Friday, January 15, 2010

The Greatest Rock Band AMERICA has Ever Produced

This one has been kicking around in my head for awhile. While England has us beat in the rock department (See Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, The Who), the US essentially created the genre. You can ask ten people at a bar who the best American rock band is and get ten different answers. I myself have only ever received one answer without hesitation, the Beach Boys. I know at least one of my Twitter followers wouldn't have to think about her vote for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. I love Springsteen as well as Aerosmith and Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) but my vote is cast for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They've undergone minor personnel changes in their 30+ years but they have been the best and most consistent rock band this country has ever produced. The release of the live anthology in November '09 confirms this. The one thing Petty was missing was a definitive live collection. Petty has few equals as a songwriter and Mike Campbell is as underrated as a sideman can be. Listen to the way Petty bashes the very industry he works for on "The Last DJ" cd. He also landed on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in the 70's for refusing to raise the price of his record, due to an increase in the cost of vinyl. He's always managed to put the fans first. His ticket prices have managed to avoid becoming outlandish as well. For my money he played the best Super Bowl halftime show as well, and yes I realize my favorite band, the Rolling Stones played the Super Bowl, previously. The tension between Petty and Simon Cowell on the Tonight Show was palpable. He wrote one of the best 'driving songs' ever, Runnin Down a Dream. It gets your foot tappin as you push down the accelerator. The list of classics is endless: American Girl, Breakdown, Refugee, Rebels, I Won't Back Down, Honey Bee, Saving Grace, etc. If you need further proof of the power of Tom Petty, ask Eddie Murphy. That's right Eddie Murphy. In 1987 Petty co-wrote a song with Bob Dylan called "Jammin Me"about commercialization and overexposure of personalities. The line "Take back, Eddie Murphy" prompted Murphy to respond "F**k, Tom Petty!" Murphy's career hasn't been the same since, because you don't mess with Tom Petty...EVER!

5 comments:

  1. pearl jam would get my vote, but to each his own... and you could make a case that charlie murphy's career has been better since Eddie said F- Tom Petty! good stuff

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  2. hmmm. no comment. ;-)) i'm so glad we can all have our own opinion that's what makes intelligent conversation worth having!

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  3. I don't think they are even in the top 10 and probably not in the top 15. You could argue that the quality of 90% of their material is garbage. IMO (off the top of my head) The Dead, The Doors, Hendrix, Guns & Roses, The Eagles, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Pearl Jam, Skynard, Metallica, Chili Peppers & Kiss all had a much larger impact on the music industry and popular culture. Love them or hate them every band I mentioned has consistanty produced relevant material and/or shaped and influenced American rock. Tom Petty MAYBE averages 1 decent album per decade and has twice to my knowledge contributed nothing worth mentioning for 10+ years. Saying that Petty is the GOAT of American is just plain wrong. I'm not a hater, but I am also not a nuthugger that thinks hie favorite band is the GOAT just because they are my favorite band. Personally I'm not a big fan of any American rock band.

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    1. The Chili Peppers had a much bigger impact on the music industry? That's hilarious, considering most of their albums are complete duds, and their first three didn't even make a dent they were so lame. Get real, man.

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  4. If you're talking pop culture, New Kids on the Block is more relevant than any of those bands, which says a a lot about America. Aerosmith has been very inconsistent. Pearl Jam and Metallica are 2 bands you mention who have sustained for a time at a high level. Hendrix, while great, had to GO TO ENGLAND TO BE DISCOVERED. The Dead is still a mystery. People whacked out on shrooms may enjoy their shows, but as far as anything else, not so much. Doors, Eagles, Skynyrd, G & R had nice little 4-5 year runs but that's it. Also I mention that the Stones are my favorite band. Thanks for reading.

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