ROCKMAN

I cited the Jimi Hendrix Experience as being a ‘London band’, as it’s where they formed and had their early success; both on the gig-circuit and in the charts. Hendrix was such a huge part of the late-60’s London scene.

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MisterDDDD

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DandelionPowderman

How are Aerosmith and Alice Cooper, bands, but Tom Petty and Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen & E St., not?[[/b]/quote]


Aerosmith is a band. It's not "Steven Tyler & The Aerosmiths. Alice Cooper was a band. Then Vincent took the name Alice and went solo.

Side note and perhaps future topic.
Craziest thing you've seen (performer related) at a concert.

Saw Alice in Vancouver '75, was near the rail, when in the middle of a song as he was climbing into a large toy box .. it tipped and he ended up in the crowd.
Hit the rail, broke a bunch of ribs, concussion etc.
Landed right in front of me, was unbelievable how savage some in the crowd were- tearing at his clothes etc.

After a brief intermission where the opener (Suzi Quatro) came back out for a number, he returned, head wrapped in a blood soaked towel, and did "Only Women Bleed".
Was awesome
[ultimateclassicrock.com]

I remember that Alice incident, although I was way too young to go to see him. He was my favourite artist back then, thanks to my older sister having Billion Dollar Babies. I think he was taken to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster.

Re: the Byrds: the credits lie. Its not unheard of especially in those "teen idol" days.

jb

Heres what wiki has to say:

On January 20, 1965, the Byrds entered Columbia Studios in Hollywood to record "Mr. Tambourine Man" for release as their debut single on Columbia.[35][44] Since the band had not yet completely gelled musically, McGuinn was the only Byrd to play on "Mr. Tambourine Man" and its Clark-penned B-side, "I Knew I'd Want You".[42] Rather than using band members, producer Terry Melcher hired a collection of top session musicians, retroactively known as the Wrecking Crew, including Hal Blaine (drums), Larry Knechtel (bass), Jerry Cole (guitar), and Leon Russell (electric piano), who (along with McGuinn on guitar) provided the instrumental backing track over which McGuinn, Crosby and Clark sang.[42][45] By the time the sessions for their debut album began in March 1965, Melcher was satisfied that the band was competent enough to record its own musical backing.[45] However, the use of outside musicians on the Byrds' debut single has given rise to the persistent misconception that all of the playing on their debut album was done by session musicians.[1]



So perhaps it is that misconception that I labor under. But I kind of believe there is more to it than that, that is what I have read anyhow (because of course I was not there).

Terry Melcher went on to other things, not soon after. Read it in the news.

Regardless, to consider the Byrds, in any of it many forms, to be the best American rock band of all time is really, really stretching it. They quickly became just another LA cosmic cowboy band in my mind.

jb



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-02 01:37 by jbwelda.

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DGA35
I remember that Alice incident, although I was way too young to go to see him. He was my favourite artist back then, thanks to my older sister having Billion Dollar Babies. I think he was taken to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster.

Now that you mention it, I believe he was treated at Royal Columbian.
Six broken ribs, and a few stitches to the head.

Truth be told, I was too young to be there as well
Hitchhiked to it from Langley with a couple friends.

Got to be BS and the ESB.
The Doors and CCR were great but Bruce & Co put out a lot more product and set the live act bar pretty high.

CCR!

In my opinion, and listed in
order of greatness:
1. The Doors
2. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band
3. The Band (are they really "American" though)
4. Creedence Clearwater Revival
5. The Grateful Dead

Allman Brothers
Doors
Buddy Holly and the Crickets
Young Rascals
E Street Band
Nirvana
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Gene Vincent & the Blue Caps

I think the question is, what's the best American rock band of all time - to whom?

From the suggested names I see bands that are/were great to american people, but maybe not so much in other geographies. If the question implies some sort of universality, then the answer must take it into account.

With that said, my vote goes to the Doors.

Aerosmith

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jbwelda
Heres what wiki has to say:

On January 20, 1965, the Byrds entered Columbia Studios in Hollywood to record "Mr. Tambourine Man" for release as their debut single on Columbia.[35][44] Since the band had not yet completely gelled musically, McGuinn was the only Byrd to play on "Mr. Tambourine Man" and its Clark-penned B-side, "I Knew I'd Want You".[42] Rather than using band members, producer Terry Melcher hired a collection of top session musicians, retroactively known as the Wrecking Crew, including Hal Blaine (drums), Larry Knechtel (bass), Jerry Cole (guitar), and Leon Russell (electric piano), who (along with McGuinn on guitar) provided the instrumental backing track over which McGuinn, Crosby and Clark sang.[42][45] By the time the sessions for their debut album began in March 1965, Melcher was satisfied that the band was competent enough to record its own musical backing.[45] However, the use of outside musicians on the Byrds' debut single has given rise to the persistent misconception that all of the playing on their debut album was done by session musicians.[1]



So perhaps it is that misconception that I labor under. But I kind of believe there is more to it than that, that is what I have read anyhow (because of course I was not there).

Terry Melcher went on to other things, not soon after. Read it in the news.

Regardless, to consider the Byrds, in any of it many forms, to be the best American rock band of all time is really, really stretching it. They quickly became just another LA cosmic cowboy band in my mind.

jb

In your mind... That's ok. But every time I see Ronnie strap on the b-bender that Clarence and Gene invented, and while I'm listening to Ronnie’s cover of So You Wanna Be A Rock'n'Roll Star, I can't help thinking of how influential they are



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-02 13:40 by DandelionPowderman.

The original lineup of The Allman Brothers Band. See Fillmore East. Too bad that lineup only lasted 2 1/2 years.

In introducing their set to close the Fillmore East, noted California partisan Bill Graham called the ABB the finest music his untrained ears had ever heard.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-02 15:14 by ab.

I still say it comes down to CCR and the Allmans, though can't dismiss the Beach Boys.

Without any universality; Sammy Hagar, the red rocker, an AM radio favourite.

Forgot all about the Beach Boys ! Yeah !

Define “best”, “American”, “rock”.

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Koen
Define “best”, “American”, “rock”.

‘Favourite’ would be more appropriate.

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Big Al

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Koen
Define “best”, “American”, “rock”.

‘Favourite’ would be more appropriate.

Exactly!

Los Lobos.

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Big Al

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Koen
Define “best”, “American”, “rock”.

‘Favourite’ would be more appropriate.

Not really. Everything is subjective, but if the question was "Best English Rock Band of All Time", few would argue against The Beatles. Many, myself included could argue that it should be The Rolling Stones. But realistically, The Beatles, based on a lot of factors (popularity, impact, sales ) etc. would win the title. Favorite would produce many different results.

At the end of the day, I think you can narrow it down to top five American bands.
Beach Boys- Grateful Dead- The Allman Brothers- Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Doors.

Kills me to say it, but The Beach Boys is probably the correct answer.
Nothing more American than "Surfing USA and California Girls" and regardless of the personnel, still going 1961- today.

Wouldn't crack my top 50 in terms of favorites however

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TimDog
Los Lobos.

They're the last band I saw pre-pandemic last December at the Canyon Club - almost a year ago! Opted for the reserved dinner seats for my wife and I, and was lucky to secure a table front center.
I've seen them many times, and they're always great, but that show has become quite memorable especially considering it would be our last show for quite some time...wow...almost a year ago...
Best American rock band of all time? I'd think not, but they were definitely the best American rock band on that particular night.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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bob r
Forgot all about the Beach Boys ! Yeah !

I see them mentioned here a few times, but I don’t really see them as a rock band. More a pop band.

Yes, the Doors were great. The problem with the Allman Brothers is their brevity with Duane. God knows what direction he would have taken the band in, but he was only 24, and just starting to peak. It's like Buddy Holly. He was going in new directions.

Guns N' Roses

In no order, there are so many great bands
Ramones,
Velvets,
MC5,
Stooges,
Dolls,
Beach Boys,
Talking Heads,
Redd Kross,
Little Richard and the Upsetters,
Jane's Addiction
James Brown,
Husker Du

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Witness

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DandelionPowderman

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Witness

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DandelionPowderman
The J. Geils Band
The Byrds
The Jayhawks
The Allman Brothers

Even the poorest work of the (relatively) consistent work of these bands still sounds fresh today, imo (with the exception of the last J. Geils Band-album without Wolf - that one is a stinker).

I like some of the hard rock bands, too, but imo they haven't been able to make more than two or three great records (Aerosmith, Kiss, Alice Cooper etc).

I don't count solo acts with a backing band (Bruce, Petty etc) as bands.

What about Sonic Youth, also mentionned on Page 2 of the thread?

I haven't really listened to them. Something about their sound that never made me go discover them. Maybe I should?

Not on my recommendation alone. In case, look for the evaluation from other persons as well.

What I would dare directly to recommend you, Dandelion, if you don't already know it, is the debut album, released 1992, from the band Come, with the title 11:11.

But really, look up reviews on the band Sonic Youth! It was what had made you reserved as to their sound, that prevented me from saying yes to your question. They are latter decades favourites of mine.

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bob r
Forgot all about the Beach Boys ! Yeah !

It's just hard to dismiss all the Wilson-less stuff that I think tarnishes their image.

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Big Al

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Koen
Define “best”, “American”, “rock”.

‘Favourite’ would be more appropriate.

IMHO, calling a group the best means they were excellent in different areas: innovation, influence on rock and other musicians, musicianship, albums, singles, and as a live act. It also probably matters if they lasted a while, and touched the times in a meaningful way. It's more of a "band" if the members play meaningful roles, and aren't just sidemen.

I think the Beach Boys probably are #1. They were the first rock band that had their own songwriters and did most of their own writing. They had a sustained period of quality recordings (with the help of the Wrecking Crew). They could recreate their innovative studio work on stage. They stayed together for a long time with minimal changes. While they only had 2-3 great albums, Pet Sounds is one of the 2-5 greatest of all, and Brian's '60's work heavily influenced the Beatles and others. Their singles catalogue was tops. There are several beautiful songs on almost every album -- even their last album in 2012.

I saw them several times in the early '70's. With Carl Wilson in charge, they were a top rock act. They weren't at the Stones' level, but they rocked. The musicianship -- and the singing -- were chillingly good. They were still great on the 2012 reunion tour.

I like some other bands more. But my two cents worth is that The Beach Boys were probably the best American rock band.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-12-03 02:12 by bam.