AlexdeParis said:

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT AGAINST CYNTHIA RHODES?!?

Rodeo, no offense, but Night Ranger is TERRIBLE. Cheesed out 80's shit that should have stayed in the 80s. At least Aerosmith's sound isn't dated.

RodeoSchro said:

Rodeo this applies to you in regards to your dismissal of the Dan;

To quote LastDecember; "offer up an opinion if you have all the records and seen shows, not if you caught one or two tracks, and especially if you dont even know that they still record."

As far as Night Ranger, yeah they're a alright band with talented musicians but America's Best Band is a title reserved for bands that have stood the test of time and Night Ranger sounds dated IMO.

Can a band be great AND suck at the same time?

I don't know if Night Ranger is America's best band, but I do love their song "Forever All Over Again".

guitarslinger44 said:

Dude, that's what I thought too - until I saw them live.

I am telling you, they will absolutely blow you away with their live performance.

Go see them, and if you don't agree with me that they are worthy of consideration of America's Best Band, I'll pay you for your ticket.

Slave2daGroove said:

I know the Dan. One of my frat brothers was Donald Fagen's piano tuner. I have their first five albums on vinyl. Hell, I bought a couple of them through the Columbia Record Club. I love the Dan.

But they are NOT a band in the true sense of the word. They are two incredibly-talented guys, and an always-changing band of very talented session musicians. They toured early in their career but became a pure studio outfit in 1975. They didn't tour again until 1993, and have had only four tours since then (1993, 1994, 2000 and 2003), and are apparently touring right now.

I love them, their albums are all-time greats, but they are not a band.

RodeoSchro said:

I hear that, but...

Is the NPG a band? They keep changing members, too. The Rolling Stones? They only have 3 of their original members, now. Red Hot Chili Peppers? only 2.

Steely Dan is a band of two, and they are a band because their stuff always sounds like Steely Dan, no matter who's playing.

I don't know NIght Ranger's lineup, but i wonder if they've lost a member or two.

Can we just FUCKING retire the term DATED!! Jesus christ, you know what is dated, the term DATED! Guess who is Dated? Everyone!! Everytime Prince or Madonna or Janet or Michael or whatever Icon that we all post and argue about puts out a record, what does everyone complain abouy, well its two things, ONE they either sound to current they are selling out, or TWO they dont SOUND like they used too, EXAMPLE "why cant Prince do another album like....." catch my point. So retire this DUMB fucking term DATED because its stupid and it goes for everyones work. Retire that shit already

lastdecember said:

this from a guy called "lastdecember!"

NDRU said:

Night Ranger's core of Jack Blades (bass/vocals), Kelly Keagle (drums/vocals), and Brad Gillis (guitar) have been together since the beginning. They split with the fourth original member, guitarist Jeff Watson, last year. They have had three different keyboard players.

Now, keep in mind I am talking about America's best band RIGHT NOW. Not ever, just right now. Of course, the Stones are not an American band.

Rating Prince's bands is frustrating because none of them stick around for more than a few years. I thought the Revolution was adequate, nothing more. The NPG circa 2002 - 2004 was the best of Prince's bands, IMHO. Although, I haven't had a chance to see the current incarnation live.

I still think of Steely Dan as the All Star team, not the Yankees (if that makes any sense).

RodeoSchro said:

I only used the Stones as an example of a band, not to take the title. But the point still, is that Night Ranger only has one more original member than Steely Dan. How many members makes a band? The White Stripes only have two members.

I do see your point about Steely Dan, but think it's just opinion, not really factual. The All Star team actually is a team. I don't think they're a great team, though.

NDRU said:

Well everyone talks about DATED and then bitches when there artist works with someone new, example Madonna and Tim. So decide which its gonna be. DATED is not a bad thing, so everyone stop thinking like label people for a second, because thats their term. The term dated is why you have a shit chart like you do today and why you have NO fucking radio stations that play anything but 10 songs made by 15 year olds. Because some ass at a label said, you know what DATED is a bad thing, we want new and fresh, well good luck, because now you have nothing.

lastdecember said:

easy, killer, I was just making a joke!

NDRU said:

I think the whole "Original band members" is overrated. First Example "Chicago" light years better with Jason Scheff than Peter Cetera, sorry but Scheff is a better player by far, and both are ballad singers for the most part in the band. Second Example Styx, Tommy Shaw actually is not an original member, they formed in 1969 and Shaw joined in 1974, but he is the BAND by a longshot, they didnt have the life till he joined and still have that life, despite Deyoungs abscence.

lastdecember said:

I agree with that. Like Fleetwood Mac (maybe) was at their best with only two original members (though Peter Green fans would argue otherwise)

So the point that Nght Ranger is the best band "right now" as-is, means the same argument could be made for Steely Dan, who is touring as a band right now, too. Who's better, the current Steely Dan, or the current Night Ranger. I'm not answering the question, just saying Steely Dan is eligible.

NDRU said:

In the end its opinion, but like i said to lump Night Ranger in a group of bands like Poison and Trixter is false. The same could be said of Jovi, i mean i have seen these guys about 20 times through the years including Central Park last week, and their at the top of their game, the musical chops are there, and to put them in a box with Slaughter or Mr Big, i mean are we serious here. Night Ranger is a very tight band with top notch players, and the only way you get there is to work at it, so longevity is the key in the end and they have had it, like other bands and artists that have stuck with it, touring and doing new albums, thats why they picked the instruments in the first place.

RodeoSchro said:

Calm down I'm a very unlikely convert.
[Edited 7/21/08 18:32pm]

All right, considering I don't know any Night Ranger, aside from Sister Christian, I watched some of these Youtube videos.

What exactly distinguishes them as a great band? Sure they're fairly accomplished musicians, but the singing is uninteresting & flat in the live videos. The guitar solos are good, but generic. Likewise the songs are pretty generic. There's nothing very personal about the songs.

I think the argument against them is that they are not particularly interesting, the argument for them is that they are good musicians.

NDRU said:

You have to see them live to fully comprehend their greatness. These guys are in Prince's league on a stage.

lastdecember said:

The problem with your...analogy/rant? is that music is dated by when it was created. You can't get around that fact but why is it that doesn't sound like music from a certain era? Classical music, some classic rock and a handful of individual tunes along with some Prince music really has stood the test of time in this regard. I don't listen to Mozart and think, "that's so 14th Century" or listen to In the Evening by Zeppelin and think, "that's so 70's".

It's the music written that supersedes the era in which it was created. Timeless is another word. It's all subjective but when music of a certain time all sounds the same and bands can go on an "80s revival tour", that music is dated.

To your point of an artist sounding a certain way and people saying it sounds like their earlier stuff, that should be a given. Madonna's voice will always be the same one that sang in the 80s, 90s and current, the music should show growth and change but her voice is her voice.

RodeoSchro said:

Now, thats just straight COMEDY, son!

I think the headset microphone has to disqualify them.

SexGod said:

Beyond comedy.....more like a tragedy.

Graycap23 said:

Why don't you and SexGod tell us how many times you've seen Night Ranger live?

Thought so.

NDRU said: