What Makes a Band Immortal

As a lover of music and a former music teacher/performer, one of my favorite topics to explore with my friends, often over drinks, is comparing our favorite bands and what makes one band better or worse than another. These discussions have gone various different directions over the years. Sometimes I am blessed with learning about a new band that I've never heard before...but other times the ensuing arguments threatened to end friendships. So, I'd like to change things up a little with this post. I'm going to be explaining my feelings on the levels or rocker-dom, and what I believe makes a band climb the ranks. Then, as if it's not been done to death, I'll be making a tier list of some of my favorite bands. So...let's get it going!

First, I've spent many years fine tuning my feelings on my musical tastes. As the years have added up, my feelings and love of different bands have evolved with me. I've now started to group bands I hear into these categories: splashes, regulars, real bands, heroes, legends, and immortals. Splashes are the one-hit-wonders (or no-hit-wonders) that I hear once and never think about again, hence being a splash in the pan band. Regulars are the bands that make it to the radio. They're in circulation in the music world, but haven't really earned any real credibility yet. Most bands in this tier...just disappear. Then there are the Real Bands. These are the ones that get remembered for a few album drops, they have a name people recognize. These are the bands that catch some attention and have a real chance at being around for five more years. In today's ultra-fast music world, these are getting more rare. Heroes...these bands hit it big. These are the bands that get associated with a generation or with a decade. They may have one or two iconic songs. But, once the trends change, they often get left in the times that made them. Legends are Heroes that evolve with the times. They adapt and grow and become iconic in their own right. These are the bands that everybody knows their name and would recognize some of their greatest hits even decades later. Then there are the Immortals. These are the bands that you would be hard up to find someone that didn't know them in some way. Most of these bands define genres or styles all by themselves. Sadly, many of these bands have another characteristic in common... band members that have passed away. These are bands that, once broken, were given a noble ending and were left to bask in their glory...or should have been.

I have some pretty strong feelings concerning some of these bands that I'm about to list out for you (mostly concerning treatment of the Immortals) Also, out of respect, I'm not listing the lower tiers this time. There's no sense putting down any group like that. I'll be sticking to the heroes, legends, and immortals for this post. So, let's get started!

Heroes, big bands that just couldn't stick around long enough or couldn't remain relevant once tastes moved on. Let's talk about some bands that hit it big, but just didn't stay on top long enough.

The HEROES!

• Pearl Jam - The grunge movement just didn't last long enough.

• Nirvana - Losing Kurt cut this band short, but did lead to the Foo Fighters

• Dire Straits - An awesome band that got lost in the shuffle

• The Clash - British Punk was so influential, but got overshadowed too soon

• Chicago - A favorite of mine, but a very niche band that catered to us band nerds

• Five Finger Deathpunch - Very powerful but never broke through to be legendary

• Dream Theater - One of my favorite bands, but too niche to hit the mainstream

• Alice in Chains - An iconic sound that got left in the 90s

• Radiohead - A band I love that occasionally shows back up out of the blue

• Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun is a masterpiece, but they still drifted away

Now, I mean no disrespect to any of these bands. But, in my humble opinion, they didn't quite break through to being Legends like these next bands. Let's look at some bands that broke though into the mainstream and had some real staying power.

The LEGENDS!

• U2 - 48 years and still going. Like them or hate them, they're here to stay

• Van Halen - 47 years before losing Eddie, they defined guitar rock

• Bon Jovi - 42 years and so much evolving, a real icon

• ZZ Top - The same lineup for 50 years...a Texas State Treasure

• Aerosmith - 54 years and still screaming

• C.C.R. - only 5 years, but still defines the Vietnam War Era

• The Foo Fighters - 30 years and have become iconic in the music world

• E.L.O - 16 years and still being on the radio and used in films

• Slipknot - 30 years of metal and now owning Roadrunner Records

• Korn - The king of Nu Metal has been crushing it for 32 years

• Motorhead - Defining bass guitar and road rock for 40 years

• Avenged Sevenfold - A surprising 25 year run and still growing... a possible immortal?

• System of a Down - Political rock for 30 years...with breaks of course

• Judas Priest - a screaming 55 years, absolute metal royalty

• Red Hot Chili Peppers - They've been reinventing themselves for 41 years now

• Tool - A new favorite of mine, this progressive rock group's been around 35 years

Now, as amazing as those bands are, they haven't proven yet if they can truly rise to the ranks of the Immortals. These are the bands that are synonymous with genres, styles, or locations. The true Rock-Gods that shapes music forever.

The IMMORTALS

• Queen - Is there a more perfect match than Freddie Mercury and Brian May??

• The Rolling Stones - 63 years, they formed the year the first American orbited the Earth

• Black Sabbath - the birthplace of heavy metal, they were active for 56 years

• Journey - Still believing after 51 years, they haven't ever stopped growing

• Kiss - After winning the rock-disco wars, they enjoyed a 50 year run

• Guns and Roses - Only 39 years, but find anyone that doesn't know them... I dare you

• Metallica - Shredding for 43 years, they championed the guitar rock movement

• Pink Floyd - The psychedelic rock era birthed this iconic band that is still popular 60 years later

• AC/DC - Bringing down the house with a one-of-a-kind sound for 51 years

• Led Zeppelin - The true kings, only 12 years, but defined rock and roll in it's infancy

• The Beatles - Changed the world in only 10 years. Some think they're overrated, I disagree

• Rush - The trio rocked for 50 years...a one-of-a-kind band with no equals

• Disturbed - A young entry at 29 years, but have evolved and defined a generation of rock

To add a personal opinion, these Immortals have another common characteristic, they each have a signature sound. Queen had Freddie's voice and Brian's guitar sound, Sabbath had Ozzy's voice, Led Zeppelin had Robert Plant's bluesy vocals and Jimmy Page's iconic guitar, Rush had Geddy Lee and Disturbed has David Draiman. Each of these bands has become a signpost or measuring stick that other bands are compared to. But, many of them have lost their iconic members over the years and should have been put on a pedestal and enjoyed for what they brought to the world. I mean, Queen with Adam Lambert isn't really Queen, is it? Arnel Pineda sings wonderfully with Journey, but he's not Steve Perry, is he? Once a band reaches the pinnacle of their craft and becomes Immortal, they need to be respected as the icon they have become. With the recent passing of Ozzy Osbourne, is there anyone in the world that can satisfyingly fill his shoes with Black Sabbath or with his solo band?...should we even try? Let the Rock Gods rest peacefully is what I believe... But anyway

With all this being said, thank you for following my ramblings on the hierarchy of bands. What are some of your opinions? Do you agree with my rankings? And, most of all, do you have any bands you'd suggest for these tiers? I'd love to have a suggestion turn me onto a band I've never experienced before. Thank you all and, as always GAME...wait...ROCK ON!!!!