04-06-2008, 21:55
In terms of influence... I'd say the most influential rock bands would probably be Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, The Velvet Underground, etc. In regards to Maynard James Keenan being a great songwriter... Haha. I thought being a songwriter meant contributing instrumental parts too. All he does is write lyrics and sing in his unimpressive range... He rarely sings in a different key. That aside, he ruins his voice in the studio versions of Tool songs by overusing the paired vocal harmonies that are popular in music now (i.e. singing in a particular key then layering it with you singing in a higher octave). I also don't think having "hits" make you great. Alice in Chains isn't a great band; they rode on the coat tails of a fad and made big money for it. Then they diss Metallica (who are also failed musicians at this point) for cutting their hair. Ha.
As for rock bands... That depends on what you consider rock. I also don't really think I could put them in any particular order. My favorites, though, are King Crimson, The Mars Volta, Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, and ... I don't know. I can't really list anymore off of the top of my head that I feel are "favorites." I have many others that I like, though... Like The Melvins, The Birthday Party, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Tomahawk, etc. I love all of these bands and at times they may be closer to my favorites than the other four I listed.
As for rock bands... That depends on what you consider rock. I also don't really think I could put them in any particular order. My favorites, though, are King Crimson, The Mars Volta, Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, and ... I don't know. I can't really list anymore off of the top of my head that I feel are "favorites." I have many others that I like, though... Like The Melvins, The Birthday Party, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Tomahawk, etc. I love all of these bands and at times they may be closer to my favorites than the other four I listed.