We're an American band?

Kenneth Patchen · « **on:** 4 Jul 2017, 04:53 pm »

On this special holiday for Americans - disregarding how we here in the US might strongly disagree politically - it would be interesting to see what band people think are the quintessential American rock band. It would be equally interesting to see what band people outside our borders think bests represents the American rock sound.

Even though I haven't deeply listened to them since the mid-1970s, my vote would go to the Grateful Dead ... iconoclasts, rebels, anti-establishment rule breakers, experimenters, improvisers and damn good musicians with a devoted following who created a culture particularly their own.

Red and white, blue suede shoes.

So, my vote is in, what say you?

Happy 4th everyone.

KP

kevin360 · « **Reply #1 on:** 4 Jul 2017, 05:04 pm »

Jefferson Airplane - how revolutionary!

For some reason, I can't use any of the posting tools with my other PC.
Also, the first thing that came to mind when I saw the thread title was Grand Funk Railroad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMsIrKjSM6Y

stlrman · « **Reply #2 on:** 4 Jul 2017, 05:12 pm »

I don't really listen to them anymore. I moved on to listen to 100 other bands the past 15 years.
But I saw 50 Dead shows and 25 Jerry Band shows, I'm gonna agree with you .

Happy 4th to you all !!!

stlrman · « **Reply #3 on:** 4 Jul 2017, 05:35 pm »

REM, Springsteen, Bob Seger, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, CSN

macrojack · « **Reply #4 on:** 4 Jul 2017, 05:47 pm »

I have always seen the Dead as posers. Try Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys for a seriously American Band. How about The Band? Maybe Bob Seeger? Tom Petty? The Monkees?

Brettio · « **Reply #5 on:** 4 Jul 2017, 05:53 pm »

Lots to choose from. I'm going with this one right now. Happy 4th of July everyone!

pconley2 · « **Reply #6 on:** 4 Jul 2017, 06:04 pm »

KP, great topic and Happy 4th to all of you.

My Vote:

"If everybody had an ocean, across the USA, then everybody'd be surfing', Like Californiiiaaa!"

the Beach Boys, of course.

However, I must say that unlike some of the posts, I am listening to more dead now than I listened to 20-30 years ago, especially with all the great live concerts coming out of the Dead website.

But to answer the question as to who is the quintessential best American band, I have to say, one person---Chuck Berry (RIP)

Phil

JerryM · « **Reply #7 on:** 4 Jul 2017, 06:15 pm »

Happy Fourth!

martyo · « **Reply #8 on:** 4 Jul 2017, 06:44 pm »

I remember in the summer of "86. A week before the 4th, my new wife had experienced her first ever Dead shows the week before. Then on the 4th we were at the Sox game wearing shirts we had gotten at the shows. When we were walking up to our seats this group of people ask if we were at the shows the week before at Alpine. WE said we were and then we had the usual exchange with a couple of Dead show stories. As we are walking away one of the guys yells "Baseball, the Grateful Dead, and the 4th of July, now that's Americana!"

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I am listening to more dead now than I listened to 20-30 years ago, especially with all the great live concerts coming out of the Dead website.

Just saw Dead and Co. at Wrigley. This is the best of the post Jerry "Dead" groups. Have seen all of them. This is a really fucking good band, who'd of thought John Mayer would be the guy.

SteveFord · « **Reply #9 on:** 4 Jul 2017, 06:54 pm »

American Music made me think Top 40 which made me think of these guys:

Kenneth Patchen · « **Reply #10 on:** 4 Jul 2017, 07:31 pm »

As I spin my own discs downstairs I have the annual WKCR Louis Armstrong birthday/4th of July 24 hr. marathon playing upstairs in a back bedroom. I walked in the room earlier to hear Phil Schaap in mid-conversation say that if Louis Armstrong had played with Paul Revere and the Raiders, they would have been the best band ever. Don't know what led to the comment but it was pretty funny.

stlrman · « **Reply #11 on:** 4 Jul 2017, 10:58 pm »

JakeJ · « **Reply #12 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 01:01 am »

How about...

Happy Fourth Everybody!

jriggy · « **Reply #13 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 01:12 am »

Another vote for and no question that its the Grateful Dead! To many reasons but who has or can have a 50th anniversary celebration as big and successful?
If it aint the Dead, it definitely isn't any other band from when Rock ruled. CCR or Aerowsmith or Fleetwood Mack? naw. The Doors? Meh-maybe? But naw... Someone may be able to argue the Eagles but the Dead's numbers in show count, number of songs, fan numbers thriving huge to this day, continued music sales (huge every year) and so on, will have them beat in the end.
Besides that, and arguably even more important to seal the deal, SO many people (even non deadheads, tag alongs, passer throughs, partiers and entire college campuses at times, etc.) having so much fun and so many summertime adventures, road trips, campouts, tailgate lot parties and more, for decades. All with the the Dead as the centerpiece. If the freedom and ultimate last American adventure experienced by so many doesn't count as the quintessential American Rock band experience, then I don't know what does... KISS?

And yep AAB gets runner-up...and Im not even that much of a fan.

Quote from: macrojack on 4 Jul 2017, 05:47 pm

I have always seen the Dead as posers. Try Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys for a seriously American Band. How about The Band? Maybe Bob Seeger? Tom Petty? The Monkees?

This comment about the Dead is ridiculous. Thats like calling Prince a poser or van Gogh a poser or any other one of a kind artists. Its to easy to have opinions like that about any number of artists of any kind when only looking from the surface streets. Like when the Punks would shout poser to someone in the crowd that had brand new clean boots! Now, Im not saying Bobby's short-shorts in the '80's, or the Go To Heaven album cover, or popular/mainstream Dead songs like Truckin' or Casey Jones don't paint a certain picture to the ignorant...but...

OzarkTom · « **Reply #14 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 02:17 am »

My vote is the Beach Boys, playing again tonight at the Capitalfest on PBS. I first saw them in D.C. at the US 200 year anniversary in 1976. Capital had a million dollar fireworks display with over 500K people watching. It was quite a show.

Beach Boys Pet sounds album influenced Beatles Sgt. Peppers, Rolling Stones vote for the number 1 album, Pet Sounds is #2.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/the-beatles-sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts-club-band-20120531

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"Who's gonna hear this shit?" Beach Boys singer Mike Love asked the band's resident genius, Brian Wilson, in 1966, as Wilson played him the new songs he was working on. "The ears of a dog?" But Love's contempt proved oddly useful: "Ironically," Wilson observed, "Mike's barb inspired the album's title." Barking dogs – Wilson's dog Banana among them, in fact – are prominent among the found sounds on the album. The Beatles made a point of echoing them on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – an acknowledgment that Pet Sounds was the inspiration for the Beatles' masterpiece. That gesture actually completed a circle of influence: Wilson initially conceived of Pet Sounds as an effort to top the Beatles' Rubber Soul.

Delta77 · « **Reply #15 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 02:29 am »

Lynyrd Skynyrd
CCR

martyo · « **Reply #16 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 01:06 pm »

I remember in 1971 when the Dead invited the Beach Boys up to jam with them at the Fillmore East. The Dead were already my band but it was exciting to read about it in the Rolling Stone. The Beach Boys had kinda faded by then. In grammer school the Beach Boys were probably my favorite. The summer of '64 I wore out I Get Around playing it constantly.

http://liveforlivemusic.com/features/grateful-dead-beach-boys/

decal · « **Reply #17 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 01:23 pm »

SlushPuppy · « **Reply #18 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 01:45 pm »

The Replacements

dflee · « **Reply #19 on:** 5 Jul 2017, 03:40 pm »

So many greats (including the ones listed thus far):
Anything out of Louisiana (creole or cajun), Zappa, Buddy Holly, Blues (all sorts (Buddy Guy in particular)), Stevie (both Vaughan and Wonder) Motown (while not a huge fan but absolutely American) and Chicago. All about as American as you can get.

Don