Which bands/performers have the most unique/identifiable sound?
So, if anyone heard a random song by them (without singing) people would immediately be able to identify the band.
Santana
The Doors
The Who (70s Era)
Van Halen
Rush
Thoughts?
Replies to: Which bands/performers have the most unique/identifiable sound?
Steely Dan
Music still holds up. Unique jazzy rock sound.
Janice Joplin...Credence Clearwater...Crosby, Stills & Nash...Stones...Journey...
Elvis...oh, and let's not forget..."Alvin"
Credence for sure. That's a good one. Technically.....
I specified you had to omit vocals so, Janis or Elvis probably not on the list. Too easy to recognize iconic voices.
Mea Culpa...how about Foreigner?
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Link: https://youtu.be/cU3LMxbreI8
Foreigner, Journey, Survivor...all sort of blend together.
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Almost a 'genre'...agreed...but, you can definitely tell who's who w/in a few notes...
heck, 'Heavy Metal' is a genre, but you'll always be able to pick out Metallica.
My wife dated Lou Gramm(atico) when he was the lead singer for Black Sheep....
...they were a great band and played at all of the H.S. dances (Brighton/Pittsford, etc.)
When Foreigner was formed, they also played locally, mostly at bars. None of us were surprised when they "made it".
Rev On The Red Line by Foreigner
Runnin' all night on Lake Avenue
It's a piece of cake
If you know what to do
Lake Ave was the Main Drag from the city, north to Lake Ontario. Nothing but muscle cars..all night.
Impressive reference...wish I could have attended with my '67 GTO convertible ;-).
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Was it red? Beautiful machine that thumped when stopped for a light.
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Here it is (was)...
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One gorgeous ride. Loved the grill in that year.
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A genuine pleasure to drive...even in the snows of winter..."Posi-traction" rear end can be FUN ;-).
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Acceptable:-)
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One could argue that Lou Gramm's voice made a definable difference...thanks for the thread!
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There are no degrees of being unique.
The posts below are examples. They are all unique.
Maybe. Not sure it's true if you eliminate the vocals though (which I specified).
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Easy one for me. It gotta be Freddie Mercury. That crystal clear voice unlike any other rock stars.
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The Pretenders...
The Cars - the Stranglers - B-52’s - the Blow Monkeys - Journey - Yes - Kraftwerk
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Yes is a good one.
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Not to be a stuck up snob, but all of them have a distinct sound.
Most great bands are recognizable for their sound - Beatles, Black Sabbath, Zeppelin, Stones. Largely the lead vocals are what separates one band from another. ELP - ELO.
Mahavishnu Orchestra Is another band whose sound was very distinct.
Re: Not to be a stuck up snob, but all of them have a distinct sound.
Take the vocals out of it though. And I'm thinking more of a casual listener. For example, I bet someone could easily mistake Grand Illusion by Styx for Rush. But, there is absolutely no mistaking Santana for anyone else.
A band many of us forget is, INXS.
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Saw them open for Adam Ant in '83? '84? They stole the show.
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acdc
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Beat me 2 it.
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RHCP, Metallica, Bob Marley, Tom Petty, Chris Cornell's voice, there are a lot.
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If you omit the voice though.....
What if you only heard the music.
Those are good ones. Talking Heads is another.
Led Zeppelin is immediately identifiable.
Joe Cocker might have the most distinctive voice.
As long as you're going with Talking Heads we can probably add Devo.
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Beastie Boys
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are on the list somewhere.
Kick it!
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Good call on this one.
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The Cure
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New Order
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I like the Santana choice
Others I would consider:
Beck
Nine Inch Nails
Performer for me is Bob Dylan. Bands...I would go with The Cars
...and I think his singing sucks. He is a talented lyricist.
Re: Performer for me is Bob Dylan. Bands...I would go with The Cars
Cars is a good choice. Very identifiable.
The Doors, they only had one voice.
Santana's guitar would be 2nd
Yep. Easy to identify Santana.
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