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ROCK AND ROLL! => All Them Other Guys => Topic started by: Jack the Stripper on February 07, 2019, 11:11:02 PM

Title: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Jack the Stripper on February 07, 2019, 11:11:02 PM
Ok another new and different top ten topic. Through the history of music there have been many great and iconic band lineups but who would be your top ten favourite band lineups of all time?  The premise being they had to have recorded at least one album together, not just toured or played a few shows.

No honourable mentions. Just your definitive top ten please  :rockon:
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Jack the Stripper on February 08, 2019, 12:56:47 AM
Shit! This is even harder than I thought. I just did my list and realised I had 11 and then realised I left a very important(to me) band lineup out  :twitch:

 :wall:
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Thelemech on February 08, 2019, 01:39:44 AM
Metallica
James Hetfield
Cliff Burton
Kirk Hammett
Lars Ulrich

Megadeth
Dave Mustaine
Dave Ellefson
Marty Friedman
Nick Menza

Black Sabbath
Ozzy Osbourne
Tony Iommi
Geezer Butler
Bill Ward

KISS
Gene Simmons
Ace Frehley
Paul Stanley
Peter Criss

There are more that I will add when I think of them - the list so far is just off the top of my head.
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Charger on February 08, 2019, 02:32:04 AM
 :shock:

Oh boy Jack....

You're just making these harder and harder every time...

Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on February 08, 2019, 03:18:32 AM
That's gonna need some work... I'll be back!


... and I'll put an honourable mention in there if I want to... just try and stop me! :P
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Jack the Stripper on February 08, 2019, 03:36:08 AM
Well these things aren't suppose to be easy Charger  ;)

Ok after much debate and toing and froing in my mind

Here's mine.

Black Sabbath
Ozzy Osbourne
Tony Iommi
Geezer Butler
Bill Ward

Metallica
James Hetfield
Lars Ulrich
Kirk Hammett
Cliff Burton

Ozzy Osbourne/Blizzard Of Ozz
Ozzy Osbourne
Randy Rhoads
Bob Daisley
Lee Kerslake

Motörhead
Lemmy
Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor
Fast Eddie Clarke

Megadeth
Dave Mustaine
David Ellefson
Marty Friedman
Nick Menza

Kiss
Paul Stanley
Gene Simmons
Ace Frehley
Peter Criss

Deep Purple
Ian Gillan
Ritchie Blackmore
Jon Lord
Ian Paice
Roger Glover

Black Sabbath
Ronnie James Dio
Tony Iommi
Geezer Butler
Bill Ward/Vinny Appice

Thin Lizzy
Phil Lynott
Brian Downey
Scott Gorham
Brian Roberston

Judas Priest
Rob Halford
Glenn Tipton
K.K. Downing
Ian Hill
Les Binks


Ok so I cheated a little by putting both Bill and Vinny in my Dio era lineup but I couldn't see any other way around that dilemma. Also Rainbow was hard to assess as they had a rotating door of bassist and keyboardist on those first 3 albums in which Bob Daisley and David Stone only contributed to three and four songs respectively on LLRR, so just left Rainbow out altogether  :twitch:

Iron Maiden's classic TNOTB lineup was the last one I picked until I realised I already had 10 but given they only had one album and tour together I had to cut them to keep Priest in who put out two studio albums as well as a live album.

Slayer's mighty lineup of Tom, Jeff, Kerry and Dave was also incredibly hard to leave out  :twitch:

^^Did I just add a few honourable mentions?  :whistling:
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Charger on February 08, 2019, 04:15:59 AM
Okay here goes the impossible..

#1 is and will always be the greatest line up of the greatest band ever

Black Sabbath
Ronnie James Dio
Tony Iommi
Geezer Butler
Vinny Appice
Geoff Nicholls

The rest are in no particual order

Deep Purple
Ian Gillan
Ritchie Blackmore
Roger Glover
Ian Paice
Jon Lord

Rainbow
Ronnie James Dio
Ritchie Blackmore
Jimmy Bain
Cozy Powell
Tony Carey

Savatage

Jon Oliva
Criss Oliva
Chris Caffery
Johnny Lee Middleton
Steve Wacholz

DIO
Ronnie James Dio
Craig Goldy
Jimmy Bain
Simon Wright
Scott Warren

Judas Priest
Rob Halford
Glenn Tipton
KK Downing
Ian Hill
Scott Travis

Motörhead
Lemmy Kilmister
Phil Campbell
Mikkey Dee

Candlemass
Robert Lowe
Leif Edling
Lars Johansson
Mappe Björkman
Jan Lindh

Cathedral
Lee Dorrian
Garry Jennings
Leo Smee
Brian Dixon

Iron Maiden
Bruce Dickinson
Dave Murray
Adrian Smith
Janick Gers
Steve Harris
Nicko McBrain


I know I picked some line ups from some bands that might not be popular with others but those (to me) are the definitive line ups....like in DIO, Motörhead and Candlemass for sure. Deep Purple it was pretty neck in neck with Steve Morse...but had to go with the classic line up though.

Yes Rainbow is a bit of a tough one but based on the live preformances that line up was pure gold. That being said though Bob Daisley and David Stone were no dummies either!

Megadeth was a hard one for me to leave out...but honestly there has been so so many great line ups in that band it's hard to pick one...Dave has always surrounded himself with word class musicians!

Slayer was another one as it's hard to say which drummer I like better Dave Lombardo or Paul Bostaph...can't decide.

Anthrax too has had 3 great guitar players so it's hard to choose one...

Another one that almost made it to the list was Iced Earth with the line up Tim "Ripper" Owens, Jon Shaffer, James MacDonough, Richard Christy and Ralph Santolla but Maiden had to be included.

So yeah sadly I couldn't make a proper top ten list out of this cause I really can't put those bands in order...sorry.
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: KiloDeltaCharlie on February 08, 2019, 05:43:04 AM
In order of thinking about them, but the first one is almost certainly my favourite. Including the album(s) the line up were at their peak.

Black Sabbath #1
(Sabbath Bloody Sabbath & Sabotage)
   Iommi,
   Butler,
   Osbourne,
   Ward

Black Sabbath #2
(Dehumaniser)
   Iommi
   Butler
   Dio
   Appice
   Nicholls

Black Sabbath #3
(Cross Purposes)
   Iommi
   Butler
   Martin
   Rondinelli
   Nicholls

Rush
(2112 thru Grace Under Pressure)
   Geddy Lee
   Alex Lifeson
   Neil Peart

New Model Army
(Thunder and Consolation & Impurity)
   Justin Sullivan
   Rob Heaton
   Jason Harris / Nelson
   Ed Alleyne Johnson

The Damned #1
(The Black Album)
   Dave Vanian
   Captain Sensible
   Paul Gray
   Rat Scabies

The Damned #2
(Grave Disorder)
   Dave Vanian
   Captain Sensible
   Patricia Morrison
   Monty Oxy Moron
   Pinch

The Stranglers
(Rattus Norvegicus)
   Hugh Cornwall
   JJ Burnel
   Jet Black
   Dave Greenfield

Motorhead
(Ace of Spades)
   Lemmy
   Phil Taylor
   Eddie Clark

Iced Earth
(The Glorious Burden)
   Tim "Ripper" Owens
   Jon Schaffer
   James McDonough
   Richard Christy
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Zzzptm on February 08, 2019, 10:38:30 AM
Tough one, a real tough one.

And here I am, finding all kinds of cool in all kinds of lineups...

To be sure, the lineups that made the big hits tend to be the ones getting favorited. Sure, I like "Hush", but next to "Highway Star?" Sorry...

Then there's also the question of a significant difference in sound between lineups. I mean, Steely Dan sounds pretty consistent after the first album. But there's a definite difference in Journey's entire sound after they got Steve Perry...

I'll have to think about this...

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Tyr66 on February 08, 2019, 01:21:11 PM
AC/DC
Young/Young/Scott/Rudd/Williams

Black Sabbath
Iommi/Osbourne/Butler/Ward

Deep Purple
Gillan/Blackmore/Lord/Paice/Glover

Led Zeppelin
Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham

Judas Priest
Halford/Tipton/Downing/Hill/Binks

Motörhead
Kilmister/Clarke/Taylor

Venom
Cronos/Mantas/Abaddon

Celtic Frost
Warrior/Ain/St Mark

Slayer
Hanneman/King/Araya/Lombardo

Van Halen
Van Halen/Roth/Van Halen/Anthony
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Jack the Stripper on February 08, 2019, 02:16:36 PM
Great list TYR. You listed a few I would've liked to include but unfortunately I ran out of spots.
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Zzzptm on February 09, 2019, 10:00:15 AM
Notice my complete lack of commitment so I can spout nonsense from the sidelines... :smug:

I have a quibble with the DP Mk2 lineup... first 4 albums, great. Awesome work, that's how you get into the Rock and Roll Hall O' Fame.

The reunion? Wellllllll... to be honest, PS is a mixed bag and then HoBL and TBRO are definitely not up there in quality. By contrast, DP with Morse gave us 100% solid work with Purpendicular and Abandon. Only 2 albums, but 100% good. Even with Airey on keys, I'm looking at all the albums save Bananas as being highly listenable - 3 out of 4.

I could and I will say the same about Black Sabbath. While the Ozzy lineup gave us the Classic Six, it also delivered TE and NSD - uneven works, at best.

The Dio/Appice lineup produced MR and Dehumanizer - 100% solid works, even if they're not SBS or Sabotage...

And since this is looking at my favourites, do I consider just a few albums for making a favorite lineup, or do I consider how I could say, "Man, I love Lou Reed." and then someone forcing me to listen to all 4 sides of "Metal Machine Music." NOT WANT!
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Typhon on February 11, 2019, 12:37:41 PM
Black Sabbath #1
(The Great Eight)
Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward

Black Sabbath #2
(13, The End)
Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Wilk

L7
Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner, Jennifer Finch, Demetra Plakas

Deep Purple
Gillan, Blackmore, Lord, Paice, Glover

Hole
Love, Erlandson, Pfaff, Schemel

Grand Funk
Farner, Brewer, Schacher, Frost

Stone Temple Pilots
Weiland, R. Deleo, D. Deleo, Krets,

Ozzy Osbourne #1
(No More Tears)
Osbourne, Wylde, Castillo, Daisley, Sinclair

Ozzy Osbourne #2
(Blizzard Of Ozz, Diary Of A Madman)
Osbourne, Rhoads, Daisley, Kerslake

Nirvana
Cobain, Novoselic, Grohl

Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Thelemech on February 11, 2019, 06:00:07 PM
Black Sabbath #1
(The Great Eight)
Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Ward

Black Sabbath #2
(13, The End)
Iommi, Osbourne, Butler, Wilk

L7
Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner, Jennifer Finch, Demetra Plakas

Deep Purple
Gillan, Blackmore, Lord, Paice, Glover

Hole
Love, Erlandson, Pfaff, Schemel

Grand Funk
Farner, Brewer, Schacher, Frost

Stone Temple Pilots
Weiland, R. Deleo, D. Deleo, Krets,

Ozzy Osbourne #1
(No More Tears)
Osbourne, Wylde, Castillo, Daisley, Sinclair

Ozzy Osbourne #2
(Blizzard Of Ozz, Diary Of A Madman)
Osbourne, Rhoads, Daisley, Kerslake

Nirvana
Cobain, Novoselic, Grohl

Wow Ty that is a great list! I find it very interesting the bands that you chose.
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Typhon on February 11, 2019, 06:22:22 PM
Wow Ty that is a great list! I find it very interesting the bands that you chose.

Remember, I've been around a bit longer than most of you guys.  Just listed the ones that get my juices flowing. 
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Thelemech on February 11, 2019, 06:58:29 PM
AC/DC
Young/Young/Scott/Rudd/Williams

Black Sabbath
Iommi/Osbourne/Butler/Ward

Deep Purple
Gillan/Blackmore/Lord/Paice/Glover

Led Zeppelin
Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham

Judas Priest
Halford/Tipton/Downing/Hill/Binks

Motörhead
Kilmister/Clarke/Taylor

Venom
Cronos/Mantas/Abaddon

Celtic Frost
Warrior/Ain/St Mark

Slayer
Hanneman/King/Araya/Lombardo

Van Halen
Van Halen/Roth/Van Halen/Anthony

Very nice Tyr  :death:
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Charger on February 12, 2019, 05:49:00 AM

I have a quibble with the DP Mk2 lineup... first 4 albums, great. Awesome work, that's how you get into the Rock and Roll Hall O' Fame.

The reunion? Wellllllll... to be honest, PS is a mixed bag and then HoBL and TBRO are definitely not up there in quality. By contrast, DP with Morse gave us 100% solid work with Purpendicular and Abandon. Only 2 albums, but 100% good. Even with Airey on keys, I'm looking at all the albums save Bananas as being highly listenable - 3 out of 4.

I have to say I struggled a bit with this one actually...

The sheer consistency of quality for the Morse-era is quite staggering...I personally love Bananas but find Rapture to be a bit lacking...so I'd say the Morse-era quality is 5 out of 6 as well...BUT the thing is as awesome as all of those albums are and as amazing tracks as they offer, they still aren't quite as incredible as the first 3 albums of the Mk2 line up...the fourth one was a huuuuge let down in comparison already...and the reunion stuff is spotty at best...although each one of those albums contain some real gems too.

Consistency wise I would have to choose the Morse-era over Blackmore era BUT the iconic nature of those 3 albums of Mk2 gives the edge to the "classic" line up...
Title: Re: Top Ten Favourite Band Lineups
Post by: Zzzptm on February 20, 2019, 02:32:05 PM
OK, I've got my answers. I base my choices on how likely I would be to drop everything and come running if someone uncovered some previously unreleased tracks from these guys. I'll put a timeframe on it, because there are times when the lineup may have been in a slump and I won't want to bother.

1. The Beatles 1965-1970: John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
Let's not ever lose sight of how incredible these four were together, with each other.

2. Deep Purple 1969-1973: Blackmore Gillan Glover Lord Paice
I bought all the anniversary remasters precisely because they had bonus tracks I hadn't heard before.

3. Rainbow "Rising": Blackmore Dio Bain Carey Powell
They only did one album, but what an album!

4. Black Sabbath 1970-1975: Butler Iommi Osbourne Ward
If there was just *one* more cut from SBS that didn't make it to the album, let's have it!

5. Black Sabbath 1980-1982: Butler Dio Iommi Appice
Oh for Mob Rules to have been a double album!

6. Grand Funk 1973-1976: Brewer Farner Frost Shachter
Especially if Don Brewer's singing, as I prefer his vocals to those of Mark Farner.

7. Steely Dan: Walter Becker and Donald Fagen
No time period, since it was pretty much just those guys and the other musicians they'd put together for the album/tour/gig/whatever. Actually, I'll put a time period on there, anything after the first album with the vocalist they had to hire because of Fagen's stage fright.

8. Deep Purple 1975-1976: Bolin Coverdale Hughes Lord Paice
I've put my money where my vote is, multiple times. Bolin is such an amazing guitarist, and DP made for his best backing band, ever.

9. Deep Purple 1995-current: Gillan Glover Lord/Airey Paice Morse
Totally different from the Blackmore era, but just as brilliant in my reckoning, especially the first two albums, done with Lord.

10. Slade 1969-1983: Hill Holder Lea Powell
Recent discovery I made, but their songs stick with me and linger in my mind. Great work, and I'll come a-running if there's more of their 70s output suddenly uncovered and released.