BBC Ultimate British group

idiotwindow

Tannin said:

Cols said:

Few funny ones there.  I’m not sure you can call The Police a British band, Stewart Copeland’s an American.  Same goes for Fleetwood Mac, unless you’re going to specify Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac.

However there is one inclusion so unexpected that it is hilariously funny - the Bee Gees. Yep, they were born in England, but  they were very much an Australian band for the first half of their long career, then moved to the US and became very much an American band. 

Not sure it is all that funny. The three oldest brothers are undoubtedly British. The family emigrated to Australia in 1958 (Barry Gibb was about 12 at the time) and the brothers returned to the UK in 1967. Though formed in Australia, it's hardly a stretch to consider the band British.

Cols

Boromedic said:

Yeah I think the whole Copeland family lived here during part of Stewarts teenage years, at least that's what I recall from his Rockenteurs interview.

Three years during his late teenage phase - his family seems to have quite nomadic, also living overseas in Cairo and Beirut.  

Tannin said:

Cols said:

Few funny ones there.  I’m not sure you can call The Police a British band, Stewart Copeland’s an American.  Same goes for Fleetwood Mac, unless you’re going to specify Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac.

Nonsense. They are both plenty "British enough" to pass muster. 

However there is one inclusion so unexpected that it is hilariously funny - the Bee Gees. Yep, they were born in England, but  they were very much an Australian band for the first half of their long career, then moved to the US and became very much an American band. 

Still, where do you draw a line? Put it this way, it would never, ever have occurred to me to call the Bee Gees "British", and it has never, ever occurred to me to call Fleetwood Mac and the Police anything else.

I’m not sure what ‘British enough’ means.  If we’ll argue for ‘majority of the members were English, formed in London’ - can I have the Jimi Hendrix Experience?

Fleetwood Mac - at least the lineup that the average person in the street will think of when you mention the name - is most certainly a transatlantic band.

ICBM

Cols said:

Boromedic said:

Yeah I think the whole Copeland family lived here during part of Stewarts teenage years, at least that's what I recall from his Rockenteurs interview.

Three years during his late teenage phase - his family seems to have quite nomadic, also living overseas in Cairo and Beirut.

Wherever the CIA needed his dad...

idiotwindow said:

He might be but the band was formed in London. Virtually all of the songs are written by Sting. I think Copeland even went to school in England. The Police are a British band.

I would accept the Police. But I don't think Fleetwood Mac - the version most people know from the 70s onwards - are a British band, they're British-American. Yes, three out of five members were British, but the main songwriters and frontman/woman were Buckingham and Nicks, and the band was always based in the US.

Anyway, whoever is or isn't included the poll is a bit daft - it would be much better to pick the top five that *aren't* the Beatles and the Stones, since if they're not the top two then people have no clue about music history.

ewal

UnclePsychosis said:

What an absolutely uninspiring and unimpressive short list. Zero interest. 

Did you see the panel though? 

FelixV

Where’s Black Sabbath! 

Soulslinger

I’m assuming with no Sabbath or Maiden there is definitely no Priest.

guitartango

Bee Gees ?  Thought they were Aussie ! 

StefB

guitartango said:

Bee Gees ?  Thought they were Aussie ! 

Born on the Isle of Man then the family emigrated I think.

By the same logic you could argue AC/DC might be included.

scrumhalf

The Faces - not only by birth but in attitude as well

Tannin

StefB said:

guitartango said:

Bee Gees ?  Thought they were Aussie ! 

Born on the Isle of Man then the family emigrated I think.

By the same logic you could argue AC/DC might be included.

Why not the Skyhooks? They are usually known as the most gloriously Australian of all Australian bands - but a small child named Red Symonds happened to be on the same migrant ship as the future Bee Gees.

Decades later, Red would play lead guitar on Australia's two biggest-selling albums of all time.Not just that, they were albums written by Australians, about Australia, in an entirely home-grown style of music. Before the 'hooks, Australian music was a shallow copy of American or English music. After the 'hooks, it was its own thing. But on the above logic you could claim that they were a British band!

Kilgore

No Sex Pistols?

ewal

It's Radio 2 - they're still banned.

stufisher

On quiet reflection I decided to keep to what I really know and not overthink it.

Beatles
Rolling Stones
Fleetwood Mac
Led Zeppelin 
The Who

Job done.

guitars4you

I've heard about this via R2 - I've not looked on-line as to who is in and who isn't - Appreciate it will create a buzz and R2 will have a day soon. committed to the top 50 count down

As a grumpy old git, I may well be in the minority, but I don't see vocals acts as a group - All Saints, Bananarama , Take That etc - I'm not saying they are crap - I'm not saying that don't have their place in music - Just for me a group is a band 

A big part of me says The Beatles or The Stones should win, based on their status as pioneers - You could argue The Stones should edge The Beatles as they are still working today - So they win the longevity award - But based on the awareness of what is happening today, then I suspect Oasis or Coldplay will win 

I'm probably not bothered either way 

Placidcasual79

UnclePsychosis said:

What an absolutely uninspiring and unimpressive short list. Zero interest. 






Don't beat around the bush uncle - tell us what you really think

Hootsmon

RocknRollDave said:

Actually quite a few acts there that I am torn between. I am pleasantly surprised.

Bananarama, though?!

1st real pish band ever.....unison singing, no harmonies with folk picked exclusively for looks....no redeeming features tae speak of, so don't even try....absolute fuckin' rubbish

EricTheWeary

It is surprisingly terrible. 

I expected some recent bands that I didn’t really know but not even that. 

Very little representation of black British music (probably find one group and a handful of black musicians represented in that list) despite amazing black British pop, reggae, soul, funk, everything 2 Tone (I like Madness but it was still 7 white blokes),etc. 

Where Wham! a group? I’m struggling with having The Pet Shop Boys and other duos in this list. 
Musically the British gave the world the sixties invasion stuff and heavy metal. No Sabbath, Maiden - massive, massive bands that are what Britain’s known for. 
But music experts of the quality of Vernon Kay, Scott Mills, Sara Cox…oh, music selected by some of the worst presenters in R2 history.

Winny_Pooh

Muse...Wings...
Madness

rogd

The Dagenham Girl Pipers!

crunchman

No Dire Straits, no Lizzy, no Quo.  What kind of a list is that?