WHO ARE YOUR TOP 5 BANDS/MUSICIANS?

[jim244]

On the subject of musical genius I'd include Jeff Lynne of ELO. He still makes ELO albums but nowadays they are solo projects with Jeff playing every instrument. I got into the Move/ELO in the early 70s. Also agree about the Velvet Underground.

Elo are brilliant and their last ever concert is on July 13th,my friend is going and I was going with her but unfortunately due to circumstances I can't attend anymore.
I also love The Move records.
Jeff is a bloody genius ... do you remember The Travelling Wilburys (with him, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison and Tom Petty) ???

[jim244]

Re Pet Sounds, I have the cd but don't think actually listened to it. Where would you place Forever Changes by Love? Better than Pet Sounds? I think it's probably the most perfect lp ever.

OK....You have in your possession one of the greatest records ever made... My suggestion is PLAY IT !!!!!!
"Forever Changes" by Love is (in my opinion) one of the greatest albums ever made and easily makes my top fifty out of the 1000 best albums ever released.
BUT.....
"Pet Sounds" dwarfs it by comparison.
Just my view....Why don't you play the album yourself a few times (it's difficult to absorb the magnitude of the greatness with one play) then post on here how you think it compares.
Interestingly...at the time that Love recorded this, their third album , they were living in a mansion previously owned by Bela Lugosi and doing heroin. "Forever Changes" may sound beautiful but what I love about it is the darkness in every song.

[jim244]

Joy Division
Band of Holy Joy
Durutti Column
Trembling Blue Stars
Blueboy (the Sarah Records version)

....that said, the Sisters of Mercy and the Smiths were key to my social life and the Razorcuts wrote my favourite song. I suppose the Fall and the Blue Aeroplanes should be in there too. The more I list, the more that occur to me.

Hi Starscape.
I would certainly include Joy Division/New Order (frankly I see it as same band) in my top 20.
I have to be completely honest about the rest of your list and state that I have heard of them all but know little about them.
You also mention 5 other bands ....THESE I KNOW!!!!
The Sisters and The Smiths were also key to my life when I was at college and I would certainly put The Smiths into my top 15/maybe top 10.
I loved Mark Smiths' Fall and definitely a top 40 band for me.
Blue Aeroplanes....."Bury Your Love Like Treasure" is ONE OF THE BEST SONGS EVER WRITTEN.
Razorcuts....Great band....Is your favourite song "Jade" ?????

No, "Snowbound". First time I heard that, my heart just stopped.
I think I must have been in the only band that did a cover of a Blue Aeroplanes song - a rather lively version of Sylvia Plath's 'The Applicant'. Great on record, but unbelievable live. Even though the guitarist hadn't heard the song before, it became his favourite after a couple of plays.
Talking of playing live, we used to belt out 'The Fan & The Bellows' by the Chameleons. There's a bit in the song (sometimes missed) where he shouts 'not me' at the top of his voice. First time I did that, I got such a primal scream therapy. Left me shaking. Never really experienced anything like that since.

Well "Snowbound" is also an amazing track and I think most people do prefer their second album but I prefer the first.
Ever song on "Swagger" is incredible.
I don't remember The Chameleons and am embarrassed by my lack of knowledge here....
But a great story none the less !!!

[jim244]

Re Pet Sounds, I have the cd but don't think actually listened to it. Where would you place Forever Changes by Love? Better than Pet Sounds? I think it's probably the most perfect lp ever.

OK....You have in your possession one of the greatest records ever made... My suggestion is PLAY IT !!!!!!
"Forever Changes" by Love is (in my opinion) one of the greatest albums ever made and easily makes my top fifty out of the 1000 best albums ever released.
BUT.....
"Pet Sounds" dwarfs it by comparison.
Just my view....Why don't you play the album yourself a few times (it's difficult to absorb the magnitude of the greatness with one play) then post on here how you think it compares.
Interestingly...at the time that Love recorded this, their third album , they were living in a mansion previously owned by Bela Lugosi and doing heroin. "Forever Changes" may sound beautiful but what I love about it is the darkness in every song.

One of the best things about talking about music is it gets you to listen to music, even if you've heard it before.
So this morning , on vodka, I found my 2015 remastered version of the Love album that you mention on CD.
Gave it a spin.
OMG.
So....it's better than I remembered, although I always loved this album.
"Alone Again" is just beyond brilliant.
"Daily Planet" has like the best ever bass line and I played it 3 times, that's incredible playing.
"You Set The Scene" is one of the best songs ever written.
So....I'm officially putting this record in my top 20 of all time.
The reason "Pet Sounds" beats it is without "Pet Sounds" we would have no "Sgt Pepper" or "Piper" or "Ziggy Stardust".
The Beach Boys were in competition with the Beatles and won.
Obviously the Beatles "re-stole the crown" and Brian Wilson then tried to win again.
This resulted in one of the best singles of all time "Good Vibrations" but he couldn't do the album he wanted and got very mentally ill.
"Smile" would have been the best album of all time ever but it got cancelled.

[stevezodiac]

It's funny but each time I've listened to my mp3 player on the bus or train lately I've always gone straight to the 13th Floor Elevators, I find that electric jug sound quite hypnotic. My other choices are In A Gada Da Vida by Iron Butterfly, some UK Subs, Legend of a Mind by the Moody Blues and I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night by the Electric Prunes. I think I've listened to the Beatles to death so don't play them much nowadays. Best of the Byrds and Best of the Beach Boys also get a listen. Sadly now that laptops no longer have cd drives I can't add to my mp3 players.

[starscape]

Trouble is Best of the Byrds goes from the fantastic early jangly guitar stuff to the country and western Muzak at the end. The sublime to the ridiculous. Has any other band changed so much (and not for the better)?

[stevezodiac]

Genesis? From prog rock to chart pop.

[starscape]

I suppose Pink Floyd, although I hated the early years and preferred the later. I know others the complete opposite. I'd be the same with Fleetwood Mac. I guess though, both really weren't the same band, just the same name, if they have lost the main songwriting talent (although, I think for the better with both bands).

[jim244]

Trouble is Best of the Byrds goes from the fantastic early jangly guitar stuff to the country and western Muzak at the end. The sublime to the ridiculous. Has any other band changed so much (and not for the better)?

A very good question.
I personally love all Floyd albums but agree with you and Steve on The Byrds and Genesis.
I think the band that changed the most was The Beatles, compare "Please Please Me" with "Sgt Pepper".
But that doesn't answer your question as you said not for the better.
1: Joy Division / New Order
It was a natural progression at first but the football song ...OMG.
I love football. I just didn't want them to sell out like this.
2:Black Sabbath
How do you go from blues and spiritual music to mainstream heavy metal with zero content???
I treasure the first 6 records they made.
3:Sex Pistols
People will tell you that the Pistols made 1 album: That's a lie.
The first one was "s***k" (a readily available bootleg); the 2nd "Never Mind" and the 3rd "Great Rock N' Roll Swindle"
All are worthy.
To see them as this pantomime band currently performing with Frank Carter makes me sad.
4:Queen
Absolutely wonderful hard rock/prog rock band that never released a really classic album after 1980.
5:Bob Dylan
Yes his albums remained "good" but let us just be honest here:
He released a series of classics in the 60s and nothing done since has matched them.
6:The Who
The last great album was 50 years ago.
I COULD GO ON but these are my initial thoughts and please remember....Just my thoughts...Feel free to disagree...

[starscape]

Trouble is Best of the Byrds goes from the fantastic early jangly guitar stuff to the country and western Muzak at the end. The sublime to the ridiculous. Has any other band changed so much (and not for the better)?

A very good question.
I personally love all Floyd albums but agree with you and Steve on The Byrds and Genesis.
I think the band that changed the most was The Beatles, compare "Please Please Me" with "Sgt Pepper".
But that doesn't answer your question as you said not for the better.
1: Joy Division / New Order
It was a natural progression at first but the football song ...OMG.
I love football. I just didn't want them to sell out like this.

You think you were p***ed off. I'm Scottish! I had everything, including bootlegs and flexidiscs right up until then. That broke the spell.

That said, the best football song ever was "Strachan" by the Hitchers. "a programme about art"

[jim244]