America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band?

[phil]

One more time ... BOB DYLAN IS NOT A BAND!

HÉ ! The man did play guitar and harmonica at the same time
and I'm sure he also tapped his foot to keep the beat ...

Surely that must qualify "His Bobness" as a One-Man-Band...

[maarts]

Sure Bob Dylan was a band...especially when he let his monkey go amongst the crowd to collect some money for his street-corner performances.

[Dr. Drum]

Great thread, Ken! Kept it in the back of my mind over a very busy weekend... Still just time for a quick list but perhaps I’ll elaborate a bit later on.

Before that, however, I have to ask you – if we’re going to talk about Canadian, American and possibly Mexican acts (and I guess technically even Caribbean bands), shouldn’t you drop a 'North' (or a Norte) in that board header? Cause it’s all looking just a little 'manifest destiny' right now, my friend.

OK, my list:

Velvet Underground
Everly Bros.
Sly and the Family Stone
Talking Heads
Pere Ubu
The Byrds
The Band
Rush
The Pixies
The Rheostatics

That’s a not entirely satisfactory first take... Don’t want to cut any of those but at the same time, PE should probably be on there (which sorry, Phil, lets all those nasy rappers in the door). You’d probably also want to give a nod to the Jamaicans if you we’re doing this right...

[maarts]

1. Pixies
No question about it, this was the band that took rock by the balls to a Taco Bell and came out with some screaming hysteria that made adrenaline boil in your veins. Unsurpassed!

2. Talking Heads
The band that took rock to the cleaners and dressed it up in angular wave-shirts and rubberfunk pants.

3. Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band
As much as everyone would say that Springsteen is to this mob as Kobe is to the Lakers (heh), the unforgettable mesh of messrs Bittan, Clemons, Tallent, Weinberg, Van Zandt, Federici and all other collaborators throughout the years is as crucial as the flannel shirt-like quality of Bruce's lyricism. If rock had a definition in Webster's, Bruce would have his picture next to the description.

4. Sonic Youth
Ageing punks who refuse to lay down and still kick the carcass of rock up and down the rock 'n roll-avenue.

5. Husker Du
Kukeleku!

6. Big Star
The underbelly of rock 'n roll.

7. Dead Moon
Who? Possibly the truest rock 'n rollabilly-band who still make their own LPs and distribute them to the fans...rawboned like the Cramps and as honest as the Sonics.

8. Ramones
The epitomy of the '1-2-3-4 Gabba Gabba Hey'. These dirty moptops ripped rock's dirty jeans to shreds and fed people the classic 2 minute-rock 'n roll-anthems as peppills for a new millennium.

9. Dream Theater
Prog is such a dirty word in America, I'm glad that Dream Theater made its critics kiss their ass and deliver classic albums year after year.

10. Nirvana
The band that dragged rock through teenage angst and huge amps and was spawned as a monster. Serious, the one gig I saw of them defied logic.

Bubbling under:
Television
Alice In Chains
Ween
Replacements
Black Crowes
Smashing Pumpkins
The Gun Club
Swans
Dinosaur Jr.
Melvins

[Kensterberg]

Dr.Drum -- Well, I was taking "American" to be a broad term -- encompassing the good folks both north and south of the border of the U.S.A. Will that fly with you? OK, how about: I'd happily change the thread title, but I'm honestly not sure how!

And I was originally thinking that the Wailers wouldn't be eligible using my criteria (which no one else is following, but hey, I let every one make their own rules here!), but listening to Get Up, Stand Up the other day I've changed my mind. The original Wailers (Marley, Tosh, Bunny Wailer) were very definitely a band. And are probably the most deserving representative of the Caribbean sounds for this discussion. Now how the hell I'm gonna fit them in ... well, that's a whole 'nother post!

And BTW, great lists Drum and maarts! Nice to see someone include the Everlys, and Sly and the Family Stone (where's Ben Peach to school us on the great soul and funk bands that us rock-snobs have missed out on?) ...

[Rit]

ooo, i'm happy to see Pere Ubu on Dr Drum's list. i wanted to list them, but i thought it would be thrown out immediately

[Kensterberg]

ritalinpants said:

ooo, i'm happy to see Pere Ubu on Dr Drum's list. i wanted to list them, but i thought it would be thrown out immediately

Oh no Rit -- you could list the Partridge Family as America's greatest rock and roll band and have it "thrown out"! Now, you'd have to be prepared to be assaulted with verbal taunts, slings and barbs, and probably some over-ripe tomatoes as well, but you wouldn't be thrown out.

c'mon world here's a song that we're singing, c'mon get happy!

[strat-0]

Oh, yeah! I forgot to list the Monkees!

[melon1]

If Bob Dylan doesn't count as a band then my vote goes to ,*gasp*, Blind Melon. Big surprise there, eh?

[melon1]

Followed by:

2. Smashing Pumpkins
3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
4. Dinosaur Jr.
5. Pearl Jam
6. Sonic Youth
7. Beastie Boys
8.The Doors
9. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
10. The Allman Brothers Band

[phil]

Oh, yeah! I forgot to list the Monkees!

And the Archies... And the Banana Splits ... !!


I really miss the Banana Splits ...

[strat-0]

Josie and the Pussycats.

[maarts]

(where's Ben Peach to school us on the great soul and funk bands that us rock-snobs have missed out on?) ...

Oh? I read the thread and I assumed we had to stick to rock-bands....well, hiphop was out or I would have mentioned the Beastie oys who do (did?) have serious rock tendencies too.
I'd certainly had included Sly & The Family Stone then too.

[Kensterberg]

maarts -- While I was certainly thinking about traditionally "rock" bands, I do like to think of "rock and roll" as an expansive term, and there is lots of music that can sit together under that banner. Part of the fun of a list like this (for me, anyway) is to define the terms, to try to suss out what a band is, where is "America" (can it be found on a map?), and (ultimately) what is "rock and roll?" So you're free to define that term however you like, provided you can justify it.

There were several posters back in the day who would be quick to point out "rockist" elitism among many of us board regulars. Ben was just one of those guys who would remind us that, in the sixties and seventies at any rate, r & b, soul and funk were all part of "rock and roll." All these genres owe their roots to Sam Cooke, Little Richard, etc., and all fall into a "big tent" definition of rock. It's just that for so many of us older Anglo (predominantly male) types, we tend to equate rock with white artists and thereby make all performers of colour into "non-rock." It's the classic use of "other" in social construction: everyone who fits these criteria is "rock" and everyone else, isn't.

Alas, I'm just not well enough educated into many of the seminal non-Anglo acts. I've only heard Sly Stone through his radio (and commercial) friendly singles, same with the Temptations and many others. (In fact, there could be an argument made that Motown in the sixties WAS the greatest American rock and roll band. It was primarily the same house band recording all the instrumental tracks, the same predominant songwriters, and if the singers didn't actually record with each other, they certainly listened in on what was going on in other sessions there. Sure, it stretches the definition of "band" but is there any denying that "Dancing in the Streets" or "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," or "Reach Out I'll Be There" or any of the great Smokey Robinson sides are incredibly great rock and roll music? I don't know if I'd ultimately buy it, but surely there is an argument there).

So anyways, I was just kind of lamenting the dearth of responses outside what is sort of a critical concensus here. I loved seeing mention of bands like the Pixies as it does show that new artists can be added to the canon, and Drum's notation of the Everly Brothers is a reminder of just how large that canon truly is. (Can you imagine the Beatles, not to mention Simon and Garfunkle, without the Everlys?).

[koolkat]

Bon fuckin' Jovi.