# What exactly makes a group a "power trio" in your opinion? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 3, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600 "2023-01-03T20:00:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/41 "2023-01-04T02:11:08Z")
Beck, Bogart, and Appice certainly qualify. The Doors recorded two albums as a trio. Not their best, but there was some good music on the first one. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/42 "2023-01-04T02:15:13Z")
Yeah, I’m flexible, too. ELP would be a power trio to me. Sleater-Kinney (two guitars (no bass), drums) as well. Just three people playing loud rock music. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/43 "2023-01-04T02:53:56Z")
McDonald and Giles was a trio, with Ian McDonald on guitar, keyboards, and woodwinds; Michael Giles on percussion; and Peter Giles on bass. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/44 "2023-01-04T03:19:13Z")
Having seen Led Zeppelin, The Who, and Cheap Trick, none would be considered a power trio. Robert Plant and Roger Daltrey each played the harmonica on a number of songs, Daltrey also played rhythm guitar and the tambourine. Robin Zander played rhythm guitar on most of the songs. Brad Whitford also joined the band for about half their set the last time I saw them (opening for Aerosmith). As far as The Who, they also had at least 4 musicians playing behind the band including Simon Townsend (Pete’s brother) on guitar, a keyboardist, a gal on violin and a guy that played the sax and trumpet. Plus the no name drummer and bass player that Daltrey never recognized. Despite all those musicians, the keyboards for Won’t Get Fooled Again and Baba O’Riley were played from tape and not live musicians. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/45 "2023-01-04T03:23:30Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Beck, Bogart, and Appice certainly qualify. Worst live act I ever saw, bar none. Except for Black Oak Arkansas, who opened for them. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/46 "2023-01-04T06:32:40Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > How many ways Zeppelin split the take? > > How many ways did ZZ Top? I don’t think you want to know the answers to these questions, and they certainly won’t help in this discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/47 "2023-01-04T07:08:20Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > Plus the no name drummer and bass player that Daltrey never recognized. Surely you’re not referring to Ringo’s kid as a “no name drummer”. > **[Zak Starkey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zak_Starkey)** > > Zak Richard Starkey (born 13 September 1965) is an English rock drummer who has performed and recorded with the English rock band the Who since 1996. He is also the third drummer to have appeared with the English rock band Oasis. Other musicians and bands he has worked with include Johnny Marr, The Icicle Works, the Lightning Seeds, and The Semantics. Starkey is the son of the Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr. > Zak Richard Starkey was born on 13 September 1965, at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hos... ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/48 "2023-01-04T09:08:54Z")
The Jam seem like a perfect example of what is being described. For much of their (short) career they were purely a trio with some horns, strings and other elements later on. Drums, Bass and lead/vocal from Paul Weller was their most recognisable and iconic set-up though. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NRB4KBEy12Y/maxresdefault.jpg "The Jam - In The City - Top Of The Pops 19-05-1977") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRB4KBEy12Y) ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/49 "2023-01-04T09:23:13Z")
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvAnQqVJ3XQ) ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/50 "2023-01-04T11:45:34Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > … Power trio = guitar+bass+drums, no more, no less… > [@MrDibble](#): > > … It’s not hard - drums+electric bass+electric guitar. One or more of those 3 sing (or no-one does). That’s it. > > Upright bass? Not a PT. Acoustic guitar? Nope. Hell, if the drummer adds bongos, they’re no longer a power trio to me. This. (What about cowbells, though ?) > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > The number in the band shall be three. Four shall not be the number. Two is good, if the count doth continue to three. Five is right out (And this, too) > [@ZonexandScout](#): > > If a group is described as a string quartet, would you feel cheated if they showed up with two violins, a cello, and a singer? Definitely. However, it must be noted that **Schoenberg** ’s _String Quartet No. 2_ includes a soprano in the last two movements. It’s always felt gimmicky to me. We need a poll, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/51 "2023-01-04T13:23:21Z")
OP yet again. It looks like I’m in error, then. I’ve always used the term to describe the instrumentation or sound of a group, not as a numeration of band members. For example, I might refer to the church’s contemporary music worship group as a “power trio” even though they have two vocalists (i.e., they consist of an electric guitarist, electric bass player, and a drummer, along with two singers). Or I might say that a group has a “big sound” for a simple “power trio,” though they are actually a quartet with a non-instrumentalist vocalist. But I’m apparently in the minority re this. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/52 "2023-01-04T13:25:59Z")
George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers could seriously rock and have one song that’s used as shorthand for “badass” in films. Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is a trio. There was also the Presidents of the United States of America. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/53 "2023-01-04T13:26:46Z")
Has nobody mentioned The James Gang (original style) yet? ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/54 "2023-01-04T16:01:42Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Surely you’re not referring to Ringo’s kid as a “no name drummer”. Neither Daltrey or Townsend called out any of the other musicians that played with them the night I saw The Who in 2004. The only person I recognized was Pete’s brother Simon from something I had read previously. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2023, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/55 "2023-01-04T16:12:18Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > Neither Daltrey or Townsend called out any of the other musicians that played with them the night I saw The Who in 2004. I’ve seen them half a dozen times in the last ten years, and Pete always introduces the whole band. He also makes this huge destination about how Pino Palladio had the “impossible” task of replacing Entwistle, but how Zack had no such obstacle because he studied at the knee of Kieth Moon as a child. I think Pete is just trying to explain why their arrangements are different than the old records (the “fiddley” bits played on guitar rather than bass) but it comes off as a dig against Pino. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/56 "2023-01-05T08:53:04Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > I’ve always used the term to describe the instrumentation or sound of a group, not as a numeration of band members. If that were the case, the special category of “a power trio” would have no meaning, as the majority of musical acts would be included. I’ve been in a half-dozen bands. None had three members, but none had more than one guitar, bass, and drums each, plus a vocalist. So, as has been established, a power trio has three members making all of the noise. ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/57 "2023-01-05T09:10:29Z")
Surprised no one has mentioned Muse. They are frequently referred to as a power trio. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/58 "2023-01-05T11:04:25Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > Has nobody mentioned The James Gang (original style) yet? Am also surprised no one has mentioned [Triumph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_(band)). I have always assumed they chose that name because it has “Tri” in it (to signify three band members). At any rate, I’ve never cared for them. They perfected the 1980s “arena rock” sound, a genre which I despise. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/59 "2023-01-05T13:54:28Z")
FWIW I don’t consider band with a front man power trios. But then again I reserve Power Trio for bands like Rush, Triumph, Grand Funk Railroad. . . to me I think it means doing as much as possible with three people. In Triumph the bassist also plays keys and they all sing I think, In GFR the guitarists also plays organ, etc. It’s being a 3-piece that sounds bigger than a 3-piece. I think being excellent players also plays a role, but that’s very subjective. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600/60 "2023-01-05T15:03:25Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > If that were the case, the special category of “a power trio” would have no meaning, as the majority of musical acts would be included. I think “the majority” is overstating the case. I can think of lots more bands with four or more instrumentalists than with just three. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-makes-a-group-a-power-trio-in-your-opinion/977600.md?page=4)