# Best Band Ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 19, 2014, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-ever/705054 "2014-11-19T07:32:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-ever/705054/101 "2014-11-21T19:43:38Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > We’ve had the ability to change the default settings to 200 posts per page for nearly a decade. Why is anybody using anything else? In my case, because it’s a pain in the neck to scroll up and down that far. 50 posts per page works for me. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-ever/705054/102 "2014-11-21T19:44:35Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > We’ve had the ability to change the default settings to 200 posts per page for nearly a decade. Why is anybody using anything else? I found your post on page 100. I believe each post deserves its own page. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-ever/705054/103 "2014-11-21T22:52:08Z")
I love ABBA and The Beatles… but Queen has got to be in the mix. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-ever/705054/104 "2014-11-21T23:22:22Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > ABBA was though, the first European, non-British band to really hit it big. They were billed as “Sweden’s greatest export”. > > Really up to that time there was US bands and British bands and still largely is except for Australia’s greatest band “The Wiggles”. You seem strangely unfamiliar with **AC\DC**. At least according Wiki, they rank 11th in total record sales, 3 slots ahead of ABBA. Of course they have the advantage of dragging their rotting carcasses into the studio and out tour still. I assume these lists adjust sales for inflation? ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-ever/705054/105 "2014-11-22T02:19:10Z")
Just speaking in terms of bands with ridiculous amounts of talent… Miles Davis had some amazing bands, like the lineup for _Kind of Blue_ (Miles, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb)… in blues, there’s Muddy Waters’ band of the early 1950s (Muddy, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Elgin Evans, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon). Rock, of course, has been saddled with plenty of top-heavy supergroups, many of which added up to less than the sum of their parts. I would put in a vote for Derek & the Dominos as a group consisting entirely of top-notch musicians that really worked. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-ever/705054/106 "2014-11-22T12:38:36Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > Just speaking in terms of bands with ridiculous amounts of talent… Miles Davis had some amazing bands, like the lineup for _Kind of Blue_ (Miles, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb)… in blues, there’s Muddy Waters’ band of the early 1950s (Muddy, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Elgin Evans, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon). Rock, of course, has been saddled with plenty of top-heavy supergroups, many of which added up to less than the sum of their parts. I would put in a vote for Derek & the Dominos as a group consisting entirely of top-notch musicians that really worked. Hey, out of deference to **JoW** , let’s try to play this his way. So: what band _should_ held in the upper pantheon (not just best; open it up a bit?), but isn’t, arguably because their style of music, instrumentation, songs, personas, etc. didn’t appeal to the mainstream? **Jack of Words** nominates ABBA. Actually a great choice; I can’t think of a musician friend who doesn’t respect their songs, longevity, but perhaps most, their incredibly durable melodic hooks. Rock solid and they stick in your head forever. I guess I would offer **Donna Summer** and **Madonna**. Summer’s songs didn’t have much weight, but damn, who cared? Incredible voice, songs, arrangements and a great string of them. As for Madonna, she has songs with gravity, brilliant songwriting and career management, but her persona, her persistent female gaze and use of sexuality and, frankly, her thin-sounding voice, I think, have kept her valued as an Entertainer more than an Artist. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-ever/705054/107 "2014-11-22T13:03:50Z")
How can you mention Madonna and not give Cyndi Lauper a nod?! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-ever/705054/108 "2014-11-22T13:14:43Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > How can you mention Madonna and not give Cyndi Lauper a nod?! I think Cyndi got in the own way of her career more than anything. Brilliant talent, but very difficult to work with. If she had the persona-management focus of Madonna, she would’ve way huger, no question - I don’t think The Man would’ve kept her down 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-band-ever/705054.md?page=5)