I would add the Byrds to the list, they were my favorie band in the 60s, a very innovative group. However, even though I liked the Byrds better, I'd have to say that in rock the Beatles are the best band ever, for the reasons Jaybo lists. They were more than just their music.
sh*t. wrong spelling. thanks for not castigating me. i will add steely dan & dave matthews on my list as well. all though DMB has been on a decline, they still influenced and shaped my love for music.
Miles Davis Sextet (1958-Kind of Blue version), featuring John Coltrane (tenor sax), Bill Evans (piano), Paul Chambers (double bass), Julian "Cannonball" Adderly (Alto Sax) and Jimmy Cobb on the drums.
about the "cultural" thing and the sixties...yeah, i think the beatles were the prime players.
but if u were an adolescent male in the early to mid sixties, the stones were your role model. attitude, looks, and mick was still a few years away from his affected stage schlock...
art ensemble of chicago and sun ra arkestra - both groups, while having top-notch players, were still greater than the sum of the parts. incredible 'telepathy', synergy, etc.
Really, can't name one. However, typically I would only list bands with proven staying power as some of the best. That would lead me to this list:
The Beatles Rolling Stones The Who Jimi Hendrix Led Zeppelin (I'm not really a fan, but I know many are...) Yes Rush Van Halen Neil Young variants U2 Pearl Jam
and my wildcard........
The Tubes
I'm sure there are many more that deserve mention......
Return to Forever, any Miles Davis ensemble, EARLY Fleetwood Mac (Peter Green), any John Lee Hooker ensemble, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Traffic, Steely Dan, Aimee Mann's groups, Radiohead, Wilco, and too many others to list!
Radiohead. A consistent body of intelligent recordings that all ran counter to the prevailing sounds when released. Really, the only band left standing coming out of Britpop. Never relied on hit singles; chosing albums of rare beauty and depth like O.K. Computer, Kid A and In Rainbows. Great live presence--Beatles never evolved into a live entity.
hell, the beatles initial success was 'because' they were a great live entity....their evolution(more a revolution) was as songwriters and recording artists
I've read that the Beatles stopped touring because the hysteria was such that they couldn't hear themselves over the screaming! They'd wind up playing like shit and the fans STILL thought they'd heard a miracle.
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