Favorite Band of All Time

[iacas]

What is your favorite band of all time?

Mine is, without a doubt, R.E.M.

I once read that they were the band you "grew up listening to" and that wasn't true for me, entirely. I was turned on to R.E.M. as a teen by a girl (a girl I haven't talked to in nearly two decades, but whom I still consider a friend) and instantly took to all of their stuff at the time, and followed everything that came after.

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/reminiscing-on-three-decades-of-rem/?eml=2014December18/2021864/6010969&etsubid;=42771166

I appreciated their irreverence and whimsy, as well as the scope of their sound. They put on a heck of a live show (though the best live performance I ever saw was Natalie Merchant, several R.E.M. shows rank a close second)

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In later years also really started to like the band Live (though they may have been a distant second, they were or are probably in second place), and hoped they'd keep it together to see what a 20+ year career for them would be like, but their main singer was apparently a thief or something. :)

[Ernest Jones]

When they are "on", there is no finer band in the universe, unfortunately, when they are "off" they can be pretty god-awful.

[Slice of Life]

Van Halen.

There isn't a close second for me.

[Dave2512]

Stones by a mile.

[rdsandy]

RUSH

[nevets88]

I really don't have one. No one band dominates what I listen to. If you narrow it down to period and/or genre, it would be easier to filter down the choices.

REM is awesome, as are The B-52s, 10,000 Maniacs, Talking Heads, The Replacements etc... so many.

[Hammer 4]

Stones, Alice in Chains, Yardbirds, Beatles, Pink Floyd, just to name a few.....

[dave s]

Steely Dan.  Only because I've read so much and watched so many videos on Walter Becker, Donald Fagen and people who have worked with them over the years.

Both Becker and Fagen were pure genius understand exactly what they wanted on any part of a track and not being satisfied until the perfection they envisioned was realized.

I know Steely Dan isn't for everyone. But if you are a fan, I suggest watching some of the videos that can be found on YouTube.  Especially interesting was the making of the Aja album.  Just incredible insight.  The cast of players on that album alone was the best of the best.  It's astonishing the list of credits the players who end up on their albums amassed.

For example, they hired Michael McDonald to sing all the high harmony parts on the Peg track.  Four-part harmony, all Michael McDonald and it was the toughest singing assignment he'd ever had.  The guitar solo you hear on Peg was the 7th guy, (Jay Graydon) they brought in to play the solo.  Can you imagine that song with anything BUT that guitar solo?  Again, pure genius for having a vision and working until it was realized.

dave

[Dave2512]

Steely Dan.  Only because I've read so much and watched so many videos on Walter Becker, Donald Fagen and people who have worked with them over the years.

Both Becker and Fagen were pure genius understand exactly what they wanted on any part of a track and not being satisfied until the perfection they envisioned was realized.

I know Steely Dan isn't for everyone. But if you are a fan, I suggest watching some of the videos that can be found on YouTube.  Especially interesting was the making of the Aja album.  Just incredible insight.  The cast of players on that album alone was the best of the best.  It's astonishing the list of credits the players who end up on their albums amassed.

For example, they hired Michael McDonald to sing all the high harmony parts on the Peg track.  Four-part harmony, all Michael McDonald and it was the toughest singing assignment he'd ever had.  The guitar solo you hear on Peg was the 7th guy, (Jay Graydon) they brought in to play the solo.  Can you imagine that song with anything BUT that guitar solo?  Again, pure genius for having a vision and working until it was realized.

dave

Even though there was a revolving cast of musicians pound for pound they were probably the most talented band of the era. What I like most about them is the music ages well. Some of the other stuff I liked back in the day is forever stuck in the high school parking lot due to sophomoric lyrics and a heavy handed musical approach more suited to a younger person. This means you Led Zeppelin.

[boogielicious]

Current - Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band, The Brian Setzer Orchestra,

Past - The Beatles, The Eagles (although they are still playing and I saw them in Sept).

[davechen]

I'm a huge Superchunk fan from my time spent living in Chapel Hill, NC in the 90's.  Other favs include the Beatles, REM, Genesis, Talking Heads.  Individual musicians would include Vienna Teng, Robert Earl Keen and Kathleen Edwards.

[Zeph]

Impossible to list only one, so I'll extend it to a few, based on the albums I've listened the most to.

Tool, Porcupine Tree and Opeth.

All within the rock/metal genre, but very different from eachother.

[David in FL]

I'm a big Buffett fan, but I'm going to call him an individual performer, not a band. Put me in the Stones camp.

[Warren Zevon]

I'm liking the amount of love for REM I'm seeing here. I concur with Nevets, it's hard to pick just one. If I had a list, it would have some REM, Crowded House, Teenage Fanclub, Replacements and Pixies on it. If someone held a gun to my temple I'd pick Big Star.

[Hammer 4]

Surprised to not see Led Zep in here....

[mvmac]

Pearl Jam, Linkin Park, Metallica, Beatles, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Incubus would be my top five favorites but if I had to pick one, I'd go with Linkin Park.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Far too many for me! :(

If someone said "you can only ever listen to one band again; name it!" right here and right now I'd have to go for Iron Maiden.

Van Halen was also a great call @Slice of Life

[boogielicious]

I'm a big Buffett fan, but I'm going to call him an individual performer, not a band.

Put me in the Stones camp.

What about the 17 other people on the stage with him when he plays??? My wife and I have been to over 50 of his shows.