Hmmm...
It's always interesting to hear people's opinions. I remember Kos put out a best bands diary a while back. They're always fun.
But what if you had to choose only one? The horror... the horror...
For me, the best band of all time is Guided By Voices.
I admit, it's partly because of the anti-establishment/lo-fi thing... and it's because it's what I just happened to grow up on... and it's not quite fair to put up a band that essentially just studies rock and makes riffs off of different genres/songs/styles.
But in the end, isn't that what rock is? Isn't it that kind of organic growth that defines the move from Holly to the Beatles to the Clash? In order to encapsulate Rock... GBV is my bet.
I grew up in the Midwest. Let me tell you, I listened to a LOT of Rock. It's just innate... the classic rock station. 93.5, Q95, etc...
But when I get down and listen to the Big greats... the Dead, the Clash, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Stones, and yes... even Megadeth; it's never the same as the kind of gratification I get when I hear the honestly contrived perfection that is:
Guided By Voices
But what if you had to pick only one? If you had to choose between the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's?
It becomes such a personal choice. Is it about the importance of the artist to the Rock movement? Is it about what the band meant to you personally?
Fun...
Update [2005-7-21 23:35:59 by Norwell]: When I say "best," I mean that in a subjective way. I'm not a musician, so I don't think of music in terms of influence, history, or technique so much as who "I dig the most." That's "best" for me... so up to you if you want to give both what you think is "best" and "favorite" or whatever... both are interesting.