Magic.....

This will make me sound old (I am), even though I still listen to a lot of new music (mostly in the metal genre).

I've been saying for the last few years that the era of the truely great "rock" band is over.  Music has changed drastically in the past twenty years or so.

The way that it's changed?  Music use to be about a bunch of guys, and there were guys (other than the lead singer) that contributed so much to the sound of the band - that each guy had a strong sonic signature, and the band wouldn't sound the same without each member contributing in some ways.

Think about a band like Led Zeppelin.  Of course, Robert Plant's voice is unmistakable, but Jimmy Pages riffs, John Paul Jones' bass and keyboard playing, and John Bonham's drumming were signature to their sound.

Or think about Metallica - every guy in Metallica (in the early days, at least) played as though they were trying to be the star - Lars was unmistakable, James had those driving rhythm guitar, Kirk played in his unique style, and Cliff did his distorted bass thing.

Roth-era Van Halen (or even Hagar era) was the same.

Even post 1990 bands had some strong musicianship - Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, Green Day - all of those bands had such recognizable sonic styles from each of their members.

And of course, the Beatles were the first (and arguably the best).

Other favorites of mine include Slayer, Sepultura, Pantera, and more recently, Decapitated and  Cannibal Corpse.

Then over the span of a few years, music changed.  Bands had a unique sound, but their instrumentalists were exchangeable.  Bass players didn't stand out, like, say, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Or drummers didn't rock the way that Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters does.

I'm not saying one is better or worse, but I think I gravitate towards bands where the musicianship is strong all around, and the songwriting is awesome.

Here's one of my favorite videos of all time - The Who doing Who Are You.  I love how crazy Keith Moon is.