# If you could only hear one artist's or group's music for the rest of your life... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684 "2012-10-04T13:37:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/1 "2012-10-04T13:37:32Z")
…who would it be? For me, it has to be one of two groups: The Beatles or Pink Floyd. It’s a terribly tough call, but by a very narrow margin, the Floyd win. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/2 "2012-10-04T13:51:54Z")
The Berlin Philharmonic. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/3 "2012-10-04T13:58:34Z")
I’d try to go with a session artist who’s played with many other big name players so that I would get a little diversity. Or a big artist who has shared the stage with a lot of other artists. I’m a blues fan so Clapton would be an easy choice. Large body of work and a very large number of videos, recordings etc where he shares the stage with other big names. Add that to the fact that he’s been around forever and I get music flavored from the 60’s to present day. Another possibility is Derek Trucks who had his own successful band since 14, is noted for stepping into the big shoes left behind by Duane Allman in the Allman Brothers Band, was a touring member of Eric Clapton’s band , and presently is the lead guitar with the Tedeschi Trucks Band. So I get, Derek, Clapton, Allman Bros, and Susan Tedeschi’s voice which I love to hear. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/4 "2012-10-04T14:53:32Z")
Slayer!!! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/5 "2012-10-04T15:27:29Z")
There are several I’d tolerate but only one I’d never tire of. Led Zeppelin ---
**Author:** ![Tad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@Tad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tad)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/6 "2012-10-04T15:31:18Z")
Yeesh, this seems impossible to answer… At the moment I think I’d say Mickey Newbury. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/7 "2012-10-04T15:38:01Z")
Current 93. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/8 "2012-10-04T16:53:46Z")
Eagles. FTW. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/9 "2012-10-04T17:27:21Z")
Easy. Alice Cooper. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/10 "2012-10-04T17:40:59Z")
No question- Prince. Fortunately, he’s very prolific, so I wouldn’t have to listen to the same few songs over and over. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/11 "2012-10-04T19:24:40Z")
Ella Fitzgerald. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/12 "2012-10-04T19:29:50Z")
I’m torn between Prince or Sonic Youth. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/13 "2012-10-04T19:31:22Z")
Lynyrd Skynyrd ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/14 "2012-10-04T19:46:42Z")
There’s a number of bands that I really love but my favorite at any given time changes with my mood. If I were limited to only one band, it would need to be a band that had enough range to cover most of what I’d want to hear at any given moment, so that knocks out a lot of bands I love but tend to be a bit narrower, like mostly very heavy or very chill or certain lyrical content or very distinct sounds or whatever. I’d also want to choose a band that has a pretty extensive discography and, hopefully, is still active so it can grow. That leaves me with a relatively small number, and my current top favorite band, and long time loved in general, is in that, so I guess they’re probably the best I’d go with. So… Anathema. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/15 "2012-10-04T19:52:06Z")
If you include side projects, guest appearances and production credits, I’d probably go with Todd Rundgren. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/16 "2012-10-04T19:53:01Z")
I’d take Vienna Philharmonic over Berlin Philharmonic; so much of Berlin’s recorded output centres around Herbert Von Karajan, whereas with Vienna Phil., you get a much broader selection of conductors. If it’s composers, it’s a tough choice between J. S. Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, but I think I’d choose Beethoven because he has brilliant works in the Classical style, the Romantic style and the transition between the two. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/17 "2012-10-04T22:24:46Z")
For me, assuming I get to keep my bootleg collection and listen to them, Springsteen. Apart from loads of brilliant studio albums, I’ve got ~800 concerts, so I’d have plenty of listening available, and his performances are more varied than most other artists. ---
**Author:** ![Rubixcube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Rubixcube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubixcube)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/18 "2012-10-04T22:36:32Z")
The Grateful Dead. They’re not my favorite band, but they’re up there. Large and varied catalog of songs from multiple genres, and thousands of concerts, each of them unique. It’d take a lifetime to go through everything, and maybe a couple more before I got bored. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/19 "2012-10-04T22:49:34Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The Berlin Philharmonic. I came here to say exactly that. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684/20 "2012-10-04T23:07:16Z")
I would probably go with Warren Zevon. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-hear-one-artists-or-groups-music-for-the-rest-of-your-life/636684.md?page=2)