The age-old, but always spirited conversation of “top 5 bands” came up at a local watering hole last night.  Myself and group of co-workers went around the table…and around again.  Discussing, affirming, questioning, and even laughing each selection.

The topic is fascinating and is actually, in my opinion, a good way to get a glimpse of who a person is.  The music that you appreciate oftens speaks to the kind of person you are.  But that is too deep a topic for this post.  The real purpose here was to cement my top 5 bands of all time.  I base this list not only my appreciation for the music, but I also try and weight the group’s influence on music, society, etc.

So, enough rambling.  My Top 5 Group (2 or more artists) of All Time:

1. The Beatles – the cheesy, obvious choice. Still, hard to argue

2. The Rolling Stones – just starting to really dig into their music.  Like The Beatles, this one is hard to argue.

3. U2 – I may be straying a bit from the norm here, but they are my personal favorite and quite an influential group on everything from punk rock to gospel music.

4. Led Zepplin – perhaps not the longest of careers, but their music is still as popular now as it ever was – and that has to say something.

5. The Eagles – the top 4 for me is relatively easy.  this pick was a bit more difficult.  among the honorable mentions that could easily sneak into this spot: The Who, Queen, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Alabama and The Clash.  I have a feeling that if I was more familiar with The Who and Queen (regrettably I am not), they would supplant The Eagles.