Top Five Favorite Bands

Just like Monty Python, now it's time for something a little bit different. My taste in music is quite eclectic. I love classic rock for the most part, I dig jazz a lot, I enjoy classical music, Frank Sinatra and other big band artists, video game music, anime music, and so much more. I don't really care much for current artists, nor do I follow anyone currently. Hopefully this list of five of my favorite bands will show you my personal tastes in music, one of the best ways to soothe the savage beast.

5) Huey Lewis and the News

It's hip to be square is a popular saying with the band, but Huey Lewis and the News are anything but square. Creating their own special sound in the 70s and 80s, it was difficult to turn on the radio and not hear one of their catchy tunes. Huey Lewis has a terrific singing voice, and combining that with the magnificent melodies, riffs, and beats, you had one act that failed to disappoint. It's a shame that the craze died out because I'd love to see a second coming, a renaissance, if you will, of Huey Lewis and the News music.

Hip to Be Square
Do You Believe in Love
Workin' for a Livin'

4) Genesis

Phil Collins headlines this band as the singer and drummer. Genesis was originally looking for a lead vocalist for the band, and lo and behold they received one from their drummer. Crazy world, huh? Genesis is a progressive rock band with a lot more mainstream success than other bands on this list. Each album they produced had countless hits and wonderful songs. Phil Collins would later leave the band to establish a great solo career which he continues to this very day.

Turn it on Again
Home by the Sea
Abacab

3) The Pillows

The first of two Japanese bands on the list. I'm not an otaku or whatever terminology is used nowadays. I do watch the occasional anime, but my tastes have become very refined (i.e. picky). That said, I originally heard the Pillows providing the soundtrack to the whacked-out anime Fooly Cooly or FLCL. I didn't care the anime itself, but what kept me watching... or listening was the awesome rock of this band, the Pillows. I've since purchased one of their solo albums along with the FLCL soundtracks-- all three of them. Sometimes their lyrics are in English, but the songs are always full of kickass instrumentation and melodies.

March of the God
Gazelle City
Third Eye

2) Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts

As soon as the opening and title theme that accompanied it showed up, I was automatically in love with Cowboy Bebop. The Seatbelts were formed for this particular anime, and they've joined each other for others such as Wolf's Rain and Darker Than Black. There is no limit to what genre of music they specialize in. Jazz, funk, rock, heavy metal, bebop, ballad, among others. Yoko Kanno is without a doubt my favorite composer, and her band, which she plays piano/keyboard and sometimes sings, is my second favorite band.

Bad Dog, No Biscuits
Mushroom Hunting
Want It All Back

1) Yes

This progressive rock group formed in the late sixties, and they would have multiple iterations of the band, but the lead vocalist, Jon Anderson, would be the common thread that would hold the band together. Currently, Mr. Anderson, whose vocals are the best in the business, is suffering from an illness, and the band is on tour without him. Regardless, most of Yes' music are musical adventures taking the listener to the heavens, the sun, and the universe. One song is twenty minutes long and is divided up into several parts. The words may not seem like they make sense, but it's the harmonies and melodies I truly like. Catch some of these examples of what makes Yes my favorite band (thanks, dad...). I've posted their most popular songs. Enjoy!

Roundabout
I've Seen All Good People
And You and I

What are your favorite bands? Hit me up with a comment below, and share with all of us!