Who Is Your Favourite Group And Why?

[Clifford.T Ward]

I think the main reason I bother to have an interest in the apparatus or musical reproduction is the actual music and artists who produce it......

So, I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread about members favourite groups ( maybe this will lead to others like singers, orchestras etc who knows?)

I thought I would start with mine ..

The Beatles

(What I hope to stimulate is this section .....the why!)

To me what makes the Beatles great is the fact that all four members made a full contribution to the group.

In the early days of the band ...bands were always X and the ys and the lead was really considered to be the star......

George Martin and Brain Epstein realised quickly that this was not applicable to the Beatles , each one had plenty to bring to the table.

In the early days the Beatles , the Beatles were largely a covers band and each member brought their own personal contribution of an impersonation of a major rock and roll star.

In addition, The Beatles , had a really broad repertoire they could turn their hand to Rock and Roll, country music, soul, ballads, comedy songs and much more.......in addition the Beatles were great musicians
As their career progressed they started to write their own material and blossomed into a wonderful band.
Again each contributed much to the songs even though they didn’t always get the credit for it.
Paul’ s song writing reflected romance , sensitivity , embryonic political awareness and good old rock and roll
John’s reflected love , peace , an understanding of the human condition, politics and fantasy
George was the spiritualist and philosopher
And Ringo? Well all those drum parts were written by him but were totally unaccredited!

[Yomanze]

The Cure. Most bands struggle with 2x great albums, but The Cure have at least 8x of them. Also a fan of their journey and how they evolved their sound.

[RichB]

Pink Floyd - Discovered them in my teens whilst in an 80s thrash metal phase. The music and lyrics struck me as profound at the time and still does now.

[Jac Hawk]

There are and have been so many GREAT bands, it's tough to single out just one, all the folks that have posted before me have all come up with worthy "Greatest Band" nominees, for me though it would have to be Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody broke the mould of what a rock song should be and as a group EVERY member was capable of writing truly great songs, also when performing live Freddie Mercury controlled the audience like no other, even people that didn't like there music, liked them live.

[struth]

Indeed, a very difficult pick. Im not overly band orientated these days, preferring single artists, although obviously they have backing. I guess overall, the band that gave me more was Led Zeppelin. I do like a bit of Queen though

[Macca]

Favourite group - Steely Dan.

A mate taped me their 1978 Greatest Hits album. I gave him a couple of blanks and said tape me whatever you are listening to. Never heard of them before, was hooked immediately and have remained hooked ever since. The obscure lyrics, the clever chord changes, the cynical humour and so forth. It just appeals to me on all levels, hard to say exactly why.

Led Zep I would put second favourite as they did it properly but don't listen to them so much these days.

Greatest music of all time though was Jimi Hendrix. I almost try to avoid listening to Hendrix as he makes all other music sound lame in comparison.

[Ian7633]

I like any music that has been thought about while being created and not just churned out to fill the gaps between the silence.
David Bowie is my number one, not only is his music clever and ageless but comes from a time when artists were free to explore by so many untried means and he was right at the front.
I have to agree with Martin about Steely Dan. The first album I heard was Aja and I was hooked.
There are just too many to list, different bands for different reasons but I'm always looking for my new favourite.

[johnB]

The Clash, greatest live band - I saw them several times in my late teens.

The time, the energy, the politics.....as they evolved from the early (great) punk sound they opened my mind to reggae, ska, rock & roll, hip-hop, world music etc.

John

[Haselsh1]

For me it is Brand X with or without Phil Collins on drums. The precision and complexity of their playing still leaves me in absolute awe. Favourite albums are Moroccan Roll, Masques and Unorthodox Behaviour. I have all of their stuff on vinyl and quite a bit on CD as well.

[Macca]

I have Unorthodox, never realised it was old Phil on the drums.

[Haselsh1]

I have Unorthodox, never realised it was old Phil on the drums.

Yes Martin, Brand X was Phil's second band whilst he was in Genesis. He appeared on a few albums but not all. Personally, Moroccan Roll is my favourite but I love Unorthodox Behaviour just as much. Masques does not feature Phil on drums though.

[Pete The Cat]

Impossible question for me, I could give you a different answer each day for a month and still be no clearer.

For today I'll say Silver Sun. They're the zenith of powerpop, so if you get a rush from Ramones-y guitar mixed with Beach Boys-y harmonies they're the perfect mix. I wish I'd never heard them just so that I could go through the joy of discovering them all over again. Several great albums await the unfamiliar, and their B-sides are damn good too. Just begin with their 1997 debut and take it from there.

Pete

[petrat]

Assuming that favourite Jazz group is another thread :D ... it's either Mahavishnu Orchestra or Gentle Giant ... both truly astonishing live bands. So, Gentle Giant it is! On record they could be a bit subdued at times, but live they were like no other band I've ever heard, before or since. Try 'Playing the Fool' for a glimpse of what they were about.

[Simon_Nottingham]

I think that I have two favourite bands. There are bands I love, bands that I get excited about when they have a new album out, but there are two band that I love.

The first is Half Man Half Biscuit. I first got in to the Biscuits when I was in sixth form (via a cooler lad in upper sixth) about the time the second album came out. Now you may think that they're just a comedy turn, and I'd be the first to admit that no one in the band is going to appear in a list of the best guitarist/bassist/drummer/singer in the world, but I keep coming back. Of all the bands I was into in my teens, this is the only one that I still listen to now. They make me smile, and more than once they make me think...

There is nothing better in life
Than writing on the sole of your slipper with a biro

And you know what? There isn't.

Second greatest time I had
Was when they asked me and my dad
To organise a festival
Along the lines of Donington
We took Chirk Airfield as our site
Booked the bands we thought were right
Received the long-range from the Met
They said it could be very wet
With this in mind, we thought it wise
To call the whole caboodle off
The greatest time I ever had
Was when we didn’t tell the bands

If that doesn't make you laugh, I don't want to go for a pint with you!

I love serious music. I've got lots of Radiohead and Clash and Jethro Tull Queen and British Sea Power and Jack White and Damon Albarn, but every now and again it's just good to listen to someone who can take the piss really, really well.

See also: Sleaford Mods and Mark Wynn.

I'll tell you about the second band I love tomorrow!

[Arkless Electronics]

I couldn't name just one but all the best were formed before 1980... And what's more I vehemently insist it's not an age thing and music genuinely was MUCH better back then. Even the best and most popular bands of today like The Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers, U2 etc etc are not even in the same league as the likes of The Who, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin etc!

And don't even get me started on "Urban", "R&B" etc... So bad I'd literally rather listen to The Bay city Rollers than that shite!!

[walpurgis]

I couldn't name just one but all the best were formed before 1980... And what's more I vehemently insist it's not an age thing and music genuinely was MUCH better back then. Even the best and most popular bands of today like The Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers, U2 etc etc are not even in the same league as the likes of The Who, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin etc!

And don't even get me started on "Urban", "R&B" etc... So bad I'd literally rather listen to The Bay city Rollers than that shite!!

Agree with the first paragraph, but not the ending line Jez. Bay City Rollers? :spew:

[Arkless Electronics]

Agree with the first paragraph, but not the ending line Jez. Bay City Rollers? :spew:

I can't stand The Bay City Rollers so that should tell you how much I detest Urban and R&B!! Unfortunately the yoof of today appear to have zero taste (the non muso ones that is) so there's no escaping the crap on the radio.... I've sometimes listened to it and thought that if I was playing along to this on a guitar I'd have been doing nothing but strumming the same C chord for the last 30 seconds or more!!

[struth]

Theres lots of new bands that are great....well some .....well one, Maybe?;)

[struth]

Agree with the first paragraph, but not the ending line Jez. Bay City Rollers? :spew:

Wife was in love with them as a girl lol.

[Arkless Electronics]

Theres lots of new bands that are great....well some .....well one, Maybe?;)

There is some good stuff but nothing to compare to the greats of the past IMHO. Remember when a new album was all good tracks and no filler as well? Too many times in the last 20 years or so I've bought an album on the strength of a good single and then found the single was the only decent track on it!!

[struth]

Thats where spotify comes in. Mind you i guess im not buying much really now as i get it with spotify, but best ones i will save up and get the vinyl

[Macca]

. Even the best and most popular bands of today like The Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers, U2 etc etc


LOL - they were the 'bands of today' 20 years ago maybe. Get with the times grandad. You'll have shit music and like it.

My theory is artists today are way too healthy in body and mind. It's all about saving the environment and carrying your idiotically-named baby around in a papoose.

To create great music you need a mountain of drugs, an ocean of drink and at least one person in the band with serious personality disorder (the one who writes the lyrics). There's none of that anymore and what do we have to show for it? London fucking Grammer.

[walpurgis]

To create great music you need a mountain of drugs, an ocean of drink and at least one person in the band with serious personality disorder (the one who writes the lyrics).

Bang on! :D

[Arkless Electronics]

LOL - they were the 'bands of today' 20 years ago maybe. Get with the times grandad. You'll have shit music and like it.

My theory is artists today are way too healthy in body and mind. It's all about saving the environment and carrying your idiotically-named baby around in a papoose.

To create great music you need a mountain of drugs, an ocean of drink and at least one person in the band with serious personality disorder (the one who writes the lyrics). There's none of that anymore and what do we have to show for it? London fucking Grammer.

Saving the environment is rather important! other than that I can mainly go along with what you say there but I think there is a bit more to it than that... it all went wrong in the 80's when "the kids" stopped protesting about anything any more and started wearing white socks and highlights in their hair instead of safety pins and/or greasy leather jackets etc... and seemed to welcome "the man" rather than telling him where to shove it!

Anyway, one good thing coming from the chief shitgibbon becoming so called president is I look forward to a new slew of protest songs!!

[Macca]

Saving the environment is rather important! !!

Not for a rock band. I mean if they want to give some money privately that's fine, it's when they start 'raising awareness' that I start shuddering.

If they are not touring or recording they should be somewhere exotic having it large and causing trouble. Happy Mondays stole all the furniture and equipment from the studio they were recording in and swapped it for drugs. Preserving the Alaskan Moose was the last thing on their agenda. People may tut tut but there's no doubt: Kill the fat and you kill the burger.

[Anthony K]

Funkadelic for me , although Jazz wise would be Avishai Cohen and his ever changing lineup...oh and then there is Pat Metheny Group

[ReggieB]

For most of my young live: Genesis. Why, well to be honest, because that was what my big brother liked :) My favourite period - after Peter Gabriel left (also my favourite period for Garbriel too - His first album is still my favorite) - Favourite album - Wind & Wuthering (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRE-T6kcVlw) (Blood on the Rooftops - still raises goose bumps). Also a soft spot for And Then There Were Three, which was the first album of theirs that I owned at 15.

Now I tend to go from one favourite to the next. At the moment, I'd have to say The Budapest Cafe Orchestra (http://budapestcafeorchestra.co.uk/). I love the album The Gaelic Chronicles, and they are great fun to see live.

Oh and for a curved ball - The Sixteen (http://thesixteen.com/). I saw them at Hereford Cathedral a couple of years ago and have been a fan since. Superb singing.

[Infinitely Baffled]

Blimey, what a question! So many bands, and so many of them that make you feel great in different ways. Like one earlier post said, I could give a different answer on each day of the week.

But the one I'm going to choose for this damp Welsh Thursday is Ry Cooder - in any and all of his incarnations. Why? Because the man is simply a musician to the core, not a rock star, or a front man or an ego-gratifying twerp. Break him in half and you would just find "Music" written right through him like a stick of rock. Mainly roots Americana, of course, but unmissable in his other collaborations too: African, Indian, Hawaiian, Cuban, Zydeco. You name it and Ry Cooder is deeply into it and truly understands it. His playing ability on just about anything with strings is beyond wonderful, his singing voice is direct and satisfying, and his original compositions are often first class too.

I guess the word that best sums up his appeal for me is "authentic".
IB

[Len Co]

As I get older I find myself turning into my parents, or possibly grandparents; it happens to us all. More and more I am listening to stuff that was recorded when I was a baby, or even before I was born, well before actually. Also more of it is instrumental e.g.Dixie Jazz, Dance Bands, Swing etc - no depressing,soul-searching lyrics to bring you down. Though I must admit I like a good old Torch Ballad now and then. One act that never fails to raise my spirits is Harry Roy and his orchestra, real good light hearted fun for the most part, but well played too. He wrote a song called My Girl's Pussy you know, and you thought explicit lyrics were a modern invention! Give it a try, what harm can it do?

[GJO]

Not to difficult for me,would be Mink/Willy De Ville,such a diverse range of music over a 35 year career,recorded with the likes of Mark Knopfler and Dr John,sadly never got to see him live.

A good taster if interested https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/CDs-Vinyl/Collected-Willy-Deville-Mink/B00SUFAZQQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489567566&sr=8-1&keywords=willy+deville

[Joe]

I think that I have two favourite bands. There are bands I love, bands that I get excited about when they have a new album out, but there are two band that I love.

The first is Half Man Half Biscuit. I first got in to the Biscuits when I was in sixth form (via a cooler lad in upper sixth) about the time the second album came out. Now you may think that they're just a comedy turn, and I'd be the first to admit that no one in the band is going to appear in a list of the best guitarist/bassist/drummer/singer in the world, but I keep coming back. Of all the bands I was into in my teens, this is the only one that I still listen to now. They make me smile, and more than once they make me think...

There is nothing better in life
Than writing on the sole of your slipper with a biro

And you know what? There isn't.



What he said, except for the sixth form bit. The mighty HMHB have been quietly putting out album after album of classic songs, doing a few gigs a year, and never taking themselves, or anything else, too seriously. Nigel Blackwell is a great interviewee, and by all accounts a lovely bloke.

https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2001/jul/21/weekend7.weekend6

'More than anything, however, it is the sheer wit and the accuracy of Blackwell's observations and lyrics that is the glue that binds the Biscuit fraternity - and there is, of course, also something in the band's can't-be-arsed attitude that endears them to fans such as Shaun Ryder. Ryder has never truly acknowledged it, but his songs are striated with Biscuit influences, from mentions of Zippy out of Rainbow to homages to Netto. Maybe the Biscuit track 24-Hour Garage People is a crafty riposte to Happy Mondays? "No," says Nigel, "it's about rude staff in all-night petrol stations. The way they roll their eyes at the ceiling if all you want is a Scotch egg."

The band are lazy in the best sense, and utterly unwilling to make sensible career moves. They have never signed a contract with Probe Plus, a fact that has encouraged many bigger record labels to launch takeover attempts. Yet none has ever tempted Nigel away from Probe, whose symbiosis with Half Man Half Biscuit has transcended goth, acid house, indie dance, grunge, techno, jungle, garage and several visits from the bailiffs.

Charlie Galloway from Castle Records recalls the weekend in 1999 when he thought he'd tempted Blackwell to sign for a considerable sum: "We'd brought him to London and were due to meet at The Columbia [famous rock 'n 'roll hotel by Hyde Park] for talks. When we got there, there was a note from Nigel. It said: 'I feel a little queasy and have gone for a walk. If it's not too much trouble, can we meet on the bench by Peter Pan's statue?' "

In the park, they'd had a good chat about Millwall FC, but no deal ensued and Blackwell was so distressed at the thought of wasting Castle's time that he offered to reimburse the train fare. Blackwell says that he has come to love the way that band and label complement and reflect each other.'

http://www.popmatters.com/feature/half-man-half-biscuit-060303/

'The head Biscuit has been known to tell fibs in public before, however. He once convinced a journalist from the Guardian, for example, that there was a HMHB tribute band called It Ain’t Half Man, Mum. Which was both a blatant lie, and very funny if you know your British television history. Which Blackwell most certainly does. When Back in the DHSS first came out, I described it as “the best debut release since The Clash” and speculated that “this fantastically absurd record must be the fruit of minds deranged by having nothing else to do all day but watch TV and wish they had more money to spend on drugs”. I wasn’t, says Blackwell, entirely on the money.

“I never did get around to taking drugs. I think it was probably to do with the fact that my older brother did, and so sometimes you tend to go in the opposite direction. It’s for this simple reason also, I imagine, that I don’t own any Yes albums. I’m not anti-drugs by the way (except for the smackhead who robbed our house obviously), I’ve just never been interested in them. I’ve not even tried any to be honest. Might do one of those Fly Agaric mushrooms for my 80th birthday, though.”

These days, as always, Blackwell is clearly keen to protect his privacy. He does few interviews and poses for absolutely no promotional photographs. Regardless, a clear picture of the man emerges from his work, and I envisage Blackwell as a kind of Wallace (of “and Gromit” fame) figure, happy to sit around his house, drinking tea and reading, dabbling in whatever takes his interest, taking long walks in the countryside and being very well known in his local pub. I also suspect him of having a dog.

“Most of that is probably true, although I don’t really go to the pub. Only once a week for about forty minutes in fact. But I do have a dog, yes—a Golden Retriever bitch—there is nothing as gentle on Earth.”'

[Macca]

HMHB: 'Dickie Davies Eyes'

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=dickie+davies+eyes&view=detail&mid=93C3B5508F608C32A5E293C3B5508F608C32A5E2&FORM=VIRE

[stairpost]

Probably Massive Attack for me, I love the weight and mood of their music. They work with amazing vocalists and know how to write interesting lyrics.

Their programming and production is crafted to perfection, their work always seems considered and particular but as laid back as can be.

There are times when only Massive Attack will do.

[M6NTL]

Ramones.
Without a femtosecond of hesitation.
Ramones.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[magiccarpetride]

I think the main reason I bother to have an interest in the apparatus or musical reproduction is the actual music and artists who produce it......

So, I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread about members favourite groups ( maybe this will lead to others like singers, orchestras etc who knows?)

I thought I would start with mine ..

The Beatles

(What I hope to stimulate is this section .....the why!)

To me what makes the Beatles great is the fact that all four members made a full contribution to the group.

In the early days of the band ...bands were always X and the ys and the lead was really considered to be the star......

George Martin and Brain Epstein realised quickly that this was not applicable to the Beatles , each one had plenty to bring to the table.

In the early days the Beatles , the Beatles were largely a covers band and each member brought their own personal contribution of an impersonation of a major rock and roll star.

In addition, The Beatles , had a really broad repertoire they could turn their hand to Rock and Roll, country music, soul, ballads, comedy songs and much more.......in addition the Beatles were great musicians
As their career progressed they started to write their own material and blossomed into a wonderful band.
Again each contributed much to the songs even though they didn’t always get the credit for it.
Paul’ s song writing reflected romance , sensitivity , embryonic political awareness and good old rock and roll
John’s reflected love , peace , an understanding of the human condition, politics and fantasy
George was the spiritualist and philosopher
And Ringo? Well all those drum parts were written by him but were totally unaccredited!

Mine too. I think the Beatles are the only act (save for the Rolling Stones, but only their work in the 1960s) who were careful to never repeat themselves. Pretty much every Beatles song is a genre onto itself.

Acts like Jimi Hendrix and James Brown were great, but they tended to repeat themselves a lot. Not like U2, mind you (who keep replaying the same song over and over), but many acts fall back into the easy pattern -- if it worked on the last album, it'll work on the next album. Formulaic approach to music kills it. No one could ever accuse the Beatles of practising formulaic approach to their material.

[Haselsh1]

Also got a serious soft spot for Camel especially the album 'Dust and Dreams' based on the Grapes of Wrath. Some really emotionally moving melody lines in that album and in keeping with Prog Rock it is of course a 'concept' album as only the best are ;)

Truly love the musical ramblings of Ozric Tentacles as well. Their album 'Pungent Effulgent' is bloody remarkable if you like that Hawkwind style space rock jazz kind of thing. For me, there is currently nothing to come even remotely close. Their early stuff is staggeringly good but the newer stuff has been Pro Tooled to death and must now be the equivalent of an HDR photographic image.

[Dynamics]

I could never say one is my best as it's just not possible as so much music is good and it's just a case of what one group does best, another can do the same, but in different ways.