In your view, who were the greatest rock band of all time?

Quite up for leaving this question open, but if you had to pick a rock band, who would it be?

The Who.

I don't listen to them half as much as deserves this accolade, and this may very much be a reflection of my generation but the most obvious and unimpeachable answer for me would have to be Nirvana. I can't think of any other band that managed to 'do rock' so simply and effectively.

I think there could be a case for establishing a time period for each best.

E.g. The Who for the late sixties, early seventies

Three replies in and we are already moving on to sub-questions?

The Golden Horde

or The Nolans, can't decide

The Dudes of Wrath

Run DMC

Nick Drake is my favorite band.

https://img.discogs.com/gXDbulfRfYLO8CTzvUH4FpF9f1Q=/fit-in/600x420/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/A-2089703-1354532878-3378.jpeg.jpg

I thought I loved rock music but I find The Who so eye-wateringly, cringe-inducingly bad that I maybe don't love rock?
But in that idiom it'd be hard to beat AC/DC's single minded perfection. And Queens of the Stone Age approach some kind of Platonic ideal on the opening triad of Songs for the Deaf.

or Drimble Wedge and the Vegetation

the rolling stones were the best at it, in terms of capturing whatever the equivalent of "swing" is when you add the fire of electrified sound. but two honorable mentions go to bands who came along at the end of the rock era, who were informed by rock and who embodied a party's over pathos, a certain smart/dumb elegiac grandeur -- my heroes the new york dolls and mott the hoople.

http://www.erinmacnair.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/turds-of-happiness1.png

the Awareness League, they're pretty solid

dumpy’s rusty nuts

lock thraed

I'm not joking about Chou Pahrot btw.

a lot to be said for Faugh-a-Ballagh

Google Atheist could get there one day

"Google Atheist" was going to be my new dn, but I forgot where I read it today...

https://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?showall=true&bookmarkedmessageid=6669712&boardid=77&threadid=89247

Let's face it, we have computers now and if you google the Bible or the Kuran for inconsistencies you'll find so many if you hit print you may run out of ink or paper. Yes, I'm an Atheist and we have sayings like, "Embrace reality." and "Rocks don't Lie." Humanity made Socrates drink hemlock and Galeleo denounce the Planets. Religion made sex a sin thus causing so much social guilt and mental health related issues related to the most beautiful thing people can do together. When will the APA call an end to this insanity ? Not to mention the wars caused by religion and profiteering by coroprate America and other Countries greed at the expense of our brave soldiers dying, being maimed and suffering PTSD all over the Planet. When will the APA finally be brave enough to take a stand for reality. Google Atheist and you will find the most decent, caring philosophically correct people ever to walk the Earth who care about our Planet, it's people and good causes. Atheists protest injustice while deist pray for help that will never come, their votes preyed upon by politicians using the god concept to get their votes. The APA can rescue us if they ever chose to do the right thing and present reality. I mean isn't that a Psychiatrist duty ?

sorry that is just how i feel

That was it!

it's a keeper

Motörhead or AC/DC. Or Einstürzende Neubauten.

What unperson said. Minus Einstürzende Neubauten.

What unperson said. Minus Motörhead and AC/DC and Einstürzende Neubauten.

Stallone Birdweeder, they was good

Groove Armada piss all over weak shit like Motorhead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh942B0QmRU

The Beatles

(not really)

the rutles

Fugazi

Thin White Rope

The stones, don't overthink it

The Clash

Who gives a fuck? It's music, not athletics. We're scraping the very bottom here.

Turrican has a point, guys. But...what if it was athletics? What band would get the gold, silver, and bronze? Go!

https://media.giphy.com/media/RHiD0K65NxxLO/giphy.gif

heavy stereo

The Fucking Champs

they were no Oxxes

Is Andrew W.K. a rock band?

Frumious Bandersnatch

the Stones for sure

OK I think you're right. The Stones and then The Clash.

Coachella

cuz threw the bums a dime in your prime

lol

I came of age in New Jersey in the '70s, so... def not the E Street Band.

(srsly, The Beatles)

grateful dead 68-72

maybe even just 68-69

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL

i hate this question though. i regret even typing those two answers

lots of good bands

Yeah actually in seriousness I'd say CCR.

want a new thread about the greatest rawk band of all time because that's what i mean when i say "rock," i guess.

TacocaT

Rock as in RAWK band I’d say Stooges.

best rock band: zep
best RAWK band: motorhead

what is the difference between rock and RAWK, idgi

Disappointed thread isn't a poll tbh

[X] Wesley Willis
[ ] Some other band

what is the difference between rock and RAWK, idgi

one rocks and the other rules

the slits

what is the difference between rock and RAWK, idgi

parliament's song was called "who says a funk band can't play rock?" while funkadelic's version was "who says a funk band can't play rawk?," iirc.

If you ask me, hypothetically RAWK is rawer, placing priority on the energy in the live performance, emphasis on attitude, looks and stage presence, the less takes while recording the better while Rock is more emphasis on studio performances and lyrics.

Of course this is not a thing I’m just trying to explain it to myself.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

no but srsly the answer is robson and jerome

Roxy music

J.D otm

O.K. in light of all that's been said, I stand by my original answer. Unless you mean "rock n roll" in which case it's The Sonics. But best rock qua rock I stand by MES and the Marc Riley era Fall. Simply unparalleled. Completely in a league of their own. And y'know it's all subjective anyway so.....

Kinda agree with Turrican on this one

And yes I agree re: Turrican's post. There really is no consensus i.e. one answer here. And it is hitting bottom as conversation.

hee hee ‘bottom’

rock is coldplay
rawk is little richard

rawk is rock n roll

Beat is for Sonny Bono
Beat is for Yoko Ono

Otm

The Rolling Stones with Mick Taylor

figured you for a Korn man

haha

Rock = PAPA ROACH DID A GREAT JOB OF PUTTING THE TWO BONUS TRACKS IN THE RIGHT ORDER.
RAWK = A SONG WHERE JACOBY IS TRYING TO MAKE A POINT. THEY CAN'T BREAK HIS CODE OF ENERGY. THAT IS WHAT HE'S TALKIN'ABOUT.GREAT SONG.

The Doors.

the door in mono

the Ramones or the Stones

donnie iris & the cruisers

either Hum or Dig, I'd say

With huge powerful hits such as Paradise City, Welcome to the Jungle, Sweet Child O' Mine, Nightrain, My Michelle, Rocket Queen, Don't Cry, November Rain, Civil War, and many, many more, it isn't surprising that people rank Guns N' Roses as high as the best, second best, third best, etc. rock band of all time. MSN even casted a vote that musically and vocally Guns N' Roses is the top of all time. Other sites will also show it and say it.

But the question is, are they?

With many, many loyal fans, including myself, who got a GED and worked as hard as I could to get to all but six Guns N' Roses concerts in all, and did whatever it took to follow them.

But down to the main point, are they the greatest rock band of all time?

Looking at other bands like Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, The Doors, etc. of the late 60s and early 70s era of rock and comparing the two, you get many differences.

First off Guns N' Roses wouldn't have worked in any other era. If in the 70s, people would be estonished of the lyrics alone, as gritty and hard rock as Axl expressed, in which one emotion describes much of Axl's hard rock and non-power ballad side; [face_mischief].

The music filled with one night stands, sex, devorices, fights, getting laid, getting stoned, shooting up, shooting someone, trying to get out of a filth city, killing his wife/girlfriend, getting drunk, raping girls, being racially expressive, hot nights, and on top of it, Axl doesn't hold anything back.

However, the side that seperates them from the others is the power ballads seen in Use Your Illusion series, such as November Rain, Don't Cry, Estranged, Locomotive, Civil War, Coma, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, etc. Another part is their well known guitarists, Slash and Izzy helping so much on making the albums great and songs the way they are. Alder did an excellent job drumming, until replaced, and others as well used.

Now I like many bands from the 70s and the 80s, and listed to many albums before I posted this. Including some other huge songs like Pink Floyds Money, Time, The Wall, etc., then some Rolling Stones- Satisfaction, etc., then Led Zeppelin- Blackdog, Heartbreaker, Rock N' Roll, Stairway to Heaven, etc., and many more such as Eric Clapton, The Doors, etc.

Comparing the two I find GN'R has many songs alike and some better to the early greats-

Stairway to Heaven = Estranged / November Rain
Cocaine = Mr. Brownstone
Blackdog = Welcome to the Jungle
Satisfaction = Sweet Child O' Mine

And the list goes on and on. But many people who are mostly like the rock board- doesn't think anything good after 1979 ever happened/was, won't understand were I'm coming from.

Guns N' Roses has great music, great solos, and great powerful songs ahead of Zeppelin, Floyd, Stones, etc. The lyrics and writing, although gritty and hard edged on some, are of like Stones, some like The Doors, etc. The drumming, well that is kinda non comparable since every band should have average and great drummer.

So the question remains, is it too much to put Guns N' Roses with the greats of the 70s and 60s? My answer is no, it is just the fact that many early rock fans don't like the response the harder rock band got ahead of in the 80s. Not to also mention that people who like the early rock and look down on the 80s era also seem to never budge in the fact to admit that a band after 1979 was great as one of that time.

all this and chinese democracy too

Tbh the only right comment in this thread comes from Turrican.

The right answer is Joy Division!

voting for The Triad of Impairments

Cool, well that's settled, let's do Punk now!

being racially expressive

Best Thread Ever

the door in mono

tbf once its finally cleansed the world is actually finite as fuck and jim is dead

gay dad.

tHe bEaTlEs

The Better Beatles