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

[Stadler]

There's a good bit of irony here because Floyd are clearly one of the biggest influences on my favorite band, Marillion, as well as a bunch of other bands I like. Kind of like The Beatles I guess where I like the music born from their influence better than their own music.

Yep, as I wrote above, that's basically how I feel too...

Interesting observation about Pink Floyd and Marillion, though...I wouldn't necessarily think of PF as the biggest influence there, but maybe it's more so with the recent material...?

So the knock on Marillion has always been the "Genesis" influence.  And other than a very early cover, the end of Grendel, and He Knows You Know, I just never really saw it.  BUT... the Floyd influence is strong. Fish, I think, took a very similar lyrical path to Roger Waters, for one.  Rothery's solos are very much in keeping with Gilmour's (though Rothery isn't as blues based).  There is a copy of "The Wall" on the Fugazi record.   The story line of both Misplaced Childhood and Clutching mirror, thematically, the approach of Waters to write about his life and his upbringing.  Genesis was always about the COMPOSITION; they are songwriters first, players second.   Floyd was always about the mood and the atmosphere.  So Marillion.

[nick_z]

There's a good bit of irony here because Floyd are clearly one of the biggest influences on my favorite band, Marillion, as well as a bunch of other bands I like. Kind of like The Beatles I guess where I like the music born from their influence better than their own music.

Yep, as I wrote above, that's basically how I feel too...

Interesting observation about Pink Floyd and Marillion, though...I wouldn't necessarily think of PF as the biggest influence there, but maybe it's more so with the recent material...?

So the knock on Marillion has always been the "Genesis" influence.  And other than a very early cover, the end of Grendel, and He Knows You Know, I just never really saw it.  BUT... the Floyd influence is strong. Fish, I think, took a very similar lyrical path to Roger Waters, for one.  Rothery's solos are very much in keeping with Gilmour's (though Rothery isn't as blues based).  There is a copy of "The Wall" on the Fugazi record.   The story line of both Misplaced Childhood and Clutching mirror, thematically, the approach of Waters to write about his life and his upbringing.  Genesis was always about the COMPOSITION; they are songwriters first, players second.   Floyd was always about the mood and the atmosphere.  So Marillion.

Yep, makes sense. I do agree especially that Marillion always put plenty of emphasis on mood. And the solos too, always with an eye (ear?) to melody.

[HOF]

Yeah, I think with Marillion it's more that they share a similar ethos and aesthetic with Pink Floyd, with the moody, spacey, slower paced atmospheric songs being a bit of a trademark. Steve Hogarth has a quote where he describes Marillion as "If Pink Floyd and Radiohead had a love child that was in touch with their feminine side they would be us." Marillion aren't from the Yes, ELP, or Rush vein of prog. They are much more like Pink Floyd (with some Genesis influence as well) than the flashier more technical bands in prog.

Stadler is right though that Gilmour is a definite major influence on Rothery's solos, and you can probably hear direct references as much in the Fish days as later on (The Sugar Mice solo is very similar to Mother from The Wall). But a more recent example is "The Gold" off of FEAR. That has Floyd all over it.

[SwedishGoose]

Pretty sure I will get 2 of the remaining 5.
My numbers 8 and 12.

The rest have no chance to show up now.

[coz]

I can't believe the other P will be higher than today's P!  Didn't see that one coming.

1. LOCK
2. LOCK
3. The Beatles
4. Probably not
5. Nope
6. LOCK
7. LOCK
8. Led Zeppelin
9. Van Halen
10. Nope
11. Mastodon
12. Spock's Beard
13. Nope
14. Nope
15. Between the Buried and Me
16. Nope
17. Avenged Sevenfold
18. Opeth
19. Nope
20. Tool
21. Coheed & Cambria
22. Pink Floyd
23. Absolutely nope
24. Nope
25. Megadeth

31. Kiss
34. Queen
38. Transatlantic
47. Genesis
79. Black Sabbath
85. Yes
92. Fates Warning

LOCK prediction count: 5/9 - Oh yeah

[Setlist Scotty]

Here's how my list is shaping up:

Not rated: Miles Davis, Symphony X, Agalloch, King Crimson, Avenged Sevenfold, The Dear Hunter, Frank Zappa, Evergrey, UFO, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Nightwish, Katatonia, Helloween, Between The Buried And Me, Anathema, Radiohead, Big Big Train, Peter Gabriel, Megadeth, Kiss, Ayreon, Spock's Beard, Neal Morse, Pain Of Salvation, Devin Townsend, Coheed & Cambria, Mastodon, Tool, Black Sabbath, Marillion, Judas Preist, Opeth, Yes, Steven Wilson, Haken, The Beatles, Genesis, Pink Floyd

25. never had a chance
24. never had a chance
23. had an outside chance of making it
22. Van Halen (13)
21. Scorpions (46)
20. Queen (21)
19. never had a chance
18. had an outside chance of making it
17. never really had a chance
16. Led Zeppelin (10)
15. never really had a chance
14. Transatlantic (19)
13. never had a chance
12. never really had a chance
11. absolute given
10. never really had a chance
9. had an outside chance of making it
8. had an outside chance of making it
7. Fates Warning (12)
6. absolute given
5. absolute given
4. Queensryche (8)
3. Riverside (31)
2. absolute given
1. absolute given

The last 5 are all absolute locks for my list. Only question is what order they'll appear.

[Evermind]

My list with the predictions:

25. Judas Priest
24. Coming soon
23. How the hell this classic prog rock band didn't even make Top 50 is beyond me
22. Fates Warning
21. Coming soon
20. Opeth
19. Shouldn't be so surprised they didn't make it as even Deep Purple didn't make it
18. Evergrey
17. Katatonia
16. Riverside
15. Helloween
14. I was sure they would make at least Top 50, also a classic band
13. Never really stood a chance but I enjoyed their power metal phase and then prog/power metal phase
12. No chance for Top 25 but I thought they might crack Top 50, a well-known band on DTF
11. Pain of Salvation
10. No chance at all but everything they did so far is fantastic
9. Steven Wilson
8. Thought they were a given for a Top 50. Apparently no love for power metal here.
7. Nightwish
6. Haken
5. Coming soon
4. Thought they were a given for a Top 50. Apparently no love for power metal here.
3. Thought they were a given for a Top 50. Apparently no love for power metal here.
2. Pink Floyd
1. Ayreon

[Stadler]

Yeah, I think with Marillion it's more that they share a similar ethos and aesthetic with Pink Floyd, with the moody, spacey, slower paced atmospheric songs being a bit of a trademark. Steve Hogarth has a quote where he describes Marillion as "If Pink Floyd and Radiohead had a love child that was in touch with their feminine side they would be us." Marillion aren't from the Yes, ELP, or Rush vein of prog. They are much more like Pink Floyd (with some Genesis influence as well) than the flashier more technical bands in prog.

Stadler is right though that Gilmour is a definite major influence on Rothery's solos, and you can probably hear direct references as much in the Fish days as later on (The Sugar Mice solo is very similar to Mother from The Wall). But a more recent example is "The Gold" off of FEAR. That has Floyd all over it.

I forgot that; didn't Petrooch quote that (Mother) at the end of Surrounded on Chaos In Motion, then James started singing Sugar Mice?

[KevShmev]

My top 3 are all likely still to come, and then two that wouldn't have made my top 25, but one of which I am quite a big fan now and another I like, but don't love.

There is a major classic hard rock band that I will be stunned to see miss the top 50 altogether.  They wouldn't have made my list, but I thought for sure they'd have enough fans to at least finish top 50.  That will be a major wow for me.

[Setlist Scotty]

There is a major classic hard rock band that I will be stunned to see miss the top 50 altogether.  They wouldn't have made my list, but I thought for sure they'd have enough fans to at least finish top 50.  That will be a major wow for me.

You mean the one Evermind referred to in his post just two posts above you? If yes, I too am very surprised although they didn't make my list either.

[KevShmev]

There is a major classic hard rock band that I will be stunned to see miss the top 50 altogether.  They wouldn't have made my list, but I thought for sure they'd have enough fans to at least finish top 50.  That will be a major wow for me.

You mean the one Evermind referred to in his post just two posts above you? If yes, I too am very surprised although they didn't make my list either.

It could be the unmentioned one (not sure who he is talking about), but it wasn't DP to whom I was referencing.

[Jamesman42]

Pink Floyd is great and very deserving. I don't think they would have made my top 25 though.

[Setlist Scotty]

There is a major classic hard rock band that I will be stunned to see miss the top 50 altogether.  They wouldn't have made my list, but I thought for sure they'd have enough fans to at least finish top 50.  That will be a major wow for me.

You mean the one Evermind referred to in his post just two posts above you? If yes, I too am very surprised although they didn't make my list either.

It could be the unmentioned one (not sure who he is talking about), but it wasn't DP to whom I was referencing.

Ah OK. I thought it was DP you were referring to. There's one classic rock band on my list that I'd put at the same level as UFO in terms of popularity here that I thought would crack the top 50 but didn't. I wonder if it's the same one you're thinking of.

Now that I look at the list, I'm surprised that 2 of the "big four" thrash bands didn't make the top 50 cut either, though I didn't vote for them either.

[TAC]

Now that I look at the list, I'm surprised that 2 of the "big four" thrash bands didn't make the top 50 cut either, though I didn't vote for them either.

There was zero chance one of them was going to make it.

[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 Pink Floyd
3
2 Avenged Sevenfold
1

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

Yeah, I think with Marillion it's more that they share a similar ethos and aesthetic with Pink Floyd, with the moody, spacey, slower paced atmospheric songs being a bit of a trademark. Steve Hogarth has a quote where he describes Marillion as "If Pink Floyd and Radiohead had a love child that was in touch with their feminine side they would be us." Marillion aren't from the Yes, ELP, or Rush vein of prog. They are much more like Pink Floyd (with some Genesis influence as well) than the flashier more technical bands in prog.

Stadler is right though that Gilmour is a definite major influence on Rothery's solos, and you can probably hear direct references as much in the Fish days as later on (The Sugar Mice solo is very similar to Mother from The Wall). But a more recent example is "The Gold" off of FEAR. That has Floyd all over it.

I forgot that; didn't Pretrooch quote that (Mother) at the end of Surrounded on Chaos In Motion, then James started singing Sugar Mice?

Yeah!! one of the best moments from that tour lol

[ReaperKK]

From Pink Floyd to a band that sounds like Pink Floyd (I kid I kid!!!) here is number 5

05. Porcupine Tree
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Monthly Spotify Streams: 674,534
Highest Finish: 1 (romdrums)
Number of top 10 finishes: 17
Number of Lists appeared on: 19 (Metropolaris, ReaperKK, romdrums, devieira73, Vmader00, jammindude, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, The Letter M, PMSummer, Buddyhunter1, nobloodyname, Pappy, Fonzie, Sacul, THeHoveringSojurn808, Setlist Scotty, The Great Zo, SomeoneLikeHim, Evermind)

Landed number 10 on my list. There were a few years where PT was my number 1 band but since have fallen down the list. Personally I think it's just another consistency issue. PT is probably the only band on my list that has songs I hate and find incredibly grating but their highs can be so high.

[KevShmev]

Porcupine Tree would have been number 2 on my list (given that they are my 2nd favorite band). Their 7-album run of The Sky Moves Sideways through Fear of a Blank Planet is nearly untoppable (when looking at studio album runs and not factoring in EPs or anything else).  Just an incredible band. 

[The Letter M]

From Pink Floyd to a band that sounds like Pink Floyd (I kid I kid!!!) here is number 5

05. Porcupine Tree
Rate Your Music Profile!
Spotify Profile
Monthly Spotify Streams: 674,534
Highest Finish: 1 (romdrums)
Number of top 10 finishes: 17
Number of Lists appeared on: 19 (Metropolaris, ReaperKK, romdrums, devieira73, Vmader00, jammindude, King Puppies and the Acid Guppies, The Letter M, PMSummer, Buddyhunter1, nobloodyname, Pappy, Fonzie, Sacul, THeHoveringSojurn808, Setlist Scotty, The Great Zo, SomeoneLikeHim, Evermind)

Landed number 10 on my list. There were a few years where PT was my number 1 band but since have fallen down the list. Personally I think it's just another consistency issue. PT is probably the only band on my list that has songs I hate and find incredibly grating but their highs can be so high.

NR: Miles Davis, Symphony X, Agalloch, The Deer Hunter, Frank Zappa, Evergrey, UFO, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Nightwish, Katatonia, Helloween, Between The Buried And Me, Anathema, Radiohead, Peter Gabriel, Megadeth, Pain Of Salvation, Devin Townsend, Coheed And Cambria, Mastodon, Tool, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Opeth, Van Halen, Fates Warning, Led Zeppelin, Queensryche

29  King Crimson
28  Marillion
27  The Beatles
26  Queen
25  (Leave this band behind)
24  (Interesting but not looking quite good)
23  (Most unlikely)
22  Pink Floyd
21  (Not likely)
20  Riverside
19  (Most likely not)
18  (Unlikely)
17  (Unfortunately not lucky enough)
16  (Pretty sure they won't make it)
15  (Only if hell freezes over)
14  Steven Wilson
13  Yes
12  Genesis
11  (This outfit won't make it)
10  Ayreon
09  Haken
08  Porcupine Tree
07  Neal Morse
06  Spock's Beard
05 
04 
03  Transatlantic
02  (Totally nother making it)
01  Big Big Train

I had a feeling they'd pop up today, so I went to bed listening to In Absentia last night. I am not surprised it made top five, especially given that nearly every list PT appeared on made it to the top ten. I've over this band since the Deadwing era, right around when I discovered them. My hype for FOABP was through the roof, and I even caught them on that tour (and I don't go to too many concerts). Ever since then, they've been a solid Top 10 band for me, and while C/C wasn't the FULL band as we knew them, I still really enjoyed the reunion. If they don't make anymore new music, I'll be happy with the immense body of work they've left behind, especially albums like The Sky Moves Sideways, the duo of SD & LS, and the trio-run of IA/DW/FOABP. In fact, the only albums I rarely listen to are their first and tenth.

-Marc.

[Mladen]

Great choice. They would have made my top thirty most likely. 

[Metro]

Hey that's a good band

[Jamesman42]

A band that could never really click with me (Blackest Eyes is cool though).

[TAC]

Ugh.

[PMSummer]

Fantastic band #4 for me, favourite albums are Lightbulb Sun and Fear of a Blank Planet. These last two entries have helped fill in some of my top 5.


5.
4. Porcupine Tree
3. Pink Floyd
2.
1. Radiohead

I'm 100% the other two aren't going to show up.

[Zydar]

I enjoy me some PT from time to time, but they didn't quite make my Top 25.

[twosuitsluke]

Ugh.

I hear ya Tim.

[Indiscipline]

Wow

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

25
24
23 Miles Davis
22 Black Sabbath
21 Godspeed You! Black Emperor
20
19 Porcupine Tree
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



PT is a timeless band for me. 15 years ago they would have been near the top of my list but even today they are still special

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I think we can be 99.999999% certain of who the top 4 are now. 

I quite like the 00s PT albums, but while I've heard the earlier ones, I'm much less familiar with them.  Their sound really started to appeal to me on In Absentia with Gavin joining and Wilson's quite noticeable Opeth and Tool influences really starting to show up.  Like a number of other artists here, I find Steven's vocals quite insipid, which holds them back some.  I need to explore their earlier material more deeply for certain though, Buddy pointing me to Guilt Machine in my roulette, who I'd been sleeping on, has made me realize that Maitland is a quite fine drummer in his own right. 

[jingle.boy]

Ugh.

I hear ya Tim.

I feel ya, Luke

[Lethean]

A number of people have found it odd that I don't like Porcupine Tree much but love Riverside.  I don't think it's that odd and I've never thought they sounded much alike.  Influence, sure, absolutely.  But their actual songs sound quite different to me.

I thought In Absentia was pretty good but nothing else has done much for me. 

[Evermind]

I had Steven Wilson solo higher than PT

25. Judas Priest
24.
23.
22. Fates Warning
21. Porcupine Tree
20. Opeth
19.
18. Evergrey
17. Katatonia
16. Riverside
15. Helloween
14.
13.
12.
11. Pain of Salvation
10.
9. Steven Wilson
8.
7. Nightwish
6. Haken
5.
4.
3.
2. Pink Floyd
1. Ayreon

[SwedishGoose]

Still at 10

Porcupine Tree
I heard about this band back in the day but did not connect with anything I listened to.
Got into Steven Wilson a couple of years ago and through him I got into some of their albums.
Still hold SW higher and did not have PT in my top 25.
Love Closure / Continuation and saw them on that tour.


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, Porcupine Tree

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 Pink Floyd (favorite album: Dark Side of the Moon, favorite song: Wish You Were Here)
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

[Buddyhunter1]

25
24: Steven Wilson
23
22: Tool
21
20
19
18
17
16: Riverside
15
14
13: Anathema
12
11
10
9: Between The Buried And Me
8
7
6
5: Opeth
4: Agalloch
3: Porcupine Tree
2
1: Devin Townsend

Top five is honestly pretty unexpected for how many loud detractors Steven Wilson has on here. But I guess it's the vocal minority.

[The Great Zo]

I had Porcupine Tree at #6, and even as a huge fan of the band, I think it's both shocking and hilarious that they finished one spot ahead of Pink Floyd! I never got into Pink Floyd and they didn't make my list. I know early/mid era PT is somewhat derivative of Pink Floyd (though the most direct ripoff may have been "Time Flies") and yet between the two, PT is the band I've always been drawn to.

I got into PT shortly after the release of Lightbulb Sun, though my first two albums were Up the Downstair and Stupid Dream. I grew to love the middle era the best, and Signify remains my favorite PT album by a comfortable margin -- with "Dark Matter" (or is it "Darkmatter"?) as my favorite song.

First show was on the first leg of the IA tour in Detroit, in a tiny place that couldn't have had more than 200 people show up. Last show was on the C/C tour in Milwaukee, which even as one of the smaller shows on that tour still had several thousand in attendance.

Oh, and the PT song countdown was the first thing I really participated in here at DTF, and it was a lot of fun!

Favorite underappreciated PT tracks: This Long Silence, Idiot Prayer, Disappear (April 1997 Demo), Chloroform, What Happens Now?

---

Very confident that my final three locks are going to make the top 4, and that my last "probably in" actually has no chance.

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. Porcupine Tree
5. (LOCK)
4. Spock's Beard
3. Transatlantic
2. (LOCK)
1. (not likely)