BBC Ultimate British group

ICBM

crunchman said:

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

No Deep Purple either. Or any heavy rock or metal, other than Led Zep.

It’s almost as if the list was drawn up by trendy twats who know nothing about music.

Imagination?!

stufisher

Lizzy were my fave live band but they were predominantly Irish so not included.

ewal

ICBM said:

crunchman said:

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

No Deep Purple either. Or any heavy rock or metal, other than Led Zep.

It’s almost as if the list was drawn up by trendy twats who know nothing about music.

Imagination?!

Or Radio 2 DJs 

Philly_Q

Soulslinger said:

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

You are correct.  And therefore no votes from me.

prowla

An entirely concocted list to address an unanswerable question.

Philly_Q

ICBM said:
Imagination?!

I like Imagination.

prowla

Philly_Q said:

ICBM said:
Imagination?!

I like Imagination.

Nah - it's just an illusion!

Philly_Q

prowla said:

Philly_Q said:

ICBM said:
Imagination?!

I like Imagination.

Nah - it's just an illusion!

Could it be that..?

ICBM

prowla said:

Philly_Q said:

ICBM said:
Imagination?!

I like Imagination.

Nah - it's just an illusion!

So do I, but do most people even know another song of theirs without looking it up?

I’d put Kajagoogoo on the list before them… they at least have two members most of us could name .

Sporky

ICBM said:

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.

It's "your ultimate", not "most influential" or "most worthy" or "most historically important".

I'd rather listen to Bananarama than the Beatles or Stones. Only just, mind. 

EricTheWeary

ICBM said:

prowla said:

Philly_Q said:

ICBM said:
Imagination?!

I like Imagination.

Nah - it's just an illusion!

So do I, but do most people even know another song of theirs without looking it up?

I’d put Kajagoogoo on the list before them… they at least have two members most of us could name .

In defence of Imagination they are a black British group that I had overlooked in my earlier rant. 

Sporky said:

ICBM said:

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.

It's "your ultimate", not "most influential" or "most worthy" or "most historically important".

I'd rather listen to Bananarama than the Beatles or Stones. Only just, mind. 

I think 'group' makes many of us assume that they largely write and play their own music (roughly the model of the Beatles and the Stones although both did a lot of covers) which Bananamara didn't do much of although I grant you that they were a group of people. 

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

prowla said:

Philly_Q said:

ICBM said:
Imagination?!

I like Imagination.

Nah - it's just an illusion!

So do I, but do most people even know another song of theirs without looking it up?

I’d put Kajagoogoo on the list before them… they at least have two members most of us could name .

I don't want to turn this into an Imagination versus Kajagoogoo debate, but my honest answer would be that I remembered at least three Imagination songs and only one by Kajagoogoo.  Looking at their discographies, they're actually surprisingly comparable in terms of (hit) singles, but Imagination managed three Gold albums in the UK to Kajagoogoo's solitary Silver.  Imagination for the win!

darthed1981

Well, I voted...

The Beatles
Oasis
Radiohead
Blur
Manic Street Preachers

So quite a lot of my favourites in there.

A little bit of "consider the source" needed maybe?  This is a Radio 2 poll, and "Best" is entirely subjective, but certainly will mostly include "bands played on Radio 2".

Personally, even as a sap to that section of the community, I'd have expected maybe Sabbath and Iron Maiden on there, maybe in place of some of the more obscure 80s pop choices - but overall the list isn't a huge surprise.

Philly_Q

I did actually vote.  4 for Led Zeppelin and 1 for The Who.

ICBM

Philly_Q said:

I did actually vote.  4 for Led Zeppelin and 1 for The Who.

I didn't realise you could vote more than once for each. That makes it worthwhile voting.

I voted 5 for the Beatles, because anything else is just silly.

CaseOfAce

Philly_Q said:

ICBM said:

prowla said:

Philly_Q said:

ICBM said:
Imagination?!

I like Imagination.

Nah - it's just an illusion!

So do I, but do most people even know another song of theirs without looking it up?

I’d put Kajagoogoo on the list before them… they at least have two members most of us could name .

I don't want to turn this into an Imagination versus Kajagoogoo debate, but my honest answer would be that I remembered at least three Imagination songs and only one by Kajagoogoo.  Looking at their discographies, they're actually surprisingly comparable in terms of (hit) singles, but Imagination managed three Gold albums in the UK to Kajagoogoo's solitary Silver.  Imagination for the win!

I'm the opposite - I can name 2 songs by Imagination and 3 by Kajagoogoo - it's a close call though.

Also note the footnote on the website:

A British group is defined as an act containing two or members that is made-up wholly of, or where the majority are, people who were born, live or hold British citizenship.

which is why The Bee Gees and Fleetwood Mac are in the list.

darthed1981

ICBM said:

It’s almost as if the list was drawn up by trendy twats who know nothing about music.

Trendy? Radio 2?  The radio station for people in their 30s and 40s?

The only way it could be less trendy is if they had put Deep Purple on it.

Sporky

EricTheWeary said:

I think 'group' makes many of us assume that they largely write and play their own music (roughly the model of the Beatles and the Stones although both did a lot of covers) which Bananamara didn't do much of although I grant you that they were a group of people. 

Ah. I don't have that definition in my head. Nor do I equate "group" with "band" (though all bands are groups).

Bananarama do have writing credits on a load of their songs. 

And, to be more specific, if you said I had, on pain of death, to listen to one song by Bananarama, The Beatles, or the Stones, I'd go for "Robert De Niro's Waiting". That might change tomorrow.

Mostly I find all these "let's revel in the past" lists rather dreary. I was a little surprised that the bit in Only Fools And Horses where Delboy falls through the bar and Trigger pulls a face wasn't on the list. 

Philly_Q

darthed1981 said:

ICBM said:

It’s almost as if the list was drawn up by trendy twats who know nothing about music.

Trendy? Radio 2?  The radio station for people in their 30s and 40s?

The only way it could be less trendy is if they had put Deep Purple on it.

I think it's probably more like people in their 50s and 60s.  People in their 30s and 40s are in a bit of a no man's land when it comes to BBC music radio, unless they're into the godawful hipster shite on BBC Radio 6 Music.

darthed1981

Philly_Q said:

darthed1981 said:

ICBM said:

It’s almost as if the list was drawn up by trendy twats who know nothing about music.

Trendy? Radio 2?  The radio station for people in their 30s and 40s?

The only way it could be less trendy is if they had put Deep Purple on it.

I think it's probably more like people in their 50s and 60s.  People in their 30s and 40s are in a bit of a no man's land when it comes to BBC music radio, unless they're into the godawful hipster shite on BBC Radio 6 Music.

I should have said OFFICIALLY for people in their 30s and 40s - it's supposed to take over from Radio 1.

The interesting thing about the lack of any heavy rock or metal acts except for Zep is that I suspect it will lead to quite a high placing for them as many will put five votes for them.

Sporky said:

Mostly I find all these "let's revel in the past" lists rather dreary. I was a little surprised that the bit in Only Fools And Horses where Delboy falls through the bar and Trigger pulls a face wasn't on the list. 

Are you allowed to say that "Only Fools is a bit over-rated" these days - or is it still considered heresy?