most interesting bands/artists ever

[the rockin edge]

since zootles started the most boring bands thread i thought i'd start this...i wonder how many bands will get a major showing in both threads.



mine are, (in no order):

Pink Floyd - and i haven't delved that deep into their catalog yet...
Mark Knopfler (solo & w/ the straits)
Bruce Cockburn - for his wonderfully diverse guitar...
Jeff Beck - unique playing style, great guitar player

 

[MacPhistoPT]

1) Tool
2) Pink Floyd
3) Pearl Jam
4) Radiohead
5) U2

 

[LMP]

By no coincidence they're my top 5 bands of all-time for this reason:

U2 - it's always great to see the look on someone's face when I show them Lemon, The Fly, I Will Follow, Bad, Streets, Gone, and Sunday Bloody Sunday back-to-back and ask if it's the same band and they don't know

The Beatles - they were like the Candle of Rock, burned so bright for such a short period of time. 1 word, Revolver, end of story.

Pink Floyd - David Gilmour's made sounds come out a guitar that I didn't think even exist, everything about them is solid and surpasses my expectations for a band.

David Bowie - 30+ years of awesome, the ultimate musical chameleon, and he always stays ahead of the curve. Bowie has to be a Spider from Mars, nothing else explains it.

Bruce Springsteen - He bringssuch an energy and beauty to his music and has that unique songwriting style, and retains that beauty when he ventures off into acoustic and crazy folk stuff.

 

[MacPhistoPT]

U2 - it's always great to see the look on someone's face when I show them Lemon, The Fly, I Will Follow, Bad, Streets, Gone, and Sunday Bloody Sunday back-to-back and ask if it's the same band and they don't know
[/B]

well, that's totally true. thinking about that, I have to add U2 to my other four.

 

[Zoots]

U2 - No explanation needed. Their whole career has been like the life story of a freakin' chameleon!

The Beatles - After the early phase was over and the boys grew up, they dabbled with so many different styles in such a short time that it's no wonder they're arguably the greatest band of all time.

Pink Floyd - Quite possibly the only late 60s / early 70s band that sounded like absolutely nobody else at the time!? They invented 'space rock', something that doesn't sound like it was made on planet earth, enough said!

Pearl Jam - Their transformation from a mainstream grunge band to one of discovery, mysticism, experimentation and eastern spirituality is probably the greatest success story of the 90s!

Radiohead - To destroy their own stardom like they did after Ok Computer by releasing the weird and wonderful Kid A requires a whole lot of guts! Okay, so they haven't changed their sound all that much since then but I still see a slow progression.


edit: I agree with LMP about David Bowie but personally I still haven't been able to get into his musical style much.

 

[Justin24]

The Beatles

U2

Jimmie Hendrix

Bob Marley and the Whalers

Led Zepplin

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

The most interesting band ever is most probably Mayhem.

Hot damn.

 

[xaviMF22]

Pink Floyd - Quite possibly the only late 60s / early 70s band that sounded like absolutely nobody else at the time!? They invented 'space rock', something that doesn't sound like it was made on planet earth, enough said!


Radiohead - To destroy their own stardom like they did after Ok Computer by releasing the weird and wonderful Kid A requires a whole lot of guts! Okay, so they haven't changed their sound all that much since then but I still see a slow progression.

 

[Bono's shades]

1. U2 pre-ATYCLB
2. The Beatles
3. Prince
4. The Clash
5. Johnny Cash/Bruce Springsteen (tie)

 

[Salome]

Frank Zappa
Captain Beefheart
Aphex Twin
Palace Music
TV on the Radio

 

[Screwtape2]

1. U2- For all the reasons already mentioned.

2. The Police- Thier famous songs were great but when you dig deeper into thier albums you find songs like Tea In The Sahara, Omegaman and other gems.

3. Peter Gabriel- His songs range in topics and moods. Every album has a classic and then some.

4. Kate Bush- She is responsible for some of the most beautiful music ever created. Albums like Never For Ever, Hounds Of Love and The Sensual World are the best examples of how a record can transport someone to another place using music.

5. Todd Rundgren- The greatest musical mind of the twentith-century. On his albums the songs can range from epics to deeply personal songs. The most under appreciated artist in Rock and Roll.

 

[I'm Ready]

1. Bob Dylan-that guy is a mystery
2. Radiohead-as stated by zootlesque
3. The Who-quirky band members
4. David Bowie-look at how he used to dress himself

 

[phillyfan26]

U2
The Police
Bruce Springsteen
The Beatles
The Who

 

[the rockin edge]

U2 - it's always great to see the look on someone's face when I show them Lemon, The Fly, I Will Follow, Bad, Streets, Gone, and Sunday Bloody Sunday back-to-back and ask if it's the same band and they don't know

yeah, i should've had U2 on my list.

pre-2000 U2.

 

[Jack In The Box]

The most interesting band ever is most probably Mayhem.

Hot damn.

for me:

Godspeed You! Black Emperor: naive political beliefs, epic songs that sound like ill waltzes, and all of their side-projects are great too

Final Fantasy (Owen Pallett): it's like fantasy world music, all with his violin

Xiu Xiu: a weird genius with a lovely girl, creating bizarre desperate music

Beirut: balkan bands playing modern music, gypsy drunk hymns... and it's just a 19-year-old boy

Sunn O))): nothing more heavy, slow, dark and violent than these guys

others: Envy, Boris, Yndi Halda, UpCDownCLeftCRightABC+Start, From Monument to Masses, Patrick Wolf, Joanna Newsom, Pajo, Oren Ambarchi, Fennesz, Don Caballero, By the End of Tonight, Lightning Bolt, Genghis Tron, An Albatross, Caspian, Tv on the Radio, The Black Heart Procession, Animal Collective, RE:, Port-Royal, World's End Girlfriend, Venetian Snares and many more

 

[AtomicBono]

hmm...

U2, dredg, Radiohead, The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Alien Ant Farm, Outkast, Bright Eyes...

okay I'm pretty much just listing my favourite artists, I mean if they were boring I wouldn't listen to them

they're all interesting for different reasons

 

[LMP]

Bright Eyes...

If you walk away I'll walk away,

just tell me which road your will take...

 

[elevation2u]

my list:

u2 - Though I can go months on end without listening to them, when I do it's always this rush of excitement and discovery. It's like "ohhhhh, so this is why they're my favorite band", cause honestly I always forget how amazing they are thanks to overexposure to crap like 'vertigo'.

bjork - Beautiful voice, beautiful melody, beautiful pop music. a true artist.

sigur ros - an ethereal & organic sound, it takes me somewhere else.

radiohead - brilliant. kid a is one of the best records ever

springsteen - to be so famous it's a shame people don't really know his music or how versatile he is.. and disregard him as some wave-toting redneck [born in the usa] or even worse an overproduced cheesy 80s pop star [dancing in the dark]. but his dark lyrics paint beautiful & tragic poignant, cinematic stories of everyday people and their hopes, dreams, victories and failures.

dylan - brilliant. mysterious. changed music as we know it. not enough words to describe his mad genius, inventor of his own crazy language and a true american poet.

bright eyes/ryan adams - can't wait to see what they're up to next. they never cease to amaze me.

pink floyd - certainly interesting & simply beautiful dreamy landscapes, even in their darkest hours.

wilco - i don't know what it is, but i can never stop listening to them.

 

[Yahweh]

U2
Beatles
Roy Orbison
Johnny Cash
Radiohead
Queen
Dire Straits
Elvis
Depeche Mode
Inxs
Beach Boys
Chuck Berry
The Who
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
The Police
David Bowie
The Cure

 

[TranceEnding]

Actually, I wish this thread had been entitled GENIUS bands/musicians, because that's more interesting than 'interesting'

With this in mind,

Jeff Buckley
Patti Smith
Kate Bush

would definately top my list (so many more, but that's what springs to mind first!!!)

 

[coemgen]

U2
Radiohead
Sigur Ros
Bjork
PJ Harvey
Mute Math

 

[jimmmm]

Bowie
U2
Morrissey
Elvis
The Beatles

 

[Salome]

Frank Zappa
Captain Beefheart
Aphex Twin
Palace Music
TV on the Radio

forgot The Beach Boys / Brain Wilson and Dillinger Escape Plan

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

Seriously, while most people's lists feature stuff that's pretty good to listen to enjoyably, are they interesting? Not really (although Salome's mentions of Zappa and Beefheart come close).

But seriously, were U2 ever as interesting as this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayhem_(band)

I rest my case.

 

[elevation2u]

I can't tell if the above post is suppsoed to be sarcastic or not...

in my defense, I can say the artists I listed are interesting to me..they're artists whose career I follow because I never know what they're gonna do next and I can't wait to find out.

 

[MrBrau1]

Seriously, while most people's lists feature stuff that's pretty good to listen to enjoyably, are they interesting? Not really (although Salome's mentions of Zappa and Beefheart come close).

But seriously, were U2 ever as interesting as this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayhem_(band)

I rest my case.

GG Allin.

Next case.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

Ah yes GG Allin. Indeed interesting.

 

[MrBrau1]

Poop eatin', tampon eatin', piss drinkin', audience rapin' RnR.

 

[Axver]

Well, Mayhem's career certainly was interesting - and disturbing - but for my list, I'm thinking more along the lines of musically interesting. In no particular order except #1-2 and possibly #3:

1. Split Enz: these guys own and win this thread in so many ways. Definitely one of the quirkiest and most original bands to ever play. And their live shows are some of the most truly interesting and entertaining out there. How do you beat spoon solos?

2. The Shadows: Hank Marvin beat almost everyone to doing almost anything interesting with the electric guitar.

3. Dream Theater: John Petrucci, guitar, and Mike Portnoy, drums. I don't even need to say anything more. Mike Portnoy is, without question, the single greatest drummer to ever play.

4. Porcupine Tree: Steven Wilson is a musical genius and makes some of the most sonically and thematically interesting music I've ever heard. He's one of the best musicians and producers I've ever heard - and the fact he's entirely self-taught makes it all the more amazing.

5. Spiral Architect: If 'interesting' and 'technically complex' are synonyms to you like they are to me, then Spiral Architect has to be on any list of the most interesting bands. I struggle to think of more technically proficient and complex bands.

6. Cynic: There never has been and never will be an album as great as Focus ever again. That album is the benchmark by which all technical metal and jazz-fusion metal should be measured. Ridiculously original; I was intrigued right from the start.

7. Orphaned Land: Is it death metal? Is it doom metal? Is it Hebrew or Arabic folk music? Is it progressive rock? Whatever it is, it's interesting.

8. Agalloch: Take black metal, atmospheric metal, folk music, progressive rock/metal, mix it all together, and you get Agalloch. These guys paint the strongest, most vivid sonic landscapes I have ever heard in my life. Completely captivating and interesting music.

9. Joy Division: No-one has ever successfully been able to replicate the greatness of Joy Division. Truly unique - and therefore interesting - music.

10. Trouble: Soul crushing proto-doom metal ... with Christian themes?! One hell of a big "WTF?" there.

11. Watchtower: Before progressive metal existed, Watchtower was playing progressive metal.

12. Ayreon: The scale and imaginativeness of Arjen Anthony Lucassen's projects is huge. The guy must be just a bit insane, but he's also a genius.

13. Devin Townsend/The Devin Townsend Band: If Arjen Anthony Lucassen is a bit insane, Devin Townsend is a completely loopy man more insane than the entire population of his native Canada's mental asylums put together. Just look up a picture of the man: he looks completely insane. And it shows in his music, complete with its walls of sound, choruses of Devins, and absolute originality.

14. Behold... The Arctopus: They've got an interesting name, if nothing else! Crazily intricate instrumentals too.

15. Apocalyptica: Heavy metal played with three cellos. How is that NOT interesting?

16. Jakob: These guys interest and intrigue me on a more personal level. They play these gorgeous instrumentals with the goal of evoking their native Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, and as someone who spent a lot of his childhood in the Hawkes Bay, I would like to say that they completely achieve this goal. Very impressive.

17. Passengers: It's U2, only truly musically interesting. The Unforgettable Fire on strange drugs from the future. A hidden gem that should be loved, enjoyed, and savoured by all.

 

[Jack In The Box]

people here is mentioning their favorite bands, not the most interesting

Sigur Ros isn't interesting if you know Mum!

I didn't metion some of my faves like Iron & Wine because he's not interesting... he can make lovely music I enjoy, but c'mon... Genghis Tron is interesting! is grind core with synths! that's something that I find interesting