The Music Thread...

Been jamming out all morning to EWF.

I forgot how actually great they were, they have to be top 10 or top 5 of all time American bands in all music genres.







Can't hide Love
Reasons
September
That's the way of the world

All classics.

They should be in conversation with the Eagles as far as having an impact on American music.
 
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Jiggyfly said:
Been jamming out all morning to EWF.

I forgot how actually great they were, they have to be top 10 or top 5 of all time American bands in all music genres.







Can't hide Love
Reasons
September
That's the way of the world

All classics.

They should be in conversation with the Eagles as far as having an impact on American music.
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Top 5-10 impact American band of all-time? How do you present that case?
 
I'm skeptical of that claim as well, though admittedly I'm not well versed on the pop music scene. Hell it took me ten minutes to figure out who EWF stood for.

I do recall they were pretty big about 35 or 40 years ago. I don't know that they've done anything of significance since so I don't know how their longevity is a selling point.

I put very little stock in record sales - a lot of shitty music has sold a ton over the years (ex: Vanilla Ice). I also put very little stock into awards - a lot of shitty flavors of the month win awards, and half the time the voters don't know what they are talking about (ex: Jethro Tull once won an award in a metal category).

Influence is nebulous - unless its somebody like Michael Jackson where it's so ubiquitous that it's undeniable, I don't know how you can quantify it.

All that said, Earth Wind and Fire was a great band of their era and I definitely respect them.
 
Genghis Khan said:
I'm skeptical of that claim as well, though admittedly I'm not well versed on the pop music scene. Hell it took me ten minutes to figure out who EWF stood for.

I do recall they were pretty big about 35 or 40 years ago. I don't know that they've done anything of significance since so I don't know how their longevity is a selling point.

I put very little stock in record sales - a lot of shitty music has sold a ton over the years (ex: Vanilla Ice). I also put very little stock into awards - a lot of shitty flavors of the month win awards, and half the time the voters don't know what they are talking about (ex: Jethro Tull once won an award in a metal category).

Influence is nebulous - unless its somebody like Michael Jackson where it's so ubiquitous that it's undeniable, I don't know how you can quantify it.

All that said, Earth Wind and Fire was a great band of their era and I definitely respect them.
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Agreed on pretty much all points. You can use the record sales angle and say EW&F has sold nearly 100 million albums. OK. So has Kenny Rogers. And Bon Jovi. Are those top 10 all-timers? Hell no.

I am certainly not familiar with the entire scope of their catalog but I know they are well-respected. They were/are a great band and have been for a long time but 5-10 is a very exclusive list and you could put out a poll of a million people and how many top 10 lists would they make? Not a large percentage. Top 5? Very few.

Music is obviously about personal preference but talking in terms of consensus you just aren't going to get it when trying to sell them as a top 10 all time American band.
 
E_D_Guapo said:
Agreed on pretty much all points. You can use the record sales angle and say EW&F has sold nearly 100 million albums. OK. So has Kenny Rogers. And Bon Jovi. Are those top 10 all-timers? Hell no.

I am certainly not familiar with the entire scope of their catalog but I know they are well-respected. They were/are a great band and have been for a long time but 5-10 is a very exclusive list and you could put out a poll of a million people and how many top 10 lists would they make? Not a large percentage. Top 5? Very few.

Music is obviously about personal preference but talking in terms of consensus you just aren't going to get it when trying to sell them as a top 10 all time American band.
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In a word yep. Music has its greatness in the minds of individuals. It's as diverse as furniture styles, or anything else that's made in variety. What I like in music is usually miles apart from different generations. A lot has to do with the nostalgia of what one grew up on. The more I listen to music the more I realize that it is as individual as the number of listeners.
 
E_D_Guapo said:
Agreed on pretty much all points. You can use the record sales angle and say EW&F has sold nearly 100 million albums. OK. So has Kenny Rogers. And Bon Jovi. Are those top 10 all-timers? Hell no.

I am certainly not familiar with the entire scope of their catalog but I know they are well-respected. They were/are a great band and have been for a long time but 5-10 is a very exclusive list and you could put out a poll of a million people and how many top 10 lists would they make? Not a large percentage. Top 5? Very few.

Music is obviously about personal preference but talking in terms of consensus you just aren't going to get it when trying to sell them as a top 10 all time American band.
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I agree it's subjective but I said only Bands not all artist.

And IMO they easily fit top 10.

What "Bands" do you see over them?
 
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Genghis Khan said:
I'm skeptical of that claim as well, though admittedly I'm not well versed on the pop music scene. Hell it took me ten minutes to figure out who EWF stood for.

I do recall they were pretty big about 35 or 40 years ago. I don't know that they've done anything of significance since so I don't know how their longevity is a selling point.

I put very little stock in record sales - a lot of shitty music has sold a ton over the years (ex: Vanilla Ice). I also put very little stock into awards - a lot of shitty flavors of the month win awards, and half the time the voters don't know what they are talking about (ex: Jethro Tull once won an award in a metal category).

Influence is nebulous - unless its somebody like Michael Jackson where it's so ubiquitous that it's undeniable, I don't know how you can quantify it.

All that said, Earth Wind and Fire was a great band of their era and I definitely respect them.
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I agree with pretty much everything you said but how else would you rank them?

We are not talking about some some pop music band here they sold tons of albums while being critically acclaimed and bluring genres.

They were one of the forerunners is blending rock, jazz and R&B.

What is your top 10?
 
And when I say longevity I mean if it is still relevant today, meaning does it still feel as fresh as when it 1st came out.

Does it still move you.
 
My top 10 in no particular order.

The Eagles
The Beach Boys
Nirvana
Aerosmith
Earth, Wind And Fire
Sly and the Family Stone
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Springsteen and E street band
Prince and the revolution
Van Halen

Actually 10 is hard for me because I have some blind spots when it comes to Metal bands.

But these are the actual Bands that I think fit the criteria of great musicianship influence critical acclaim and longevity.
 
Dam this freaky, I had no idea he died.:sad
Maurice White, the co-founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, died Wednesday morning at age 74, The Associated Press reports.

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in the early '90s, forcing him to stop touring with the band in 1994. Earth, Wind & Fire was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and are set to be honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 15.
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Jiggyfly said:
I agree it's subjective but I said only Bands not all artist.

And IMO they easily fit top 10.

What "Bands" do you see over them?
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It all depends on the criteria, and by the criteria you are using many of those bands you named in another post—Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Beach Boys, Van Halen, et al—probably belong on the list. I wouldn't put any of those bands as among my personal favorites but or count them among the "greatest" but that's me.

By the criteria of influence, success, longevity, etc., you have to start looking at a lot of bands for consideration. What about the Grateful Dead? Didn't sell a ton of records but created an entire subculture and also more of less single-handedly founded the whole "jam band" scene. Toured for decades and millions and millions of people came out to see them, including a percentage of the fan base that would "follow the Dead" for parts of their tours. I'm not a huge fan (went to a few shows in the 90s but moreso for the parking lot/campground experience and the hippie chicks) but they truly are an American institution.

Metallica probably has to be in there at this point, right? Again, not a big fan but they have had a tremendous amount of success and influence over 3 decades.

I think Kiss is pretty lame (I thought they were awesome when I was 8 and they had yet to ditch their makeup) but that is another band that is simply legendary and deserves consideration if you are talking about the overall scope of their career.

Do you not count someone like Prince because he usually isn't followed by "and the Revolution"?

Could probably go on and on along these lines and would still miss some I'm sure. Like I said, few of these bands would make my personal all-time top 10 American bands (a list I have never and probably will never attempt to put together), but all of them have had a lot of success and have influenced bands for decades.
 
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E_D_Guapo said:
It all depends on the criteria, and by the criteria you are using many of those bands you named in another post—Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Beach Boys, Van Halen, et al—probably belong on the list. I wouldn't put any of those bands as among my personal favorites but or count them among the "greatest" but that's me.

By the criteria of influence, success, longevity, etc., you have to start looking at a lot of bands for consideration. What about the Grateful Dead? Didn't sell a ton of records but created an entire subculture and also more of less single-handedly founded the whole "jam band" scene. Toured for decades and millions and millions of people came out to see them, including a percentage of the fan base that would "follow the Dead" for parts of their tours. I'm not a huge fan (went to a few shows in the 90s but moreso for the parking lot/campground experience and the hippie chicks) but they truly are an American institution.

Metallica probably has to be in there at this point, right? Again, not a big fan but they have had a tremendous amount of success and influence over 3 decades.

I think Kiss is pretty lame (I thought they were awesome when I was 8 and they had yet to ditch their makeup) but that is another band that is simply legendary and deserves consideration if you are talking about the overall scope of their career.

Do you not count someone like Prince because he usually isn't followed by "and the Revolution"?

Could probably go on and on along these lines and would still miss some I'm sure. Like I said, few of these bands would make my personal all-time top 10 American bands (a list I have never and probably will never attempt to put together), but all of them have had a lot of success and have influenced bands for decades.
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Queen?
 
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