Europe v's USA

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Over the last 50 years, I'd say USA. But over the past 25, I'd say Europe has produced more interesting music.
 
Europe. Especially in recent years, and particularly right now. I guess it's hard to judge really - the USA have had the influential rappers, which accounts for alot.

Europe as a whole hasn't really produced masses of seminal music. It's more Britain and Ireland that carries Europe in terms of really influential musicians. It's always been obvious, but more so today. The rest of Europe has a completely different mainstream taste.
 
well i'd say it depends.

as far as huge musical acts go--rolling stones, beatles, zeppelin, U2, Radiohead etc--I'd say Europe had the market cornered on great rockstars. (there are exceptions - Nirvana, REM, Pearl Jam....)

in punk, i'd say the same--Sham69, The Clash, The Business, hell all oi!, Crass, SLF, the Pogues....

in indie rock, it's all the USA. the VU, Glen Branca, Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, Black Flag, Dischord Records, and more recent stuff like the Liars, Lightning Bolt, Les Savy Fav, etc etc etc
 
Europe, especially the British Isles, has a tendency to take good American things and perect them---

Elvis, Buddy Holly, Little Richard--->The Beatles, the Stones, the Who

Ramones-->The Clash (Sex Pistols don't count)

blues singers--->Zeppelin, Sabbath
 
Since 1954?

Buddy Holly
Johnny Cash
Jimi Hendrix
SRV
Springsteen
The Velver Underground
The MC5
The Ramones
Nirvana
REM
Pearl Jam
The Doors
Willie Nelson
Marvin Gaye
Stevie Wonder
Otis Redding
Smokey Robinson
Sam Cooke
Aretha Franklin
Aimee Mann
The Beach Boys
Bob Dylan
Janes Addiction
The Replacements
James Brown
Jeff Buckley
Jellyfish
BB King
Prince
Grant Lee Buffalo
Janis Joplin
Jackie Wilson
Metallica
Wilco
Van Halen
The Allman Brothers
Skynard
RHCP
Pavement
The Greatful Dead
Phish
Dave Mathews

eh? That's all from the top of my head.

Even with U2, The Beatles, Zep, The Stones, The Cure, Bowie, Floyd, and The Who, it's not even close.
 
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I don't think there's a need to compete, really. With that, though, the vast majority of albums I own come from the UK/Ireland.

Melon
 
too many good bands in too many genres to compare the two...

only thing i can think of is probably oi!...amreicans don't really do that too well...but then you look at a band like the bruisers, that's some great music there. and i guess it would be about the opposite for hardcore. i can't think of ANY european hardcore bands, good or bad...
 
United States: Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Elvis, Buddy Holly, the Ramones, Prince, The Doors, Chuck Berry, etc.

UK/Ireland: The Beatles, The Who, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, The Clash, U2, Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones, etc.

Considering that the UK and Ireland combined don't have nearly as many people as the United States and both sides of the pond seem to produce an equal number of great bands/artists, UK/Ireland wins on a per capita basis.
 
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