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The most talented rock group that still plays today?

#61
pjmuck said:
U2 define what a great band should be all about, IMO. Uniquely definable, instantly recognizable, and each band member contributes something special to a collective sum greater than it's parts.
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But the thread isn't about which band is "best" or which is your favorite, it is about the collective level of skill each player demonstrates with their instrument. U2 may function well as a band, but no one in it is particularly adept at their job.

Also, people made good points about some of the bands named still being "together" or even still touring, but not necessarily being culturally relevant anymore.

With these principles in mind, I am going to go with Mastodon. Great drummer, great bass, great rhythm guitar, great lead guitar, current and culturally relevant music.
 
#64
I think the simple answer is Dream Theater. I do not think it is likely that you will find a band that is as individually talented as these guys. Their respective chops would blow the barn doors off of almost any other band I have heard.
 
#68
Four pages and no one has mentioned Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers?!? For shame, TB...

Consider three of their members: IMO, Petty should be considered one of the best rock songwriters ever, right up there with Lennon and McCartney. Then on lead guitar you have Mike Campbell, who's one of the best and most under-rated guitarists of the last 30 years. Then on keys you have Benmont Tench, who's an incredibly prolific session player and could safely be considered a virtuoso. Blair, Thurston, and their new drummer (can't remember his name) are rock-solid players too.

Their live shows are as good as they've ever been, and they continue to put out great albums too!
 
#70
bassman1987 said:
Four pages and no one has mentioned Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers?!? For shame, TB...

Consider three of their members: IMO, Petty should be considered one of the best rock songwriters ever, right up there with Lennon and McCartney. Then on lead guitar you have Mike Campbell, who's one of the best and most under-rated guitarists of the last 30 years. Then on keys you have Benmont Tench, who's an incredibly prolific session player and could safely be considered a virtuoso. Blair, Thurston, and their new drummer (can't remember his name) are rock-solid players too.

Their live shows are as good as they've ever been, and they continue to put out great albums too!
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I was able to catch Petty in Indy and Cincy last week and they were FANTASTIC. To think about the history around Petty really will add to the band. Petty and Johnny Cash have a commentary that runs on cable every now and again. It's hard for me to say they have a crazy amount of talent when the bass player rarely cuts through the mix and the drummer plays the same ole groove in a lot of songs. I'll agree with you on Mike Campbell. He's extremely underestimated.
 
#73
NineSpine said:
As long as there's been music, there's been trash music. It's not like crap is a new phenomenon and everything up to the 80s was golden.

All I am trying to say is that saying that the most "talented" bands that are "currently" playing are people whose glory days (and I agree that almost every band here had glory days where they wrote fantastigasmic music) passed upwards of twenty years ago displays an extremely close-minded approach to music. Live a little. Grow a little.

Having a disdain for new music is just as much a case of xenophobic nonsense as having a disdain for older music.
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True dat. Cases in point: the Eagles hit their peak in 1977 (even though they just came out with a new double CD in 2007). Yes hit their peak in the 70's. I thought Rush's Moving Pictures album released in 1981 was their best.

(Please note that the above comments are only my opinion and not stated as fact. Others' opinions will likely be different and no less accurate.)

I was just pointing out that in many cases, you are correct in saying that alot of the all time greats had their peak quite a while ago.

In all fairness, however, suggesting that we older guys should start liking the new stuff is, well, about as productive as pounding sand. You can tell others that they should do this or that, but why bother? I say let people like whatever music they want to like. I certainly won't tell YOU that YOU should "grow" by listening to '70's era music. Who am I to tell someone else that they should grow?? I have better things I should be doing, like practicing my bass so I don't keep hitting those dang wrong notes. Who put those notes on my fretboard anyway?:hmm:

Whenever someone tells me what I should or shouldn't do, I just calmly smile and think to myself "ya, you go ahead and dictate to your heart's content." Like Lennon sang, "well they give me all kinds of advice, designed to enlighten me."
 
#76
Those of you who think Tool are so talented, I have to ask "why?" Just curious. I've never heard a Tool song that didn't have the same riff running through the entire song. (repetitive to the max) There's technical proficiency and then there's song writing talent, and it seems to me that they're a bit lacking on the second option. Just because you can hear the bass in the mix and they're playing something other than a 1/4/5 progression doesn't necessarily make them a bass god. I think Justin Chancellor is a good bass player, but I'm not sure he deserves the accolades he gets here sometimes.

But to answer the OP's question. I agree about Elton John. The man is a genius at writing songs. I think his best stuff was around the Yellow Brick Road era. I also agree about Rush. Though their older stuff was better IMO as well.
 
#77
EagleMoon said:
Those of you who think Tool are so talented, I have to ask "why?" Just curious. I've never heard a Tool song that didn't have the same riff running through the entire song. (repetitive to the max) There's technical proficiency and then there's song writing talent, and it seems to me that they're a bit lacking on the second option. Just because you can hear the bass in the mix and they're playing something other than a 1/4/5 progression doesn't necessarily make them a bass god. I think Justin Chancellor is a good bass player, but I'm not sure he deserves the accolades he gets here sometimes.

But to answer the OP's question. I agree about Elton John. The man is a genius at writing songs. I think his best stuff was around the Yellow Brick Road era. I also agree about Rush. Though their older stuff was better IMO as well.
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Then you aren't really listening to the collective band. In my opinion, Justin is the weakest musician in the group. It's not a matter of how technically challenging the riffs are (In Danny's case, that's not even a question), but how collectively it all comes together. Closely listen to Lateralus and 10,000 days. Perhaps you've only heard some of the mainstream stuff (like Stinkfist) that isn't too appealing.
 

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