Your all-time favorite band

Like you, Sam, I have a soft spot — and a lot of albums — from the Prog Rock genre. Especially Rush, Genesis and Yes.

One spinoff that combined two of those three bands (in a way) was GTR. Not sure how many 14-year-olds bought that when it came out, but I was one of them. Still have it on vinyl, and still enjoy listening to it.

 

Heard some of their stuff, and I know Steve Hackett was a key cog. I think if you really like GTR, you would really like Steve Hackett's "The Tokyo Tapes."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tokyo_Tapes

It's a live album, but the lineup is impressive. Does the second-best version of "Court of the Crimson King" I've heard.

 

Will do, thanks for the link.

Hackett is a guy who’s still playing live to this day, and early Genesis material is usually part of his set. If he swings through the PNW this year maybe I’ll check out his show.

 

Still putting out studio albums and still touring.

If you really like his stuff - obviously, I do and I think his first four solo albums are really good, especially "Voyage of the Acolyte" - check out "Genesis Revisted II." Does a great job with the band's stuff ... doesn't really torque it around much. The only exception is "Firth of Fifth," and I suspect much of that has to do with the ever-changing time signatures and, well, who plays those synth parts better than Tony Banks?

 

That last group you named aren't bands though, they're soloists, or singer-songwriters with backing bands, whatevs. But Elton John, for example, would never be defined as a band.

 

Kind of a semantics issue. John Williams usually has the London Philharmonic performing his film scores ... had the Boston Pops until he stepped down and Keith Lockhart took over. Chuck Mangione had his own band, usually with his brother Gap among others.

Elton John is one name, but the band usually had Davey Johnstone on guitars and Nigel Olsson was usually the percussionist. As for Billy Joel, he was so loyal to his band that his label basically took him away from his regular band to work on "River Of Dreams."

Best argument proving your point, Mngwa, is James Taylor if anyone. He's had backing bands. But he and his guitar work well for a lot of his better work.

You're right, they're not a band in terms of the name. But they perform in the studio and live as a group similar to bands.

 

These guys.

 

The Beatles.


The Rolling Stones.
U2
BS&TESB
The Who
Led Zeppelin
REM
Pink Floyd
CCR
BS&TSBB
BS&TLH
Pearl Jam
TP&THB
Fleetwood Mac
The Kinks
Aerosmith
The Sex Pistols
The Clash
Cowboy Junkies

 

The National if I could only listen to one band the rest of my life.

Spoon, Arcade Fire, The Menzingers and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds receiving votes.

 

Queen.
Zeppelin.
Fleetwood Mac.

But #1 would definitely be Queen.

 

Considering 80 percent of the people on this site probably have never heard of MSB, I was surprised to see them on here. Then I thought about it and while MSB is not my favorite. it's damn closer to the top of the list than I ever realized. So much good stuff from them in each iteration.