My Favourite Band and Why

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

About the same age then, you and I.
The soundtrack of those years - too old for the youth club - too young for the pub - beautifully listed by you. Spent so much time listening to all those you listed and more.
Genesis and Pink Floyd tracks still play in my head from time to time. The big one for me at that time was the album Made in Japan, Deep Purple and the legendary Smoke On The Water.
Sort of grew out of being such a heavy-metal freak and preferred Dr Feelgood from mid-1970s.
Genesis and Floyd though, joint top for me.

In 1974 I bought three cassettes off a friend…Rick Wakeman JttCotE; Pink Floyd DSotM; and Deep Purple Burn. Still got them in the loft. I haven’t listened to Burn for ages…and I loved it. Must Spotify it. But Genesis had already ‘parked their bus on my lawn’.

BTW, Wakeman and Deep Purple cost me 20p each, Floyd cost me 50p. My friend knew back then what most of us would be listening to 45yrs later…

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Top five, in no particular order, would probably be:

Fairport Convention
Lindisfarne
Show Of Hands
REO Speedwagon
The Outlaws

Not allowed five, you must choose one and tell us why.?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

You only heard LZ4 for the first time a couple of days ago?
You must have been living under a rock!

My introduction to Genesis was a bit left-field. Back in the late 70s I loved the band Brand X, so thought perhaps I ought to check out Phil Collins' other group.

My personal favourite group? Impossible to choose, but I'll throw in one that I bet few here will know. It's a Dutch band called Kayak. They have done three stunning rock operas about historical figures: Merlin (2003), Nostradamus (2005), and Cleopatra (2014). For a while they had a fabulous female singer called Cindy Oudshoorn who I think of as a sort of rock'n'roll version of Streisand.

Yes I know. Thing is, I immediately clicked with Genesis Selling England…in a way that LZs contemporaneous Houses of the Holy just didn’t. And it is as if I decided at that point that LZ just weren’t for me. I tried Physical Graffiti a couple of years later but again I just didn’t get it - and so time went on and I just never went back to LZ. But I have now.

 

[toyboy54]

Interesting that after 70+ posts no one mentions The Beatles.
Possibly because they’re massively overrated?

OOH,,,,Wash your mouth out with Carbolic soap!...You bad, bad man

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Foreigner, just ahead of UFO.

Judge my favourites by seeing them live, so would have to include Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, and Whitesnake in my top five.

Why Foreigner…maybe just simply their live performance(s) swept you and all else before out of sight?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

OOH,,,,Wash your mouth out with Carbolic soap!...You bad, bad man

Well of course Macca reckons that the Rolling Stones are just a great blues cover band (having built most of their reputation on covering their own early bluesy tracks?) ?

 

[Robster59]

Interesting that after 70+ posts no one mentions The Beatles.
Possibly because they’re massively overrated?

I'll say straight out they're my favourite. May seem dated to some now, but ground breaking for their time, and so many of their songs have stood the test of time well.

 

[hairball_89]

Easy answer, Iron Maiden.
I still remember as a 10 year old my mate playing me this new single he'd bought and was relly excited about, it was Number of the Beast. It was the first time I'd heard heavy metal and I was hooked instantly. Been a huge fan ever since.

Now we're talking!

For me it's easy. Metallica. Old stuff, New stuff. In between stuff. Wasn't born for the first 3 albums. First saw them in '07. Seen them 11 times since and genuinely count myself lucky. There are many MANY bands from the early 80s who aren't around or aren't a shadow of the band they were. For me, live at least, they keep getting better and better.

Leaders of a genre. Masters of their craft.

 

[rudebhoy]

A great thread to follow for a couple of days. I still can't pick a single favourite of all time though - it's changed over the years.
10cc, Blondie, The Smiths, The Wedding Present, Springsteen, Amy Winehouse, Elbow. I can't pick any single entity from the rave/garage/house scene that ruled my musical taste for a decade.

At last, someone with some decent taste?

My top 5
The Clash
The Smiths
The Pogues
The Waterboys
Springsteen
Ian Prowse - doubt anyone on here will have heard of him but I’ve been a massive fan for 30 years.

(I know that’s 6 ?)

 

[richart]

Why Foreigner…maybe just simply their live performance(s) swept you and all else before out of sight?

They emerged in the mid 70's when I really got into rock and going to concerts. Brilliant live and Lou Gramm was a great front man. Kelly Hansen is a good replacement. They always play the old stuff as well.

Their live set doesn't have a poor track, including Cold as Ice, Feels like the First Time, Double Vision, Head Games, Hot Blooded, Urgent, Juke Box Hero, Waiting for a Girl Like You, etc.

 

[RichA]

At last, someone with some decent taste?

My top 5
The Clash
The Smiths
The Pogues
The Waterboys
Springsteen
Ian Prowse - doubt anyone on here will have heard of him but I’ve been a massive fan for 30 years.

(I know that’s 6 ?)

I can't think there were many of us that were consecutively listening to The Smiths and Springsteen 35 years ago.
Add Joe Cocker to my list too. Legend.

 

[Piece]

Now we're talking!

For me it's easy. Metallica. Old stuff, New stuff. In between stuff. Wasn't born for the first 3 albums. First saw them in '07. Seen them 11 times since and genuinely count myself lucky. There are many MANY bands from the early 80s who aren't around or aren't a shadow of the band they were. For me, live at least, they keep getting better and better.

Leaders of a genre. Masters of their craft.

I lost a bit of touch with them after St. Anger. Before that I was all over them and saw them a few times. This has prompted me to go and listen to their post St Anger albums and take a view...

 

[GB72]

Now we're talking!

For me it's easy. Metallica. Old stuff, New stuff. In between stuff. Wasn't born for the first 3 albums. First saw them in '07. Seen them 11 times since and genuinely count myself lucky. There are many MANY bands from the early 80s who aren't around or aren't a shadow of the band they were. For me, live at least, they keep getting better and better.

Leaders of a genre. Masters of their craft.

Metallica was the first gig I went to, Damaged Justice Tour, saw them at the Hammersmith Odeon supported by Danzig. Still remember it like it was yesterday. Bit og googling showed that was back in 1988. Not sure but may have been the first UK tour since Cliff was killed. Last time I saw them was a Download when they played the whole of the Black Album

 

[Beezerk]

Last time I saw them was a Download when they played the whole of the Black Album

That’s unfortunate ?

 

[Patster1969]

Metallica was the first gig I went to, Damaged Justice Tour, saw them at the Hammersmith Odeon supported by Danzig. Still remember it like it was yesterday. Bit og googling showed that was back in 1988. Not sure but may have been the first UK tour since Cliff was killed. Last time I saw them was a Download when they played the whole of the Black Album

Saw them at Twickenham 2 years ago - the sound was dreadful.
AJFA is still my favourite album of theirs (apart from the removal of Jason's bass from the mix) even though it wasn't the album that got me into them (that was the album after - Black album).
Was also at DL for that - slightly ruined with the 10 minute version of Enter Sandman and Hetfield's call & response with the crowd of "Metallica, family" during it.

 

[Orikoru]

Saw them at Twickenham 2 years ago - the sound was dreadful.
AJFA is still my favourite album of theirs (apart from the removal of Jason's bass from the mix) even though it wasn't the album that got me into them (that was the album after - Black album).
Was also at DL for that - slightly ruined with the 10 minute version of Enter Sandman and Hetfield's call & response with the crowd of "Metallica, family" during it.

My favourite Metallica album is Ride The Lightning, but nobody else ever seems to pick that one.

 

[Piece]

My favourite Metallica album is Ride The Lightning, but nobody else ever seems to pick that one.

I would!!!

 

[Beezerk]

My favourite Metallica album is Ride The Lightning, but nobody else ever seems to pick that one.

First Metallica album I listed to and probably my favourite, Fade To Black is on there which is my favourite song of theirs by a country mile.

 

[GB72]

I still love Master of Puppets

 

[Orikoru]

First Metallica album I listed to and probably my favourite, Fade To Black is on there which is my favourite song of theirs by a country mile.

Yeah I think that track elevates it above the other albums. I do love For Whom The Bell Tolls as well though.