Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Best US Rock Band Ever

I've been thinking for a while that Nirvana is the best US band ever. Let's review: Beatles, Led Zepplin, Rolling Stones all British. Elivis, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springstein, Michael Jackson are solo acts and follow in the singer/songwriter tradition (you can also fit any feminazi music you want in here). Rap artists also aren't really bands, they're solo artists or fall into a different category. Then, you've got U2 whose from Ireland. Then there's the new bands: Strokes, White Stripes, etc.--none can really compete with Nirvana (for argument's sake I'll say they can't compete "yet") and some are from UK.

Now, that half the great bands are off the table, what's left? You've got Red Hot Chili Peppers who also are very good. You've got Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins. But, when Nirvana went up against them in the '90s, those bands were a footnote. Yes, Cobain's suicide magnifies the legacy of the band, but they were no. 1 in their heyday, they basically developed a big part of what rock music is today (grunge), they have the best US album of the '90s (Nevermind), the best MTV Unplugged by far (it being their last televised performance doesn't hurt either), and the least comprehensible lyrics of any great band (a plus in my book). So, there you have it. When you excise bands from other genres, cut out the singer-songwriters, and limit music to only the US--Nirvana is clearly the best band ever. That either means Nirvana was amazing, or US rock music is secondary to the UK (whose music is obviously superior). I say both!

Your turn, Children of the '60s.