Bar Talk: Top 10 Favorite Bands of All Time

We all have our favorite bands, ones that we will listen to when we are excited, when we are depressed, when we are just relaxing, or when we simply want to sing. These are the bands that have always done those things for me. Nothing beats driving with the windows down, the bass up, the music blaring, and singing every lyric to every song. That, my friends, is heaven. I will never be able to do this list justice as there are many bands that deserve to be listed, but to me these bands are ones I can always turn on when I simply want to drive and jam.

10. 311

This band mixes many different types of music from hip hop to punk rock to funk. Yet without failure they can play you a slow song (i.e. a cover of the Cure's "Love Song") also. Having seen the band in concert twice (with #3 coming next month) they have won me over on some songs I did not like otherwise. Plus without a doubt anyone who listens to their music would love nothing more than to go to one "311 day" (Held March 11) in New Orleans is out of their fucking mind.
Favorite song: I'll Be Here Awhile

9. Ozzy Osbourne

I agree with Hock that the man cannot speak English (nor speak period) very well but when he sings you listen. The man has made some of the most recognizable songs in history either by himself or with Black Sabbath. He commands respect when he stands at that microphone...plus he is just a little south of crazy. Ozzfest is also a concert I would love to attend one day, just to say that I did.
Favorite song: Perry Mason

8. Incubus

I've never been the biggest Incubus fan you will ever see but dammit if they don't suck me in every single time I put on a song. From "Make Yourself" to "Light Grenades" Incubus has found new ways to top the charts year in and year out. Incubus also does a fantastic job with their DVD releases of their live concerts (one of which I own: "Live at Red Rocks"). I have also seen them live several times (with Hock) and we are in agreement that they can rock like nobody else.
Favorite song: Privilege

7. Fuel

This was the first band I ever saw in concert and they will always hold a special place in my heart for that. It was St. Andrews Hall in Detroit and they blew the roof off. There is not one song on their CD Natural Selection that will find you not wanting to turn up the volume and rock to it. Brett Scallions as the voice of Fuel will be missed, as he departed the band last year, but he left us with some fantastic songs like "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)", "Sunburn", and "Bad Day." Now the torch is passed to Toryn Green (former lead singer of Something To Burn) who takes the reins of a band that has a wonderful future ahead of them. If you want to hear their new stuff with the new lead singer, the new CD "Angels and Devils" will be coming out August 7, 2007 and their new single "Wasted Time" is currently out on the radio and iTunes.
Favorite song: Sunburn & Hemorrhage (In My Hands)

6. Linkin Park

There is something about this band that simply makes them one of my favorites but it is difficult to pinpoint just one reason. I have not seen them in concert (yet) but the first CD I owned "Hybrid Theory" was one that first turned me onto the band. This was the time I was coming into touch with hard rock and they were a definition of that with songs like "Crawling" and "One Step Closer." The continued to win me over with their mixture of guitars, keyboards, and drums with their CD "Meteora" and songs like "Breaking the Habit" and "Numb." The new CD "Minutes to Midnight" was several years in the making, and time spent by me upset a new CD was not out, but was worth the wait. When Chester and Mike stand up at the microphone, either together or separate, I know that we are ready to rock.
Favorite song: Leave Out All The Rest

5. Aerosmith

I know that some of you reading this who know me may be surprised by this one. This is one of the bands that I grew up listening to with my dad before I knew what music I really liked. I remember sitting in the backseat driving to the Detroit Lions games and singing "Love In An Elevator." True, I did not know all the words, but something about that song, and many others, had me tappin' my toes and ready to sing. Aerosmith has defined many generations of music and continue to do so, or at least try, to this day. Steven Tyler's voice is unmistakable and Joe Perry's guitar skills are unbelievable. Aerosmith has entertained fans for many years and they released their first album almost ten years before I was even born! They are currently working on their 15th studio album, slated for release next year.
Favorite song: Love In An Elevator

4. Queen

I would have liked to put this band lower on my list but I would feel that would not do the lower ones, that I have liked for longer, justice. That is not to take a single thing away from this terrific band. They have been a mainstay of pop culture and music for a very long time. Unfortunately their band is linked with another singer who left us too soon in Freddie Mercury. AIDS awareness was raised by his death, so it was not in vain. Hearing Mercury's voice with Brian May on guitar and Roger Taylor on drums is enough to make you pay attention. The band found new life with Paul Rodgers after Mercury's death and, from what I hear, will be producing a new album and will tour again in 2008!
Favorite song (with Mercury): Fat Bottomed Girls
Favorite song (with Rodgers): The Show Must Go On

3. Rascal Flatts

Here resides my country section of the Top 10. A major reason for my liking of this band is the fact that I was not the one to discover it for myself. An ex of mine turned me onto this band while we were dating and it has stuck with me ever since. They have released four major CDs in their years together and I could probably sing you every song off of every one. Gary, Jay, and Joe Don have grown with each album yet their overall sound has remained true to form. When you cannot pick one single song as your favorite (don't worry I will) because you are torn amongst ten, that says something about how much this band gets to you. Also, I have seen them in concert several times and have never been disappointed.
Favorite song: Waiting All My Life

2. Metallica

The band that defines heavy metal, it does not get much better than that. Hetfield's vocals are a definition and a staple of Metallica and it's fans. I grew up with this band as well, listening to the Black album in the backseat of my dad's car. "King Nothing" was constantly sung by my brother and I. This band has been through death, alcoholism, drugs, and new band mates and yet has survived to produce some of the greatest music ever written. The guitar solos are simply amazing to listen to and Lars on the drums always keeps the beat going in every song. I agree with Hock when he mentioned the "Mandatory Metallica" makes the band just that great.
Favorite song: King Nothing

1. Disturbed

They simply rock. Down to my core and those of their loyal and adoring fans. I have seen them live several times also and they never cease to amaze me, especially this last years performance at Cobo Arena in Detroit. This was shortly after the release of their latest album "Ten Thousand Fists" and the pyrotechnics, the lights, and the stage were absolutely fantastic. They got everyone on their feet, except maybe Kiznox, on every song. For those fans of the band you know there is nothing better than rockin' out to "Down With The Sickness" live and in living color, or even on your own at home. They are my favorite hard rock band and they continue to amaze me with every new CD.
Favorite song: Stupify

Honorable mention: 12 Stones, System of a Down, Green Day, Alice in Chains, ZZ Top