Your Top 10 UK Bands of All time

Having recently seen the movie, Bohemian Rhapsody and the doco on Freddy Mercury got me asking myself who are my top 10 UK bands of all time, NOT the definitive top bands, but my top 10. Here goes:

1. The Beatles - tick every box
2. Queen - first band I ever saw live (Festival Hall, 1976), and still the best live band
3. Coldplay - has been my favourite band for the past decade, and have seen them live twice.
4. Rolling Stones - longevity sets them apart
5. Dire Straits
6. Moody Blues
7. Police
8. Pink Floyd
9. Roxy Music
10. T-Rex

Apologies to The Cure, Oasis & Simple Minds

What's yours?
 

yoodooright

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1) Radiohead - the GOAT
2) The Beatles - Indisputable, also lumping in Ram by Paul & Linda McCartney. White album is my favorite.
3) Massive Attack - best of Bristol sound
4) The Wedding Present - Seamonsters is possibly the greatest breakup album ever
5) Joy Division/New Order - Hate to lump them together: but for the sake of brevity
6) Portishead - 2nd best of Bristol sound
6) Rolling Stones
7) Queen
8) Spiritualized
9) The Kinks
10) Pink Floyd

Also like OP's list
 
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Jethro Tull-25 albums worth from 1968-84. Non album collection is as good as album collection
Gentle Giant-1970-80. Busy, catchy, complex
Camel-1973-81. Mellow, smart prog
Oblivion Express-1970-77. Jazz based
Van Der Graaf-1968-78. Darker prog
Genesis-1970-80. Light and dark
Caravan-1970-82. Fun
King Crimson-1969-74, 1980-84. Interesting
Yes-1968-80. Different
Greenslade-1973-76. Short but quality

My 10-20 maybe

Deep Purple
Black Sabbath
Hawkwind
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
Egg
Hatfield and the North
National Health
Elp
Supertramp or Cream


Probably missed a band or two though :devil:
 
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Apr 28, 2008
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A rough attempt at a personal list

1. Autechre (fave artist)
2. Radiohead (2nd fave)
3. Pink Floyd
4. Arctic Monkeys (big fan throughout their 6 album run)
5. The Beatles
6. Massive Attack
7. Echo & the Bunnymen (Largely the opening 4 album run)
8. Portishead
9. Seefeel (+Scala)
10. The Rolling Stones

Unlucky: Joy Division, King Crimson, Dire Straits, Talk Talk, America

Decided to leave out Fleetwood Mac, but technically they may qualify
 
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May 13, 2006
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Group of 4 guys from Ireland go alright, but they arent part of the UK

In no particular order


Beatles
Rolling Stones
Pink Floyd
Queen
Genesis
Led Zepplin
The Clash
The Cure
The Who
The Moody Blues

U2 wouldnt be out of place in this list.
 
Jul 12, 2008
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tricky, if he counts as a band
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the cure - purely for live in paris

hm's - coil, the cult, black sabbath, godflesh, spc eco, mira calix
 
Genesis especially the period 70-80
Pink Floyd
Jethro Tull
Brand X
King Crimson
Yes
Massive Attack
The Beatles
XTC
David Bowie

Scottish, I could put in The Average White Band.

Forgot Marillion,Zep and Sabbath.
 

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Queen
Led Zeppelin
Bowie
Beatles
ELO
Simple Minds
Tears for Fears
Elvis Costello and the Attractions /
Genesis
The Eurythmics

HM : 10CC/Godley&Creme (also pioneering and award winning music video producers) The Cure, Texas, The Clash, Depeche Mode, Paul Weller, New Order, Madness, Yazoo, Spandau Ballet, The Who, Black Sabbath, Motorhead Jethro Tull, The Rolling Stones, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Oasis, Simply Red, The Smiths, Dire Straits, Roxy Music, Sex Pistols, Deff Leppard, Yes, Coldplay, Radiohead, Status Quo.

For me it's really hard to narrow it down, I think the top 7 would be pretty set with any number able to fill the bottom 3 slots.

They really have had a lot of bands that have set the musical direction and style over the decades. As a youngster I used to think the UK were strongest at the beginning and end of decades when they were setting the tone. The Americans would then be strong mid decade.
 

WireHawk

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WIRE (1977-2005: favourite band ever. Bruce Gilbert left in 2005. Not the same band since then)
P.I.L. (1978-1980: the Lydon/Wobble/Levene era. 'Metal Box' arguably the greatest album of all)
THE FALL (1977-2018: Mark E. Smith + whoever, but Steve Hanley & Craig Scanlon were crucial)
JAPAN (1978-1985: very underrated. David Sylvian created great solo works as well)
JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE (1967-1970: seminal musical inspiration. Changed the music world at Woodstock )
JOY DIVISION (1977-1980: two remarkable albums. 'Closer' very influential on bands like 'Ministry' & 'The Cure')
NEW ORDER (1981-1984: their early incarnation was sparse and beautiful. I much preferred this to the later dance style)
MAGAZINE (1978-1983: Early 'Buzzcock' Howard DeVoto teams with Barry Adamson and super guitarist John McGeoch for post-punk splendour)
SEX PISTOLS (1976-1978: cyclonic attack on the status quo, and 'Status Quo' type bands. Appropriately destroyed themselves in less that two years)
PENTANGLE (1970-off and on for decades: Renaissance folk with the brilliance of Bert Jansch on guitar and shared vocals with Jacqui McShee)
 
Group of 4 guys from Ireland go alright, but they arent part of the UK

In no particular order


Beatles
Rolling Stones
Pink Floyd
Queen
Genesis
Led Zepplin
The Clash
The Cure
The Who
The Moody Blues

U2 wouldnt be out of place in this list.
Well, they're not a UK band, so they would be out of place. Same arguably applies to Fleetwood Mac; they became a US/UK band
 
I'd argue the Fleetwood Mac are an English band as they were formed in England and all the original members were English, the couple of Yanks were added later.
Fair enough.
 

Herne Hill Hammer

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Queen
Led Zeppelin
Bowie
Beatles
ELO
Simple Minds
Tears for Fears
The / Human League
Genesis
The Eurythmics

HM : Elvis Costello and the Attractions, 10CC/Godley&Creme (also pioneering and award winning music video producers) The Cure, Texas, The Clash, Depeche Mode, Paul Weller, New Order, Madness, Yazoo, Spandau Ballet, The Who, Black Sabbath, Motorhead Jethro Tull, The Rolling Stones, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Oasis, Simply Red, The Smiths, Dire Straits, Roxy Music, Sex Pistols, Deff Leppard, Yes, Coldplay, Radiohead, Status Quo.

For me it's really hard to narrow it down, I think the top 7 would be pretty set with any number able to fill the bottom 3 slots.

They really have had a lot of bands that have set the musical direction and style over the decades. As a youngster I used to think the UK were strongest at the beginning and end of decades when they were setting the tone. The Americans would then be strong mid decade.

Forgot one, Elvis Costello moves to the Honourable Mention category and The / Human League takes his place. The Human League would make my top 8 pretty set then.

Garbage I'd add to the HM too.
 
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JimDocker

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No particular order, although pretty comfortable with number 1

The Beatles
The Clash
Led Zeppelin
The Who
The Kinks
The Jam
The Cure
Pink Floyd
Pulp
Radiohead

Special mention to
Buzzcocks
Teenage Fanclub
The Specials
The Beat
Joy Division
Magazine
The Smiths - even though Morrisey is a dick
Mogwai
Blur
Roxy Music
T Rex
Dire Straits
Madness
Belle and Sebastian
Arab Strap
Stereophonics
Oasis
The Verve
Stone Roses

Only bands here. No solo artists. Plenty of those. Prefer American music to be honest.
 
Dec 18, 2005
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There’s only one queen song that interested me when I was younger. It might be around the early 80s but it doesn’t seem to be on any albums from what I’ve heard. The chorus has 4 piano chords repeated about 4 times and there’s a drum machine in the middle of the track. Never liked drum machines but I liked this track. Anyone know what track it might be? I should check Flash Gordon and 77 album to make sure it’s not there
 
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