DTF's Top 50 Bands/Artists Countdown Thread! (the final list)

[romdrums]

Pre 1997, Queensryche would have been in my top 10, maybe even top 5. Then DeGarmo left, and it went downhill fairly fast. They've recovered a bit since the Tate split, but at this point, I think they're in my top 50 at best. Can't deny the strength of the run from the EP to Promised Land, though.

[ReaperKK]

Speaking G's, here is a G for number 7

07. Genesis
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Monthly Spotify Streams: 6,901,786
Highest Finish: 1 (SomeoneLikeHim)
Number of top 10 finishes: 7
Number of Lists appeared on: 14 (DragonAttack, HOF, Metropolaris, pg1067, romdrums, Stadler, Dave_Manchester, Zydar, jammindude, The Letter M, TheHoveringSojourn808, CharlesPL, The Great Zo, SomeoneLIkeHim)

I've tried with Genesis and it's just not for me. They are one of the few bands that I struggle to get through a single record. With that said though it's no surprise they made it on the list, and now I realize why there is a big call to have a Genesis countdown (which I'll do in the new year ).

[jingle.boy]

I typically enjoy pretty much everything up to Invisible Touch, but I can't say I LOVE everything.  I don't think I ever proactively think "I'm in the mood for some Genesis".  They've got a bunch of A-list songs obviously, but rarely do I sit down with an entire Genesis album.

[SwedishGoose]

Still at 9

Genesis
Hey, that was a much better G than the one I thought might show up.
Love 70ties Genesis. But then they loose me unlike Yes where I still appreciate a lot of the newer material.
Did not have them on my list as I can't justify that only based on the 70ties output however good that is.



Not rated
Symphony X , Miles Davis, Avenged Sevenfold, Allagoch,
Scorpions, The Dear Hunter, Frank Zappa, Evergrey, UFO, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Nightwish, Katatonia, Halloween, Between the Buried and Me, Anathema, Radiohead, Big Big Train, Megadeath, Riverside, Spock's Beard, Neal Morse, Devin Townsend, Mastodon, Black Sabbath, Marillion, Judas Priest, Van Halen, Fates Warning, Haken, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Queensrÿche, Genesis

25
24
23
22
21 Transatlatic  (favorite album: The Absolute Universe - Forevermore, favorite song: Duel With the Devil)
20
19 Steven Wilson (favorite album: The Raven That Refused To Sing,  favorite song:  The Raven That Refused To Sing)
18 Queen  (favorite album: Innuendo favorite song: The Show Must  Go On)
17
16
15 Yes   (Favorite album: Close to the Edge, favorite song:Roundabout)
14 Opeth (Favorite album: In Cauda Veneum (swedish), favorite song: Deliverance)
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6 Pain of Salvation  (favorite album: BE, favorite song: Undertow)
5
4 Ayreon (favorite album: The Human Equation, favorite song: Valley of the Queens)
3 Peter Gabriel  (favorite album: US, favorite song: Here Comes The Flood)
2 King Crimson  (favorite album: Red, favorite song: Starless)
1

[Fonzie]

No

[Metro]

#10 for me. Love Nursery Cryme through Duke. Everything else is fine, but I just don’t revisit it ever.

[SomeoneLikeHim]

25. Between the Buried and Me
20. Avenged Sevenfold
17. Spocks Beard
15. Opeth
14. Ayreon
13. Haken
12. Marillion
11. Steven Wilson
10. The Beatles
9. The Dear Hunter
8. Big Big Train
6. Pain of Salvation
4. Neal Morse
3. Transatlantic
1. Genesis

There we go, my number 1! Very happy with a #7 spot, I was expecting them to land somewhere from 11-20.

Genesis, along with some early Marillion, was my first exposure to prog via my dad. They haven't always been my number 1 but this time when I put this list together it just felt right. The run of albums from Nursery Cryme to Wind and Wuthering is absolutely amazing and there is plenty to love outside of that as well. Nobody writes chord progressions quite like Tony Banks. 

Firth of Fifth, Supper's Ready, The Lamia, One for the Vine, Afterglow. So many incredible songs. 

[senecadawg2]

I love Selling England by the Pound. That said, when I'm in the mood for classic prog I gravitate more toward Yes, or to a lesser extent King Crimson

[Zydar]

I had Genesis at #12, one of my very favourites of the classic 70s prog bands. Selling England By The Pound is a desert island album for me, just brilliant all the way through. Although the Collins era had bigger hits and were more commercially successful, I much prefer the Gabriel stuff if one has to choose.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

finally got another hit after what felt like weeks, lol

25
24
23 Miles Davis
22 Black Sabbath
21 Godspeed You! Black Emperor
20
19
18
17 King Crimson
16
15 Agalloch
14
13 Genesis
12
11
10
9
8
7
6 Peter Gabriel
5
4
3
2
1 Frank Zappa

[KevShmev]

I didn't think Genesis would finish this high, but it didn't seem likely that they'd miss the top 50 altogether, so here we go.  They'd be in that 11-15 range for me, and I have been listening to them a lot lately.  Great band, across almost all eras (the last album with the different singer was a miss).  The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway has become my favorite album by the band, and how many bands can say their three best songs are as great as theirs (Firth of Fifth, The Cinema Show, Supper's Ready)?  Not many. 

[Mladen]

I love the 70s Genesis, but I haven't checked the stuff they released after Hackett's departure. Interesting to see them in the top seven.

[HOF]

Genesis were ranked number 3 for me, having just been displaced from their long held second spot by BBT mostly on account of BBT still being active and Genesis having retired long ago for all intents and purposes.

Genesis are kind of like my Beatles, or at least how I imagine people who are into The Beatles feel about them. Just the scope of the music they created in a relatively short period and the type of influence they were on me and many of the bands I love. Between the band’s catalog and all the individual members’ solo work, a significant percentage of my CD collection is from Genesis or a member of Genesis. And not just Gabriel and Collins. I’m a big fan of Hackett’s early solo stuff, Rutherford’s first solo album is tremendous (and Mike+The Mechanics is ok), Tony Banks’ stuff less so but still interesting. Ant Phillips’ first solo album is really good too. I could cheat and include all of NDV’s stuff, but I won’t go that far

I love all eras of Genesis, having grown up with the 80s and 90s hits, and later on getting into the 70s prog stuff. Some of the stuff with Gabriel is just legendary, but if I’m honest I enjoy the Collins era more. The sweet spot is the run from Trick of the Tail through Abacab, with my favorite Genesis album being Duke. I love the four piece era with Hackett, but the three piece era is still great, with Abacab and the self-titled also being favorites. I even enjoy most of Calling All Stations (plus they had several great unreleased tracks from those album sessions).

Genesis were both incredibly musical and ambitious while still just having great songs. They are unmatched as songwriters in terms of that early prog scene. But also everyone in the band was an outstanding player, and I think they sometimes get overshadowed as players by a band like Yes, who were maybe a bit more technical. But Genesis blended chops with feel and story telling so well. Tony Banks is easily my favorite keyboard player, and a huge reason why Genesis are so great. Collins has the perfect blend of chops and swing. Rutherford has such a meaty bass tone, and that awesome blend of 12 string and bass pedals. Hackett is less of a flashy guy and more of guy who paints with sounds. Just a wonderful collection of musicians.

I’ve actually been on a bit of a Genesis kick lately, but I’m gonna spin some more today on my day off!

[The Letter M]

Speaking G's, here is a G for number 7

07. Genesis
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Spotify Profile
Monthly Spotify Streams: 6,901,786
Highest Finish: 1 (SomeoneLikeHim)
Number of top 10 finishes: 7
Number of Lists appeared on: 14 (DragonAttack, HOF, Metropolaris, pg1067, romdrums, Stadler, Dave_Manchester, Zydar, jammindude, The Letter M, TheHoveringSojourn808, CharlesPL, The Great Zo, SomeoneLIkeHim)

I've tried with Genesis and it's just not for me. They are one of the few bands that I struggle to get through a single record. With that said though it's no surprise they made it on the list, and now I realize why there is a big call to have a Genesis countdown (which I'll do in the new year ).

NR  Miles Davis
NR  Symphony X
NR  Agalloch
NR  The Deer Hunter
NR  Frank Zappa
NR  Evergrey
NR  UFO
NR  Godspeed You! Black Emperor
NR  Nightwish
NR  Katatonia
NR  Helloween
NR  Between The Buried And Me
NR  Anathema
NR  Radiohead
NR  Peter Gabriel
NR  Megadeth
NR  Pain Of Salvation
NR  Devin Townsend
NR  Coheed And Cambria
NR  Mastodon
NR  Tool
NR  Black Sabbath
NR  Judas Priest
NR  Opeth
NR  Van Halen
NR  Fates Warning
NR  Led Zeppelin
NR  Queensryche
29  King Crimson
28  Marillion
27  The Beatles
26  Queen
25  ?
.
.
20  Riverside
.
14  Steven Wilson
13  Yes
12  Genesis
.
10  Ayreon
09  Haken
.
07  Neal Morse
06  Spock's Beard
.
.
03  Transatlantic
02
01  Big Big Train

I must be semi-clairvoyant because I put on Wind & Wuthering before passing out last night. That's like the fourth or fifth time I've put on music related to the next day's band.

Genesis were one of the foundational bands in my prog discovery journey, and along with Yes, have been one of the few 70s prog bands I'll continually go back to on a regular basis.

Looks like with six spots left, I am now 10/25 for my list, but if I include my 26-30, then I'm 14/30, almost half, which is pretty nuts!

-Marc.

[jingle.boy]

I must be semi-clairvoyant because I put on Wind & Wuthering before passing out last night. That's like the fourth or fifth time I've put on music related to the next day's band.

Well, you had a 1/7 shot  !  I'll bet I could narrow down tomorrow's entry to 1 of 3 bands.

[CharlesPL]

25
24
23
22 Symphony X
21 Transatlantic
20
19 Megadeth
18
17
16
15
14
13 YES
12
11
10
9 Marillion
8
7
6
5 Genesis
4
3
2 Avenged Sevenfold
1

[Evermind]

Honestly surprised at how high they ended up. Thought they would be in Top 15 or Top 20.

Genesis did not make my list although I do enjoy some of their music.

[HOF]

Top 50 artists on my list so far (only 2 in the top 25 though):

19. King Crimson
8. Peter Gabriel
7. Spock's Beard
3. Genesis
2. Big Big Train
1. Marillion

Still 2 more to go.

[Lethean]

I've never really gotten into Genesis.  They're obviously legendary and no problems with them being included.  What I've listened to of the old stuff just doesn't generally move me.  I like some of the Phil Collins stuff but that's not the good stuff, according to the fans I've heard from.

[Indiscipline]

Glad to see the G I assumed up there.

The classic five pieces line-up is responsible for one of the best album streaks in rock history. I am - more literally than you may think - a child of 70's prog and I must say Genesis is absolutely said era's and genre's act aging best in my rotation (pantheon excluded).

[HOF]

I've never really gotten into Genesis.  They're obviously legendary and no problems with them being included.  What I've listened to of the old stuff just doesn't generally move me.  I like some of the Phil Collins stuff but that's not the good stuff, according to the fans I've heard from.

I already mentioned that I prefer the Collins era to Gabriel (but love both). A lot of people equate the Collins era with Invisible Touch (which I do like), but that was really the tail end of his run with the band. The early stuff with him fronting the band is excellent and still super proggy while also having a little less weirdness than the Gabriel era. Duke does a really great job of blending the prog and pop sides of Genesis. 

[Sacul]

I think I should give Genesis another chance one day.

[jammindude]

This was one of my LOCKS. But as we creep closer to the top 5, I’m suddenly curious about the “LOCK” band that I personally did not include, but I know is extremely highly regarded in prog circles and this forum in particular. A certain O band….

As far as Genesis, I had them at 14. I didn’t discover them until probably the late 90s or the early 00s, but those Gabriel albums are absolutely gold. I wish I had heard that stuff earlier in life. And seeing The Musical Box twice was a treat. One Lamb show and one Selling England show.

[lonestar]

Genesis is a weird on for me, they would've been on the cusp of making my list...maybe, even though they directly inspired my #1 and #3 bands.

[jingle.boy]

I've never really gotten into Genesis.  They're obviously legendary and no problems with them being included.  What I've listened to of the old stuff just doesn't generally move me.  I like some of the Phil Collins stuff but that's not the good stuff, according to the fans I've heard from.

I already mentioned that I prefer the Collins era to Gabriel (but love both). A lot of people equate the Collins era with Invisible Touch (which I do like), but that was really the tail end of his run with the band. The early stuff with him fronting the band is excellent and still super proggy while also having a little less weirdness than the Gabriel era. Duke does a really great job of blending the prog and pop sides of Genesis.

Really?  I mean, that one probably had the most commercial (as measured by MTV plays  ) success, but I don't equate the Collins era solely to that album.

[HOF]

I've never really gotten into Genesis.  They're obviously legendary and no problems with them being included.  What I've listened to of the old stuff just doesn't generally move me.  I like some of the Phil Collins stuff but that's not the good stuff, according to the fans I've heard from.

I already mentioned that I prefer the Collins era to Gabriel (but love both). A lot of people equate the Collins era with Invisible Touch (which I do like), but that was really the tail end of his run with the band. The early stuff with him fronting the band is excellent and still super proggy while also having a little less weirdness than the Gabriel era. Duke does a really great job of blending the prog and pop sides of Genesis.

Really?  I mean, that one probably had the most commercial (as measured by MTV plays  ) success, but I don't equate the Collins era solely to that album.

Yeah, very much so. Maybe more so Abacab and beyond, but I can’t tell you how many online discussions I’ve had with people who only like the Gabriel era and think Collins single handedly forced the band to make top 40 material once he became the singer. 

[The Great Zo]

I had Genesis at #11. They are my favorite of the classic-era British prog bands.

Selling England is a prog masterpiece, and a top-10 all time album for me. The Cinema Show is about as good as prog gets, especially for someone like me who is really into keyboards and the particulars of chord progressions. Tony Banks does it as good as anyone ever has.

Foxtrot, ATOTT, Nursery Cryme ... all prog classics. I struggle a bit with The Lamb, which goes a little far off the deep end with being weird, and doesn't quite hold my attention straight through. Wind and Wuthering starts a general step downward, but has one of my very favorite Genesis tracks: One for the Vine.

Duke -- a couple bad tracks excluded -- is another favorite. It's a remarkable blend of pop and prog with a lot of energy -- not just their strongest later-era album, but one that still sounds fresh decades later.

Finally, for a long time, I completely dismissed the final four Collins-era albums. I erroneously believed they were nothing but lousy, poppy trash. A few years ago, I gave those albums a shot, and realized the truth -- they're not all bad, they're just wildly inconsistent. The bad songs are really really bad. But there's some fantastic material, too. As an experiment, I took the four-album run from Abacab to We Can't Dance (b-sides included) and cut it into two 10-song albums, and I think they'd stand up with some of the band's best work.

25. (no chance)
24. (no chance)
23. (LOCK)
22. (no chance)
21. (not likely)
20. (no chance)
19. Peter Gabriel
18. (no chance)
17. (no chance)
16. (no chance)
15. (not likely)
14. (probably in) (nope, this one's gonna be wrong)
13. Yes
12. (no chance)
11. Genesis
10. (not likely)
9. (not likely)
8. (not likely)
7. Haken
6. (probably in)
5. (LOCK)
4. Spock's Beard
3. Transatlantic
2. (LOCK)
1. (not likely)

[HOF]

Finally, for a long time, I completely dismissed the final four Collins-era albums. I erroneously believed they were nothing but lousy, poppy trash. A few years ago, I gave those albums a shot, and realized the truth -- they're not all bad, they're just wildly inconsistent. The bad songs are really really bad. But there's some fantastic material, too. As an experiment, I took the four-album run from Abacab to We Can't Dance (b-sides included) and cut it into two 10-song albums, and I think they'd stand up with some of the band's best work.

Yeah, a lot of great material from that era ended up as B-sides, which was an unfortunate side effect of trying to sell more singles and favoring less proggy stuff on the albums (the full Dodo suite from Abacab and Do The Neurotic from Invisible Touch the two big examples).

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I was really into the Collins era and some of his solo material for awhile, and the Gabriel material took a bit longer to grow on me.  Honestly there's still quite a bit I need to mine from it, which I hope to get to at some point. 

[jammindude]

I've never really gotten into Genesis.  They're obviously legendary and no problems with them being included.  What I've listened to of the old stuff just doesn't generally move me.  I like some of the Phil Collins stuff but that's not the good stuff, according to the fans I've heard from.

I already mentioned that I prefer the Collins era to Gabriel (but love both). A lot of people equate the Collins era with Invisible Touch (which I do like), but that was really the tail end of his run with the band. The early stuff with him fronting the band is excellent and still super proggy while also having a little less weirdness than the Gabriel era. Duke does a really great job of blending the prog and pop sides of Genesis.

Really?  I mean, that one probably had the most commercial (as measured by MTV plays  ) success, but I don't equate the Collins era solely to that album.

Yeah, very much so. Maybe more so Abacab and beyond, but I can’t tell you how many online discussions I’ve had with people who only like the Gabriel era and think Collins single handedly forced the band to make top 40 material once he became the singer.

+1 to this. The progressive rock community may acknowledge the entire catalog to varying degrees, but for the public at large, Genesis does not exist at all outside of the Duke-Invisible Touch run. And Duke only exists for Misunderstanding and maybe Turn It On.

[HOF]

I've never really gotten into Genesis.  They're obviously legendary and no problems with them being included.  What I've listened to of the old stuff just doesn't generally move me.  I like some of the Phil Collins stuff but that's not the good stuff, according to the fans I've heard from.

I already mentioned that I prefer the Collins era to Gabriel (but love both). A lot of people equate the Collins era with Invisible Touch (which I do like), but that was really the tail end of his run with the band. The early stuff with him fronting the band is excellent and still super proggy while also having a little less weirdness than the Gabriel era. Duke does a really great job of blending the prog and pop sides of Genesis.

Really?  I mean, that one probably had the most commercial (as measured by MTV plays  ) success, but I don't equate the Collins era solely to that album.

Yeah, very much so. Maybe more so Abacab and beyond, but I can’t tell you how many online discussions I’ve had with people who only like the Gabriel era and think Collins single handedly forced the band to make top 40 material once he became the singer.

+1 to this. The progressive rock community may acknowledge the entire catalog to varying degrees, but for the public at large, Genesis does not exist at all outside of the Duke-Invisible Touch run. And Duke only exists for Misunderstanding and maybe Turn It On.

You can run it back to Follow You, Follow Me on ATTWT, but yeah, I think there is a large chunk of prog fans who like the general public think of the Collins era as only containing those type of hit songs, which is ignoring a lot of great prog from that era.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

A Trick of the Tail is their peak for me.  "Ripples" in particular is one of their absolute best songs. 

[jingle.boy]

I've never really gotten into Genesis.  They're obviously legendary and no problems with them being included.  What I've listened to of the old stuff just doesn't generally move me.  I like some of the Phil Collins stuff but that's not the good stuff, according to the fans I've heard from.

I already mentioned that I prefer the Collins era to Gabriel (but love both). A lot of people equate the Collins era with Invisible Touch (which I do like), but that was really the tail end of his run with the band. The early stuff with him fronting the band is excellent and still super proggy while also having a little less weirdness than the Gabriel era. Duke does a really great job of blending the prog and pop sides of Genesis.

Really?  I mean, that one probably had the most commercial (as measured by MTV plays  ) success, but I don't equate the Collins era solely to that album.

Yeah, very much so. Maybe more so Abacab and beyond, but I can’t tell you how many online discussions I’ve had with people who only like the Gabriel era and think Collins single handedly forced the band to make top 40 material once he became the singer.

+1 to this. The progressive rock community may acknowledge the entire catalog to varying degrees, but for the public at large, Genesis does not exist at all outside of the Duke-Invisible Touch run. And Duke only exists for Misunderstanding and maybe Turn It On.

I can get on board with this, but that is different than to what HOF said.  I mean, it's not like much of their 70s output was exactly radio friendly for the 80s.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

+1 to Duke, that album absolutely FUCKS

[HOF]

I find choosing among Genesis songs and albums to be harder than for most bands. But I’ll make an attempt at my favorite track from each album.

Albums:
- Stagnation
- The Musical Box (or Seven Stones)
- Can-Utility and the Coastliner (or Supper’s Ready)
- Cinema Show
- The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
- Los Endos (or Entangled or Squonk)
- Unquiet Slumbers for Sleepers in That Silent Earth (or Blood on the Rooftops, or it’s really hard to pick a favorite here)
- Snowbound
- Duchesse (another impossible one to choose from)
- No Reply At All
- Home By The Sea (both parts, but especially part 2)
- Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
- Fading Lights
- Uncertain Weather (or The Dividing Line)

B-Sides (just picking a few but there are lots more good ones):
- You Might Recall
- Submarine
- Do The Neurotic