Years ago I had a book that provided a short biography for many bands from the late 50s. At the top of every biography was a ‘classic line-up’. For some (e.g. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin or Queen) this is easily agreed upon. For others (The Rolling Stones, The Byrds, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd) the decision is not so apparent.
So my question is, can we agree on the most important line-up for all these bands with a revolving door policy of members?
Look Dad, No Tunes.
Floyd – with Gilmour
Stones – with Mick Taylor
Mac – I’d argue there are two classic Macs – one with Peter Green/Jeremy Spencer, then again with Stevie/Lindsey, completely different
Allman Bros – with Duane and Dicky
Soft Machine – Ratledge/Hopper/Wyatt/Dean
Caravan – with Dave Sinclair
Fairport – with Sandy
Stones – with Brian Jones
Indeed! See below….
I think they certainly did much of their best music with Taylor, but the first lineup has to be the definitive one and I also kind of agree with @Twang about 2 versions of F Mac, but my definitive line-up has Danny Kirwan in it.
1968-70: Peter Green / Mick Fleetwood / Jeremy Spencer / John McVie / Danny Kirwan
The definitive Fleetwood Mac line-up will always be Buckingham, Fleetwood McVie, McVie, Nicks for me.
Caravan need Richard Sinclair as well.
Floyd with Gilmour and Waters
Purple with Gillan and Blackmore
Yes with Anderson and Wakeman
Genesis with Gabriel
Marillion with Fish
Stones – with Taylor
Tull – TAAB era
The Genesis classic lu is Banks, Collins, Gabriel, Hackett, Rutherford
Genesis are still Genesis as long as Hackett is there.
Agree with all those Bargey.
Purple has to be Paice, Lord, Gillan, Glover, Blackmore.
Genesis post Gabriel was mainly rubbish except Wind and Wuthering.
Purple needs Gillan, Blackmore AND Lord.
There’s no Deep Purple I want to listen too without John Lord
Actually I am perfectly happy with Coverdale/Hughes and even, look away now, Bolin. “Come taste the band” is one of my favourite albums. 🤘
Blackmore’ll be busy in another classic line-up:
Blackmore, Dio, Powell, Bain, Carey.
Did Purple ever record an album as good as Rising? No, they didn’t. (And while we’re at it, Live On Stage is so better than Made In Japan.)
Never like the word “classic,” but I’ll go for the Stones with all the no. 1 singles, Syd’s Floyd, and, as it’s my favourite Fairport LP, the Judy Dyble line-up!
Ooh, that controversial! I’d go for Unhalfbricking line-up, but then I think you need Swarb in there and he was only a guest at the time. By the time of Liege and Lief you’re post-crash and so no Martin Lamble. The Unhalfbricking line-up it is.
Incidentally, I saw Judy Dyble a week or two ago as a guest singer at Daylight Music at Union Chapel. It was nice to see her on a small stage indoors for a change.
Floyd- with Gilmour & Waters
Yes – with Anderson, Bruford and Wakeman
Genesis – with Gabriel
Stones – with Brian Jones
Jethro Tull – as per Minstrel in the Gallery
VdGG – with Banton & Jackson (Godbluff line-up)
I agree with Twang regarding Fleetwood Mac – two classic lines-up
Fairport – the Unhalfbricking line-up
Gong – tough one but, on balance, the Gnome Trilogy line-up…a good argument could be made for the Camembert line-up…..
There’s not a consistent Gong lineup for the entire Radio Gnome trilogy.
Francis Moze on bass and Laurie Allen on drums for Flying Teapot, and Steve Hillage only on some of it, with Christian Tritsch still present from the Camembert Electrique lineup on the rest.
The classic (for me) lineup is from the last two of the trilogy, Angel’s Egg and You.
i.e. Mike Howlett – bass, Pierre Moerlen – drums, Mireille Bauer – percussion, Tim Blake – synths, Steve Hillage & Daevid Allen – guitars, Didier Malherbe – saxes & flutes and Gilli.
Classic King Crimson:
Three possible contenders here.
1) Giles, Lake, McDonald & Fripp
2) Bruford & Muir, Wetton, Cross, Fripp
3) Bruford & Mastellotto, Levin & Gunn, Belew & Fripp
Re: Gong – completely agree, took my eye off the ball for a minute….the Angel’s Egg/You line-up has it…
Here’s a conundrum…Roxy. With Eno or not? Which one of the many bassists (apart from Gary Tibbs, obvs)?. The core members are easy enough – Ferry, MacKay, Manzanera, TGPT. Any thoughts on the ‘classic’ addition(s)?
Tricky…
On balance, the Eno/Rik Kenton line-up, I think…..
I’m in the “with” camp
Absolutely. With, definitely.
Apropos of Tibbs:
Ant/Marco/Mooney/Miall/Merrick.
Though I do love the Dirk WWS line-up.
The band with John Gustafson and Eddie Jobson was brilliant. It lasted three albums and many tours. Sure, by Siren the songs were getting weaker but that band was magnificent. Just listen to The Thrill Of It All or any of Stranded if you don’t believe me. Even Eno thought they were better than when he was in the band.
I agree. Eno is interesting as an agitator but BF wanted musicianship by then which he wasn’t going to get from Eno.
I believe you, Tiggs…my favourite Roxy LP is actually Country Life….but I still think the “classic” line-up has Eno in it…
Fairport “with Sandy”: so is that the early iteration or the later 2nd helping.?The problem is that the classic line-up (for L&L, obviously) lasted but one album, as I think Mattacks and Hutchings is as much of a given as RT and Sandy. Swarb also was only a guest until L&L. Dave Pegg is a better bassist but less melodic, so the 2nd helping, with Sandy and Mattacks was great, but no RT present, even if Jerry Donaghue was.
My point? Actually, the best Fairport line-ups are the ad-hoc Cropredy reunions when all those living get a shout. Which is still no Sandy.
Family – Chapman, Whitney, Grech, King, Townsend.
The Housemartins – Cook, Heaton, Cullimore, Whittaker.
Plastic Ono Band – Lennon, Voorman, Ringo
Kraftwerk…. are you kidding me?
New Order – Sumner, Hook, Gilbert, Morris
The Revolution – Wendy, Lisa, Brownmark, Dr. Fink, Bobby Z, PRN
To be fair, that IS the Revolution. Other bands the little feller had run them close (the NPG I saw – Mr Hayes, Barbarella, Seacer Jr, Bland, T, Mayte. But wish I’d seen the Revolution.
There was actually an earlier iteration of The Rev, with Dez Dickerson on guitar. Dickerson left after the 1999 tour, and Wendy replaced him and began her tenure on the legendary First Avenue show on August 3rd 1983 which more or less provided the soundtrack to Purple Rain.
I saw that version of the NPG and also the earlier one with the incomparable Rosie Gaines. I’ve got a ticket to see The Revolution in February – there’ll be a huge P-shaped hole, but still, I can’t wait!
Iron Maiden – Dickinson, Harris, Murray, Smith and McBrain
After a brief flirtation with Bayley, now all present and correct – with added Gers
Marillion – with Fish
When oh when are Hot Chip going to have him as a guest vocalist?
Black Sabbath – Ozzy, Geezer, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward
Manics – Richey-less
Controversial. Where do you stand on Suede? Butler or Oakes?
Butler.
Mr Oakes felt like a carbon copy, and took a while to become Richard Oakes on guitar
A fair comment. I was eight when Bernard Butler left/Richard Oakes joined so it generally passed me by at the time.
Crimson – a tough choice, but I would go for the Larks’ Tongues line up
As you say, a tough choice and an argument could be made for a number of the other lines-up…..but on balance, I’d go for the Starless & Bible Black quartet rather than the preceding quintet….
I’d go one subtractive step further, and go for the Red “power trio” lineup.
I nearly did the same (reductionist route to classic lineup) but, in the end, the Starless box swayed me….more light and shade than with the power trio….
The majority of Starless And Bible Black was recorded live. Two contemporaneous live sets that show the quartet to very good effect are:
“The Great Deceiver (Live 1973-1974)” A big 4 CD box with book (later reissued as 2 double CDs) covers 6 different gigs (Glasgow Apollo, Zurich Volkshaus, Toronto Massey Hall, Pittsburg Stanley Warner Theatre, Penn State University and Providence Palace Theatre) in 8 months, in varying amounts of detail.
Parts of some of these recordings were used in “Starless And Bible Black”, namely “The Mincer” (with studio overdubs, taken from the Zurich gig) and “We’ll Let You Know” (taken from the Glasgow Apollo gig).
“The Nightwatch (Live At The Amsterdam Concertgebouw November 23rd 1973)” is a double CD taken from that performance, some of which was also used for Starless And Bible Black. Some studio overdubs were added to “Fracture” and most of “The Night Watch” had to be re-recorded when one of the mellotrons went into meltdown and wrecked it’s own and several adjoining tracks of the live multitrack recording. “The Great Deceiver” and “Lament” on SABB were later studio recordings.
A lot of this live material seems to have been duplicated on the recent “Starless” enormo-box. But there appear to be a few gaps, from the “Great Deceiver” set at any rate.
Thanks, Mike…but I’ve been a Crimson obsessive for years and have all of the above….
Can with Damo. Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi and Future Days.
Listen to Neela on this one.
AC/DC – Bon or Brian?
Bon for me, plus Young, Young, Williams & Rudd
The Clash with Topper
Teeth, Animal, Pepper, Lips, Zoot
Fairbrass, Fairbrass, Manzoni
Corr, Corr, Corr, Corr
not forgetting Janice
I don’t wish to alarm you Joe, but you seem to be turning into Kenneth Connor.
Hewson, Evans, Clayton, Mullen jr
The Who – Townshend, Daltrey, Entwistle and Moon
Uh?
The Beatles – Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Starr
The Band – Robertson, Helm, Danko, Hudson, Manuel
Cream – Clapton, Baker, Bruce
Pet Shop Boys – Tennant, Lowe
….what a horrible man I am.
Well, that Who line up lasted about 14 years. They have continued (off and on) for the subsequent 40 years (so far)
Oh come on (he says, horribleness unabated), the only other proper member of Th’oo there has ever been is Kenney Jones. With the greatest of respect, someone like Zac Starkey is no more a “member” of that band than David Renwick is a member of Pink Floyd.
Now if you’ll pardon me, these kittens won’t drop-kick themselves.
Tim not David Renwick surely.
Can’t see a TV writer being much use.
I have also been told that David Renwick was in Pink Floyd…but I don’t believe it!
Ha ha! Yes.
“The lunatic is in the hall…. Iiiii don’t believe it!”
“We don’t need no / Mrs Warboys” etc
My point was that the current version have no right calling themselves The Who, they should call themselves Townshend and Daltrey or something, but they would be playing much smaller venues
My point is that I will not pass up any excuse, however flimsy, to be a pedantic twerp.
Clearly Daltrey and Townsend are core Who. It’s tricky when a band have continued. Oddly, I’ve just been watching the RHA concert from 2000 and it’s the Who even though Moon isn’t there…so Entwhistle then goes…I think it’s still the Who. I’ve said this before, but they have lost two members and the Stones have lost two members – the Beatles have also lost two members, but I really don’t think Paul and Bongo can go out as the Fabs….
Neither The Stones or The Who lost main songwriters or singers. But the Stones retain more credibility for me as of the 4 original members who are still alive, 3 are still in the band and the other one retired (from Stones duty) and was never (officially) replaced.
The Beatles – Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, White
Cilla Black thumped tubs for the Mop Tops?
No, it was Meg White. Doing well for a lass of minus 10.
Or Lennon, Macca, Harrison, Sutcliffe, Best.
Brady, Hindley, Sutcliffe, West
Literally a line-up: Keaton, McManus, Hockney, Fenster and Verbal/Soze.
Biggs, Vicious, Cook, Jones.
Oh I feel soiled.
Again?
The Damned
Algy Ward played on their best album (Machine Gun Etiquette), and Roman Jugg and Bryn Merrick (but not CaptainSensible) were there for the most successful period
The classic line-up would be: Vanian, Sensible, Scabies, Gray
Nah….
James, Vanian, Sensible, Scabies, surely…..
Hay, Ham, Stryker, Speiser and Rees: generally recognised as the definitive Men at Work line up
But who is in the line up for next years 30 year shows?
In other words, who can it be now?
Dr Feelgood:
The Wilko Period
(TMFTL)
Oh, yes….
Lynott, Gorham, Robertson, Downey
Oh, my word but yessss….
IMO, Lizzy needs at least one Irish guitarist to be classic. So either Eric or Gary.
Gary in Skid Row, shirley? Along with the Brush and Noel Bridgeman.
Classic Lizzy was the Bell/Lynott/Downey trio, IMO. The quartet was good but rather generic.
That is the “classic” lineup, but Lynott, Downey & Bell made some great music, too. It’s a tie for me.
Fuego, Dennis, Grigson, Webb
Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb. . .
Don, Dave, Jim & Noddy.
The Polyphonic Spree
Tim DeLaughter – lead vocals, guitar, piano
Mark Pirro – bass
Jessica Jordan – backing vocals
Jenny Kirtland – backing vocals
Kristin Hardin – backing vocals
Elizabeth Evans – backing vocals
Julie Doyle – backing vocals
Natalie Young – backing vocals
Jason Garner – drums
Bach Norwood – piano, keyboards, backing vocals
Rachel Woolf – flute
Allen Halas – percussion
Evan Weiss – trumpet
Paul Deemer – trombone
Mike St.Clair – trombone, synth effects
Heather Test – French horn
Sean Redman – violin, mandolin
Kelly Test – percussion
Victoria Arellano – classical harp
Nick Earl – guitar
Darin Hieb – trumpet, backing vocals
Ryan Fitzgerald – guitar, backing vocals
Though on second thoughts… maybe some of these too…
Cory Helms – guitar, backing vocals
Chris Curiel – trumpet[26]
Jay Jennings – trumpet
Tamara Brown – violin
Elizabeth Brown – backing vocals
Apotsala Wilson – backing vocals
Rick G. Nelson – viola
Audrey Easley – flute, piccolo, EWI
Nick Groesch – piano, keyboards
Keith Hendricks – percussion
Evan Hisey – keyboards
Japhy Ryder – floristry
Dylan Silvers – guitar
Annie Clark – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Regina Chellew – guitar, trumpet, backing vocals
Daniel Hart – violin
John Lamonica – percussion
Stuart “Peebs” Peebles – piccolo
Marcus Lopez – percussion
Matt Bricker – trumpet, synth effects
Taylor Young – percussion
Joe Butcher – steel
Evan Jacobs – piano, keyboards
Todd Berridge – viola
Joseph Singleton – viola
Timothy Blowers – harp
Anthony Richards – steel drums
Louis Schwadron – French horn
Andrew Tinker – French horn
Nick Wlodarczyk – trombone
Paul Gaughran – flute
Brian Teasley – percussion
Corn Mo – backing vocals
James Reimer – trombone
Davey ‘Crabsticks’ Trotter – Mellotron
Toby Halbrooks – theremin
Jason Rees – backing vocals
Merritt Lota – steel drums
Frank Benjaminsen – backing vocals
Mark Beardsworth – claviola
Stephanie Dolph – backing vocals
Jennifer Jobe – backing vocals
Isabelo Cruz – french horn
Kelly Repka – backing vocals
Jason Rees – backing vocals
Jeneffa Soldatic – backing vocals
Michael Turner – backing vocals
Michael Musick – backing vocals
Melissa Crutchfield – backing vocals
Sandra Powers Giasson – backing vocals
Daniel Huffman – guitar
Bryan Wakeland – drums
Josh David Jordan – backing vocals
Jared Pechonis – theremin
Jenelle Valencia – violin
Roy Thomas Ivy – backing vocals
Jamey Welch – backing vocals
Hayley McCarthy – viola
Christine Bolon – backing vocals
Dave Dusters – percussion, backing vocals
Billy Mills-Curran – flute
Logan Keese – trumpet
Ricky Rasura – classical harp
Paul Jones – follower
Gary Jones – follower
Brilliant Mr Moles! I laughed out loud!
And just to broaden this all out, how about Mystery Inc?
Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Velma and Scooby.
Once Scrappy Doo made an appearance, the writing was on the wall.
From Doo to Who!
Classic line-up is David Tennant and Rose Tyler!
I was gonna say the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra but you’ve basically done the same joke here.
The Karajan line-up of “68, since you ask – before drugs and, like, bad vibes caused heavy scenes that split the band, maaan.
Smith Hanley Smith Scanlon Wolstencroft Burns Rogers…possibly but then again who can say.
Or:
Smith, Yer granny on bongos
The two-drummers No Bulbs line-up for me. But then I’ve only heard about 19 of 56 line-ups.
This’ll raise a hackle…..
Wilson, D, Wilson, C, Jardine, A, Love, M, Fataar,R, Chaplin, B and (back in the studio/not on tour) Wilson, B
Wilco: current lineup have really come into their own:
Tweedy
Stirratt
Kotche
Cline
Jorgenson
Sansone
Plus, of course, the Ramones. Classic lineup for me is:
Ramone
Ramone
Ramone
Ramone : )
I’m not so sure (about Wilco). The last few albums have been disappointing (Star Wars, Schmilco barely registered chez Firefly). I’m beginning to think the Jay Bennett years were the best. But hope springs eternal.
As for the Ramones, what a gifted, if funny looking, family!
Current Wilco line up is definitive. They made great music before it, but as a live act Nels Cline took them to a new level. And the last few albums are actually very good, if somewhat low key (and Jeff’s solo album is out today!)
What Dai says, for me. The albums may be patchy/downbeat/too challenging (delete to taste) but live this incarnation is unstoppable. Saw them last year in Brixton, after a horrible day/journey, ready for disappointment, and they blew me away.
I never saw them with Jay B, but live they are incredible and I agree that Nels has made a huge difference. Current best band in the world? They must be up there.
Little Feat with Barrere, Gradney and Clayton.
Plus Lowell, surely?
He was always there. Also Billy and Ritchie.
Barrere, Gradney and Clayton were in the reformed Little Feat with Craig Fuller from 1987, with Hayward and Payne as well.
I didn’t think I needed to clarify Lowell over Craig Lee!
Rossi, Parfitt, Coghlan, Lancaster
Eldritch, Adams, Marx, Gunn
Fletcher
Gahan
Gore
Wilder
This was the line-up during their imperial phase. Earlier and later line-ups are still very, very good – but we miss Alan Wilder and wish he was still involved.
Martin Gore said that at one point (mid 80’s) Vince Clarke was sort-of asking him if he could come back into Depeche Mode. By then, they had progressed so far away from the binky bonk stuff that the very thought was ridiculous.
Must have been after the split with Alf. Difficult to believe that he felt he was on his uppers, but then fate played the straight man and Andy Bell arrived.
…perhaps I’d better rephrase that…
Dirk, Nasty, Stig and Barry
Steely Dan with Skunk or without? I can’t decide but if pushed I could never do without the mid period stuff (Katy Lied, Royal Scam). Ask me next week and I’ll say something else probably….
The Doobies without Michael McDonald
The Eagles with Bernie Leadon
The James Gang with Joe Walsh
Humble Pie with Peter Frampton
Mahavishnu with Cobham, Hammer, Goodman, Laird
I don’t think there’s any such thing as a classic Steely Dan lineup, although I suppose at least the same 5 names appeared on the covers of the first 3 albums. Supposedly the classic lineup is Becker, Fagen, Baxter, Dias and Hodder, David Palmer having been dropped before Countdown To Ecstasy started recording.
Even on Can’t Buy A Thrill, band members were augmented or substituted as individual songs demanded. Elliot Randall for extra-whizzy guitar solos (Kings, Reelin’ In The Years) and Victor Feldman on percussion (Do It Again, Only A Fool Would Say That). The versatile Mr. Feldman continued to be drafted in for studio work right to the end, on percussion, drums and piano.
On Countdown.. Ray Brown was drafted in to play string bass on Razor Boy and Rick Derringer to play slide guitar on Showbiz Kids.
On Pretzel Logic the seeds of dissolution are sown. We get both Jim Gordon and Jeff Porcaro on drums for Parker’s Band, Michael Omartian’s piano on Rikki Don’t Lose That Number, Chuck Rainey’s bass on Any Major Dude and Dean Parks’ banjo on East St. Louis Toodle-Oo.
Jeff Porcaro was hired about then as their touring second drummer. Soon to be their only touring drummer. “Skunk” Baxter also parted ways.
By 1975 and Katy Lied, Becker & Fagen no longer had a band, as such, or a manager. Just Denny Dias and producer Gary Katz remained of the original Dan family. Denny Dias still made occasional studio contributions, right up until Aja, but was absent from Gaucho. After that album, Steely Dan ceased to exist as a recording entity for the next 20 years.
Mcguinn Clark Clarke Hillman Crosby
Reed Cale Tucker Morrison (Nico)
Baby, Scary, Sporty, Ginger and Posh
Smith, Gallup, Thompson, Williams, O’Donnell, Tolhurst on ‘other instrument’.
Morrissey, Whyte, Boorer, Day, Cobrin.
Hank, Bruce, Jet, Tony.
Emerson, Lake, Palmer.
Have I got this right?
But where do you stand on CSNY?
Another divider. I’d take this version of the Burrito’s over Gram’s, overall: Hillman, Roberts, Leadon, Kleinow, Clark.
Yet I’d still have the original Byrds: McGuinn, Hillman, Clark, Crosby, Clarke.
Gram would just have to be in the best line-up of Gram, basically him, Emmylou and what would become her Hot Band.
McLennan, Forster, Morrison, Brown, Willsteed,
Buena, Buchanan and Donaghy, or Buena, Buchanan and Range? Pre-revolving door, of course.
Matt, Luke, Ken.
Singleton, Purves, Noakes.
Robertson, Boyd, Hanley.
Cant and Benjamin or Griffiths and Arthur or Harris and Chell
Harris and Chell are essential. He was a stoner addicted to jazz fusion: she was a shimmering sex goddess, essentially Stacia with clothes.
Ball and Cohen on the fringes of must have classic lineup
Younger readers* may need to be reassured that we are talking about Fred Harris rather than Rolf.
*as if !
Dear old Fred… clearing out the Play School dressing rooms with his musical choices ie. sheets of skronk.
” she was a shimmering sex goddess, essentially Stacia with clothes.” Brilliant. You have a way with words, Moose!
I just say what I see, guvnor.
You are Roy Walker, and I claim my 5 quid
It’s a right answer, but it’s not good.
`Legs’ Larry Smith on drums
Sam Spoons on rhythm pole
Vernon Dudley Bohay-Nowell on bass guitar
Neil Innes on piano
Rodney Slater on saxophone
Roger Ruskin Spear on tenor sax
Vivian Stanshall on trumpet
John Wayne on xylophone
Robert Morley on guitar
Billy Butlin on spoons
Adolf Hitler on vibes
Princess Anne on sousaphone
Liberace on clarinet
Garner “Ted” Armstrong on vocals
Lord Snooty and his pals tap dancing
Harold Wilson on violin
Franklin McCormack on harmonica
Eric Clapton on ukulele
Sir Kenneth Clark on bass sax
Sessions gorilla on vox humana
Incredible Shrinking Man on euphonium
Peter Scott on duck call
Casanova on horn
General de Gaulle on accordion
Roy Rogers on Trigger
Wild Man of Borneo on bongos
Count Basie Orchestra on triangle
The Rawlinsons on trombone
Dan Druff on harp
Quasimodo on bells
Brainiac on banjo
Val Doonican as himself
Max Jaffa
Zebra Kid and Horace Batchelor on percussioN
McAloon, McAloon, Smith, Conti
Banks, Cohen, Wilson, Stiles, Charlton, Moore, Ball, Charlton, Peters, Hunt, Hurst
Hagerty F., Hagerty R., Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Dobson, Crapper, Dewhurst, MacIntyre, Treadmore and Davitt
‘Asquith. Asquith, Asquith, Asquith!’
Cave, Ellis, Bargeld, Savage, Casey, Harvey, Wyder, Sciavunos
Marriott, Lane, Jones, McLagan.
equalled by Stewart, Wood, Lane, Jones, McLagen
Same band, but not
Mutya, Keisha, Heidi
I made reference to the ‘babes up there somewhere. Either these or the original three with Siobhan.
Sorry @Black-Type.
Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Sutcliffe, Best.
Ahem…I referenced this line-up some way up there.
Wot, no Berry, Buck, Mills and Stipe?
Is this a new conspiracy not to read my comments? Asking for a friend…
Hi @black-type Is this a reference to my R.E.M. line-up? I checked (and have just re-checked) “Berry” – nothing and have just checked “Buck”, “R.E.M.” and “REM” – again, nothing.
You weren’t being cunning, were you, by referring to them as the ITEOTWAWKI(AIFF)*-hitmakers?
* It’s The End….&c.
No, not you, Pajp, the two immediately above 😉
We don’t need a “new” conspiracy…
All we want is life beyooooooond the Thunderdome.
(sorry, force of habit)
Titchmarsh, Dimmock, Walsh
I feel duty bound, as (I think) no-one else mentioned ‘em to point out that, when asked for a band which has had multiple line ups but one is indisputably definitive, I reach for
Kilmister, Taylor, Clarke.
Also, to throw a little petrol on things, is it possible to make a decision between the “classic” JBs and the Bootsified second classic JBs?
Dallin, Woodward, Fahey
Frame, Ross, Ruffy, Owens
Scott, Wallinger, Hutchison, Thistlethwaite, Wickham, Ruffy (again)
Collins, Kirk, McClymont, Daly
Fonder of the Ross, Manyika era myself but the original line up was clearly the classic line up.
Lee, Lifeson, Peart.
Stumpy-Pepys, St Hubbins, Tufnel Smalls.
But Mr Steady –
You appear to have omitted Viv Savage on the organ (“Have a good time … all the time”).
Ah but. I prefer my rock without keyboards.
( Actually I forgot, but I don’t think Viv was in the band at the time as Eric.)
George, Bungle, Zippy and Geoffrey. Rod, Jane and Freddy were only there for the reflected glory and easy sex.
Fleagle, Bingo, Drooper, Snork
Burgess, Fielding, Smithies, Lever.
Burgess, Blunt, Philby, Maclean
Cairncross?
Burgess, Collins, Burgess, Brookes, Blunt
Replace second Burgess with Baker. One of those old guilds, anyroad up.
The Doctor, Harry Sullivan, Sarah Jane Smith.
Mary and Mungo…Midge was a dick.
Midge’s lift-indicator-watching technique left a lot to be desired.
It meant nothing to him
The feeling has gone only Mungo and I
Starchild, Demon, Cat, Spaceman
Big Ted, Little Ted, Humpty, Hamble, Jemima
Me and my mate Spenny actually had a conversation about what instruments this lot would play if they were a band. Humpty on drums, obvs – he even has a drummer’s disastrous haircut: Little Ted the diminutive Angus Young-style lead guitarist: Jemima a hard-rocking Grace Slick style singer: Hamble studious at the synthesizers: Big Ted on ruminative bass.
I’m still thinking about Carol Chell though. Ohhhh, leave me be, you Jezebel!
Jemima would be a Stacia-esque stage dancer.
Hamble has a passing likeness to Sharon Osbourne ,- she’d be at the side of the stage swearing at the promoter (her dad would be so proud)
Hamble is actually not unlike the young Linda Ronstadt, I’ve gone weird now. Linda, Carol, Hamble, Stacia, none of you are safe.
Fred Harris had to put up with them messing around.
Jemima actually looks like Kim Joy, a woman who recently came close to ending my marriage even though I’ve never met her.
Richards, Storm, Storm, Grimm
Xavier, Summers, Drake, Worthington, McCoy, Grey, Howlett
Summers, Rosenberg, Harris, Giles.
Dangermouse, Penfold, Colonel K, Baron, Stiletto Mafiosa, Leatherhead, Nero, Isambard Sinclair.
Crikey!
Big Bird, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Kermit, Oscar, Telly, Elmo, Prairie Dawn, Grover, Harry, Vincent Twice Vincent Twice, Sherlock Hemlock, Dickie Tick, Cookie Monster, Guy Smiley, The Count, Simon Soundman, Bert & Ernie.
Harry, Edna, Ralph
Steve Zodiac, Doc Venus, Matthew Matic, Robert the Robot
Scott, Virgil, Alan,Gordon, John
Troy, Phones, Marina
Harmony, Melody, Rhapsody, Symphony
Larry Dart, Husky, Slim, Gabbler, Maria, Professor Hegarty.
Read this if you don’t believe me!
https://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Patrol_(clár_teilifíse_Briotanach)
And then please tell me what language it is in!
Read to the bottom of the page, yer lazy get!
(Signed, someone who is still traumatised from a childhood spent reading hundreds of pages of this stuff, and none of it on the subject of Gerry Anderson’s tv shows)
Ben Dover, Trish, ‘Chelle, Jade, Felicity.
Harry, Spike, Peter.
Michael Bentine was – sorry – the Pete Best of the Goons.
Ena, Violet, Minnie.
Now we are talking!
Partridge, Moulding, Gregory, Chambers
Nuff Said
Is that the English Settlement line-up? If so, I concur
ES was the last album Terry Chambers made with XTC and it’s a corker
Lyttleton, Rushton, Cryer, Garden, Brooke-Taylor.
In the same way that Genesis stopped being any good when Hackett left, ISIHAC was rubbish after we lost Humph.
It didn’t help when they went all PC and stopped the Samantha segments being sexist which was completely missing the point.
Have we done Yes yet? If I know the Afterword demographic well enough and (good natured chuckle) I think I do…
It’s got to be the Owner of a Lonely Heart lineup. That’s when they really hit their straps I think.
So without Bruford and Howe? Choose between Kaye (The Yes Album) and Wakeman (Close To The Edge) for keyboards. The OOALH line-up might get third place at best.
Thanks Declan – it was one of my little jokes. The OOALH era brings many Yes fans out in hives.
Damn’ right…enormous swollen pustulent itchy hives…my contempt for the single and the LP knows no (cont’d page 94)….
Dit and indeed oh.
What on Earth’s wrong with you lot? OOALH is just fine, and danceable too. And that lift of key at the end, exhilarating. IMHO.
Danceable Yes….um….
Seriously, good on ‘em for having a hit…but I’ve always struggled a bit with Trevor Rabin’s playing…never quite got my head around that particular band lineup…
I can’t stand the vile 80s Trevor Horn production. Sounds like Frankie does prog.
Ballad of 32, anyone?
Hi BC ….see waaayyy above, Bargie & me almost agreeing (I specify a drummer and he doesn’t…)
Moran, Bailey, Greig.
Captain Beefheart, Zoot Horn Rollo, Winged Eel Fingerling, Rockette Morton, Drumbo.
Miles Davis, Pete Cosey, Reggie Lucas, Dominique Gaumont, Michael Henderson, Al Foster, Mtume, Sonny Fortune (sax) or Dave Liebman (flute).
That fabulous Miles band was actually a septet with Gaumont as visitor. Still a good call Mike.
PS You need this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-Tokyo-1975-Miles-Davis/dp/B01AXLKR94/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1543626088&sr=8-2&keywords=miles+davis+tokyo+1975
Knightley and Beer. No Sawyer.
Gallagher, Gallagher, Arthurs, McGuigan, White
Gallagher, McAvoy, Martin, de’Ath.
Gallagher, Charles, Watt-Roy, Turnbull, Payne, Jankel. O, and that singer, wossisname from the Kilburns.
Parsons, Nimmo, Freud, Jones, and Williams.
I like Just a Minute because the usual BBC panel game witterati -(about a dozen people) don’t necessarily thrive on the show. Some politicans can be good because they can instantly talk confidently about anything. They don’t need to banter for their supper, they can merely be good at the game.
I suppose it has to be the Europe ’72 one-drummer line-up:
Garcia, Weir, Lesh, McKernan, Godchaux K., Godchaux D.J., Kreutzmann