I was going to post in the thread about best guitar solos after I listened to Billy Zoom tear it up during "Breathless". I'm talking about the band X and the Album More Fun in the New World. I've been telling folks for years that IMHO they are the best rock and roll band ever to come from these shores. Bold claim, no doubt, but in my opinion they have it all. They are smart, tight, controlled but explosive, and have the best rock and roll harmony duo in John Doe and Exene Cervenka.

I sell regularly at the Atlanta Record Show and I am always amazed at the number of people who seem unaware or indifferent to their charms. While honest men can disagree about my claim, I am wondering why so many lovers of rock and roll turn a deaf ear to them. Is it because they began in the punk scene/era? No mainstream radio play? Let me know what you think. If you are familiar with them and disagree with my assessment of their talent, tell me why and which American band(s) impress you more with pure, straightforward R&R.

dan-- wouldn't it be kinda hard to establish THE BEST american rock band of the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds to spring up and flourish since, what, '54 or so? what about velvet underground? the doors? so on and on...

i do think X is great, and underappreciated. i've got another one for you that should have been far, far more successful than they actually were: Sean Boniwell's Music Machine-- their Talk Talk single is absolutely everything there is to rock and roll in 1:58 seconds

Most of my experience is with 80's bands like Blondie.

Thanks, I never have heard of Sean Boniwell. I'll check it out based on your recommendation. But you have helped clarify my question...have people heard X and been underwhelmed or are they simply not on people's radar in the same way countless over deserving bands were/are? My guess is that lots of folks have never even heard of X.

I like what I have heard by X but somehow have not gotten around to exploring this band's music fully.

CCR..........and they never had a dinner,no #1 hits for them,can you believe that or as "Rodney" always said "NO RESPECT".................................

The BoDeans.

x gets a lot of love at my house, i don't think they are unappreciated at all, i mean they have been able to have a career since 1980 or so, on real record lables no less.

I can list probably 50 or so bands i consider equal contenders for best american band, and you bet X are on that list!

Billy Zoom is the ginchiest! He is an amazing player, and DJ Bonebreak (is that right?) is a world class drummer.

I dunno, I think ZZ Top would have to get my vote....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2GkC3pYsPY

but the problem with all these 'best...' threads is that they always become a billboard where everyone posts their personal favorite whatever, and it only takes about 3 or 4 posts for that to start!!

check the music machine video-- 1966, the dudes all in black with the oh so menacing single black gloves--

or, how could you argue with this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2GkC3pYsPY

or what about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgxb-vXm1V8

of course, some of my favorites, but the point is, how can you establish that this (whatever it might be) is 'better' than that?

how can you argue with the rock'n'rollitude of these clips?

I have to agree that the Bodeans are very, very underappreciated. Billy Zoom puts X over the top versus other bands, though IMHO. Of course, I'm a sucker for rockabilly licks...

While honest men can disagree about my claim, I am wondering why so many lovers of rock and roll turn a deaf ear to them.I'm honest and agree with you. :D While I won't make the claim that they are the best rock band ever from our shores they are my favorite and I still spin them regularly at my house. Their first four albums are terrific and their later stuff was good too. I also have The Knitters, John Doe, Blasters, and Dave Alvin material in my collection. I always recommend More Fun In The New World as a first listen but Los Angeles is my favorite. From their blistering rendition of Soul Kitchen to my favorite X song The World's a Mess It's In My Kiss I never tire of this album. I've seen X about a dozen times over the years including three years ago at the House of Blues in Anaheim. While Exene's voice isn't what it used to be (not that it was ever that good) Zoom still rips with the best of them.

I first saw them in 1980 at the Pasadena Civic and that concert literally changed my musical taste forever. The L.A. punk scene was very vibrant in the late 70's and early 80's and X led the call. I think they received plenty of accolades like the NY and LA Times claiming their albums as the best of the respective years they were released but they never achieved large commercial success. And that's fine with me. While I always promote their music, and have done so many times on AK, I'm just glad I've had many opportunities to experience them live. You can read more about them here. (http://www.xtheband.com/)

While the crowds at their early concerts were mostly hard core punk I've never really considered them a punk rock band. Just a rock band with lots of energy. Zoom really like the Ramones and wanted to form a punk band but to me they went back to the roots of Rock N Roll and injected it with dynamite! :guitar:

Most of my experience is with 80's bands like Blondie.They were really a 70's band. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blondie_(band))

The Grateful Dead

Bad Brains
Minor Threat
DK's
...
...

CCR..........and they never had a dinner,no #1 hits for them,can you believe that or as "Rodney" always said "NO RESPECT".................................

No, but they hold the record for most No. 2 hits without a No. 1, five, and a timeless body of work that still gets a lot of airplay. I think just about every rockologist would hold CCR in high regard.

My vote goes to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. :music:

I guess it depends on how one defines rock and roll. If they fit the definition, I would go with the Doors, maybe even Little Feat. With the limitations of a more traditional definition, I would probably pick Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

I LOVE X, and spin them regularly here, but that’s a pretty bold claim. There are a lot of fantastic bands this country has produced—they’re too numerous to mention, in fact. Three of my favorites, though, are the Velvet Underground, Big Star, and Cheap Trick. :thmbsp:

[QUOTE=finnbow;2838384 I would probably pick Buddy Holly and the Crickets.[/QUOTE]

Good pick. They inspired a whole generation to start rockin' and rollin'.

X was a great band who covered all the bases and were talented. Saw them a couple times in their heyday.

The Ramones, while not being the most talented musicians on the planet, may lay claim to being the most influential in the last 30 years. How many bands started because of them? The punk/neo-garage genre in the US is likely their doing (apologies to the NY Dolls).
So many of the current "rock" bands use their formula, but no one has quite captured the charm. Some real shitty bands, Green Day comes to mind, have had huge commercial success with less than inspirational rip-offs of The Ramones.

Just my 2 cents, of course.

The Ramones, while not being the most talented musicians on the planet, may lay claim to being the most influential in the last 30 years. How many bands started because of them? X and U2 to name two.

The Beach Boys

I think REM also deserves a mention.

I may get flamed for this but I've got to go with Phish.

No other band, even the GD, combined the distinctly American forms of music like bluegrass, rock, jazz, funk, and even some non-American music in the form of reggae like these guys did. That synthesis is distinctly American IMO, as it continues the melting pot tradition that at its best incorporates the high points of other cultures to create something new.

Obviously they do owe a huge debt to the GD for pioneering the genre, but in terms of an all around band I think they hit the mark better in that each member contributed equally to their talent. With the GD, at least for me, it was all about Jerry and the rest of the guys (more or less) were just a supporting cast.

Warning: I got quite carried away writing about the Dead, below. But what the hell, here it is.

I've a different opinion of the Dead and Phish. I grew up on the Dead, so that I'm sure has a lot to do with it. To me, the Dead were the ultimate amalgam of all things American. Their roots were in traditional blues (Pigpen), jug band music (the whole band), bluegrass (Garcia), country & western (Weir's choice of Marty Robins, Merle Haggard, and other country songs), classical and modern (Lesh); while Hunter's lyrics evoke American minstrel, sea chanty, and folklore traditions. The band had it's flirtations with reggae, tin-pan alley (Garcia's "compliments"), and Garcia even brought some Django-like influences for a while. Even Gospel was represented (sort of) early on with the hymn "We Bid You Goodnight." Garcia was certainly the most successful as a solo artist, but the totally unique styles of Lesh, Weir, and Kreutzmann allowed for free-form improvisations that Garcia never even attempted with his own bands. I agree that Garcia was the element that would make or break the Dead on any given night, but without any one of the other members I mentioned the Dead could never achieve the sound and indescribable magic they produced. The band also evolved in amazingly diverse directions over the years, at least into the early '80s when (IMO) they finally stagnated. The evolution from almost garage band rock of the first album and early tapes to the complex and sophisticated acid drenched Anthem of the Sun and the less successful Aoxomoxoa over a couple of years was remarkable, but then after mastering the psychedelic jam form epitomized on Live Dead, they went in another dimension with the highly melodic, heavily acoustic American Beauty and Workingman's Dead... complete with gorgeous multi-part vocal harmonies. Then the prolific songwriting that showed up on Europe '72, with the band back electric but with a purity and cleanliness of sound and performance that they sound almost like an orchestra rather than a rock band. Wake of the Flood, to me, has some of the most beautiful and mature songwriting I've ever heard from a "rock and roll" band. Then there were the more highly structured, more "concept" pieces of "Blues for Allah," and "Terrapin."

When I listen to Phish, it just sounds like derivative noodling to me. But in fairness, I never really gave them a really serious listen. Perhaps I should.

I'm sure age has a lot to do with it, I'm 32 so Phish speaks to more than the GD, although I have a huge amount of respect for them.

If I were 20 years older I'm sure I would feel differently.

I'm with Finnbow, Little Feat or B Holly



Then again Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa
The one and only MC5

Guns N Roses. :D

LOL 80% of the bands mentioned in this thread I have never heard of nor do they appear in the 3000 albums I have in my collection (between LP CD and Cass) So I find it hard to assign them much do.

Oh and 90% of the music I have in my collection is Rock from about 1956 to present.

I can't believe that after reading through this entire thread that I did not see one mention of Aerosmith. Not only have they withstood the test of time, their music has had the most impact on R & R than most of any artist no matter what generation that we speak of.

LOL 80% of the bands mentioned in this thread I have never heard of nor do they appear in the 3000 albums I have in my collection (between LP CD and Cass) So I find it hard to assign them much do.

Oh and 90% of the music I have in my collection is Rock from about 1956 to present.


In no way is that a bad thing, there is always more good music left to discover!

:thmbsp:

First off, I believe the greatest rock and roll band of all time is the Rolling Stones. Take out any album in thier 40+ year history and it would be a benchmark for any band and they have dozens of em.

With that said, and the rationale I use to make such a statement, I have to say the greatest US R&R band of all time is Aerosmith. These guys have never stopped rocking!

I can't believe that after reading through this entire thread that I did not see one mention of Aerosmith. Not only have they withstood the test of time, their music has had the most impact on R & R than most of any artist no matter what generation that we speak of.

?????

that's a pretty ballsy statement.

I can't believe that after reading through this entire thread that I did not see one mention of Aerosmith. Not only have they withstood the test of time, their music has had the most impact on R & R than most of any artist no matter what generation that we speak of.I like Aerosmith a lot and they have clearly withstood the test of time. But they were far from the first band to mix blues and rock (think Led Zeppelin) and there are many bands that have had more of an impact on American music. Elvis, Gene Vincent, The Ramones, and X just to name a few. ;)

The Band .... Well technically 4/5's Canadian but still considered classic Americana.

Grand Funk Railroad Had their days. :music:

they are tight as hell in concert,even when they were new on the scene. They are in my opinion the best live band from America when it comes to straight RNR. Steve Perry ain't bad on his axe either. :nono:

. Elvis, Gene Vincent, The Ramones, and X just to name a few. ;)

true, and we are leaving out some of the 60's greats like The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Hendrix, (Dead have been mentioned, like 'em or not, they belong for the reasons noted) Zappa and sure many others.

It's silly but still entertaining to put a "best" tag on an artist. It always cracks me up come Grammy time. I seldom even consider the nominees. (that still doesn't mean they're wrong, just to me)
I am sure there are folks who will call The Jonas Brothers the best American band and that's cool if you believe it
Commercial success means little compared to talent in America these days.
my favorite quote
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.
H. L. Mencken

they are tight as hell in concert,even when they were new on the scene. They are in my opinion the best live band from America when it comes to straight RNR. Steve Perry ain't bad on his axe either. :nono:

I'll assume you mean Joe Perry...Steve Perry was the singer for Journey. Aerosmith lost my support long ago, those lame ballads are just awful.

Too many to chose from! I'll just enjoy them all! Guess it depends what you consider Rock and Roll.
Regards.
Jim

I'll assume you mean Joe Perry...Steve Perry was the singer for Journey. Aerosmith lost my support long ago, those lame ballads are just awful.

Aerosmith is far from perfect. To me rock and roll is about having great rock material but more importantly being able to perform live with the high energy rock requires. "Best band" is about keeping a band together, and continue to do it better than most anyone consistently over a very long period of time. Aerosmith has done this to the extreme and deserves this respect.

I saw them in their first "Dream on" US tour in the early 70's and I've seen them a couple times since. They do rock!

Now with that said, none of the musicians in this band would make my top 10 rock musicians list, but as a band they do their thing to perfection.

There are US rock bands I prefer to listen to more than Aerosmith but I don't consider them better.

On an international scale, #1 Rolling Stones, #2 U2, and I don't have a clue after that, but Aerosmith would certainly not be #3...

If the criteria is a long lasting band who play great high energy songs live than the answer is Blue Oyster Cult.

Talk Talk single is absolutely everything there is to rock and roll in 1:58 seconds

You are not alone.

Bill Haley and the Comets.

Everyone else were just cover-artists.

CCR..........and they never had a dinner,no #1 hits for them,can you believe that or as "Rodney" always said "NO RESPECT".................................

Definitely another greatly under-rated band!

LOL 80% of the bands mentioned in this thread I have never heard of nor do they appear in the 3000 albums I have in my collection (between LP CD and Cass) So I find it hard to assign them much do.

Oh and 90% of the music I have in my collection is Rock from about 1956 to present.

Me, too. I've heard of most of them, and have one or two albums from a couple of them, but ONLY because the albums happened to be included in bulk purchases. In those cases, that was the first and only time I'd heard of them, and would never have chosen them as purchases individually. Not to say that they are bad, just that I didn't know them.





Several things have to be considered, in answering this question:

1. How do you define "best"?
Is it by technical skill? If so, how do you measure it, and even if you could, how do you compare band A with the best guitarist, to band B with the best drummer, to band C with the best vocalist?

2.Where do you draw the limits on what is "Rock and Roll"? Some bands play rockabilly; others are more blues influenced. Does Chicago have too much brass sound to be considered R&R? Is punk actually Rock and Roll, at all? My personal answer to that is "no"; I think punk was a breakaway, where they jumped the tracks (or the shark, if you prefer), and lost the track. It is NOT R&R, IMO, and for that reason alone (besides a few others), I would eliminate X from consideration: while they are technically very adept, and did do some Rock songs, too much of their oeuvre has that same pounding sound that characterises Punk; they never shed that early Punk stage well enough.

Expanding on #1 above, is the "best" band the one with the most...

A) Technical skill? If so, is that the most impressive speed? Accuracy? Live, or in the studio? If in the studio, what about the breakthrough recordings like Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was NEVER performed live, because it is simply impossible to do so? And if so, then maybe the record producer, not the band, should take the title. Short of trying to decipher fuzzy bootlegs, how would you compare live performances, to determine who was most consistently good, and how would you allow for a band that was great most of the time, but sometimes the lead singer was too stoned to perform well? (I won't mention names). Go look at the thread about the best guitar solos. Which of those is best? Consider different voices, from the gravelly roaring type to the smooth balladeer type. Which is "best"?

B) Popularity? You could say that people vote for the "best" band with their dollars... then you just need to look up the top-selling titles. But that really is more of a popularity contest. But if you say you know better, that people don't always buy what is BEST, but what they like, then you are right back to the question of defining best, and claiming that you know better than others, or at least that your criteria are more meaningful. A bit snobbish, perhaps... unless you are defining "best" as "my favorite".

C) Influence on those who came after? Again, this gets into a whole morass of a gray area, trying to sort out who really influenced whom. (A non-group example: there probably isn't a great guitarist out there who doesn't claim to have been influenced by Albert King, but the average man on the street probably doesn't remember King's name, if he ever knew it.)


Perhaps it is more appropriate to ask something like, "Which Rock group is my favorite, and why?" Or maybe it makes sense to ask which is "best", but demand specific criteria for the selection. Then you might get answers like, "The Doors, because their sometimes complex and dark lyrics captured the essence of Rock's rebellious spirit", or "CCR, because they blended hints of other forms of American music like Rockabilly, in ways that made them the most quintessentially American." [Just examples plucked out of the air; I'm not making those claims.] Then we might find greater agreement that one group or another was the greatest IN SOME SPECIFIC ASPECT.

It might be easier to list out the "top ten" or "top 25" or "top 50" American rock groups of all time. Then some, like Led Zeppelin and Guns 'N Roses, would probably become 'no-brainers'. But as you neared the cut-off point, you'd still run into all kinds of difficulties deciding which bands should "make the cut".

A fun question to ponder, but we will all have our own preferences, and in the end, most of us will tend to overrate the bands we like most to listen to (our favorites, on an emotional level) and gloss over their faults, while we denigrate those we don't care for, despite their strengths. Without objective criteria, it is a very subjective question.

But a fun one! I've enjoyed reading the thread thus far, and will enjoy reading further opinions. Even a difficult or non-answerable question may be worth asking and attempting to answer.

Oh, and to answer the question of which was the greatest American rock band? The one I guest-gigged with back in school days, of course! :yes:
:D

?????

that's a pretty ballsy statement.

Yeah it was. But Aerosmith is a pretty ballsy band. They can play it hard with the best of them and their ballads breathe a hard punch with a soft touch. I don't mean to say they were innovators like some of the pioneers of the trade(Stones, Beatles, Zep, we could go on and on) But they took the concept of rock and roll and portrayed it as it was meant to be. And yes, the Stones set the standard for Rock as we know it, but they aren't north american.

chicago....the rock group with horns..
second only to the beach boys in most areas..but surpass in most
areas..been touring for over 40 years...and not just a few shows a
year they are over 8000 shows easy...never have gotten the respect
because people dont view them as rock...but they have there rockers
believe me...

Best American band? My vote goes out to Santana.There 70's stuff was on par with the best by anyone.

Rock ? If Metallica`s "Rock" (and they sure ROCK to me) then they are US #1 rock band right now.. (even though their "hayday" was ~83 - 93? and then peaking again close to 20 years later)

If you do not incorporate metal into this genre, then Bruce Springsteen (and his band) definately belong "up there with the absolute greatest":)

Some people argue that Wilco is the best CURRENT band in America, not only for their songwriting but also their sound, which is an amalgam of a ton of different American styles (folk, country, rock, punk, avant-garde, etc.).

I'm not sure they are the best current American band, and I'm definitely sure they aren't the best American band ever, but I thought I'd toss their name into the mix.

Even though I like Aerosmith, I disagree with the notion that they are the best American band. Longevity does not equal greatness. And when they came out, they sounded a lot like the Stones, Zeppelin, and their lesser-known contemporaries the New York Dolls (on the latter, I think Joe Perry's even admitted Johnny Thunders' influence on his guitar style and David Johansen and Steve Tyler had similar vocal stylings...yet the Dolls are way lesser known).

I don't expect anyone to agree........so.....

Lynyrd Skynyrd

and

Little Feat

I don't expect anyone to agree........so.....

Lynyrd Skynyrd

and

Little Feat

Well, both bands were like none other before them, had great musicians, great original songs, so like 'em or not they belong in the mix.

The " PAT TRAVERSE BAND", To me it is.

The " PAT TRAVERSE BAND", To me it is.

Pat Travers was from Canada, it that is who you mean.

A little different choice,but Chicago has to be up there.

Bruce Springsteen and the E street band is some tough competition for #1 but I still give the nod to Aerosmith.

I think the question has to address a band not just a musician.

Now if someone were to ask who is the top American R&R musician of all time? Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carlos Santana... It gets much more difficult!

King's-x

Bruce Springsten is some tough competition for #1...

I don't really like Springsteen, but I can certainly see your point.

I don't expect anyone to agree........so.....

Lynyrd Skynyrd

and

Little Feat

I certainly won't disagree. Although the original bands didn't last as long of some of the other bands mentioned, they certainly were great bands that put out some fine music.:thmbsp:

Surprised nobody has mention CS&N, although I'm not sure they are all from America.:scratch2: Also, I know many won't agree, but the Eagles certainly have been around a long time with a large volume of music output.

Speaking of a lot of output... The Steve Miller Band. I always liked his stuff well enough, but it was always kind of in the background. I saw him in concert last summer and I was blown away by the number of hits he had. One after another. The entire show was hit records.

Grillebilly, from Canada? That's an education for me a fan since 1977-78 with songs like putting it straight,hooked on music,makin magic, makes no difference, seen them in a club years ago, excellent live show, anyways i did not know that fact. Thanks! and so i thought.

Speaking of a lot of output... The Steve Miller Band. I always liked his stuff well enough, but it was always kind of in the background. I saw him in concert last summer and I was blown away by the number of hits he had. One after another. The entire show was hit records.

Agree, Steve knew how to make a hit. As did Bob Seger...

For those of you that like 70s prog:

Happy the man-same

Ethos-Ardour,Open Up

And of course Zappa,my favorite: Bongo Fury

If the criteria is a long lasting band who play great high energy songs live than the answer is Blue Oyster Cult.

How could I forget one of the all time great bands from anywhere,BOC !

As far as aerosmith,they were great up to the mid 70s,after that....
could not care less,at least they are still trying,better than doing nothing.

[QUOTE=karmahnda;2843869]If the criteria is a long lasting band who play great high energy songs live than the answer is Blue Oyster Cult.

How could I forget one of the all time great bands from anywhere,BOC !

As far as aerosmith,they were great up to the mid 70s,after that....
could not care less,at least they are still trying,better than doing nothing.

If the criteria is a long lasting band who play great high energy songs live than the answer is Blue Oyster Cult.

I think that's the problem: everyone has different criteria.

Some people use longevity as criteria.

Some use high energy.

Some use influence.

Some use creativity/uniqueness.

I'd say the last two (influence and creativity/uniqueness) would be my criteria because I can think of a ton of crappy bands that have been around a long time and a ton of high energy bands that are derivative or that don't write good songs.

For some reason these seem to epitomize "American," though none of them are my personal favorites. I think all have been mentioned before, but I'm throwing this out there because there's some similarity that I can't put my finger on.

Bruce Springsteen
Bob Seger
John Mellencamp

Well if you use popularity then near the top has to be MEATLOAF after all BAT OUT OF HELL has sold 45 million copies. That is more then Darkside of the Moon and just below Thriller in popularity!!!

Bet you didn't know that LOL

I can't make up my mind...

Grand Funk Railroad Had their days. :music:

Yes they did :yes: First concert I evr saw - GFR at Shea Stadium

Also:

Santana
Jefferson Airplane

I know they've already been mentioned, but I think at the end of the day I might go with Creedence Clearwater Revival.

But I'd like to mention two dark horse candidates as well, due to their influence (both bands spawned or directly influenced several whole genres), even though they weren't "popular" when they were around:

The Velvet Underground
The Stooges

In some ways, if you combined the three bands I mentioned above, I feel like you'd get the essence of what an American rock band is about: the power, the energy, the backbeat, the adventurousness, the attitude, the social commentary, the outsider's perspective, the danger, the volatility, etc.

I am really surprised that no one has mentioned KISS. I mean, they are the self proclaimed "greatest band in the land". :smoke:

I don't think I saw the Allman Brothers Band mentioned...

Well if you use popularity then near the top has to be MEATLOAF after all BAT OUT OF HELL has sold 45 million copies. That is more then Darkside of the Moon and just below Thriller in popularity!!!

Bet you didn't know that LOL

I for the life of me cannot see what people heard in Meatloaf.I guess forty five million people can't be wrong???

Whether establishing the best American rock band, or the best one on the planet, this will take a lot of time & discussion to establish it (if that's possible). Has Atlanta Rhythm Section been mentioned?

:lurk:

I like X... X is OK.. but there are much better bands out there..

Whether establishing the best American rock band, or the best one on the planet, this will take a lot of time & discussion to establish it (if that's possible). Has Atlanta Rhythm Section been mentioned?

:lurk:

Spooky :thmbsp:

I'm surprised no one mentioned Paul Revere and the Raiders or Lovin' Spoonful. But I also would have to say Buddy Holly & the Crickets, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Santana, WAR, Atlanta Rhythm Section and ZZ Top.

Steely Dan, Allman Bros., and the eclectic Frank Zappa. All the others don't come close in my opinion (although I love many of them).

I'm talking about musicianship here. To me popularity means nothing.

Rick

Green Day.

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Lovin' Spoonful.

:thmbsp:

Always get my vote for best American band of the mid 60's, and close to the top of my 50 best american Rock N' Roll bands.

Z Z Top

How about:

Johnny Winter and
Johnny Rivers

Couple of great guitar players from Texas :yes:

And Dion

in the same respects, early "good" new wave and american punk gets washed away in the tides all of the time.... i mean who listens to greg sage and the wipers? dmz? the weirdos? the saints? the tuff darts? flaming groovies? eddie and the hot rods? etc..etc.. so many bands i could go on forever... what about johnny thunders??

hmm agree with meatloaf.. but i have to throw in....CHEAP TRICK!

No Joe Walsh and the James Gang? :scratch2: Grand Funk could light it up :thmbsp:

I agree with everyone!!! :D

Kick out the jams baby! MC5...they didn't stay the greatest, but that song is IT! The greatest moment in RnR.

No contest for me.

? and the Mysterians, on the strength of "96 Tears" alone.

Well if you use popularity then near the top has to be MEATLOAF after all BAT OUT OF HELL has sold 45 million copies. That is more then Darkside of the Moon and just below Thriller in popularity!!!

Bet you didn't know that LOL

And we still don't. As of the last published figures I could find - Feb 2009 - Bat Out of Hell has sold just short of 30 million albums world wide; Dark Side of the Moon has sold almost 46 million world-wide and Thriller more than 60 million.

Bat is a great record but, come on!

It is, however, the best selling DEBUT album of all time in the US and UK.

Lots of great choices here. I don't agree with all of them but that's just my opinion.

Of the top 10 selling singles of 1969, CCR had five. It was their best year. They may not have had a number 1 but they probably sold more records than the band that did. The number one song of 1969 was "Sugar, Sugar."

I don't have an absolute choice for best American band so I will throw out several I haven't seen mentioned:

1. Jefferson Airplane
2. Blood, Sweat, & Tears - first incarnation (Child Is Father To the Man) with Al Kooper
3. The Youngbloods
4. The Texas Tornados (Tex-Mex rock and roll)
5. Quicksilver
6. Neil Young and Crazy Horse (Neil is a naturalized Canadian)
7. Band of Gypsies
8. The Byrds
9. Los Lobos
10.The Stangeloves ('Aussie-Brits' from Texas) They weren't the greatest band by a long shot BUT who can argue with "I Want Candy" as being a great rock and roll anthem?

But the greatest band was whichever band was backing Dylan during his peak years - be it Kooper, Bloomfield, and Co. or The Band. Great as they were - and they were great indeed (especially The Band) - backing Dylan made them immortals.

How about the best rock concert band. I remember some from the 70's like:

Santana- could create a groove that went on and on
J. Geils- believe it or not they could drive a crowd insane
SRV and Double Trouble -mesmerizing watching them in concert
Allman Brothers- Man Duane could play a sweet slide
Frank Zappa-At the Armadillo

and some that I remember being great:
Hendrix-but I caught a bad venue and prolly not his best show-still
Lou reed and the Velvet Underground-in a small venue
ZZ TOP-showman

Btw there were some others not listed and some of the best I remember were British or Aussie!

The Grateful Dead. Could be a transcendent experience, or just as easily rather dull. But when they were on, there was none better.

The Subdudes put on a great show for a small venue. No frills, just great feel-good music wonderfully performed.

I don't expect anyone to agree........so.....

Lynyrd Skynyrd

HELL YEAH :thmbsp:

http://www.80smusiclyrics.com/artists/images/Bob_Seger_-_Like_a_Rock.jpg

How about the best rock concert band. I remember some from the 70's like:

Santana- could create a groove that went on and on
J. Geils- believe it or not they could drive a crowd insane
SRV and Double Trouble -mesmerizing watching them in concert
Allman Brothers- Man Duane could play a sweet slide
Frank Zappa-At the Armadillo

and some that I remember being great:
Hendrix-but I caught a bad venue and prolly not his best show-still
Lou reed and the Velvet Underground-in a small venue
ZZ TOP-showman

Btw there were some others not listed and some of the best I remember were British or Aussie!

Excellent choices. Santana, Allmans, Zappa, SRV, Hendrix are all top-notch. And I've seen J. Geils live and you are sooooo right about that!! Magic Dick had a harmonica holster on, I guess with every key. The harps were spaced around the whole belt, probably a dozen. Never seen one since (70's).

Rick