Top 10 Ultimate Bands (February 18, 2010 Edition)

As I haven't written a music blog recently I decided today I would put down on paper (so to speak) a list that I've been working on for a while, but never quite stays the same. It's an exercise in both futility and the evolution of my musical tastes (though not always over time; sometimes it just depends on the day or my mood).

The list is my imagination's attempt at creating the ultimate band; lead singer, guitarist, bass, and drums. Nothing fancy (although occassionally I will add a pianist/keyboardist, DJ/turntablist, and/or brass section). I always have an extremely hard time widdling the list down to one person so I create a Top 10 at each instrument. The rules are, there are no rules. There are no constraints on time, genre, dead or alive, or even primary instrumentation. Now obviously I have to have heard their music, not as a rule but just general common sense.

Having laid down the background, here's my Top Ten Ultimate Bands for February 18, 2010:

Singer:
1. Bob Marley (The Wailers)
2. Jim Morrison (The Doors)
3. Marvin Gaye
4. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
5. Arethra Franklin
6. Johnny Cash
7. Bob Dylan
8. Al Green
9. John Lennon (The Beatles)
10. Van Morrison

Guitarist:
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton (Cream)
3. Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
4. Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead)
5. Kirk Hammett (Metallica)
6. John Mayer
7. Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine)
8. Duane Allman (The Allman Brothers Band)
9. Jeff Beck (Yardbirds)
10. Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)

Bassist:
1. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
2. Les Claypool (Primus)
3. Geddy Lee (Rush)
4. Victor Wooten (The Flecktones)
5. Justin Chancellor (Tool)
6. P-Nut (311)
7. Bootsy Collins (Parliament)
8. Aston Barrett (The Wailers)
9. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)
10. Phil Lesh (The Grateful Dead)

Drummer:
1. Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band)
2. John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
3. Neil Pert (Rush)
4. Keith Moon (The Who)
5. Danny Carey (Tool)
6. Dave Grohl (Nirvana)
7. Travis Barker (Blink-182)
8. Phil Collins (Genesis)
9. Lars Ulrich (Metallica)
10. Jon Theodore (Mars Volta)

By: David