Best Band From Birmingham

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The "Yaow roight"/race riot Birmingham, not the one in some obscure US state.

Poll Results

Option	Votes
Black Sabbath	38
Broadcast	11
Electric Light Orchestra	10
The (English) Beat	9
Dexy's Midnight Runners	9
Duran Duran	9
The Move	7
Napalm Death	5
Musical Youth	3
The Streets	2
Altern-8	2
Judas Priest	2
Plone	2
Traffic	2
Pram	1
Ocean Colour Scene	1
We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It	1
PWEI	1
Wizzard	1
King Adora	1
Go Kart Mozart	1
The Au Pairs	0
UB40	0
Bentley Rhythm Ace	0
The Twang	0
The Editors	0
Spizz Energi	0
Fine Young Cannibals	0
The Moody Blues	0

― Dom Passantino, Thursday, 29 March 2007 23:35 (eighteen years ago)

Altern 8 were from Stafford you revisionist get.

― Noodle Vague, Friday, 30 March 2007 07:57 (eighteen years ago)

Duran Duran are so going to win this!

I would also hazard that Fine Young Cannibals might come last - history has not been kind to them. It is somewhat baffling that a band which was primarily a covers band could do as well as they did. I wonder what the Buzzcocks thought when they first heard FYC's take on their song.

― Grandpont Genie, Friday, 30 March 2007 08:31 (eighteen years ago)

Sabbath would take Duran Duran down any day.

― Matt DC, Friday, 30 March 2007 08:54 (eighteen years ago)

GBH!

― Colonel Poo, Friday, 30 March 2007 09:18 (eighteen years ago)

PWEI from Stourbridge!

― StanM, Friday, 30 March 2007 09:24 (eighteen years ago)

... and where are The Nightingales?

― Tom D., Friday, 30 March 2007 09:27 (eighteen years ago)

... and Go Kart Mozart but no Felt or Denim!??!?!

― Tom D., Friday, 30 March 2007 09:28 (eighteen years ago)

.... and Steel Pulse!!

― Tom D., Friday, 30 March 2007 09:30 (eighteen years ago)

... and I'll mention The Idle Race before Geir does

― Tom D., Friday, 30 March 2007 09:32 (eighteen years ago)

Blame Wikipedia for any errors.

― Dom Passantino, Friday, 30 March 2007 09:45 (eighteen years ago)

Spencer Davis Group

― Tom D., Friday, 30 March 2007 09:50 (eighteen years ago)

I'm going for The Beat.

― zeus, Friday, 30 March 2007 09:51 (eighteen years ago)

The Beat?

― Tom D., Friday, 30 March 2007 09:51 (eighteen years ago)

They're not there

― Tom D., Friday, 30 March 2007 09:51 (eighteen years ago)

You're thinking of The Zombies

― Dom Passantino, Friday, 30 March 2007 09:52 (eighteen years ago)

No Prefects? Y'havin a fookin larf?

Dexys ennit

― Michael Philip Philip Philip philip Annoyman, Friday, 30 March 2007 09:52 (eighteen years ago)

Nobody gonna stand up for King Adora, huh?

― Dom Passantino, Friday, 30 March 2007 09:53 (eighteen years ago)

Nice bunch of lads

― Michael Philip Philip Philip philip Annoyman, Friday, 30 March 2007 09:54 (eighteen years ago)

The Beat are there as (English) Beat, it was a bit difficult to find for me too.

― zeus, Friday, 30 March 2007 09:56 (eighteen years ago)

Fine Young Cannibals - primarily a covers band in the same way that the Beat were, right?

― Noodle Vague, Friday, 30 March 2007 10:04 (eighteen years ago)

as much as i love a couple on the list, there really is no doubt as to where my vote goes, the hard rocking', all world conquering beast that was ELO.

― mark e, Friday, 30 March 2007 10:09 (eighteen years ago)

I love Sabotage, but I adore the Move.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Friday, 30 March 2007 10:22 (eighteen years ago)

I had to go with Dexy's in the end, but it could've been any one of about 6.

― Noodle Vague, Friday, 30 March 2007 10:23 (eighteen years ago)

Having to choose between Dexys and Sabbath is cruel

― Tom D., Friday, 30 March 2007 10:25 (eighteen years ago)

Sabbath.

― Pashmina, Friday, 30 March 2007 10:32 (eighteen years ago)

ELO rules!

― Geir Hongro, Friday, 30 March 2007 10:52 (eighteen years ago)

Oh come on, Grebo changed the world, PWEI should win this hands down!

― StanM, Friday, 30 March 2007 10:55 (eighteen years ago)

These groups are all from Alabama?

― Rockist Scientist, Friday, 30 March 2007 10:55 (eighteen years ago)

(Oh sorry, that was addressed in the first line. But I skipped it when I read the list.)

― Rockist Scientist, Friday, 30 March 2007 10:56 (eighteen years ago)

(I really had opened it expecting bands from Birmingham, AL.)

― Rockist Scientist, Friday, 30 March 2007 10:57 (eighteen years ago)

Sabbath.

― Neil S, Friday, 30 March 2007 11:15 (eighteen years ago)

(I really had opened it expecting bands from Birmingham, AL.)

Is Birmingham bigger than Birmingham?

― Tom D., Friday, 30 March 2007 11:16 (eighteen years ago)

I'm Amerikkkan, that's all.

― Rockist Scientist, Friday, 30 March 2007 13:39 (eighteen years ago)

I voted for Pram. I fear I may be the only one.

― emil.y, Friday, 30 March 2007 13:40 (eighteen years ago)

(Plus I was barely awake when I first saw this, otherwise I would have thought "Dom Passantino? it must not be Birmingham, AL.")

― Rockist Scientist, Friday, 30 March 2007 13:40 (eighteen years ago)

As much as I love dexys it has to be sabbath.
ps aren't dexys from wolverhampton? Or we just talking (greater) birmingham here?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 30 March 2007 13:45 (eighteen years ago)

What about Led Zep? or was Plant the only brummie?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 30 March 2007 13:48 (eighteen years ago)

... and Bonham... but that was Stourbridge again I think

― Tom D., Friday, 30 March 2007 13:54 (eighteen years ago)

But If Dexys and co are in it...
Then it would be mega tough. Zep vs Sabbath Vs Dexys. (I never got into Judas Priest or Napalm Death)
Justin Broadrick is a brummie isn't he? Cuz then Godflesh and Jesu would have to be in there and that makes it even tougher!

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 30 March 2007 14:09 (eighteen years ago)

I think Dexy's are from Birmingham, KR himself is actually from London anyway

― Tom D., Friday, 30 March 2007 14:10 (eighteen years ago)

Ferg to thread.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 30 March 2007 14:11 (eighteen years ago)

I went for Napalm Death in the end. Didn't know Spizz was from Birmingham.

― Colonel Poo, Friday, 30 March 2007 14:19 (eighteen years ago)

KR is from Wolves but lives in London now, no? Dexys as a whole count as brummers.

(Ferg's already here, man)

― Michael Philip Philip Philip philip Annoyman, Friday, 30 March 2007 14:31 (eighteen years ago)

He grew up in London tho? All of his stories about his early life are set in London...

― Tom D., Friday, 30 March 2007 14:33 (eighteen years ago)

I knew you were Ferg, I just was meaning you were needed to clarify about Dexys!

When Dexys were around originally I always thought KR was irish!

Who is going to do a best scottish bands poll?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 30 March 2007 14:39 (eighteen years ago)

This isn't even close. Sabbath. And I am seeing their third incarnation (witth Dio and Appice, along with Butler and Iommi) tonight at Radio City Music Hall.

― Bill Magill, Friday, 30 March 2007 14:55 (eighteen years ago)

But will ILM vote Sabbath?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Friday, 30 March 2007 14:56 (eighteen years ago)

Then they're wrong! (insert winking emoticon here)

― Bill Magill, Friday, 30 March 2007 15:00 (eighteen years ago)

The Nightingales...still in top form, used to be the Prefects, Birmingham's first punk band.

― dan selzer, Friday, 30 March 2007 17:23 (eighteen years ago)

Skipping 41 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

It's relaxed. Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds get superior we're-so-trendy complexes followed by and-we'll-be-really-chippy-about-it inferiority complexes. Probably because they're closer together and feel competative. Birmingham just gets on with it.

― Anna, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 12:11 (eighteen years ago)

I am proud of my lack of civic pride

― Michael Philip Philip Philip philip Annoyman, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 12:14 (eighteen years ago)

It's the Birmingham way.

― Anna, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 12:19 (eighteen years ago)

I VOTED FOR BLACK SABBATH!

http://images.chron.com/content/chronicle/special/04/superbowl/galleries/celebs/simon.jpg

― scott seward, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 12:39 (eighteen years ago)

although i was tempted to vote for go kart mozart. were all the members of felt from birmingham or just lawrence? if they were, then that means my three favorite bands of all time were from birmingham/manchester/birmingham.

― scott seward, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 12:43 (eighteen years ago)

From Wikipedia's Musical Youth entry:

Similarly, "Pass The Dutchie" is often mistakenly credited as being a Sonic Youth song.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 12:45 (eighteen years ago)

i saw musical youth the day after they were on saturday night live at the old ritz in nyc. they did pass the dutchie twice.

― scott seward, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 12:48 (eighteen years ago)

everyone was happy to hear it again.

― scott seward, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 12:49 (eighteen years ago)

Will ANYONE vote Musical Youth though?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 12:51 (eighteen years ago)

Heh, I misinterpreted skotrock's post as "They did pass the dutchie - twice!"

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 16:03 (eighteen years ago)

http://alanattack.co.uk/images/election/election2.jpg
This Generation!

― Mark G, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 16:06 (eighteen years ago)

(Blimey, it wasn't that big before)

― Mark G, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 16:07 (eighteen years ago)

I'm also interested to know if Birmingham, Alabama has ever had race riots.

Not so much riots as church fires, womens clinic bombings...and delicious hamburgers!

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 17:15 (eighteen years ago)

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 23:07 (eighteen years ago)

The SABBATH fans have spoken.
3 ilxors love Musical Youth though. Did Geir vote OCS?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 23:42 (eighteen years ago)

i'm pretty surprised Dexy's didn't get more votes! i mean - less than Broadcast?!

― jabba hands, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 23:57 (eighteen years ago)

I'm surprised Black Sabbath are the winners (and with such a margin) rather than Duran Duran. I thought Duran Duran were a more typical ILM band.

I didn't expect my choice - ELO - to go all the way anyway, so no problem about that.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 00:00 (eighteen years ago)

xpost re Dexy's: Don't believe the hype.

― everything, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 00:03 (eighteen years ago)

This one was easy... Make the poll for second best and the results would be interesting...

― NYCNative, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 00:07 (eighteen years ago)

Who is doing a Scotland one?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 00:08 (eighteen years ago)

Not only Sabbath but even ELO over Duran Duran! Thank you ILM!

― Sundar, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 02:53 (eighteen years ago)

Ocean Colour Scene 1

Okay, own up, who was it?

― DavidM, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 08:53 (eighteen years ago)

Black Sabbath 38

Merkins voting for the only Brum band they've heard of or what?

― DavidM, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 08:55 (eighteen years ago)

I doubt that since I think most Americans will know Duran Duran.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 09:44 (eighteen years ago)

Any suggestions for the next poll greatly received. Manchester and Liverpool are too obvious, and Glasgow and Bristol are full of bands that all sound like each other.

― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 09:48 (eighteen years ago)

Cleethorpes

― Dr.C, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 09:48 (eighteen years ago)

I did actually look to see how many bands came from Felixstowe. Answer: none.

― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 09:51 (eighteen years ago)

They tried to make me vote for Cleethorpes, I said noh noh noh.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 09:54 (eighteen years ago)

Bristol are full of bands that all sound like each other

I'm always mixing up The Cortinas, The Specimen and Roni Size.

― aldo, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 09:58 (eighteen years ago)

Sheffield ftw

― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 10:01 (eighteen years ago)

Looks like I'm not the only one on ILM who likes Ocean Colour Scene then (I voted for ELO) :)

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 10:17 (eighteen years ago)

Who voted King Adora?

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 10:18 (eighteen years ago)

HEAVEN AND HELL — the band featuring BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler, singer Ronnie James Dio, and drummer Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO) — will tour the U.K. in November 2007 with support from none other than LAMB OF GOD and ICED EARTH. Tickets for the dates are expected to go on sale at the end of this week. The dates are as follows:

Nov. 04 - UK - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Nov. 06 - UK - SECC, Glasgow
Nov. 07 - UK - Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield
Nov. 09 - UK - Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester
Nov. 10 - UK - Wembley Arena, London
Nov. 11 - UK - Centre, Brighton
Nov. 13 - UK - NEC, Birmingham
Nov. 14 - UK - International Arena, Cardiff
Nov. 15 - UK - Arena, Nottingham
Nov. 17 - UK - Pavilions, Plymouth
Nov. 18 - UK - BIC, Bournemouth

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 10:31 (eighteen years ago)

Also:

Black Sabbath - Live At Hammersmith Odeon

Together for a short but memorable time, the second incarnation of Black Sabbath began in 1979 when founding members Tony Iommi and Terry "Geezer" Butler were joined by Ronnie James Dio. The former singer of Elf (and later Rainbow and Dio) added his fiery, demonic howl to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group's crushing mix of iconic riffs, gloomy grooves, and doom-soaked imagery on a trio of studio releases, a classic live album, and a couple of tours.

The latest Rhino Handmade limited edition CD revisits a stop on one of those epic tours. Live At Hammersmith Odeon features Dio, Iommi, Butler, and drummer Vinny Appice raising the roof one December night in London while Sabbath was making the rounds for their Mob Rules album. Previously unreleased, the concert spotlights Black Sabbath as they storm through 14 of the Dio-era's best, including "Neon Knights," "Heaven And Hell," "Children Of The Sea," and "Country Girl." The band also performs several pre-Dio classics including "Paranoid," "Children Of The Grave," and a white-hot version of "War Pigs."

Produced in cooperation with the band, Live At Hammersmith Odeon features thundering sound and packaging that reproduces the original 1981 tour program. With the reunited quartet -- billed as Heaven And Hell - now launching a hotly anticipated world tour, it's high time to give Black Sabbath's Dio days their due...

― Mark G, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 10:36 (eighteen years ago)

I can't believe my PWEI street teaming effort failed. Still, I voted for them... Sigh.

― StanM, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 10:38 (eighteen years ago)

There's only 5000 of those Sabbath cds on Rhino Handmade. So watch them sell on ebay for silly money later in year.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 10:48 (eighteen years ago)

Looks like I was right, even if my maths has been publicly named and shamed! (of course it was 11: how could I have been so dim?!)

The reason Sabbath pwned this poll should be obvious: metal is probably more popular than all the styles covered by all the other bands put together, and Sabbath are widely thought to be the inventors of metal, which may be a bit glib, but definitely has *some* truth in it.

Plus they are/were just bleedingly obviously a fantastic band.

UB40 might have been more popular when I was a lonely young metalhead at school in 1982, but history has proved them wrong!

Mwa ha ha ha ha.... ahhhhh.

― Richard Graham, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 10:55 (eighteen years ago)

A lot of people who otherwise don't like much metal like Black Sabbath - or at least acknowledge the importance and/or quality of the band's legacy.

― NYCNative, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 12:10 (eighteen years ago)

"Merkins voting for the only Brum band they've heard of or what?"

oh please. i love love LOVE ELO, The Beat, The Move, Napalm Death, Judas Priest, Traffic, Fuzzbox, Go Kart Mozart, and The Moody Blues. And I like Broadcast, Duran Duran, Musical Youth, The Streets, Wizzard, Au Pairs, UB40, & The Fine Young Cannibals. I mean, The Move were genius. But Sabbath will always win my heart. They are truth and beauty to me.

― scott seward, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 15:18 (eighteen years ago)

Merkins voting for ~~the only Brum band they've heard of~~ Sabbath or what?

Fixed. Nice they made strikethru so easy now.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 15:51 (eighteen years ago)

I voted Sabbath and I'm not a Merkin.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 15:56 (eighteen years ago)

surprised at BS mergin of victory.

― blueski, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 16:00 (eighteen years ago)

Keep it in the West Mids - do Coventry next!

King
Adorable
Punjabi MC
The Primitives
Cathedral
The Specials, etc
The Selecter
um, The Ripps
Pete Waterman

see if Cathedral can make it a metal double

― Roberto Spiralli, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 16:01 (eighteen years ago)

Thread is redundant due to the exlcusion of Cleoptra, Pato Banton and Swell Maps.

― burial, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 16:03 (eighteen years ago)

> I voted for Pram. I fear I may be the only one.

yep. 8)

i would've but for the existence of broadcast. saw them and pram and comet gain play together once. was a good evening.

― koogs, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 16:27 (eighteen years ago)

Any suggestions for the next poll greatly received. Manchester and Liverpool are too obvious, and Glasgow and Bristol are full of bands that all sound like each other.

Toronto? Is this a UK only polling option? I want to see, um, Metric and Hawksley Workman (Hamilton?) fight to the death!

― Finefinemusic, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 18:06 (eighteen years ago)

where did Pink Floyd form?

― wesley useche, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 19:16 (eighteen years ago)

i feel bad for not voting for the au pairs now, i like them, but it seemed like sabbath was the correct answer.

― M@tt He1ges0n, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 19:18 (eighteen years ago)

three years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw-7lyTSiDw

http://www.tjbookarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/thumbsup.gif

― r|t|c, Monday, 28 March 2011 19:27 (fourteen years ago)

probably would vote FYC over 60% of those that got votes...

― your generation apples me (Drugs A. Money), Monday, 28 March 2011 20:25 (fourteen years ago)

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