Your Top 5 Favorite Rock Bands Of All-Time

[mn dave]

Rainbow, for example.

Sarge

Yes, most bands before metal became "extreme" in about...oh....1983.

[North Star]

Rainbow, for example.

Sarge

You Rock! (Wait... that's Dio, not Rainbow )


A bit easier if I omit the ones that are already mentioned. (Sabbath, Floyd, Purple, Rainbow, Priest, Straits, Beatles, Creedence, Beach Boys, The Police, U2) 

The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Led Zeppelin
Deep Purple
Queen
Cream

[mn dave]

Queen!

Thanks for this rock thread. It makes me happy.

[Mirror Image]

I guess sometimes it's possible to acquire a taste for the vocals (I got used to the cookie monster vocals but the bands that do pig squeals or frog vocals... not so much), though the vocals are normally the least important aspect of the music. I can understand those being issues when listening to Meshuggah or Decapitated, but BTBAM, Gorguts, and Opeth are all progressive so they have enough dynamics involved to keep the music interesting. And BTBAM and Opeth have just as much normal singing. The cookie monster vocals are there just to bring out the extra feeling of aggression- for example, Meshuggah with singing just wouldn't sound good.

You'd definitely find stuff you'd like in Opeth's output, though likely none of the other bands. Opeth has plenty of tuneful, gorgeous, melancholy music with no growls or distorted guitars, and they're basically an emulation of the 70's prog rock scene nowadays with no plans to return to metal. The Damnation and Heritage albums and some songs like Harvest or Still Day Beneath the Sun, for example.

I still say if there is an "objectively" best band I'd go with BTBAM... I've never heard a band that can pull off not only so many styles but also simply display such mastery of every aspect of music at the same time. At least that's how I'd define objectively good, though that itself is a subjective definition. 

Yes, I'd like to hear more Opeth at some point. I had forgotten about progressive metal. Bands like Dream Theater have a lot of different things going on in their music, so they're a refreshing change from the other more heavy barre chord driven bands.

[AnthonyAthletic]

Guess I grew up with these in the early 80's, discovered Purple a little later, more Rock/Blues with Jon Lord's rocking Hammond organ.

Deep Purple (MK II with Gillan), (MK III with Coverdale & Glenn Hughes) all good
Black Sabbath (Ozzy & Dio) all good
AC/DC (Scott & Johnson) all good
Whitesnake (before the big hair, when Snake were greasy, and gave it good 'live')
Rainbow (with Dio, Bonnet, Lyn Turner) all good

Special shout out for G'n'R, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest & The Stones

[escher]

1. The Residents


2. Monoshock


3. Feedtime


4. Pop Group


5. Hatfield and the North


I think I could add also Beefheart's Magic band but the members changed through the years, the Minutemen and Morphine too.

[mn dave]

Special shout out for ... Iron Maiden, Judas Priest ...

[mn dave]

1. The Residents

NIce!

[71 dB]

*awkward moment, when as a rock/whatever guitarist I can't even think of 5 Rock Bands I actually like*

Umm... King Crimson? Even though that's prog rock, I guess that'd still count...

I am not even a guitarist. 

King Crimson
Kashmir (Denmark)
Lowgold (UK)
Henry Cow? I don't have anything, but what I have heard is interesting.

I don't know what the fifth could be... ...Kansas? ...in general I find rock music very stupid.

[mn dave]

...in general I find rock music very stupid.

That's because you have no soul.

[Geo Dude]

That's because you have no soul.

[Geo Dude]

Hmm....in random order, and this list will no doubt lead to a "D'OH" moment later as I think of someone important I left out:

Allman Brothers Band
Black Sabbath
The Doors
Led Zeppelin
Sir Douglas Quintet

Honorable mention to (among others): King Crimson, '70s Judas Priest, Neil Young, and Dio Rainbow.

[mn dave]

Honorable mention to (among others): ...'70s Judas Priest ...

Oh, and Rush was a good pick too.

[Sergeant Rock]

...in general I find rock music very stupid.

Says the guy who listens to techno 

Sarge

[mn dave]

Says the guy who listens to techno 

Sarge

[springrite]

Ensemble Intercontemporain

[Sergeant Rock]

Sir Douglas Quintet

Augie Meyers!

Sarge

[North Star]

Guess I grew up with these in the early 80's, discovered Purple a little later, more Rock/Blues with Jon Lord's rocking Hammond organ.

Deep Purple (MK II with Gillan), (MK III with Coverdale & Glenn Hughes) all good
Black Sabbath (Ozzy & Dio) all good
AC/DC (Scott & Johnson) all good
Whitesnake (before the big hair, when Snake were greasy, and gave it good 'live')
Rainbow (with Dio, Bonnet, Lyn Turner) all good

The soundtrack to my early teens - DP MK II & Rainbow (with Dio) in particular

[Geo Dude]

Augie Meyers!

Sarge

Yes!  I have some of his solo work and he's definitely more of a sideman, but he's brilliant in that role.  Everything Doug Sahm touched turned to gold, though.

[Geo Dude]

Oh, and Rush was a good pick too.

Sad Wings of Destiny!

And Rush?  Must have been thinking of someone else.