Most Talented Band

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this is a strange category....what i'm talking about is most talented individuals in the same group.

Answer: Fleetwood Mac.

THREE amazing songwriters. THREE amazing voices. one amazing guitarist. TWO great keyboard players. one classic drummer. and john mcvie is a pretty good bass player (i guess).

Honorable Mention:

The Beatles. The Rolling Stones. The Who. REM. The Smiths (Johnny Marr Johnny Marr Johnny Marr and Morrissey). The Eagles (i didn't say it actually had to be a good band...). The Byrds. The Smashing Pumpkins.

― PB, Sunday, 3 April 2005 18:10 (twenty years ago)

Radiohead - musical talent, songwriting, lyrics, versatility, vision. They pretty much have it all.

― Crackity (Crackity Jones), Sunday, 3 April 2005 18:14 (twenty years ago)

wu-tang clan. lock thread, please. k thx bye.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Sunday, 3 April 2005 18:16 (twenty years ago)

laundry room squelchers and/or harry pussy

― hstencil (hstencil), Sunday, 3 April 2005 18:17 (twenty years ago)

Can

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 3 April 2005 18:23 (twenty years ago)

Anal Cunt.

James

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Sunday, 3 April 2005 18:52 (twenty years ago)

Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones

― absolutego (ex machina), Sunday, 3 April 2005 19:03 (twenty years ago)

RUNZELSTRIN AND GURGELSTOCK

― absolutego (ex machina), Sunday, 3 April 2005 19:05 (twenty years ago)

thats funy jon. my sis used to date rudolf.

― charleston charge (chaki), Sunday, 3 April 2005 19:10 (twenty years ago)

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Led Zeppelin yet. That's the first band that came to my mind when I saw the thread's title.

― Roadkill Bingo (Roadkill Bingo), Sunday, 3 April 2005 19:35 (twenty years ago)

What about Queen? An amazing vocalist (and May can sing too)... A guitarist with a totally unique tone, 4 talented song writers, a proficient drummer, a bassist who has come up with some great riffs... All 4 of them are respectable musicians.

― Bryan Moore (Bryan Moore), Sunday, 3 April 2005 20:08 (twenty years ago)

The lineup for Painkiller is pretty amazing (John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris formerly of Napalm Death). Not the most listenable thing in the world, but 3 pretty unapproachably talented musicians.

Also, it's hard to argue with the original Primus line-up, musician-wise.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Sunday, 3 April 2005 20:32 (twenty years ago)

http://www.thefaders.co.uk/photos/large/04.jpg

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 3 April 2005 20:43 (twenty years ago)

Moby Grape.

― Ian John50n (orion), Sunday, 3 April 2005 20:45 (twenty years ago)

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 3 April 2005 20:48 (twenty years ago)

well, first lineup anyway. great musicians & vocalists.

― Ian John50n (orion), Sunday, 3 April 2005 20:50 (twenty years ago)

The Band had three great singers (Manuel, Danko & Helm), one great songwriter (Robertson) and one virtuoso (Hudson). Also, all of them were competent on multiple instruments.

― Keith C (kcraw916), Sunday, 3 April 2005 21:14 (twenty years ago)

I'm not sure there's enough PROG on this thread!

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Sunday, 3 April 2005 21:15 (twenty years ago)

Traveling Wilburys!!

...or Wings.

― Lee F# (fsharp), Sunday, 3 April 2005 21:37 (twenty years ago)

Dave Matthews Band

― sma120, Sunday, 3 April 2005 22:29 (twenty years ago)

Talent Sucks.

― Star Cauliflower (Star Cauliflower), Sunday, 3 April 2005 22:30 (twenty years ago)

Miles Davis had two killer bands in the late fifties and in the sixties - the first one featured John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, and Philly Joe Jones, whereas the second one had Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, and Tony Williams (and that's not counting the later additions, like Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, or Keith Jarrett). All of these men were or became highly respected musicians and bandleaders in their own right. Who could ever top that?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Sunday, 3 April 2005 22:50 (twenty years ago)

Clusone Trio!

― Douglas (Douglas), Sunday, 3 April 2005 22:56 (twenty years ago)

The Ramones!

― Star Cauliflower (Star Cauliflower), Sunday, 3 April 2005 23:21 (twenty years ago)

I think Long Fin Killie are really talented. Same with A Silver Mt. Zion. Fridge, Bark Psychosis, Mogwai, so many to name. . .
Usually I tend to focus a lot more on ideas, and so much of that music is programmed anyways.

― AbXy6001, Sunday, 3 April 2005 23:42 (twenty years ago)

Drive-By Truckers now that they've added Jason Isbell. Three distinct songwriters, lyricists and guitar players. and they come out with an album a year. Unstoppable.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Sunday, 3 April 2005 23:46 (twenty years ago)

Yes. Best bass player ever, one of the greatest guitarists ever, one of the greatest drummers ever, and RICK fucking ("Henry VIII") WAKEMAN. Not to mention Patrick Moraz.

Alternately, Slint. They invented postrock as teens, and then went on to Tortoise, The For Carnation, and jump back, KING KONG.

― bobby venture, Sunday, 3 April 2005 23:52 (twenty years ago)

good call, that.

― PB, Sunday, 3 April 2005 23:52 (twenty years ago)

New Order.

― elgolfo (elgolfo), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:12 (twenty years ago)

Who cares about 'talent'? It's all relative. I mean, Emerson Lake & Palmer had more talent (musical skills/chops/melodic 'know-how') than anyone, but I'd sooner paint big bloody pictures with a razor blade using my tongue as an ink well than listen to their music.

It's style that counts.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:16 (twenty years ago)

Sorry Alex, but that sounds like a tired punk-rock era myth. Talent ain't everything, but it goes pretty far.

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:18 (twenty years ago)

Prog Rock: Talent and chops are all that matters!
Punk Rock: Prog rock is stupid, so lets not even learn to play our instruments!

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:19 (twenty years ago)

No, I'm standing by my statement. the Ramones were categorically untalented (not that what they did was easy -- try it sometime -- but that it didn't take a great deal of conventional musical talent). It was their style that made them great (and their stamina).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:19 (twenty years ago)

Likewise, Mariah Carey has an undeniable vocal talent, but her music is fucking insipid garbage.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:20 (twenty years ago)

The Edge, Andy Gill, Geordie Walker, Steve Jones, Dave Gedge ----- none of these guitarists are exceptionally talented ala Yngwie Malmsteen or Steve Vai, but they have so much more STYLE that said noodlers that they are a thousand times more revered. And deservedly so.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:22 (twenty years ago)

Talent will make you a successful sessions musician. Style will make you a name to remember.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:23 (twenty years ago)

My point is I think it takes both.

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:28 (twenty years ago)

Prog Rock: Talent and chops are all that matters!

Don't know how sincerely you meant this but I so don't think this is accurate.

(I haven't listened to that much by any of them but are Geordie Walker and David Gedge really that much more highly revered than Steve Vai? I mean, lots of people remember Vai.)

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:31 (twenty years ago)

To qualify that statement, I'm a big Yes fan.

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:32 (twenty years ago)

So am I. But like you said, they had talent and style (or at least Howe and Squire did).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:32 (twenty years ago)

Right.

The Ramones, honestly, bore the crap out of me, but I think they had some sort of "talent". I think they might have played like they didn't, but they sound too tight to be completely talentless.

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:35 (twenty years ago)

I think I basically agree with you Alex. But I tend to treat it as a sign of talent, or at least intelligence, when a pop or rock musician realizes that style is important and makes a conscious effort towards it.

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:39 (twenty years ago)

I mean that I actually don't think that virtuosity is necessarily the most central or defining aspect of prog rock. Yes were virtuosic (and probably better off for it in my books) but I wouldn't really say that Genesis or Jethro Tull were. In any of those cases, though, I don't think that technical "chops" were at all close to being "all that mattered" to the bands. Why bother with elaborate literary or spiritual concepts in that case?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 4 April 2005 00:48 (twenty years ago)

I swear to God it's like I've teleported to another world man.

Where do you guys get these bands from? I've heard of half of them
(Ramones, Led Zeppelin, Mariah Carey, Queen, and some others) but wtf?

RUNZELSTRIN AND GURGELSTOCK? Anal Cunt?

And yeah, can we get some metal on here? I guess it's because it's my favorite genre. I don't like that punk shit. No offense to punkers, because most of my friends are, and I respect it. But, dude, what about like Tool and Pantera? Danzig? I agree about Led Zeppelin completely.

― Kenshin (Kenshin), Monday, 4 April 2005 01:17 (twenty years ago)

dude, what about them

― eddie, Monday, 4 April 2005 02:47 (twenty years ago)

How can a metal fan not have heard of AC? I've heard of them for years and I never listen to metal.

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 4 April 2005 04:32 (twenty years ago)

I'm not saying Mr. Big made the greatest records of all time, but those fuckers could throw.

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 4 April 2005 04:36 (twenty years ago)

Bands are popular because they're good guys!!! That's why Dave Matthews sells 40 billion records and Anal Cunt doesn't sell any!!!

― absolutego (ex machina), Monday, 4 April 2005 04:37 (twenty years ago)

so did any of the Talent Show winner bands from our high schools go anywhere? no? fuck off? k

― Amon (eman), Monday, 4 April 2005 05:16 (twenty years ago)

I actually don't think that virtuosity is necessarily the most central or defining aspect of prog rock

and i don't think that virtuosity is necessarily the most central or defining aspect of "talent." neil young isn't the most virtuous guitar player out there, not by a long shot, but he is one talented motherfucker. same with, say, tony iommi. steve vai could play technical circles around him, but iommi has way more talent if you ask me.

as for the ramones, their big secret was that johnny was in fact a virtuoso on the rhythm guitar. and a giant talent, too.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 4 April 2005 05:31 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 28 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Boyzone

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 10:23 (twenty years ago)

Boyzone were only good singers. Not enough talent to count here IMO.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 10:28 (twenty years ago)

Well they don't show Coronation Street in Norway so you would say that

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 10:35 (twenty years ago)

If you want multi-instrumentalism, Kaleidoscope is your band. I would tell you what they played, but I don't know the names of those crazy-looking things.

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 12:51 (twenty years ago)

I could tell you - that's how sad I am. The Incredible String Band played just as many silly instruments and there was only two of them.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 12:55 (twenty years ago)

Alternately, Slint. They invented postrock as teens, and then went on to Tortoise, The For Carnation, and jump back, KING KONG.
-- bobby venture (thislongquestionnair...), April 4th, 2005.

I think a lot of people here would beg to differ.

― David Allen (David Allen), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 14:43 (twenty years ago)

Why's that? Unless I'm totally wrong, the only "postrock" album earlier than Tweez (1989) is Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden (1988), which came out in England. (The term didn't even exist until Reynolds coined it to describe Bark Psychosis's Hex (1994).) There was no earlier American "postrock" album, and the Slint guys went on to bands that germinated the whole mess, Tortoise and so forth. Or are you saying they weren't teens?

― bobby venture, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 14:57 (twenty years ago)

So they invented a genre that wasn't invented until five years later - now that is talent

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 14:59 (twenty years ago)

They prevented it . . . ahahahaha. I don't know, I'm no rock historian. These are just things I hear from Those in the Know, who tell me British postrock progenitors = Talk Talk; American postrock progenitors = Slint. {I COULD BE WRONG}

― bobby venture, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:14 (twenty years ago)

I don't think that anyone could argue the influence of Slint on what was to become known as "post rock" in the US...the Thrill Jockey bands, etc...

however, you could argue that the krautrockers invented it way before Slint.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:17 (twenty years ago)

* trying very hard to avoid opening a discussion on what the fuck postrock is when it's at home *

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:17 (twenty years ago)

How's about, to curtail debate, last bands to have released pre-postrock albums before postrock-proper came to be = Talk Talk and Slint?

― bobby venture, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:25 (twenty years ago)

So the likes of Can are more post-pre-postrock? OK, I'm getting the hang of it now.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:26 (twenty years ago)

I would say Can is more proto-pre-postrock (an era extending through the work of This Heat and early PiL), whereas, say, Aerial M is a post-pre-postrock band.

― bobby venture, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:30 (twenty years ago)

So that means The Velvets and The Mothers are either pre-post-pre-postrock, pre-proto-pre-postrock, proto-post-pre-postrock or proto-proto-pre-postrock?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:33 (twenty years ago)

So they invented a genre that wasn't invented until five years later - now that is talent

Well, sure - anyone can invent a genre that doesn't exist until they say it's so! Last weekend, I personally invented not only scroüngé but also POST-scroüngé. Pity that I didn't get around to pushing "record" until all the innocence, optimism and spontaneity of the seminal scroüngé scene was lost forever.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:38 (twenty years ago)

pre-proto-pre-post, yes

― bobby venture, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:39 (twenty years ago)

I think I see what the question's getting at.

Taking a few of my favourite bands/artists at random, Shellac, Fugazi and Lightning Bolt say have every member being very 'skilled' at what they do (the questioner seems to mean skill when they say 'talent')

Wheras PJ Harvey, Nina Simone, Slayer, Slipknot all have (or at times had) a member who was pretty much just competent at what they do.

Then you geta thid category, in my case Low, where every member is a superb, skilled, talented, virtuoso musician, but most people would disagree with me I expect (Mimi Parker only uses >three< drums!)

― mei (mei), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

Can I just point out that this thread is pre-post-erous!

― mei (mei), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:48 (twenty years ago)

well i may've read the thread a bit carelessly but, being not quite certain whether anyone already mentioned them, i feel like giving a shout out to -- Naked City!

Can I just point out that this thread is pre-post-erous!
mei - you can even cancan, if you like!

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:51 (twenty years ago)

Jesus, no mention of Cream? Y'all some corny post-indie motherfuckers.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:51 (twenty years ago)

Jesus, no mention of Cream? Y'all some corny post-indie motherfuckers.

Clapton is a proto-douchebag.

Pere Ubu was proto-post-punk, though! There can be no argument there!

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:54 (twenty years ago)

ain't Clapton just pro-clap?

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:56 (twenty years ago)

clapton got burnt once, but it was only gohnerrea.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 15:58 (twenty years ago)

Lifetime - Tony Williams, John McLaughlin and Larry Young all were virutosos at their instruments. The couple of records they cut together never completely realized what their talents accomplished in other projects.

The real winner might be that band that played at Massey Hall with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Bud Powell and Max Roach. That band is a bebop rotissarie all star team.

― earlnash, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 16:01 (twenty years ago)

Pere Ubu was proto-post-punk, though! There can be no argument there!

Pere Ubu was New Wave in the "Not *That* New Wave" sense. "par as in par, king as in king - par-king."

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 16:03 (twenty years ago)

Not really 'cos they were around before Punk and, ergo, before New Wave

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 16:12 (twenty years ago)

pre-punk-wave

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 16:16 (twenty years ago)

"The Incredible String Band played just as many silly instruments and there was only two of them."

Yeah, boy, those silly people from other parts of the world who don't play electric guitars and keyboards, boy, let me tell you...

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 16:22 (twenty years ago)

Oh lighten up, for God's sake

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 16:25 (twenty years ago)

Which of the instruments that they played were "silly," though? The gimbri? Sitar? Pennywhistle?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 16:50 (twenty years ago)

The gnuhorn, the shoetrumpet and spoon drum

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 16:53 (twenty years ago)

That shit bugs me. It's like Christgau's Joanna Newsom review: "she plays a goddamn HARP." Good for her!

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

Not really 'cos they were around before Punk and, ergo, before New Wave
.. In the "Not *That* (kind of) New Wave" sense. They coined it first, in the early 70's.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

Tim, I have heard Robin Williamson in concert extract many a belly laugh from the fact that he used to play the gimbri - the fact hat he can laugh at himself and you can't says it all

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 16:58 (twenty years ago)

... but I suppose musicians being less precious about music than music fans, no surprise there

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 17:00 (twenty years ago)

Oh alright, I guess you're right about the gimbri. But your comment read like a sweeping statement about how pretentious it was for hippies to play the oud and the sitar.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 17:01 (twenty years ago)

Oh no, not at all, the more the merrier, I love the gimbri too for that matter!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 17:03 (twenty years ago)

Well OK then.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 17:05 (twenty years ago)

Thing about the gimbri is that it's a plucked instrument but Robin Williamson played it with a bow - I suspect 'cos he couldn't work out how to get a tune out of it by plucking it, tho some would argue he barely managed the task with a bow either. Point surely is that ISB were not in the least precious about picking up any old instrument and having a strum/ scrape/ bash/ toot at it

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 17:06 (twenty years ago)

Most Talented Band: Zappa's 1974 touring group —

F.Z.
Napoleon Murphy Brock
George Duke
Ruth Underwood
Tom Fowler
Chester Thompson

Okay? Okay.

― Curious George (1/6 Scale Model) (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 17:22 (twenty years ago)

Most Talented Band: Zappa's 1974 touring group —
F.Z.
Napoleon Murphy Brock
George Duke
Ruth Underwood
Tom Fowler
Chester Thompson

Okay? Okay.

Never heard of one of them.

― PB, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 17:30 (twenty years ago)

(besides Zappa)

― PB, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 17:31 (twenty years ago)

Sucks to be you. Seriously, get You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 2

― Curious George (1/6 Scale Model) (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 17:32 (twenty years ago)

The ultimate answer to this question has GOT to be the Who.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 19:16 (twenty years ago)

Nobody mentioned Rockpile yet. OK, Rockpile, then

Also, Alt, even though they never managed to utilize their talents in a proper way.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 01:29 (twenty years ago)

i second the police

― noizem duke (noize duke), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 02:23 (twenty years ago)

It's gotta be Spacemen 3 or Beat Happening. For sure.

― Yngwie AlmsteenMay (sgertz), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 03:38 (twenty years ago)

It's definitely the Skatalites. No, wait, Sound Dimension. No, wait, The Wailers. No, wait, the Revolutionaries. No, wait, Roots Radics. No, wait...

― ()ops (()()ps), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 03:45 (twenty years ago)

Geir, I didn't mention Rockpile? I thought about it, at least.

― Ken L (Ken L), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 12:59 (twenty years ago)

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