Best Classic Rock Band

Led Zep all the way. They had it all- legendary singer, excellent drummer and bassist, and of course, Jimmy Page. 4 symbols consistently gets voted as one of the best rock albums ever, Stairway as one of the best rock songs, and Page as one of the best guitarists. They will never stop being influential to rock bands that came and go and I still find their music exciting. To me, they are one of the only bands whose music gets better every time I listen to it.

I have to confess that I'm also a bit surprised at the weight of support that G'N'R are getting on this thread. To me they only ever released 1 really good album (appetite), 2 very mediocre albums with some enjoyable highlights (use your illusion 1,2- which I think only had enough good songs for one really good album- but instead they seemed to flush quality control down the toilet, went for the money, and released 2 average albums with some very poor material which they obviously hadn't spent much time developing, and which also had some really good stuff), and the other albums aren't worth mentioning. Also, as much as I respect Slash's incredible playing, he isn't very original- I find his playing a bit derivative of Jimmy Page's playing (also of Angus Young and Jeff Beck's playing). For me, they just don't have what it takes to be up there with the greats- Led Zep, deep purple, black sabbath, AC/DC, Queen, rolling stones, jimi Hendrix, the who, pink floyd, etc.. never mind be the greatest.
But that's just what I think...

Whats the cut-off date for Classic Rock? I'm not saying anything against GnR, but I really don't think they fall into the category of Classic Rock, stylistically maybe, but chronologically no, 1988 just doesn't seem to fit in with bands of the 60's & 70's, I think the classic era ended about 1980 with the New Wave and Punk invasion, it wasn't until that stuff waned and rock started making a comeback that I ever heard the term Classic Rock and that was before anyone ever heard of GnR, I think what turned alot of heads about GnR was that for the first time in years, out of the hair bands and cross dressers, they jumped out with a classic rock sound, Les Pauls, Telecasters and a lead singer that didn't sound like an opera singer wannabe, but just because they had the sound doesn't put in the era, I mean I don't consider the Stray Cats a great 50's band, but a 50's style band......

I meant the 60s and 70s.

Good point with the Stray Cats, I was listening to them and Guns N' Roses today for the first time in ages. I suppose they are considered classic rock because they are so different from the rock bands since, like Korn and Slipknot and the like, and even though GnR are releasing an album soon I think they will still be thrown in to thatc category. Like I said before though, its all rock n roll to me.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by pstring
[B]Whats the cut-off date for Classic Rock?

anything playing on klassik rok stations, is klassik! sorry about the misspelling, but my keyboar vvon´t vvork.

So if they play Pearl Jam's 10 album next week, it's Classic Rock ? What if they didn't play Hendrix, would Hendrix not be Classic Rock, I'm not trying to define Classic Rock as what the radio plays, or what a band sounds like, but by an era, when you take the qualifier of "era" out of the equation, this thread just becomes Best Rock Band, and we talk about everybody from Bill Haley to Mushroomhead, but it is all semantics and point of veiw, and if anybody would ask me the cut-off date for Classic Rock, I personally would say 1979.....I might even goes as late as 1980, and I believe I have good reasons for choosing that time...................

We dont get any classsic rock stations here, so Im just going on my definition of it. Ive had many arguments with people about whether Metallica are metal or classic rock. The fact that the first 5 letters spell metal doesnt seem to matter.

Personally... I would say Guns + Roses is not classic rock. Classic 80s, yes. Metallica is definitely NOT classic Rock... whether they are rock or metal is up for debate ;)

Best:

Beatles, hands down (no other rock group has been as influential, the talent is just icing)

My favorites:

Beatles, CCR, 3 Dog Night, Rolling Stones

I kind of tend toward the Folk-Rock styles (Simon + Garfunkle, CCR, etc)