in circulation because of it.


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## toejamfootball

hmm, no biggy I guess. Seems like most modern "Pop" music steals from every other type of music, from every other Generation.


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## Beethoven

D12. They just rule


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## Edward Elgar

toejamfootball said:


> hmm, no biggy I guess. Seems like most modern "Pop" music steals from every other type of music, from every other Generation.


But don't you think it's unfair that pop artists make millions off the back of hard working composers?


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## Lute Lover

r.e.m. the old stuff... and the next record..


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## ZeptOr

Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and one of my personal favorites.. Fleetwood Mac


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## Breogan

I've been a diehard Opeth fan since the late 90's. I would put them up in the number one slot as far as bands go.

And, yes, I play electric and classical guitar, although I would hardly call the latter "modern".


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## Violin_Frenzy

Scottie said:


> The Flaming Lips. Love 'em.


Yeaaa! Baby!

Hey if you like them, you might like "Arcade Fire", they are similar. 

Okay seriously best band of all time? Nirvana! I love them!

I actually started with Guitar. First song I ever learned "Polly" by Nirvana. 
I got an electric one for my birthday one year. Then I moved to Classical Guitar.

Now I play: Guitar,Piano,Violin,Mandolin,and Sitar (Which I ain't too shabby at).



SchubertObsessive said:


> We're talking about Rock music contra Classical, not Metal. Metal makes sense. The _best_ Metal shares the ideals that guided the best Classical music. It's just a different aesthetic, different packaging, different breed of artist (disenchanted youth) and historical context.
> 
> The depth of emotion Rock music like KoRn acheives is barely worth mentioning. Their 'music' is a product and it is aimed at the lowest common denominator. They try to create music that appeals to as many people as possible, so any sense of 'emotion' is very vague and to mention them alongside Beethoven is frankly laughable.


Whoa Woah Woah now...You can't just go talk bad about Korn like that now. I have to admit, I like their earlier work a little better, but that goes without saying, Munkey is an amazing musician.

I'd like to see Beethoven Plug-In and Ride the Lightning!!!



Amy said:


> I find it really interesting that the majority of classical enthusiasts usually tend to be drawn to the 'rock' end of the music specrum as opposed to 'pop' when enjoying contemporary music. I am a classical gal/ renaissance babe/ metal-head, so I guess I fit the bill  My favourite bands are Korn, System of a Down and Lamb of God. I still stand by my theory that if Beethoven lived today that he would not have composed orchestral music but would have probably been the lead singer/guitarist of Rammstein (German metal band). When he released his 3rd Symphony it was remarked that it 'was not even music at all' because of it's 'brash' nature. I have heard similar remarks about Slipknot- usually by my mother who is a Pussycat dolls fan, who whines 'ooh this is even worse than that 'Berliooze'- it's just shouting!' hehe.


YES! RAMMSTEIN is amazing!

All you Classical nerds need to lisiten to some Rammstein, it will blow the classial music out of your butt!

Till Lindeman's rolling R's and low voice just makes getting up in the morning a little bit easier.


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## Lisztfreak

Violin_Frenzy said:


> All you Classical nerds need to lisiten to some Rammstein, it will blow the classial music out of your butt!


Thanks for the kind words, mate. However, I don't think anything will 'blow the classical music out of my butt', 'cause for me, music doesn't settle in my butt really, but in my head and heart. If Rammstein lurks in your backside, good for you.

P.S. Less typos would be nice, ye know.


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## Lisztfreak

I don't want to argue with anyone... sorry if it looked like I did. I just wanted to give a clear reply to your rude words, nothing more. End of discussion.

If you think Liszt is not emotional, you are gravely, terribly wrong. One of the most emotional composers this world has ever known. But he is surely not the only one I like, you know - there are also Elgar, Sibelius, Beethoven, Shostakovich, Tippett, and many more.

I have nothing against people listening to Rammstein or anything else, rest assured of that. But you are definitely not the one to tell me whether I'm 'constipated' or not. You don't know me, I don't know you. You won't tell me what are my emotions like, because you have never seen me in your life.

Yeah, typos. Many of them.


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## Morigan

What the...


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## Lisztfreak

Aaah, forgive me, Morigan. Won't continue with this stupid fight, as far as I am concerned.


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## Morigan

Rest assured, Lisztfreak, my exclamation didn't concern you.


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## Violin_Frenzy

Who's fighting? Not I. Conversation. That is the correct word for it.


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## Ephemerid

Edward Elgar said:


> What's your favourite band? Mine's Dire Straits. Do any of you play a modern instrument?


While classical music is my first love, and I majored in music composition, I am really more a rock musician than a classical one (I haven't written any "classical" music in ages, most of it for various chamber ensembles).

I sing (my concentration at uni), play guitar & bass, play keyboards and tinker with lots of electronics. About half of the stuff Angie and I do in our band Joker has string orchestra parts though, something I've not done before (they aren't real strings, but I play the parts individually & layer many parts to get the greatest amount of realism-- I love digital technology!). Like Brian Eno, I consider the recording studio an instrument. I also do a bit of ambient music when I'm feeling a bit experimental.

My top three favourite rock bands are (in this order): The Beatles, U2 and Sigur Ros.

Some rock music is good, and great as well, for various reasons, but classical will always have a very special place in my heart-- there are certain emotional depths that rock music (usually) can't reach.

~ josh


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## Lennon

Please correct me if I'm wrong, Violin_Frenzy, but I believe the "it will blow the classical music out of your butt!" was a direct quote from the film School of Rock, right? 

I certainly know very little about classical music, though I'm not so deaf to the absolute excellence of it as some of my peers may be. Of course, most of my peers are even deaf to the kinds of music I enjoy so we can't depend on their opinions. I love the Beatles and the Who. There are many others, of course, but those are the two I don't think I could live without.

For those who can appreciate the work of orchestras and whatnot, how do you feel about songs like Eleanor Rigby, A Day In the Life, the french horn solo in For No One, etc? Talking to other Beatles fans, we don't really get into the classical music elements of some of these songs and I would be interested in what the people here think or just about classical music in popular music in general.


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## Ephemerid

Lennon said:


> For those who can appreciate the work of orchestras and whatnot, how do you feel about songs like Eleanor Rigby, A Day In the Life, the french horn solo in For No One, etc? Talking to other Beatles fans, we don't really get into the classical music elements of some of these songs and I would be interested in what the people here think or just about classical music in popular music in general.


Good question-- I hope you don't mind, but I'll put that as a seperate thread? 

UPDATE: New thread started HERE

~josh

p.s. Lennon, as you can tell by my screen name, I'm a Bealtes fan too!


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## Lennon

I don't mind at all! Hopefully more people will see it that way. 

I figured as much. Actually, when saw your screen name I thought, "I think I'll be safe joining this forum."


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## Ephemerid

Cool.  Yeah, I love a bit of everything & play a little on both sides of the fence!

~josh


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## Lissa

I don't know if Goldfrapp has been mentioned since there are five pages...to lazy to read them all lol But they are great. One of my favourite bands of course is The Tragically Hip. I enjoy pretty much any kind of music except Jazz and Hip Hop/rap. Oh and I don't like country music either. I enjoy from Tracey Chapman and Simply Red to Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. I also have a CD that I love with fiddle music on it. It's from Canada but I'm guessing it has it's roots in traditional Irish music. Eclectic I guess.


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## Tré

Andy McKee is revolutionary!!!


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## SalieriIsInnocent

Well as far as bands playing right now, I would have to say DOWN. their lead singer is Phillip Anselmo from PanterA.
I play guitar.
I want to take up piano though.


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## 3rdplanetsounds

MUSE!!!A great English band thats been around for a few years now,each album gets beter and better.


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## Rohit Soans

Any one else like Cake?? I think they are really under rated.. Rohit Soans


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## Pianoforte

Living Colour were a great black rock band. Love Rears Its Ugly Head got me addicted. It used to annoy me how people would confuse them with the US tv show In Living Colour


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## Rmac58

Stan Ridgway is a favorite, and his first band, Wall of Voodoo. Currently Drywall. The more I listen, the better I like his style. Getting old has it's advantages!


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## SamGuss

So many bands, so many genres. I am going to stick with my "all time" favorite three:

Rush
Boston
Blue Oyster Cult


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## Rachovsky

Not my fav. band, but has anyone heard of Feist? Their album 'The Reminder' is such a good one. Her voice is amazing, the lyrics are interesting, she incorporates odd instruments, and her beats are obsessive. Not to mention the music videos of "I feel it all" and "1234." Give them look on YouTube.


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## SalieriIsInnocent

Rondo said:


> Yngwie Malmsteen, Dream Theater, Metallica, At Vance


At Vance is amazing Solfeggietto was a trip


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## Pianoforte

Blind Melon were a great rock group and Shannon Hoon produced some amazing melodys. I saw them at the Milton keynes Bowl supporting G N R. 

Shannon kept resting his foot on the autocue until it fell 10 feet off the stage and smashed in to pieces


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## Luckintheshadows

Creedence Clearwater Revival <---the ultimate - followed closely by Queen.


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## Conservationist

SchubertObsessive said:


> I'll mention those already posted in the 'Neoclassical' thread, viz: Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, King Crimson, Sol Invictus, Klaus Schulze, Dead Can Dance, Demilich, Summoning, Graveland, Immortal, Burzum


+ Wolsheim, VNV Nation, Infester, Incantation, Immolation, Demigod, Therion 

I need to get around to hearing Lustmord one of these days.


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## natas

King Crimson, Kraftwerk, Dead Can Dance, Burzum, Enslaved, Darkthrone etc etc etc


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## David C Coleman

Edward Elgar said:


> What's your favourite band? Mine's Dire Straits. Do any of you play a modern instrument?


Outside of Classical, for me the band I listen to most is U2. I think they are very inventive. Musically and lyrically strong.....


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## natas

From verse - chorus garbage, I like Hammerfall and U2 the most.


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## Mr. Terrible

David C Coleman said:


> Outside of Classical, for me the band I listen to most is U2. I think they are very inventive. Musically and lyrically strong.....


The Edge isnt exactly what I`d call daring or exploratory though.

Find a setup/riffs/etc and stick to it.

Oh - and for me it would have to be several but my current fave is, and has been for a long time, The Band


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## Elaryad

One of my favourites is Dead Can Dance, but it's not the only one.
I like the way how they explored traditional instruments (specially the _yang ch'in)_ and how they combined them, creating alluring sonic textures. Some songs had very powerful lyrics and musical solutions that I can't explain by words. Unfortunately, their sound suffered from an horrendous new age touch. And they finally ended the band because I think their early "message" reached their listeners and they had no more to say as Dead Can Dance.


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## peterpoesantos

I learned about Dead Can Dance from the movie gladiator.



Elaryad said:


> One of my favourites is Dead Can Dance, but it's not the only one.
> I like the way how they explored traditional instruments (specially the _yang ch'in)_ and how they combined them, creating alluring sonic textures. Some songs had very powerful lyrics and musical solutions that I can't explain by words. Unfortunately, their sound suffered from an horrendous new age touch. And they finally ended the band because I think their early "message" reached their listeners and they had no more to say as Dead Can Dance.


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## danae

Favourite bands / artists at the moment:

Led Zeppelin
The Doors
Allman Brothers Band
Janis Joplin wih Big Brother and the Holding Company
Bob Dylan
Pink Floyd
John Mayall
Dave Matthews Band
Leonard Cohen
Nirvana
Radiohead
Tom Waits
Dire Straits
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
The Stranglers

and so many more...


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## andruini

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Explosions in the Sky
Mogwai
Stereolab
Animal Collective
TV on the Radio
Electric Light Orchestra
The Kinks
The Free Design
John Zorn/Masada
Hauschka
Beirut
Sonic Youth
Glenn Branca
My Bloody Valentine
Islands

Those are the people I haven't been able to forget from my "pre-Classical" days..


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## Yoshi

My favourite band ever is Muse.
Has anyone heard of them?


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## bassClef

In general the taste of classical-heads for non-classical music is pretty dire I think!

My favourite non-classical bands/artists, in no particular order:

Orchestra Baobab
The Decemberists
The Innocence Mission
Laura Veirs
The Velvet Underground
Red House Painters/Mark Kozelek/Sun Kil Moon
Nick Drake
Ali Farka Toure
Dead Can Dance
This Mortal Coil
Mazzy Star
The Field Mice
Band Of Horses
Creedence Clearwater Revival (almost forgot)

I'd be surprised if there were any fellow fans of any of these here, though I see Dead Can Dance has been mentioned - but I followed them a long time before Gladiator.


----------



## andruini

bassClef said:


> The Decemberists
> The Velvet Underground
> Red House Painters/Mark Kozelek/Sun Kil Moon
> Nick Drake
> Ali Farka Toure
> Band Of Horses
> Creedence Clearwater Revival (almost forgot)


Nice picks right there!


----------



## Conservationist

Elaryad said:


> One of my favourites is Dead Can Dance, but it's not the only one.


Me too. They and Kraftwerk stand out as the most creative things to come from mainstream non-metal music.

Also Tangerine Dream -- same spirit.

U2 struck me as really basic pop music.


----------



## sam richards

Iron Maiden, Metallica, Nirvana, Opeth, Pink floyd Led Zeppelin, Guns N' Roses,

And:


> Muse


Hell Yeah!


----------



## Yoshi

sam richards said:


> Hell Yeah!


oh great I'm glad I'm not the only one then.


----------



## bassClef

andruini said:


> Nice picks right there!


Yours were on the very acceptable side too. Good job some of has some taste outside of classical!


----------



## Atelier

Early Nihilist/Entombed.

Along with Dismember/Carnage, Grave and Unleashed, these musicians were true masters of the Boss HM-2 pedal, the poison well from which all buzzsaw distortion springs.


----------



## bassClef

Atelier said:


> Early Nihilist/Entombed.
> 
> Along with Dismember/Carnage, Grave and Unleashed, these musicians were true masters of the Boss HM-2 pedal, the poison well from which all buzzsaw distortion springs.


Sounds lovely.


----------



## Atelier

Well, since we're criticizing each others' personal tastes, the music you mentioned is mainly self-referential drivel for coffee-shop hipsters.

Except for Dead Can Dance.


----------



## PartisanRanger

bassClef said:


> In general the taste of classical-heads for non-classical music is pretty dire I think!
> 
> My favourite non-classical bands/artists, in no particular order:
> 
> Orchestra Baobab
> The Decemberists
> The Innocence Mission
> Laura Veirs
> The Velvet Underground
> Red House Painters/Mark Kozelek/Sun Kil Moon
> Nick Drake
> Ali Farka Toure
> Dead Can Dance
> This Mortal Coil
> Mazzy Star
> The Field Mice
> Band Of Horses
> Creedence Clearwater Revival (almost forgot)
> 
> I'd be surprised if there were any fellow fans of any of these here, though I see Dead Can Dance has been mentioned - but I followed them a long time before Gladiator.


Nice list. I love Nick Drake and CCR.


----------



## bassClef

Atelier said:


> Well, since we're criticizing each others' personal tastes, the music you mentioned is mainly self-referential drivel for coffee-shop hipsters.
> 
> Except for Dead Can Dance.


Dont worry I had crap taste when I was 14 too.


----------



## Dedrater

bassClef said:


> Snigger. And how old are you to be making such judgements?
> 
> Dismember? Carnage? Come on - hardly serious music for adults.


Ever listened to a performance of a musical rite by a South American shaman attempting to exorcize a demon? Sounds pretty kooky, silly, and ridiculous, right? I guess that makes those people a bunch of ignorant children.

Utilizing a quantized list of random, obscure bands to define yourself and your lifestyle is a cute way of ensuring your life has meaning without a true cultural context, but it's nothing more than that. Why not drop the defense system you've fashioned for your ego, and listen to some Avril Lavigne or Rihanna? I guarantee you'd be happier.


----------



## bassClef

Dismember, Carnage, Grave and Entombed defines your lifestyle then? What does that say about you? Maybe I have them wrong, I've never heard them, but I know what these bands who try to sound hard or scary are like - all image and no substance, certainly no musical credibility.


----------



## Dedrater

bassClef said:


> Dismember, Carnage, Grave and Entombed defines your lifestyle then? What does that say about you?


Luckily, I'm not very susceptible to modern pitfalls like defining myself by the music that appeals to my instincts and will. The point was that you're more interested in affirming your superiority over others for having 'matured' in life than in how the music personally affects you, and what that entails for the group(s) to which you belong. Anyone can download a few mp3s or buy an album at a record shop. How about actually accomplishing something instead of adhering to some rite of passage whereby an arbitrary grouping of personality descriptors is surmounted? Doing the latter is a declaration of hipsterdom.

For the record, I'm not crazy about Entombed.


----------



## andruini

You should all pop in some Person Pitch, light up a joint and give peace a chance!









(best album ever, btw)


----------



## bassClef

Atelier said:


> To us, the contempt of people like you is the highest form of flattery.


Ditto. We're obviously from different worlds, backgrounds and eras, it's not even worth a discussion. But don't generalise about "people like me" from my musical tastes - you know nothing about me and what I have achieved in life.


----------



## BuddhaBandit

bassClef said:


> Creedence Clearwater Revival (almost forgot)
> .


Almost forgot!  They're definitely one of my favorites. John Fogarty wrote some killer tunes and played great roots rock in an era when roots rock was way out of style. And Willy and the Poor Boys is a darn fine album...

Some of my other faves:

Lynyrd Skynyrd
The Rolling Stones
The Band
The Meters
Sly & The Family Stone
The Temptations
The Dixie Hummingbirds
Derek and the Dominoes (only one album, alas, but a great one...)


----------



## Atelier

> We're obviously from different worlds, backgrounds and eras, it's not even worth a discussion. But don't generalise about "people like me" from my musical tastes - you know nothing about me and what I have achieved in life.


The fact that you apparently see no irony in those two sentences proves my point. In fact, it appears to go right over your head.

People like you are snobbish and stuck up with precious little justification. You're very highly invested in your opinion of yourself as a Velvet Underground sophisticate. In other words a hipster.


----------



## bassClef

Dead Can Dance is acceptable why I wonder? Oh it has "Dead" in the name. 

Sure you are sick of people quoting the Velvets as an influence in their lives, you see them as pretentious "hipsters". But no, for me it's because their music is that good, no other reason. I don't like any band or artist for the ethos or image that goes with them (or their name) - some of them I knew would attract derision and are hardly "cool", I'm only in it for the music and how it makes me feel.


----------



## bassClef

Getting this thread back on track, have any of the metalheads here heard Slint? I'd be interested to know what you think.


----------



## Noak

The Mothers of Invention
The Residents
Return to Forever
Soft Machine
The Velvet Underground

Some of my favorite bands.

And to bassClef, I'm not a metalhead but I love Slint.


----------



## Dedrater

bassClef said:


> Getting this thread back on track, have any of the metalheads here heard Slint? I'd be interested to know what you think.


A long time ago, bands like Slint interested me. Honestly, they're directionless, noisy, and completely boring. I prefer music that communicates something profound to standard rock 'n' roll dressed up in 'experimental' decoration.

As for Dead Can Dance, I think Atelier singled them out because they really don't sound anything like the other bands on your list. The rest is fairly basic rock music in spirit, while Dead Can Dance offers something more transcendent. What do you think?

Non-metal, non-classical bands and composers that are worth listening to:

Aphex Twin (ambient material in particular)
Steve Roach
Maeror Tri
Cocteau Twins (Harold Budd collaborations emphasized)
Biosphere
Vidna Obmana


----------



## bassClef

Dead Can Dance are not atypical of my tastes, I have everything by the Cocteau Twins (the older harder stuff being preferred, like Feathers-Oar-Blades, I have the original Lullabies EP), plus many more from the old 4AD stable. And I love a bit of Slint now and then, directionless maybe but hardly boring. I'd be interested to hear what you'd call profound, and why.


----------



## Dedrater

bassClef said:


> I'd be interested to hear what you'd call profound, and why.







Why? Why not? Where's the, "I miss you, baby" or the frivolous depiction of S&M culture a la Lou Reed? The music has a more focused, cosmic foundation for its structure and ultimate expression. It reminds us of how scarcely significant we are in the grander universe at large while paying reverence to it, rather than dwelling on bluesy, emotionally-limited chord progressions.

Compare to: 




There's a huge contrast here, I think.

The Velvet Underground were Kafka; Dead Can Dance were Homer.


----------



## andruini

Previously mentioned bands/artists I <3: Aphex Twin and Slint. 
Spiderland is a true classic, and so is the Richard D. James Album.


----------



## bassClef

Dedrater said:


> The Velvet Underground were Kafka; Dead Can Dance were Homer.


Kafka is thought of quite highly where I live!


----------



## Atelier

I think Slint is absolutely execrable. College hipster music, semi indie-shoegaze. This fad will be gone.

Dead Can Dance SAYS something. They're rooted in old traditional music.


----------



## Atelier

BassClef: My anthology of "The Castle" and "The Trial" was my favorite book.

When I was five.

No, that's not some slam on Kafka either...


----------



## danae

Atelier said:


> BassClef: My anthology of "The Castle" and "The Trial" was my favorite book.
> 
> When I was five.
> 
> No, that's not some slam on Kafka either...


You read the Trial when you were 5 years old? Seriously?


----------



## Atelier

Yes. I was also reading Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison. My favorite Bradbury story was "Soft Rains shall Fall."

My favorite Kafka was Metamorphosis. I had recurring nightmares about the Peeler.

You could say that I didn't understand Kafka but I think I did, on some visceral level.

Oh, and my absolute favorite book when I was a little boy was called Epidemic. It was about the adventures of epidemiologists and viral pathologists.


----------



## bassClef

Atelier said:


> I think Slint is absolutely execrable. College hipster music, semi indie-shoegaze. This fad will be gone.
> 
> Dead Can Dance SAYS something. They're rooted in old traditional music.


Slint is a fad? It was 20 years ago - it _has_ gone I thought.

Let's just agree on Dead Can Dance. But since you are in this forum, where do your tastes run in the classical genre?


----------



## bassClef

More bands:

Cocteau Twins
Fela Kuti
Wohnout
-123 Minutes
Hotclub of Cowtown
Slint
Bauhaus
His Name is Alive
Echo & The Bunnymen
The B-52s
PJ Harvey
The Blue Nile
Cechomor
The Cure
Talking Heads
David Sylvian
Gogol Bordello
Joy Division
Jeff Buckley
Leonard Cohen
Pink Floyd
The Smiths
Smog
Spoon
The Stranglers
The Sundays
Swamptrash
Television
Tiken Jah Fakoly
The Verve
Tom Waits
Tinariwen

Awaiting ridicule and personal abuse ...


----------



## danae

bassClef said:


> More bands:
> 
> Awaiting ridicule and personal abuse ...


ha ha


----------



## bassClef

laughing at me or with me ??


----------



## BuddhaBandit

bassClef said:


> More bands:
> Gogol Bordello


I saw them live at a music festival last summer and they were terrific. The main singer is unbelievably charismatic and goes absolutely crazy on stage, and their fiddler looks like an 80-year old Hell's Angel. And their music is great, too- that "Klezmer-punk" sound is very effective.


----------



## bassClef

BuddhaBandit said:


> I saw them live at a music festival last summer and they were terrific. The main singer i unbelievably charismatic and goes absolutely crazy on stage, and their fiddler looks like an 80-year old Hell's Angel. And their music is great, too- that "Klezmer-punk" sound is very effective.


I've heard about their live shows - they were on here in Prague last year but I only found out after the event!


----------



## Somnifer

My favourite band of all time is Radiohead.


----------



## danae

bassClef said:


> laughing at me or with me ??


What do you think? Lighten up! These metal fans really got to you didn't they?


----------



## danae

Is that better?


----------



## bassClef

Maybe I should have put a smiley after that - I wasn't being serious!


----------



## andruini

I just found my old Last.fm charts from like a year ago..
I liked:

Cat Power
Animal Collective
Sonic Youth
Miles Davis
Of Montreal
Charles Mingus
Girl Talk
Feist
Café Tacuba
Boards of Canada
Aphex Twin
Stereolab
Elliott Smith (anyone like him? he was fantastic)
Ratatat
Cocteau Twins (<3)
Sondre Lerche
Don Caballero 
Battles (everyone should check out the this band and the one before.. other levels of awesome)
Daft Punk
Death from Above 1979
Nirvana
Panda Bear
Jimi Hendrix
Boredoms
Architecture in Helsinki
µ-Ziq
Jean-Claude Vannier (everyone should check out his album "L'enfant assassin des mouches" like right now.. he's the guy who did arrangements for Serge Gainsbourg)
Menomena
Beirut
The Go! Team
Arctic Monkeys
Junior Boys
Glenn Branca (awesome awesome stuff)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Muscles 
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Gogol Bordello
Justice
At the Drive-In
Mouse on Mars
Holy ****
Foals 
Radiohead
Gentle Giant
Astor Piazzolla
2 Many DJs
Eels

Too indie/electronic for my tastes now, but it's still interesting to look at..


----------



## mbib

I like Iron Maiden too!


----------



## Argus

Judging from the most numerous albums by bands in my collection, my favourites would be Black Sabbath as I have their first 6 albums plus Heaven and Hell. Others high up on the list would be Mahavishnu Orchestra, Rush (The music is great but the lyrics are hilariously bad), Joy Division, Santana and King Crimson.

KC are a weird band for me. I like some of their stuff a lot, like Larks Tongues in Aspic and Red, and even some of their Discipline era stuff but was very dissappointed in ITCOTCK and other early albums to the point of actually taking an active dislike of them.

Another band I used to really like were the Stooges. I still like them and Iggy's 2 albums with Bowie but I don't find myslf putting them on the stereo much anymore.

Counting solo artistsin the non-classical realm, Miles Davis is far and away my favourite especially In a Silent Way and Jack Johnson.


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Well I never have a favorite band for more than a month but as of now, I went back to the first bands I fell in love with when I was a kid.

The Doors
Electric Light Orchestra (Oh yes, SO AWESOME)
The Beatles (The new 2009 boxset got me back into them.)
Billy Squire
Queen
Pink Floyd (Dark Side Of The Moon used to be my favorite, but now that I am older I think Meddle is the best)
ZZ Top ( I gotta say, this band has never left my shelf
Stevie Ray Vaughan (My favorite guitarist)
Boston 
The Who
Korn
Pantera
Down
Corrosion Of Conformity


----------



## maestro267

Right now, I'm loving Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Howling Bells and Doves.


----------



## andruini

maestro267 said:


> Right now, I'm loving Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Howling Bells and Doves.


DOVES! A formidable band, indeed!


----------



## PartisanRanger

Argus said:


> Judging from the most numerous albums by bands in my collection, my favourites would be Black Sabbath as I have their first 6 albums plus Heaven and Hell. Others high up on the list would be Mahavishnu Orchestra, *Rush (The music is great but the lyrics are hilariously bad)*, Joy Division, Santana and King Crimson.


What?! Neil Peart's lyrics kick ***. I'll take off-beat libertarian allegories like The Trees over cliche ******** any day.


----------



## Lukecash12

Santana did some amazing things at Woodstock, Horace Silver and his band-mates were fantastic:


----------



## Sonata

My favorites: Pain of Salvation, Dream Theater, Queensryche, and Coheed and Cambria.


----------



## Firefly

The Moody Blues' "Days of Future Passed" is my favourite non-classical album.


----------



## KJohnson

Dire Straits is captivating alright.


----------



## starthrower

Weather Report
Gentle Giant
The Mothers
Thinking Plague
Gryphon- I discovered this band last year. An excellent classically influenced English band
of the 70s that blends classical/folk/prog rock elements. Very melodic. Highly recommended!


----------



## gobaith

Radiohead, Super furry animals, Led Zeppelin, and then, there are so many artists like Eva Cassidy, Nick Drake and the heavenly Jeff Buckley that have changed the world. I must be honest and admit that my favourite contemporary artist is ....( gulp) Lady Gaga. Well structured catchy songs, and if she wants to wear pieces of meat for a dress, that's her own business....


----------



## KJohnson

G & R isn't being mentioned enough too...


----------



## johogofo

Van Der Graaf and Peter Hammill 
Pink Floyd ( Waters era)
King Crimson
Genesis (first 7 albums)
Doors
Jefferson Airplane
Procol Harum
Camel
Led Zeppelin
Frank Zappa
David Bowie (up to Diamond Dogs)


----------



## RBrittain

Radiohead
Alice in Chains

Those two are probably my favourites.


----------



## prettyhippo

Meat Loaf. There, I said it. But really only Bat Out of Hell 1 & 2. His more recent stuff kind of sucks.


----------



## samurai

Having been fortunate enough to have seen them in person at Carnegie Hall during their initial American tour in 1970 {if memory serves me correctly}, I would absolutely have to nominate Emerson, Lake and Palmer as deserving of the title "Best Band".


----------



## LordBlackudder

The Black Mages, Earth Bound Papas, The OneUps, Kukeiha Club.


----------



## Serge

This is an impossible question to answer, as obviously there’s two: The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.


----------



## kv466

Edward Elgar said:


> What's your favourite band? Mine's Dire Straits. Do any of you play a modern instrument?


Far too many to name...Straits is awesome as is Knophler's handpicking style...hmmm, as far as instruments I play guitar, bass, drum set, piano, mandolin, violin, banjo, tres, cuatro, laud and also dab in a few other traditional Peruvian instruments...no winds or brass, sad to say


----------



## Art Rock

Genesis (with Gabriel and/or Hackett)
Pink Floyd
Porcupine Tree
Peter Gabriel 
Kate Bush
Japan/David Sylvian


----------



## samurai

Emerson Lake and Palmer and Yes to start. The Beatles after_ Rubber Soul._ For sheer "kick ***"bands, one can't do much better than the Stones, Led Zeppelin and the Allmans, IMHO, of course. :scold:


----------



## graaf

Pink Floyd. Tones of great bands out there obviously, but this one is my long time favourite.


----------



## Curiosity

Guns N' Roses, The Beatles, Roy Orbison and Soundgarden


----------



## cowboylogger

my is Toby Keith, Jason Alden and nickelback and Daughtry, johnny cash
and I play guitar


----------



## regressivetransphobe

I'm missing some, but without being too long-winded:

Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers for fostering the most jazz titans of almost any band and yet still endearing for their music.
Swans for standing apart. They were never metal, they were never quite punk, but they were more brutalizing and transcendent at the same time than any of that.
Can, because post-rock/drone/whatever still hasn't caught up to what they did decades ago.
Flipper for being sardonic and slow as a brutally honest means of expression rather than as a fashion statement, and for generally seeing through all the scene mentality BS of punk rock.
Nurse With Wound, despite being hit & miss.
Brainbombs, because rock music is clean, sanitized, marketable formulaic garbage that has forgotten its jazz roots these days, and they're picking up the slack.
Black Sabbath, an always meaningful band who deserve their fame and then some.
The Jesus Lizard for really caring about their fans and music, and being a total bastion of artistic integrity until their big label stint, which was just not to be.


----------



## bassClef

At the moment: 

Sophie Hunger
Decemberists
Eddie Vedder


----------



## Iforgotmypassword

I have no favorite band, but I have been listening to a lot of Opeth lately...


----------



## Argus

I'll revise mine since my last post in this thread was almost 2 years ago.

Bands:

*Black Sabbath*
Santana
Joy Division
Les Rallizes Denudes
Neu

Solo artists:

*Brian Eno*
Fela Kuti
Miles Davis
Terry Riley
Philip Glass
John Fahey
Pharoah Sanders
Iggy Pop

Sabbath and Eno are pretty firmly my two favourites out of those.


----------



## Argus

I forgot The Stone Roses. One of my favourite bands since way back.


----------



## Klavierspieler

Almost the only popular band I enjoy is The Barenaked Ladies, they have some real goodies.


----------



## SottoVoce

I absolutely love Radiohead, I don't think there is any one band that has undergone such interesting development throughout their careers. And their music is very cerebral considering that retarded stuff that's coming out of their genre lately. All this indie rock and hipster rock is beginning to make me lose hope. Although their new album kinda sucks.


----------



## starthrower

Frank Zappa & The Mothers
Gentle Giant
National Health
Mike Keneally Band
Dixie Dregs
Tribal Tech
The Pentangle
Pat Metheny Group
King Crimson
Weather Report

sorry, but one is impossible


----------



## Keychick

Dont forget 
Cream, Crossroads...


----------



## norman bates

without considering jazz or blues:

the residents
the pop group
cccp (an italian band)
feedtime (an australian band)
mercury rev
minutemen
morphine
swans
hatfield and the north


----------



## Ludders

Rosenberg Trio
Hawkwind
Led Zeppelin
Motorhead

Individuals

Django Reinhardt
Bireli Lagrene
Wes Montgomery
Bjork


----------



## Noak

Magma
Big Blood
Scatter
The Magnetic Fields
London Jazz Composer's Orchestra
Cardiacs
Natural Snow Buildings


----------



## Jupiter

Too many to list, really. But here's a handful to take to my desert island:

Velvet Underground
Stooges
Joy Division
Clash
Radiohead


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Some goodens here


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

ZeptOr said:


> Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and one of my personal favorites.. Fleetwood Mac


Must be referring to the original FM


----------



## MJongo

Pere Ubu for overall consistency
The Residents for highest peaks


----------



## LezLee

*Magnolia Electric Co.*

I only 'discovered' them about 3 years ago, long after Jason Molina's death, so never had the chance to see them. Can't understand why they're not better known (perhaps they are in America?). Just amazing.






Others are: Elbow, Suede, King Crimson and VU - though I much prefer John Cale and Lou Reed solo. I also really enjoy OMD live.


----------



## Jacck

definitely *Yellow Trash Bazooka* by band* The Gerogerigegege*, their masterful melodies and virtuose playing with deep socially-critical philosophical texts.


----------



## amfortas

For me, the real enjoyment comes not from listening to any particular band, but from being a dick about other people's tastes.


----------



## Casebearer

The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life?


----------



## EddieRUKiddingVarese

Casebearer said:


> The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life?


----------

