Little Feat - I much prefer their streamlined jazzfunk to the early country cajun thing

The first record, so much different from "Sailin' Shoes" and absolutely a changed sound when Paul, Kenny and Sam Joined.

Stones - Let's face it, a lot more fun with Taylor, maybe not so mysterious and amazing

Without a doubt, my favorite Stones era and the only time I ever bought stuff from them.

Off the top of my head...

Deep Purple Mark II

Stones with Mick Taylor

Black Crowes once Marc Ford & Ed Harsch joined

Iron Maiden once Dickinson and Smith joined

Pink Floyd once Gilmour joined

Stones with Mick T

Black Crowes with Marc Ford

Little Feat - I like the entire Lowell era but if I had to pick one lineup it would be with Gradney, Clayton, Paine Haywood, Barrere, and George

Yes with Rick Wakeman

Grateful Dead - favorite era 71-74. Personnel changed with addition of Keith. Pigpen was there until 72
DTB with Mike

Beatles with Ringo

Beatles with Ringo

haHAHa! Studio audience clamor, but looks like the judges are letting this one stand.

I’m talking live performance here:

Stones with Mick Taylor
Black Crowes with Ford and Harsch, and again with Dickinson and MacDougald
Grateful Dead with TC, then with Keith (and Donna I suppose)
Widespread Panic with Herring, then again with Herring and Duane Trucks
Derek Trucks Band with Kofi, Mattison, and the Count
Zero post-John Cipollina
Steve Kimock Band with Holmes, Alphonso Johnson, and Mitch Stein
Umphrey’s after adding Cinninger
And yes, drumroll please.... the Allman Brothers Band with Derek Trucks

I’m talking live performance here:

And yes, drumroll please.... the Allman Brothers Band with Derek Trucks

Here we go..... 😛

Rush with Neil Peart
Another vote for Stones w/ Mick Taylor
Moody Blues w/ Lodge & Hayward
Traffic post Dave Mason

Honest this thread was NOT a set-up to go where it is about to go . ...

Stones with Taylor.
Eagles with Joe Walsh
Lynyrd Skynyrd with Ed King but maybe not. I like the first album too and King plays bass doesn't he?
Pink Floyd with Gilmore
Allman Brothers with Mike Lawler and David Toler instead of Jaimoe.

Ha ha. Just joking. No I'm not going down that dark hole again either.

Heading to Kroger with gloves and mask from 3M. Everyone be safe!!!

You too blackey!
Not me, but millions upon millions of music fans liked Elton John’s & Rod Stewart’s stuff more than their early records, when, like FMac they went AM

If it's a choice between Steve Morse and Ritchie Blackmore, give me later Deep Purple any day.

Spinoff from the LAFE thread and the ongoing ABB lineup thing.

Bands I enjoyed more after they changed their personnel once or a few times:

Grateful Dead, my go to is 1977-81. Huge lineup, sound changes. I love Pigpen but it is a certain Howlin Wolf mood.

Yes, Relayer, nice break from Wakeman tyranny

Jethro Tull, just kept improving, Ian always kept things moving

Stones - Let's face it, a lot more fun with Taylor, maybe not so mysterious and amazing

Little Feat - I much prefer their streamlined jazzfunk to the early country cajun thing

Jimi - I feel fortunate to have heard him cut loose after the Experience

Jefferson Airplane - great great group but i think it ran its course was a good move to drop Kantner Slick and Balin and change the name to Hot Tuna.

Interesting your take on Tull. Improving you mention . My opinion ,is that Ian was evolving Tull into what he envisioned. I would not say better. Different. Those first 3 from them are and always be may favs and go to's when listening to them. I love the blues/jazz/rock 60's vibe of the first one. Then bringing in Martin,who is a beast on the next two,and hearing that band morph into the prog rock genre and balance the past. Those are so good and so underrated.

If it's a choice between Steve Morse and Ritchie Blackmore, give me later Deep Purple any day.

Another interesting take, being a HUGE,MASSIVE,DP,RB, Rainbow fan that I am. Having Ritchie out of the band they have been able to open their wings more musically and branch out for sure. Ritchie more than likely dictated DP's direction with his writing style and playing.

Steve is an awesome player.
Well Dressed Guitar

[Edited on 4/6/2020 by jszfunk]

Off the top of my head...

Deep Purple Mark II

Stones with Mick Taylor

Black Crowes once Marc Ford & Ed Harsch joined

Iron Maiden once Dickinson and Smith joined

Pink Floyd once Gilmour joined

With Bruce joining they definitely turned into the monster band that Harris was wanting. Adrian is a great player along with Murray.

I have a soft spot for Paul and the first 2 Maiden releases. Those are classics hands down. They had more of a punk,street type hard rock vibe.

[Edited on 4/6/2020 by jszfunk]

Interesting your take on Tull. Improving you mention . My opinion ,is that Ian was evolving Tull into what he envisioned. I would not say better. Different.

Gotta assume "better" means "sounds better to individual based on constantly shifting factors." Lately "Heavy Horses" is my favorite Tull - never heard it until two years ago, as i had given up on Tull after Too Old to Rock and Roll. As far as Ian morphing Tull into his vision . . . true, when you take into account he wrote all the material, produced it, handled all the business, yes I think Tull was pretty much Ian Anderson's vision.

Here is one I might stand alone on - Lynyrd Skynyrd interim 1975, post Ed King/pre Gaines, Gimme Back My Bullets - by far my favorite Skynyrd

[Edited on 4/6/2020 by BrerRabbit]

Interesting your take on Tull. Improving you mention . My opinion ,is that Ian was evolving Tull into what he envisioned. I would not say better. Different.

Gotta assume "better" means "sounds better to individual based on constantly shifting factors." Lately "Heavy Horses" is my favorite Tull - never heard it until two years ago, as i had given up on Tull after Too Old to Rock and Roll. As far as Ian morphing Tull into his vision . . . true, when you take into account he wrote all the material, produced it, handled all the business, yes I think Tull was pretty much Ian Anderson's vision.

Here is one I might stand alone on - Lynyrd Skynyrd interim 1975, post Ed King/pre Gaines, Gimme Back My Bullets - by far my favorite Skynyrd

[Edited on 4/6/2020 by BrerRabbit]

If you get a chance checkout Catfish Rising from 1991. I love this Tull realease. A good part of it is acoustic mixed with electric here and there. I HIGHLY recommend this.

Genesis released "From Genesis to Revelation" as teens with guitarist Anthony Phillips in 1969.
They released the very good "Trespass" with him in 1970.

But when Steve Hackett and Phil Collins joined the band in 1971, they raised the level of quality up quite a bit.

Good calls on MickTaylor-era Stones!!!

Off the top of my head...

Deep Purple Mark II

Stones with Mick Taylor

Black Crowes once Marc Ford & Ed Harsch joined

Iron Maiden once Dickinson and Smith joined

Pink Floyd once Gilmour joined

With Bruce joining they definitely turned into the monster band that Harris was wanting. Adrian is a great player along with Murray.

I have a soft spot for Paul and the first 2 Maiden releases. Those are classics hands down. They had more of a punk,street type hard rock vibe.

[Edited on 4/6/2020 by jszfunk]

Those 2 albums are a big part of what metal became.

Bruce is a better singer than Paul but Clive was a much better drummer than Nicko. That is why Number Of The Beast is such a strong record and I don't think Maiden ever matched it again. Lots of good albums for sure but not to that level.

Off the top of my head...

Deep Purple Mark II

Stones with Mick Taylor

Black Crowes once Marc Ford & Ed Harsch joined

Iron Maiden once Dickinson and Smith joined

Pink Floyd once Gilmour joined

With Bruce joining they definitely turned into the monster band that Harris was wanting. Adrian is a great player along with Murray.

I have a soft spot for Paul and the first 2 Maiden releases. Those are classics hands down. They had more of a punk,street type hard rock vibe.

[Edited on 4/6/2020 by jszfunk]

Those 2 albums are a big part of what metal became.

Bruce is a better singer than Paul but Clive was a much better drummer than Nicko. That is why Number Of The Beast is such a strong record and I don't think Maiden ever matched it again. Lots of good albums for sure but not to that level.

Yeah,Clive was an underrated drummer for sure. The way he would use his snare and tom's instead of going to obligatory cymbal crash or typical fill was priceless.

Derek & Dominos once Duane joined the studio

Mick Taylor elevated the Stones for sure. Easy choice.

Was Taylor pushed out of the Stones or did he choose to leave. I've read both?

Mick Taylor quit. He was touring the Amazon on a boat and someone showed him the new album. Mick wrote a couple of things he said with Jagger but the record showed no song writing credit for Mick Taylor which means a lot of money on a Stones album as they all see over a million copies.

And the band didnt get along and each member lived in a different country and would go months and months without speaking or making any plans to continue and sometimes Taylor would wonder if they were still together, so he informed Jagger he was quiting. It was reported back then the band became very angry at him as they were about to get back together and begin recording a new album. But they have invited him to sit I'm several times over the years.

Uncle Tupelo's final line-up was their best.

Yardbirds with Jeff Beck, not Clapton.

Black Crowes with Marc Ford.

Purple Mark II, not Mark I.

Yes with Howe, not Peter Banks.

Crimson with Bruford and Wetton.

Not necessarily better but the Band -post Robbie Robertson with Jim Weider was pretty awreet. Jericho is a great album! I saw the sans-Robbie version and they were fabulous!

Not necessarily better but the Band -post Robbie Robertson with Jim Weider was pretty awreet. Jericho is a great album! I saw the sans-Robbie version and they were fabulous!

Yeah, Jericho is pretty darn good.

A couple of radio friendly ones -

The Eagles with Walsh, Schmitt, and Felder

Fleetwood Mac with Buckingham and Nicks

The Doobie Brothers where the current lineup with Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons replaced the Michael McDonald and Pat Simmons line up that replaced the Tom Johnson and Pat Simmons line up. But for this year is being replace by the Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons, and Michael McDonald line up.

Although I do like Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, they really actually took off when Grace Slick and Spencer Dryden joined for Surrealistic Pillow.

for me... Allman, Betts, Haynes, Woody, Trucks & Jaimoe is pretty hard to beat live.

I like later versions of Metallica because it allowed us to not have just one great band, when they fired Dave, it gave us two great bands.

I like later versions of Metallica because it allowed us to not have just one great band, when they fired Dave, it gave us two great bands.

I prefer MegaDave over Metallica.

Laterz