Quad and what have you...

[Jeff Williams <jeffw@mxim.com>]

I'd love to go to London to see the show, etc.  but if the Pistols reform
and make it all the way to the States, I'll spend on  'em first since,
though I've seen all original members in various bands, but not as a group.  
And if you've never heard any live boots of the Pistols pre-Sid, they were 
great....  Now, back to the Who.  If they DON'T use Simon Phillips (sorry
 folks, the drummers who come out of the woodwork back me up on this) and 
get someone decent, and Pete puts the goddam hearing baffles in his shot ears,
 and cranks up some HIWATTS and Les Pauls re the original sound of Quad, and
 Daltrey rests his voice till then, then it'll be a pretty good show....  
 Even given the evolution on the them Townshend may throw in there, I'm open
 to it.. Let's see what they can do....

I respect everyone's love for the Who, etc., and am usually appalled at the 
others band people like, but this like all my ranting above is an indication 
of my narrow opinions and arrogance.  Sorry, hardwired that way...

So, belatedly, here's my favorite bands of the last 20 years (I'll stop at
ten, and qualify each one by when they started to suck, if ever).  No
particular order.  Followed by Honorable Mentions

Ramones (1st two albums only, please)
Jam (up through Setting Sons and a few from Sound Affects and others, but 
stoppping DEAD at Town Called Phallice. Ecchh!)
Sex Pistols.  Got their mojo workin', yup they did, uh huh.
Clash (British copy of first album only.  Other albums need not apply.  Singles in '77 only also qualify).  
Black FLag (with Keith Morris only - only recorded evidence is Nervous Breakdown single- a religious experience live).
Wipers (first album and first single only... but on the basis of that, greatest group after the Who.)
D.O.A. (Triumph of the Ignoroids is and awwwesome live EP on the basis of the
drummer alone (Chuck Biscuits, who now taps out a beat for Danzig - ignore it.))
Nirvana - first, aside from Smells Like, I didn't like 'em, but I do, really.
STP - they're progressing nicely, thank you... not a high batting average, but
their best is better than the rest.
Guns 'n' Roses (this one is usually unpopular among the snob set. But they
came out in a kind of vacuum for hard rock, or did everyone have a collective
memory lapse?)
Misfits (Starring Glen Danzig) on the basis of their first single, Bullet. Nice lyrics, Glenn.
Honorable mentions go to Buzzcocks, Green Day, Offspring, Belly, Babes in Toyland, Catherine Wheel, Dandelion, Agent Orange, the Wierdos, Dils, Avengers, 
Middle Class, Alleycats, early X, a buncha new ones on the radio whose names
I forget,  all my bands, all my friends' bands, a 
special thumbs up to the Flapjacks, who play now and sound better than ever,
Foo Fighters, and all the other bands who fit into this taste category.