Greatest Band Ever

Got to say ELO would be in my top 3, good choice Dave! Don't Bring Me Down is one that gets turned up a few notches on the volume!

Best for me would be REM though.

For me it is Pink Floyd and always has been.

I have a broad range of musical taste but my interest in music was first kindled by my best mate's elder brother who introduced us to the likes of Floyd, Zeppelin and Free in our early days at Big School.

It was Meddle and the awesome Echoes in particular that first appealed. This remains my favourite piece of music to this day although I'd probably chose Dark Side as my desert island disc. Saw Floyd five times and the 1994 Earl's Court show ranks as the best concert I've ever seen.

As I write I'm listening to Easy Dub All Stars reggae version of Dark Side of the Moon. Not widely known but well worth seeking out!

Dave - I am afraid ELO don't do it for me at all! Early Roxy, Zep, Who, Ramones, Manics and more recently Guillemots and Shins would rank in my top ten.

The easy star all stars eh? great band, The radiodread album is also brilliant. I saw them live last summer they are a great live band.

For me, "Greatest Ever" would need to be applied to someone who brought a change to music and established that genre forever.

So I'm nominating Bob Marley................not the first reggae artist by any means; but the first World Famous one..........and a true world superstar with that!

I was introduced to his mentor Lee "Scratch" Perry some years ago during one of his visits to London by someone I had known for a while totally unaware that she was one of his 27 - yes, twenty seven; children...............I was only told that I should come round and meet "her dad" so unknowingly I stumbled in before the great man sitting there like Moses!

One of my all time favourites is Madness and I'm introducing Bijou to their unique form of entertainment in a couple of weeks time. Perhaps Crooky would care to tell you all how he beat Suggs at pool the next time he comes on here...................that was a bit of a surreal experience as well Crooky, eh?

I'm hoping they will be showcasing their new album out any day soon called"The Liberty Of Norton Folgate" and can't wait to see my partner's face when they take the stage as she is totally in the dark as to their existence!

UB40 have always "done it" for me too, as well as Eric Clapton, Annie Lennox and now the tragically self destructing Amy Whinehouse.
Oh, and for you oldies out there I caught Andy Fairweather Low on Radio London last week still banging 'em out at sixty plus and his voice has aged in a pleasurable sort of way!

I wouldn't want to be accused of pandering to the chief here, but ELO would be right up in my top 5 as well. It was a shame for me that I never got the chance to see them in their pomp, live anyway, but even going to see the remnants of the band, sans Jeff Lynne, a couple of years ago on one of the made-up 'reunion' tours was the best single live music event I have been to.

Apart from them, basing it solely on live performances, and ready to be ridiculed by all and sundry, my top 3 would be....

1. The Proclaimers (ridicule away)
2. Deacon Blue (more ridicule please)
3. Seth Lakeman (less ridicule, more violins and woolly jumpers)

The latter, a Yelverton product, is the single best thing to happen to folk music in years, and although not a band, per se, the group of musicians he brings together at live performances is more than most bands would ever have on stage.

Says the man who played us so much didgeridoo music on the way to Northern grounds that Romford Kev refused to get in your car one night unless you just put the radio on and left your hand off the cassette player!!

capitalgull, you can pander to me all you want to mate, what does old Merse know about music anyway, can you give some more information on the local folk band, where they play etc, you see I also love folk and Irish folk music as well.