Best ALL-AMERICAN Rock Band

[LynneSin]

Underpants made this quote - which I disagree with:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=5035377&mesg_id=5038956

Allman Brothers are only surpassed by Skynyrd as the best Am. rock band

Although I'll buy into the Allman Brothers band being one of the best all-time american rock bands, I would hardly rate Lynard Skynard that high. And as I replied, I would probably put Kiss ahead of Lynard Skynard.

But these are just 3 of thousands of american born & raised rock & roll bands out there.

What do you think are the top 5 American Rock bands of all time. The entire band must have been born either in the United States or at least on a US military base overseas. They can be of all genre and of any era. Main thing is they need to be in general, some for of rock & roll band.

My five NOT in any order:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Allman Brothers Band
Green Day
Guns & Roses
Pearl Jam

[Shell Beau]

1. I agree with him, but I also loved Pearl Jam!!

Kiss above Skynyrd? :cry:

[XemaSab]

2. The Beatles

The Stones
Radiohead
Oasis
U2

[Shell Beau]

3. But the BEatles weren't American!

or any of the others you mention! :P

[LynneSin]

5. You kinda suck at geography

:P

And if we were talking British Bands it would be
Led Zeppelin
Beatles
Queen
U2
Radiohead

Because the Stones have been putting out nothing but sucky garbage since "Tatoo You" they pretty much took themselves off the list

[XemaSab]

6. I think I threw up in my mouth a little

Typing that list. x(

[Spider Jerusalem]

7. um...

no, if we were talking British bands it would be:

Beatles
Smiths
Clash
Joy Division
and a toss-up between the Stones and Led Zeppelin (but only because David Bowie doesn't count as a 'band')

Oh, and U2 are Irish. From Dublin. Which is not British and hasn't been since 1922.

[LynneSin]

11. Ok, I'll give you U2 but definately Zeppelin over STones

Perhaps the best thing to happen to Led Zeppelin was the death of John Bonham because they ceased putting out any new records and thus enhanced the legend of Led Zeppelin. Rolling Stones' early releases are probably some of the best recordings out there but the Rolling Stones are so uninnovated that basically whatever is hot out there today they make their own "Stones" version of it. The quality of their music faded well over a decade ago and thus they have removed themselves from that list.

The remaining members of LZ have all put out solo & collaborative works together but nothing has been released as "Led Zeppelin" thus the image is intact (probably why the Page & Plant reunion tour was named "Page & Plant" and not Led Zeppelin - if they sucked, it wouldn't decrease the image of Led Zeppelin)

[Left Is Write]

10. You will be happy to know...

I am listening to "In The Evening" right this minute.

[SoulGlo]

32. I'm happy about it!!!

:yourock: I'm listening to "when the levee breaks".

[driver8]

48. Radiohead?? WTF is up with everyone worshiping at the Radiohead

altar? I have tried to like these guys, I really have. I bought a couple of their albums thinking I was missing something.

It turns out I wasn't missing a thing...these guys suck.

[mitchum]

52. I agree, Give Mogwai a try. They DO achieve the greatness that...

has been hyped about Radiohead.

[Left Is Write]

4. The Cars would definitely be on my list.

[taterguy]

8. Superchunk and

2) the Five Royalles
3) Lynyrd Skynyrd
4) Talking Heads
5) Moby Grape

At least in my current mood

[imperialismispasse]

9. Aerosmith

[LynneSin]

13. Aerosmith is the american version of the Rolling Stones

A legend of a band in their earlier works and not putting out schlock just to somehow remain relevant even those the music horribly sucks compared to said earlier works.

To be honest, Aerosmith was much better when they were wasted.

[Shell Beau]

14. They aren't as good as they used to be, but they are old.

The Stones aren't as good as they used to be either, IMO!

[imperialismispasse]

16. We'll have to disagree

:D

[lady raven]

26. I'll agree with you- I love Aerosmith

I don't think they are an American version of the Stones. The music is totally different. The only comparison I see is lip size of the frontmen. I love both, but I don't see the similarities.

[imperialismispasse]

27. Agree

And people who say they're washed up aren't really looking at their entire catalog. They've written enough classics to be at the top of the heap forever, it doesn't really matter what their most recent output has been.

[FarLeftRage]

12. That's easy....

The Velvet Underground:

[Spider Jerusalem]

15. ...

Ramones
Misfits
Velvet Underground
Pixies
Stooges

[Burma Jones]

17. Here's some not yet mentioned

Grateful Dead
Ramones
MC5
Jefferson Airplane
REM


Of course, it all came from Country and the Blues.......so

Muddy Waters
Louis Jordan and his Tympani 5
Hank Williams
Chuck Berry


And Louis Armstrong and his Hot Fives and Sevens paved the way......

[underpants]

18. America

:yoiks:

[Burma Jones]

19. No, you doofus, it's David Gates and Bread...

jeepers.....

[Squeech]

20. Beach Boys

Byrds
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Television

And I would like to say Jefferson Airplane, except I'm not sure Jorma Kaukonen was born in the United States, so I'll probably have to say Allman Brothers.

Or maybe Cul de Sac, especially when I was their bassist :-)

[Burma Jones]

22. Jorma's from DC

[GalleryGod]

28. JAFO: The Airplane at Golden Gate Park for Free-thus,always in my Top 5

Lady Grace from that very same concert

[leftofthedial]

21. five, no order

Allman Brothers
Los Lobos
Little Feat
The Bottle Rockets
Talking Heads





Hard to leave out so many . . .
The Doors
Credence Clearwater Revival
Santana
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Amazing Rhythm Aces
The Velvet Underground
The Byrds
The Eagles
Poco
Son Volt
Green Day
R.E.M.

[Squeech]

24. Damn!

Little Feat! I knew I was forgetting somebody important!

[Richardo]

35. F*ckin' A...

:thumbsup:

[driver8]

49. Little Feat! Oh yeah...love those guys!

The guitar playing on "Waiting for Columbus" is absolutely amazing!!

[Radical Activist]

23. I'll start with the Allman Brothers too

Then I would add:
The Black Crowes "Americas most rock 'n roll, rock 'n roll band"
Rage Against the Machine
Nirvana
Aerosmith

Others I could also put on the list:
Velvet Underground
The White Stripes

[_testify_]

25. CCR and Talking Heads

[GalleryGod]

29. I Love CCR ..born in the American Suburbs..outside Cerritos

VERY American...distinctive sound.

[no name no slogan]

30. WHAT? NO GRAND FUNK RAILROAD?

"The wild shirtless lyrics of Mark Farner... the bong-rattling bass of Mel Schacher... the competent drumwork of Don Brewer... Oh, man!"
-- Homer Simpson


They even wrote a song called "We're An American Band". I can't believe you left out Grand Funk.

:cry:

[Virginia Dare]

31. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers....n/t

[Gidney N Cloyd]

33. Cheap Trick, CCR, Aerosmith

[mitchum]

34. Stooges, MC5, CCR, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Byrds...

Unfortunately, The Vevet Underground is out of the running because of John Cale's being Welsh (I never count Nico as a memmber)

[DBoon]

36. Bill Haley and the Comets

without him, there woul be no rock and roll.

[Richardo]

37. Sly and the Family Stone, Tower of Power, Little Feat, Grateful Dead and

The Supremes.

[wildhorses]

38. Buddy Holly and the Crickets.....

:shrug:

[WCGreen]

39. What about Crosby, Still Nash and Young.....

Bob Seager could bring it....

The Beach Boys for what they were...

CCR, definatly.....

REM....

Foo Fighters.....

[fishwax]

42. Young is Canadian, and Nash was born in England

:)

[WCGreen]

44. I know that....

But they still adopted the American style......

[fishwax]

50. they definitely did that

(but then again, what would a canadian sound have entailed in the mid/late 60s? ;))

I was just pointing out the birthplaces since the OP specified bands whose members were all born in the u.s. When I think of the American style, I think of The Band as being about the quintessential example, and I think all but one member of The Band was from Canada.

:toast:

[WCGreen]

51. Yea, you're right.....

[Sufi Marmot]

40. Parliament-Funkadelic...

...if you're willing to expand your definition of "rock" a little bit.

[Writer]

41. You're forgetting the Talking Heads! n/t

[fishwax]

43. CCR, REM, Allman Bros, Grateful Dead, and Pearl Jam

Are the five that come most quickly to mind ...

[WCGreen]

45. I don't think anyone has mentioned Nirvana.....

There is a reason....

I see...

Poof!!!!!!


Then of course, no one mentions Elvis...

Or Buddy Holly....

[CanuckAmok]

46. Nirvana, Talking Heads, Utopia, Mothers of Invention, Metallica, Slayer.

And nothing else.

[Initech]

47. No one has mentioned The Mothers Of Invention or Jimi Hendrix Experience

[mitchum]

53. Hendrix certainly, but the two other members were British...

that's what kept The Experience off my list

[Zomby Woof]

54. Skynyrd IS the best, in any nation

They have some deep tracks in their catalog. Ronnie was a far better writer than Gregg, and the band had some chops. Allen Collins could hold his own against the best of his time. Gary Rossington could play Paul Kossoff tremolo better than Kossoff. Billy Powell was the best piano player in rock. Ed King and Steve Gaines are the most unsung guitarists in any mainstream rock band. Those two brought Motown R&B flavors and chicken-pickin' jams that Duane Allman would admire had he lived to hear them play.

They never made a bad album either. The Allmans, although I love 'em, made some horribly regrettable tripe in their day ('Reach For The Sky' should have never been made). Plus, no one in Skynyrd married Cher, which counts.

Not only that, but Tom Dowd (look him up) produced albums for both bands, and loved them equally. Whereas the Allmans' version of the blues was channeled through jazz giants like Coltrane or Miles, Skynyrd channeled their blues through the British Invasion riffs of Cream, the Stones, or Jeff Beck.

Only CCR ranks as high, and not far behind them Gov't Mule and Little Feat, as far as American bands go. Throw in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers or Uncle Tupelo and you have a helluva list.

Kiss? Well, they are better than Guns and Posers anyway. :shrug: Better at marketing for sure.

[catzies]

56. "...no one in Skynyrd married Cher, which counts"

That is hilarious. :rofl:

And my favorite American band isn't "rock," so I can't vote. :P





(It's R.E.M.)

[Zomby Woof]

57. R.E.M. is rock as far as I am concerned

You can only carry those labels so far, lol. The rock station I liked in Virginia in the early 80's could play South Central Rain back to back with AC/DC or whatever was de rigeur with those formats. :-)

I remember Peter Buck saying that growing up in Georgia, you couldn't help but be into Skynyrd or the Allmans. He didn't marry Cher either, if memory serves. :evilgrin:

:hi: How goes it, catzariffic?

[Floogeldy]

55. I know there are a lot of Eagles haters here.

And I am tempted to be sick of them, too. But, that does not change their Americanism or their success.

Eagles win, hands down.

[tuvor]

58. Number One: Devo

2) Blondie
3) B-52's
4) Violent Femmes
5) The Ramones

Have I dated myself yet?