This is harder than you think. Your favorites, no matter who "should" be on the list. These are the top 10 that have given you the most sonic joy, ever. I find it difficult to populate the list from about 5th to 9th, because it gets so crowded with great musicians. I feel like 11th though 25th could easily make the top 10 if I was having a different day.
I'm interested to see how you guys think, so feel free to explain. I'll start:
1) Rush.
Without a doubt, the most talented individuals to play their instruments, but they also create soundscapes that really appeal to my ears. The fact that they're intellectuals and present interesting, poignant lyrics really appeals to me. These guys have been my favorite band since about 1986. Hands down, #1.
2) The Smashing Pumpkins.
In my mind, they're a lot like a harder, more modern version of Rush. Lots of changes, difficult passages, and compelling themes. The drummer is unbelievable, too. I like how Billy Corgan states out loud that he knows bombastic rock shows with big bright lights are cliche, but if they're going to do it, they're going to be bigger, more bombastic, and brighter. It's a big F YOU to the music industry by giving them way too much of what they want.
3) Led Zeppelin.
This is where I nod my head to the "mighty" overlords of hard rock. Another fantastic drummer, surrounded by fantastic musicians, playing compelling music. I love the deference to blues, celtic, literary and mystical influences.
4) Failure.
A '90s band that got overshadowed by the grunge revolution. They are expressive, experimental, and take great pains to create deeply-layered productions that sound awesome.
5) Hum.
Another overshadowed '90s band. These guys play super-saturated, loud, hard rock and they play every note like it's their last. However, there are beautiful undertones which come out between the cracks and they aren't afraid to turn down the amps to let us hear what's really going on in there. This band may have literally saved my life.
6) Genesis.
Prog Rock excellence at its best. I'm a musician, so I can really appreciate that they use odd time signatures and clearly understand music theory. You have to be good to play hard tunes!
7) Stone Temple Pilots.
When I'm in the mood to rawk out, this band does it for me. They keep it interesting, though, with lots of great tones and variety. It's never the same STP from one album to the next.
8) The Cars.
A little poppier than most of my favorite stuff, but great songs and killer hooks. Elliot Easton is a criminally underrated guitarist.
9) Primus.
Weirdness incarnate. It just happens to come along with insane humor, talent and creativity. Is Larry LaLonde the worst or greatest guitarist to ever live? I can't quite tell.
10) Tears for Fears.
Based solely on the Sowing the Seeds of Love album, these guys would make my list. I admire creativity, and Roland Orzabal delivers all the time.
Here are some links, in case you want to explore my faves. Let's hear yours!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQdunLk0oog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rbCAQw5nIw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh2HyQOz1So
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ355Yrf_FY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVCcKHsmn4w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIG2hRt-yec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjBosga1kMY&list=OLAK5uy_lciBZkp_Nl-g3P…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkrLGIhoCaE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXqeYwUXRis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ0NKAPfnGs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkFMJ4-ai1I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lOroIlbAqI
Oh man....
1. Dandy Warhols
2. The Pogues
3. Sisters of Mercy
4. Hank III
5. Black Knife
6. Duran Duran
7. Swans
8. Legendary Pink Dots
9. Sunn (((O)))
10. The Obsessed
This is extremely difficult...no particular order and only valid today.
I’m old so this makes your assignment very difficult !
Lol...I had to consult my Spotify list...1400 songs and can't come up with a complete top ten.
I tried and revised and then ended up writing down ten songs I poorly play and sing if I pick up a guitar and then I looked at my youtube music history and ended up deleting everything I had written here. I like all forms but choosing a top ten is scrambling my brain. Lol Still looking forward to others favorites for inspiration.
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O geez, in no order (also, I'm with you on Rush and Smashing Pumpkins. Also cool you mentioned Failure).
Alice In Chains (my favorite early in high school)
Within Destruction (several evolutions of their sound and I always enjoy them. I respect not wanting to make the same album over and over even when people hate on you for deviating from your "sound")
Deftones (My favorite later in high school)
Heaven Shall Burn (all of their many albums hit hard with me)
Through the Eyes of the Dead (always was/probably always will be my kind of metal)
The Black Dahlia Murder ("one trick pony" who no one can ever replicate)
The Acacia Strain (Paving their own way since forever)
Bane (classic Boston hardcore legends)
Aborted (another impossible to imitate sound)
Skycamefalling (only a few albums but got me right in the gut in the early 2000s, very raw and full of emotion. Love them to this day.)
Falcon....
Note: I have not purchased an album/CD since 2004…
1) Black Sabbath
2) Truly/Robert Roth
3) at.the.drive.in
3) Bitch Magnet
4) Kate Bush
5) (Pre-Superunknown) Soundgarden
6) The Replacements (preferably with Bob)
7) Maiden w/Paul D
8) Rush (my wife is a huge Peart fan)
9) A bunch of other stuff, and
10) Van Fucking Halen!!!
A face ruined by insecurity.
1. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
2. Mickey & The Motorcars
3. Rage Against the Machine
4. Reckless Kelly
5. Turnpike Troubadours
6. The Great Divide
7. Cody Jinks
8. AC/DC
9. Kid Rock
10. Casey Donahew Band
Not in any particular order:
1) Ace
2) Jethro Tull
3)The Cars
4) Moody Blues
5) REM (old stuff)
6) The Smiths
7) Duran Duran
8) Tears for Fears
9) Kiss
10)Impoosible to list them all
Easier to say what I don't like, and thats Rap. Most all other music pleases me to some degree
Queen (This is what I grew up on)
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Montrose (This is what I grew up on)
Led Zeppelin (This is what I grew up on)
Pink Floyd (This is what I grew up on)
Van Halen...all of it...even A Different Kind of Truth
Sammy Hagar/Solo...all revisions...the latest being Sammy Hagar & The Circle (This is what I grew up on)
Pat Travers (This is what I grew up on)
David Bowie
Rush
Am I the only one that had a hard time picking a "Ten Best"?
I grew up with an uncle that worked in the industry (sound engineer bay area studios/Capitol Hollywood & live events for Bill Graham Presents) and I was exposed to some of this music at around 7-8 y/o and it stuck.
Oh...and...The Stones would..should be in there...but, they are not the same to me after Mick Taylor left.
Note: there are some bands form the Big Hair era that I think are excellent...form Motley Crue to Warrant to Queensryche... Sure, some of us may write that era off as glam or whatever...but, from what I saw live from the likes of Jani Lane, Ricky Rocket, Operation Mindcrime & Empire tours, Tommy and his rolling cage...and on into OzFest...they all rocked just as hard as the OG's before them.
Best concerts I've seen...? Somewhere between Queen or Zep or AC/DC or ZZ Top or Black Sabbath or Pink Floyd or...hell...even Carey's wife, P!NK (No, I'm not kidding) or the REAL Journey concerts in the 70s or Ronnie Montrose or Pat Travers or David Bowie's Glass Spider Tour with Peter Frampton on guitar or Rod Fucking Stewart with Jeff Beck on guitar or Van Halen in either configuration or Sammy from his 70s - 80s stuff including HSAS or Peter Frampton/Day on the Green 1976...12 y/o with an "all areas" pass & my uncle let me go where-ever I wanted...'cause I'd fixed a cable waaaaaay up high on the top of a stack that day...to, hell...Kid Rock at his place in Nashville just last year or the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the summer of '22...
I've got NO "favorite" or "best". Just a lot of wonderful memories.
Agreed. It's a shame women feel the need to do this. I get there is pressure to remain "beautiful" as they age, but so many women look way worse after PS. She was adorable in that movie. (and Empire Records too)
My music tastes are very eclectic. I like pretty much everything from punk to some disco...lol. Country, Jazz, Trance, New Wave, Alternative, Soft Rock, Metal.......
Too hard to pick just 10.....but here are some of the more mainstreams.
#1 for sure: Rush
The rest in no particular order.
Boston
Fleetwood Mac
Jackson Browne
U2 (early days)
Oingo Boingo
Eagles
Foreigner
Kate Rusby (folk music....if you've never listened to her, you should)
Peter Gabriel
Joy Division
Death
PJ Harvey
AC/DC
Simple Minds
Merle Haggard
The Cure
Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet
INXS
Philip Glass
You guys, the assignment was list your top 10. It's hard, I know!!! 😅
I'm stoked that so many of you agree with me about Rush. They never used to be cool.
I'm the same way with rap. It's gutter-trash. There is one rap song I like....Tone Loc, Funky Cold Medina. Classic.
Soon as I listed my today top 10, I was like wait....no, so many others. Some steady faves for sure, but man...it is difficult.
No particular order
Pink Floyd
King Crimson
Black Sabbath
Bowie , especially the Spiders era
Rush
The Who
Hendrix
Yes
Mastodon
Avenged Sevenfold
That's this week , subject to change .
Rush
Boston
Iron Maiden
Ozzy (with Randy Rhodes)
Styx
Triumph
Motley Crue
Chicago
Disturbed
Pennywise
Pit Row
I beg to differ. Rush was always cool.
Most people just figured it out later.... 
Elvis
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Boston
Led Zeppelin
The Who
Triumph
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Chicago
Scorpions
AC/DC
My list:
1. The Offspring
2. Rise Against
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers
4. Atmosphere
5. Pennywise
6. Imagine Dragons
7. Jack Johnson
8. The Eagles
9. Fleetwood Mac
10. Bob Marley
My youngest son likes a specific subset of rap that’s not horrible. Speaking specifically of MF DOOM and Tyler, The Creator. The melodies are actually quite catchy!
I'm amazed at how well produced...the sound quality...of early Boston music...they were ahead of the rest back then.
1.) Rush
2.) Zep
3.) Yes
4.) Eagles
5.) Crue
6.)Journey ( Steve Perry era)
7.) The Cars
8.) AC/DC
9.) Tom Petty
10.)REO/ Foreigner/ Bad Company
other than the top 2 , the others can be flopped around on any given day
AND, I’ll get flack for this ( and you can bite me ) but in my “ Honorable Mentions “ category is Nickelback
Black Sabbath
The Rolling Stones
Dio
Iron Maiden
AC/DC (90% of the credit to the Bon Scott era)
Judas Priest
Scorpions
Blondie
Pat Benatar
The Cars
Has he listened to any Digable Planets? If not they are worth a listen.
Don’t forget the Beat Nuts LOL.
In no particular order.
Iron Maiden
Misfits
Led Zeppelin
Fear Factory
Slayer
Gwar
Ministry
Melvins
Type O Negative
Bob Marley
If I'm omitting solo bands like Jimi Hendrix Experience, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ozzy's solo albums, etc. This is my list...
1: TOOL
2: Deftones
3: Van Halen
4: Black Sabbath
5: Black Label Society
6: Pantera
7: Metallica
8: Pearl Jam
9: Alice in Chains
10: Soundgarden
I wanted to add Linkin Park but I only love the first 2 albums. Everything else was/is shit.
I would’ve added Motley Crue but, the only good album was Shout at the Devil. After that, it wasn’t worth buying an album with one or, two decent songs on it lol.
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