Top 20 Bands: 8 & 7

8. Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd is one of the most successful bands in history, making their inclusion one of the few commercially accepted ‘greatest bands of all time‘ that I vehemently agree with. They have certainly earned their place among my favourites from 1967’s Piper at the Gates of Dawn through 1979’s The Wall. The innovation they nurtured has transformed popular music. Roger Water’s insightful songwriting is enhanced by the ingenious early guitar work by Syd Barrett and the eventual musical perfection that is David Gilmour’s guitar and voice. Nick Mason and Richard Wright provide the backbone with their inventive work on percussion and keys. Two of their records—The Wall and The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)—can be found on my Top 50 Albums list.

‘Astronomy Domine’ from Piper at the Gates of Dawn, live in Belgium in 1968:

‘Comfortably Numb’ from The Wall, at Live 8 in 2005, because David Gilmour is still awesome:

+++++

7. Converge

I have a not-so-secret penchant for metal and among my favourite metal acts (such as Botch, Curl Up & Die and The Beach Boys) Converge stands out as the most consistently excellent, energetic and innovative. They’ve been bringing it heavy since 1990(!) and they remain a phenomenal live act. Their seminal 2001 release Jane Doe is featured in my Top 50 Albums list and was one of my Top 21 Albums from the 21st Century (seventh). Their most recent record, Axe to Fall, was my third favourite record released last year.

‘Concubine/Fault & Fracture’ from Jane Doe:

‘Dark Horse’ from Axe to Fall, live at the Hollywood Palladium in 2009. The sound isn’t great, but Ben Koller’s introductory drum solo is ridiculous: