The ULTIMATE Rock Band!!

JoLLyRoGer

Diamond Member
Aug 24, 2000
4,153
4
81
If you could lock any 4 (or 5) musicians in a room to form the ultimate rock band who would it be?

My picks:

Myles Kennedy - Vocals
Buckethead - Guitars
Les Claypool - Bass
Danny Carey - Drums

Your turn. :)
 

FalseChristian

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2002
3,322
0
71
Lead Guitar-Eddy Van Halen (Van Halen)
Rythm Guitar-me! (False Christian)
Vocals-Sabastion Bach (Skid Row)
Bass-Geddy Lee (Rush) or Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)
Drums-Neil Pert (Rush)

Manager-Sharon Ozzbourne
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,996
126
Roger Daltrey - Vocals
Clapton - Guitar
John Entwistle - Bass
Steve Gadd - Drums

Jagger and Richards, Pete Townshend, Bob Dylan, Roger Waters - non-performing songwriters
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,167
1,638
126
Well, They already made my "ultimate" supergroups

My 2 favorite musicians, Akerfeldt & Wilson had a project called Storm Corrosion.
Storm Corrosion turned out a rather ... interesting ... album... I actually thought it was good, but, not at all what I had expected.

Also, Bloodbath was fvcking magical for quite some time.

Then thereas Ayreon, which is essentially a constantly evolving supergroup. Every album has an awesome list of guest musicians.
 

JoLLyRoGer

Diamond Member
Aug 24, 2000
4,153
4
81
Roger Daltrey - Vocals
Clapton - Guitar
John Entwistle - Bass
Steve Gadd - Drums

Jagger and Richards, Pete Townshend, Bob Dylan, Roger Waters - non-performing songwriters

I take it you're a big fan of The Who. I think they're pretty damn awesome. I often tell my wife that Baba O'Riley might be the best rock song every recorded of all time.

Nice choices :)
 

ThinClient

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2013
3,977
4
0
I take it you're a big fan of The Who. I think they're pretty damn awesome. I often tell my wife that Baba O'Riley might be the best rock song every recorded of all time.

Nice choices :)

and yet he leaves out Keith? Who in their right mind votes for Daltry for vocals but thinks there's a better drumming match for those vocals than Moon? WHO, I ASK YOU!!
 

JoLLyRoGer

Diamond Member
Aug 24, 2000
4,153
4
81
Freddie Mercury
Brian May
John Deacon
Roger Taylor

Ok, time to modify the rules a little here.

New Rules.. You can only pick ONE performing artist from any already-established band.

Not to take anything away fro Queen - I think they're fantastic. But for instance. Naming Eddie and Alex Van Halen, along with Michal Anthony and Diamond Dave sort of defeats the purpose of this exercise. :D
 

Jeffg010

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2008
3,435
1
0
Shirley Manson - Vocals
Billy Sheehan - bass
Phil Keaggy - Guitar
Drums-Neil Pert
 

ThinClient

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2013
3,977
4
0
Shirley Manson - Vocals
Billy Sheehan - bass
Phil Keaggy - Guitar
Drums-Neil Pert

Peart! PEART! There's an "a" in PEART!

And it's not pronounced "pert" either. This is how you can tell when someone doesn't know what they're talking about when it comes to drummers.
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,996
126
and yet he leaves out Keith? Who in their right mind votes for Daltry for vocals but thinks there's a better drumming match for those vocals than Moon? WHO, I ASK YOU!!

Me, that's who. Yes, Moon was great at what he did. Gadd is better. Moon was an oddball, the Who played different roles to compensate for how he played. Entwistle was like the band's timekeeper on bass because Moon couldn't do it well on drums and Townshend did some bass-style fills on his guitar to compensate for that. It worked, but primarily because everyone else was capable of adapting so well. Moon is NOT the drummer to build an all-star band around, do you want guys like Clapton not playing the normal way so that Moon could go off on wild tangents?
 
Feb 6, 2007
16,432
1
81
Moon is NOT the drummer to build an all-star band around, do you want guys like Clapton not playing the normal way so that Moon could go off on wild tangents?

Yes, but when it comes to trashing hotels, Moon had more talent in his severely inflamed liver than Clapton is capable of imagining. You need that element of severe psychotic behavior, and it can't be taught.
 

ThinClient

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2013
3,977
4
0
Me, that's who. Yes, Moon was great at what he did. Gadd is better. Moon was an oddball, the Who played different roles to compensate for how he played. Entwistle was like the band's timekeeper on bass because Moon couldn't do it well on drums and Townshend did some bass-style fills on his guitar to compensate for that. It worked, but primarily because everyone else was capable of adapting so well. Moon is NOT the drummer to build an all-star band around, do you want guys like Clapton not playing the normal way so that Moon could go off on wild tangents?

Townsend was so incredibly arrogant that I wouldn't hire him at the peak of his fame and talent if he were the last musician on the planet. His arrogance is so strong and so far reaching that it's quite distasteful, even for one of my favorite bands.

The concept of "dynamics" comes into play. Not everyone needs to be right on the beat and not every beat needs to be 100% in time. Some styles call for drum strokes just ahead of or just behind the beat. Sometimes you can mix up those techniques in small amounts in otherwise straight songs. These are tools that a drummer uses for effect. Moon was a master. The other two did a great job of becoming the matching puzzle piece to Moon's style, but it's not like they kicked him out of the band because he couldn't play or something. There's a reason they kept him and there's a reason that he's one of rock history's most prolific drummers.

That, and he invented hotel-room-destruction and was one of the first to incorporate explosives into his drumset. Too bad it left shrapnel in another dude's ear, but still. :p
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,996
126
Yes, but when it comes to trashing hotels, Moon had more talent in his severely inflamed liver than Clapton is capable of imagining. You need that element of severe psychotic behavior, and it can't be taught.

Then we keep Moon on as designated hotel-room trasher. That frees up the other guys to get a good nights sleep so they can play better.
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,996
126
The concept of "dynamics" comes into play. Not everyone needs to be right on the beat and not every beat needs to be 100% in time. Some styles call for drum strokes just ahead of or just behind the beat. Sometimes you can mix up those techniques in small amounts in otherwise straight songs. These are tools that a drummer uses for effect. Moon was a master. The other two did a great job of becoming the matching puzzle piece to Moon's style, but it's not like they kicked him out of the band because he couldn't play or something. There's a reason they kept him and there's a reason that he's one of rock history's most prolific drummers.


The fact remains that THEY had to adapt to HIM because he could not adapt to fill the normal role of a rock band drummer. So are you really suggesting that you're going to build an all-star, greatest-ever band and tell the other members "Hey, Clapton, we have Moon on the drum kit, so even though you're playing lead guitar you're not allowed to play lead guitar, you have to play bass fills to cover for Moon."? Really?

Clapton on lead guitar. Entwistle on Bass. Gadd (or Peart or Bonham or Ginger Baker) on drums is a REAL all-star band.

Moon playing whatever, Clapton playing the bassist role, Entwistle playing the drummer role is NOT a real all-star band.

Really, do I need to draw you a map to understand that? A great musician allows everyone else on the stage to be at their best too. Moon doesn't, he forces everyone else to compensate for him. The only way Moon would fit into a true all-star band is if they had dual drummers a la the Grateful Dead with one traditional drummer heading the rhythm section and Moon doing his thing which is closer to a keyboardist than to a real drummer. Then the lead guitar and the bassist could play their own instruments rather than changing roles to cover for him.
 
Last edited:
Feb 6, 2007
16,432
1
81
Then we keep Moon on as designated hotel-room trasher. That frees up the other guys to get a good nights sleep so they can play better.

As long as they're staying at a different hotel, preferably in a different city, maybe even a different country. That dude REALLY knew how to party.
 

ThinClient

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2013
3,977
4
0
The fact remains that THEY had to adapt to HIM because he could not adapt to fill the normal role of a rock band drummer. So are you really suggesting that you're going to build an all-star, greatest-ever band and tell the other members "Hey, Clapton, we have Moon on the drum kit, so even though you're playing lead guitar you're not allowed to play lead guitar, you have to play bass fills to cover for Moon."? Really?

Clapton on lead guitar. Entwistle on Bass. Gadd (or Peart or Bonham or Ginger Baker) on drums is a REAL all-star band.

Moon playing whatever, Clapton playing the bassist role, Entwistle playing the drummer role is NOT a real all-star band.

Really, do I need to draw you a map to understand that? A great musician allows everyone else on the stage to be at their best too. Moon doesn't, he forces everyone else to compensate for him. The only way Moon would fit into a true all-star band is if they had dual drummers a la the Grateful Dead with one traditional drummer heading the rhythm section and Moon doing his thing which is closer to a keyboardist than to a real drummer. Then the lead guitar and the bassist could play their own instruments rather than changing roles to cover for him.

No one is perfect. :) Those techniques ARE used by proper rock band drummers. Every musician works together with other musicians to make it work. Some ways are more public or more obvious than others.

I'd take Ginger Baker over Moon, but you just can't split up the Who. They were magical and not because Moon was shitty. They were perfect for each other.
 

Puppies04

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2011
5,909
17
76
3 Random guys and Justin beeber..... heh you did say we are locking them in a room. I would imagine only the random guys would walk out.
 

ThinClient

Diamond Member
Jan 28, 2013
3,977
4
0
3 Random guys and Justin beeber..... heh you did say we are locking them in a room. I would imagine only the random guys would walk out.

Yeah, Justin's movements would qualify as hobbling instead of walking. Isn't that what you call bow-legged walking? Hobbling?
 

Scotteq

Diamond Member
Apr 10, 2008
5,276
5
0
I'll go full on Experimental -

Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and Andy Summers (Police) on guitars.
Tony Levin would normally be the bassist you're likely to see backing that lineup, but I'll reach out for Jonas Hellborg (Mahavishnu Orchestra, Public Image Limited) instead.
Drums - I'll stick with relatively unknowns~yet~giants and drag Bill Bruford (Yes, Genesis, King Crimson) out of retirement.

Every one of these guys is a monster player. And every one of these guys knows when and how to hold back and let a song breathe.