Name a band, then list 3 songs you think are essential to their catalog of music

[Linflas]

Jethro Tull - "We Used to Know", "To Cry You A Song", "Hymn 43"
Alice Cooper - "Ballad of Dwight Fry", "Halo of Flies", "Billion Dollar Babies"
Foghat - "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Road Fever", "Slow Ride"
Deep Purple - "Hush", "Lazy", "Highway Star"

 

[irishScott]

Poison: Ride the Wind - Every Rose has its Thorn - Shut Up, Make Love

 

[Juddog]

Lamb of God: Omerta, Laid to Rest, Now You've Got Something to Die For
Mr. Bungle: Carousel, Slowly Growing Deaf, Pink Cigarette
Download: Glassblower, Muscaria, Ayahuasca

 

[BrokenVisage]

For Yes, you should substitute Homeworld for Brother of Mine.

No way! Brother Of Mine is perhaps my personal favorite song across all bands/genres, it literally got me into music in the first place. I know it's technically not a Yes song but for all intents and purposes it is. Not to say Homeworld doesn't belong, it's classic Yes, but I'd probably pick Roundabout, Love Will Find A Way, and Yours Is No Disgrace before it. To me, Brother of Mine is 3 songs in 1 and they're all a joy to listen to.

 

[Anubis]

Motorhead: Ace of Spaces, Overkill, Iron Fist

 

[ProfJohn]

Some of your picks are awful...
I think essential means songs that represent what the band stood for or what made them popular or important.

Cars: Just What I needed, Shake it Up, Drive
The Police: Roxanne, Message in a Bottle, Every Breath You Take
R.E.M. The One I Love, Orange Crush, Losing My Religion
VH I: Eruption/You Really Got Me, Jump, Panama
VH II: Why Can't This Be Love, When It's Love, Right Now
U2: Sunday Bloody Sunday, Where the Streets Have No Name, The Fly, Beautiful Day (U2 is the greatest band of the last 30 years, kind of hard to pick just three. They probably have about a dozen songs that would be 'essential')
John Mayer (studio albums): Your Body is a Wonderland, Daughters, Waiting on the World to Change
John Mayer (live): Neon (acoustic) Gravity, Belief
Sting: If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, Fragile, Desert Rose
Eric Clapton (solo): Wonderful Tonight (especially live versions) Bad Love, Forever Man
Seal: Crazy, Prayer for the Dying, Love's Divine


I listed John Mayer twice because his life stuff is very different than his studio stuff. His live stuff is very guitar driven. If you haven't seen any of his live stuff I highly recommend it, I was really surprised how good he is live.

 

[Anubis]

Pantera: 5 Minutes Alone, Cemetary Gates, Domination

 

[Away]

Black Sabbath:
Children of the Grave
N.I.B.
War Pigs

 

[Juddog]

(U2 is the greatest band of the last 30 years, kind of hard to pick just three. They probably have about a dozen songs that would be 'essential')

I don't understand why some people are so enamored by U2. They are good musicians, certainly, but greatest band of the last 30 years? No way! The newest Frontline Assembly album (Improvised Electronic Device) blows away U2's entire catalog of songs just by itself. Not to mention bands like Janes Addiction, Tool, Korn, Skinny Puppy, Download, Muse, etc..

Heck even some of Muse's most commercialized sounding tracks are better than anything U2 has ever produced.

 

[sourceninja]

The Cure:
Fascination Street
One Hundred Years
Just like Heaven

 

[Krynj]

Carcass: Corporal Jigsore Quandary - Incarnated Solvent Abuse - Reek of Putrefaction

 

[CPA]

D:

Hallowed be thy Name, Powerslave, Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Believe me it was between Hallowed and Two Minutes.

 

[ProfJohn]

AC/DC Back in Black, Thunderstruck (at least the intro) Shoot to Thrill

 

[CPA]

Jethro Tull - "We Used to Know", "To Cry You A Song", "Hymn 43"
Alice Cooper - "Ballad of Dwight Fry", "Halo of Flies", "Billion Dollar Babies"
Foghat - "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Road Fever", "Slow Ride"
Deep Purple - "Hush", "Lazy", "Highway Star"

Uh, Alice Cooper's School's Out? Hello?

 

[DaveSimmons]

This is hard, I want to pick at least 4-5 for most of these bands.

Kate Bush - Rocket's Tail, Cloudbusting, Suspended in Gaffa
Concrete Blonde - Darkening of the Light, Take Me Home, Everybody Knows (cover)
Heather Nova - Walk This World, Blood of Me, Winterblue
Matthew Sweet - Divine Intervention, Girlfriend, Magnet and Steel (cover)
Chris Whitley - Big Sky Country, Cool Wooden Crosses, Silhouette

 

[CPA]

Pantera: 5 Minutes Alone, Cemetary Gates, Domination

Cowboys from Hell????

 

[BrokenVisage]

Some of your picks are awful...
I think essential means songs that represent what the band stood for or what made them popular or important.

Valid opinion, at the very least I would argue that almost all of my picks did help make the bands I picked popular though, I tend to be mainstream and can admit to that.

I agree U2 is pretty great and is hard to pick just 3, though I would make room for Mysterious Ways. I also love Bad Love from Clapton and would put Layla (not unplugged) in there as well. I'd run out of room naming all the Van Halen songs I consider essential, so for the most part the 6 I picked were just off the top of my head based on lead singer. And for Seal, no Kiss From a Rose?

 

[PatrickBateman]

Slayer - Angel of Death, Seasons in the Abyss, South of Heaven
Black Sabbath (ozzy) - War Pigs, NIB, Paranoid
Guns n Roses - Welcome to the jungle, Sweet Child o mine, Paradise City
Smashing Pumpkins - Rhinoceros, 1979, Cherub Rock
Tesla - Modern day cowboy, gettin better, Signs (or heaven's trail if no covers allowed)

Justin Beiber - Baby baby, never say never, one less lonely girl

 

[CPA]

Abba - Dancing Queen, Waterloo and Mamma Mia

 

[Linflas]

Uh, Alice Cooper's School's Out? Hello?

I wasn't going for the hits, I think they are pretty well known but for me I was going for the songs that to me showed the depth of the band which was always somewhat overshadowed by the mascara (in my opinion).

 

[Anubis]

Cowboys from Hell????

yea ive always like Dom more "shrug"

 

[CPA]

yea ive always like Dom more "shrug"

BTW, I've thought it over and Hallowed should replace Two Minutes for Maiden.

 

[ProfJohn]

I don't understand why some people are so enamored by U2. They are good musicians, certainly, but greatest band of the last 30 years? No way! The newest Frontline Assembly album (Improvised Electronic Device) blows away U2's entire catalog of songs just by itself. Not to mention bands like Janes Addiction, Tool, Korn, Skinny Puppy, Download, Muse, etc..

Heck even some of Muse's most commercialized sounding tracks are better than anything U2 has ever produced.

I don't understand why some people are so enamored by groups most people have never heard of. I am sure they are good and they have their fans. But how do you compare one of the biggest selling groups of all time with Tool or Janes Addiction?

Sure popularity doesn't always equate to good (see any Michael Bay movie) But when you have sold 150 million albums, have 22 Grammys (more than any other band) and have three of the greatest albums of all times you must be doing something right.

 

[Drako]

Jethro Tull - "We Used to Know", "To Cry You A Song", "Hymn 43"
Alice Cooper - "Ballad of Dwight Fry", "Halo of Flies", "Billion Dollar Babies"
Foghat - "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Road Fever", "Slow Ride"
Deep Purple - "Hush", "Lazy", "Highway Star"

WTF - Deep Purple, and no "Smoke on the Water"?

 

[Ns1]

Sure popularity doesn't always equate to good (see any Michael Bay movie) But when you have sold 150 million albums, have 22 Grammys (more than any other band) and have three of the greatest albums of all times you must be doing something right.

Well when you look at the financial results of most Michael Bay movies...