Seriously great bands

Bob-Dubery

Elsewhere on the forum we recently got this

chris77 wrote
Psean wrote
Hammeron wrote OK, so can we safely say that the term " Greatest Rock 'n Roll band in the world" no longer applies and probably hasn't for the last, dunno, 30 years or so????? Talk about over shooting the 'Sell by' date.
I always thought of that one as a sort of official nickname more than an actual title like a boxing champion or whatever is given until somebody else beats them at it. It's just become what they're called.
Yeah, that's how I figured as well.

But who is the Greatest then? Of all time I reckon Led Zep. Of the current contenders? Hell, toughie. Muse maybe?

It's Friday. Let's have some fun and chuck some ultimately unprovable BS around.

Best live band I ever saw was the E-Street Band. I saw them in Harare in 1982. Now at this show they were on the same bill as Sting and Peter Gabriel who both had these bands full of hot guns. Also there was Yossou N'Dour who had behind him le Super Etoile de Dakar who were some kind of fabulous.

Pah! Forget those guys. Also rans. The E-Street Band were just astonishing. Not just for their instrumental skills (which they only hint at on the record - live they stretch out more), but the way they worked as a unit and their intensity levels. They hit that stage running. About three numbers in I said to myself "this is pretty good, but no way can they keep this up for a whole show."

Bzzzt! I got the bucket of slime. They could keep it up and they did.

I've spoken to other folks since who have seen the Boss and his band and they report similar reactions: Impressed at the punch that band packs early on, and more impressed that they're still landing knock out blows hours later.

So sometimes there is some justification behind the hype. Back in the 80s the word was that Springsteen and the E-Street band were THE live rock act, and that you couldn't understand the reputation they had until you'd seen them in concert. And there was a good deal of truth in that.

Springsteen had a long break in his career when, because of legal hassles, he couldn't record. So he and the E-Street band hit the road and stayed on it for long stretches, honing themselves into a tight, focussed, utterly convincing live act, delivering the sort of moments that Springsteen has talked about - transcendent moments when you get swept up in the joy and energy of great rock 'n roll and, for a while, you forget about all the other nonsense and unhappiness in your life.

Hammeron

I reckon bands that changed the course of of Rock 'n Roll. Black Sabbath, Metallica, Van Halen, arguably, neither of which are as good as they were then. One of my favorite bands of all time was Deep Purple Mark II. {The Blackmore, Gillan and Glover years} The Big 4 represents some of the greatest bands around today.

Reinhard

I'll throw Queen into the mix, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. The latter still selling out world tours.

Psean

The Allman Brothers Band, when Duane was still around.

(I know it's not a video thread, but I just had to post this :-[)

Attila

yep The E-Street Band does it for me for a live performance Stevie, Clarence(RIP), Soozi, Cindy, Nils and the boss ( sometimes) etc ... 9 piece band

Blues-Brother

Hammeron wrote I reckon bands that changed the course of of Rock 'n Roll. Black Sabbath, Metallica, Van Halen, arguably, neither of which are as good as they were then. One of my favorite bands of all time was Deep Purple Mark II. {The Blackmore, Gillan and Glover years} The Big 4 represents some of the greatest bands around today.

studmissile

E Street too, although Aerosmith is an unquestionable juggernaut!!! They appeared to dominate 70's, 80's and 90's hell even the 00's (regardless of gross intoxication). Crossing genre's but still delivering great songs with undeniable coolness. Not my favorite but an Amazing Band! On par with Rolling Stones?

=

Bob-Dubery

On the local front, I have fond memories of Bright Blue who I saw a couple of times - the four piece line up that recorded Weeping, not the five piece band that recorded Window On The World.

Great live band. I saw them at the Bozzolli hall in Wits in.... must have been '88 or '89. One of the best live shows I ever saw (for whatever that's worth :-\).

They were such a danceable band. Infectious rhythms. Solid rhythm section with that township organ groove on top. Fab.

singemonkey

I saw a few people who used to be great and was disappointed. John Mclaughlin's opening band, for example, blew him away. Peter Green was a dim shadow of his former self. John Mayall... pretty tedious.

Sonic Youth, were knock-out when I saw them in 2000. Seriously, they were freaking amazing. And when people go on about guitar tone... this is a band that probably owns more stomp-boxes than Guitar-Center. And they put them all through classic Fender combos with Jaguars and Jazzmasters. They were simply killer. The sounds coming out of those guitars were so lush it was like eating cake. And for a band in which everyone was over 40, the energy was extraordinary.

Ravi Shankar absolutely slew me. And he was in his 80s. A true instrumental master.

But if you think more mainstream, I've heard not a single bad report about the Metallica shows here. Everyone, including my cynical metal-loving guitar-buddy Ivan (who thought the Black Album grotesquely commercial and gave up on them after that), was just blown away.

Locally, Vusi Mahlasela, had me weeping in the audience. He was that good. Just him and a jazz guitarist holding the audience in the palms of their hands.