You might notice a pattern here...

Beatles/solo (esp. Paul)
Duran Duran
Neil/all related
Oasis
Roxy Music/Ferry
XTC
David Bowie
Sir Elton
Richard Thompson/related
Rolling Stones

With the sole exception of Neil, everybody
on the list is a bona fide Brit (and I consider Neil to be a musical Brit in many ways, since many of his biggest professed influences are on that list). I could have named a bunch of other bands/solo artists from the UK (honourable mentions to Aztec Camera/Roddy Frame, Suede/Bernard Butler solo, Smiths/J. Marr solo, Stone Roses and scores of others), but there is no escaping it for me--the British have easily the greatest batting average of any other country when it comes to musical talent.

The U.S. isn't a slouch either, and we Canucks will always have Neil Young, but my favourite artists from North America have a little bit o' Brit in them (BRMC, Jellyfish, White Stripes). I wish I knew why that was.

quote:

Originally posted by bloodshift:
[qb]the British have easily the greatest batting average of any other country when it comes to musical talent.[/qb]

Can't really say I disagree with that. Must be something in the water *Shrugs*. There's just something about the kind of music people from that part of the world make-don't know what it is, but it's good. .

The other countries you listed do have their good artists, too, though, you're also right about that.

Angela

Besides the Finns.

In no particular order:

Duran Duran
Gloria Estefan
Amy Grant
Eros Ramazzotti
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac
Reba McEntire
Selena
Kate Bush
Tori Amos

I basically have every CD put out by allof those artists.

Rio got me into DD also. I saw them in SF last year at Golden Gate Park which was really weird. Everyone there had small children just like me! I guess we are all of the same generation. It is so weird to see we are all grown up!

Lorrie

In no particular order (but with Finns\Judd and The Frames hogging the top 2)

Split Enz & all alumni.
The Frames
The Hooks (not Skyhooks)
The Beatles
The Sex Pistols
The Pixies
Juniper & all alumni (including Bell X1 and Damien Rice)
Tori Amos (All the stuff on East West\Atlantic)
Jeff Buckley
Ocean Colour Scene

Lots more (Big CD Collection), but these are the ones that have had the biggest effect for me in the last ten years - The beatles do however go back much further than that in terms of my musical collection - They were my first love musically. Great place to start

Lorrie--you mention Fleetwood Mac. While I quite like them (but don't really want to pay $100+ for a ticket to their Detroit show), I loooove Lindsey Buckingham. I was lucky enough to see him on his Out Of The Cradle tour in 1992, and he just might tip the balance as to whether or not I see them in September. Speaking of Fleetwood Mac: When I first met PG on the 1996 Finn Bros. tour, I told him how I saw his name in the Together Alone CD booklet and thought, "Oh, isn't that nice--he came out of his retirement from the music business to give Neil and the boys some moral support! I wonder if he taught them the riff to 'Oh Well'?" Peter (our Peter, of course) laughed with the air of someone who's heard that joke 8,045 times and still puts up with it.

::iarla::--OCS are pretty good. I wish they'd tour here again.

this is really interesting, seeing what everyone else is into besides finn stuff! Ok, so mine

1. Bob Marley
2. Jeff Buckley
3. John Butler Trio
4. Neil Finn/Crowdies
5. Powderfinger
6. Ben Harper
7. Harry Manx
8. Hilltop Hoods
9. Coldplay
10. Radiohead

Hmmm... by define I've chosen artists that have inturn got me into other artists: and by that I mean Cold Chisel got me into Jimmy Barnes, Bowie got me into Brian Eno which in turn got me into ambient stuff, INXS got me into Max Q, U2 got me into buying bootlegs, The Clash got me into being eccentric in my music tastes, the Chili Peppers got me into alternative rock, Crowded House got me into the Enz and respective solo artists, Led Zeppelin got me into blues and stuff like Clapton and Jeff Beck (for the guitar work), Radiohead... because they're brilliant... and got me into weirder more experimental stuff, The Beatles cos they got me into their respective solo artists (namely Lennon and Harrison) and... uh... well I've ran out of bands so... hmm... stuff it leave it at 9, make up the last one. Actually, make it the Smiths, because that got me into Marr and Morrissey's respective solo works

So the list is...

Cold Chisel
David Bowie
INXS
U2
The Clash
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Crowded House
Led Zeppelin
Radiohead
The Beatles
The Smiths

quote:

Originally posted by ALadIn Sane:
[qb]The Beatles cos they got me into their respective solo artists (namely Lennon and Harrison)[/qb]

Heh, that reminds me of one reason why I like the Beatles-thanks to them, my other favorite artists are now making music. The Beatles have influenced/worked with the other artists I like, so it'd be hard for me to not like them .

Your little story of how getting into one artist led you to listen to other ones is interesting, too.

Angela

Okay, here are mine - and I must say, it will be hard to guess what musical genre a band/musician is (if you not know him/her/them) by looking at the others - in no particular order save #1...

• Split Enz and all that follows
  
• Vangelis
  
• Tito & Tarantula
  
• Gilbert O'Sullivan
  
• Coldplay
  
• Nine Inch Nails
  
• Eva Cassidy
  
• Spider John Koerner
  
• Michael Tomlinson
  
• Queens Of The Stone Age
  

Wow! Gilbert O'Sullivan! I love Matrimony...

This is the point where I start my post, stop a bit, think for a half hour, then go and look at my cds.... here we go (btw they're not in order, I'm far too whimsical for favourites):

*Manic Street Preachers
*Super Furry Animals
*Beatles
*Nick Cave
*Split Enz/Crowded House Et Al
*Pulp
*Suede
*Ash
*Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
*Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

I know it's 11, but David Bowie kinda HAS to be in there too.

Led Zeppelin
The Who
Bruce Springsteen
Jeff Buckley
Crowded House/Neil Finn
Peter Gabriel
Free
Yes
Pink Floyd
U2

Midnight Oil (still trying to come to terms with life without the Oils)
Neil Finn (and all his incarnations)
Icehouse (glad to see I'm not alone, and glad to see that Icehouse is still going strong)
INXS (they'll be back!!!)
Pearl Jam (never fails to disappoint. They seem to do everything with their fans in mind)
Noiseworks (short but amazing career)
The Church (17 albums (numbers 18&19 out this year), 25 + solo albums)
Manic Street Preachers (Great albums and they still manage to put out quality b-sides that deserve a wider audience)
dEUS (need to be heard to be believed. Stunning!)
hunters & collectors (One of the best Oz bands live. Never received the adulation that they deserved)
Talk Talk (Forget the Beatles, Talk Talk are Englands best ever band)

7 Antipodeans
1 Belgian
1 British
1 Welsh
1 American
Must be something good in the water down under.
(yeah I know it's 11, but I just would hate to offend anyone )

1. The Finns (all incarnations)
2. Morrissey (and The Smiths)
3. Suede
4. Tori Amos
5. The Beatles (specifically George Harrison)
6. Keane
7. Pulp
8. Gene
9. The Monkees
10. Ben Folds

CH/Finns
U2
Elvis Costello
Police/Sting
Tom Waits
Joni Mitchell
Shawn Colvin
Rolling Stones
Frank Sinatra
Miles Davis

In no particular order:

Crowded House
Neil Finn
Elvis Costello
Bruce Springsteen
Matchbox 20
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Peter Gabriel
Billy Joel
Suzanne Vega
Living Colour

Just ten? Ok, then here�s a try.

U2

the Finns

Talking Heads

the Clash

Cocteau Twins

Waterboys/Mike Scott

Tori Amos

Bj�rk

Joni Mitchell

the Cure

Those go back a bit.

Alrighty then..
Crowded House
Neil Finn
Split Enz
Beatles
Elliot Smith
John Lennon
Stone Roses
David Bowie
Guns N Roses
Depeche Mode

Beatles (Together and Alone)
Electric Light Orchestra
Finn Brothers and their bands
Kate Bush
Midnight Oil
Roddy Frame/Aztec Camera
Scott Merritt
(Sergei Rachmaninov)
Simple Minds
Sloan
Smiths


I decided anyone of whose recordings I had four or more would be on the list; and, yes, like Nigel Tufnel's amplifier, my list also goes up to eleven.

quote:

Originally posted by Riverdeboz:
[qb] In no particular order:

Crowded House
Neil Finn
Elvis Costello
Bruce Springsteen
Matchbox 20
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Peter Gabriel
Billy Joel
Suzanne Vega
Living Colour [/qb]

hehe always good to find some mb20 fans , anyway here's mine in no particular order:

Ben Folds Five
Foo Fighters
Crowded House
Radiohead
Matchbox Twenty
Counting Crows
Damien Rice
Incubus
Muse
Tom McRae

Hmmm.. currently:

Crowded House
Neil Finn
The Beatles
Foo Fighters
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Keane
Coldplay
Damien Rice
Genesis
Fleetwood Mac