whos the best boyband?

a1 def

Killing.... ;). Sorry

Westlife? Are you mental? The Backstreet Boys are the bestest, probably.

Ah, but the thread sez 21st Century and I think the BBs best days may well be behind them.

It's hard to think of a convincing take on boybands currently. The tuff-boyband-with-guitars thing never really took off (dum dums, catch, etc.). The oily smoothy thing is a bit played out. Mixed-sex bands seem to be the way forward, though a male pre-fab Destiny's Child sexual-politics/R&B band could work....

The Backstreets have passed their peak, I think, but they're still the best. "The Call", which has me *thrusting*, is as great a single as any boyband has ever released as its gentle decline was beginning.

best boy band - Depeche Mode in 1981 they were quite young then, New Life the single remember it will When I was 10 and 1/2 back in my primary scool days, it still is good pop single!

That they are still going in 2001, having mute-ated and progressed as band for over twenty years, releasing a string of fine singles and albums.

Martian, do you have to colonise *every* thread with your particular ilk of band?

Not sure how I'd define the phrase "boy band", but I wouldn't classify Depeche Mode 20 years ago as such because they were "quite young then". By those criteria Symposium would have been a boy band ...

O-Town!

It was an honest, lighthearted answer!

Indeed did we really have boy bands in 1981? As boy bands are aimed at young audience, I simply gave a honest answer that at aged 10 I enjoyed Depeche Mode - New Life, I also liked the early Duran Duran singles - planet earth, careless memories. Do they count?

We were all born at a certain time, and that time frame defines are youth, and first experiences of music tend to be chart music, unless you have hip older sibblings, that I did not being the oldest.

I thankfully missed out on the crappy Bay City Rollers in the mid 70s and I can hardly nominate those fresh face pasty talentless twats Bros yacking on about when will i be famous in the late 80s now can as I as Sounds and Melody Maker aged 18 back in 1988, I was too busy with Simon Reynolds Blissed out era.

As for boy bands in the 90s/00s - totally irrelevant to my listening experiences/requirements.

Now then Robin - what do you dig as kid in the last year of primary school as a 10/11 year old? Did you groove to New Kids on the Block ?

I see your point, Martian. Duran would however have fitted into this thread better than Depeche because they were far closer to "teen-pop" (however you can define that).

Aged 9 or 10, I *quite liked* NKOTB. But I have fonder memories of late SAW than I have of them. Jason Donovan's "When You Come Back To Me" would be the record I'd name as teenpop that makes me come out in a warm nostalgic glow, if I had to name one.

As we are only 3 months into the 21st century, it is way too early to tell! I guess A1 are leaders at the moment. But, I would say that Backstreet Boys were probably the best over the last few years, and before that it was the dreaded Take That.

Surely it has to be Ally C and the Care Bears.

If I had to choose, I guess N'SYNC. I respect them for their business moves, cause they seem to be making all the right ones. Their work hard now with one day off a month with constant touring and promotion while we can make all the money we can philosophy is a smart one. They seem to make it last. I don't know for how long though. They can be millionares and rest later.

We already had this discussion on SC. Clearly, it was Guns'N'Roses. The best bad boy band of all time. Slightly filthy Irish singer, vaguley ethnic sideman, pretty/ugly punk boy with nosering on the side, and two generic blond blokes in the back. Come one, they even *snoked*!

Oh alright, Duran Duran. I have a thing for make-up smeared, dyed- haired, be-suited boys from Birmingham. So sue me.