As The Who Said, “Long Live Rock!”

I love british music! And I love british bands! I mean, from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin to The Who, The Clash and beyond, the English know how to keep rock soaring!

Who Knew Pete Townsend Could Fly?

Since the 1960’s, the world has listened to the best that Britain has to offer musically, known of course as:

The British Invasion!

Regardless of how music changes, some things stay the same: the Brits know how to make great music – and it is still going strong!

One of the world’s most popular bands is Coldplay: more than twenty years of classic songs like “Yellow”, “The Scientist” “Paradise” and so much more, and they are back with terrific new music!

Here’s the first new single by the band, “feelslikeimfallinginlove”:

Pure Coldplay joy: catchy hook, soaring vocals and expert musicianship! This album is beautiful: catchy pop hits and some ethereal grooves that just made me happy…

Time now to check out five of the best – and in some ways the most under-appreciated british bands, several who no longer record music sadly…beginning with the upbeat pop stylings of this group:

Keane – “Spiralling”!

If you know of Keane at all, it is probably due to the beautiful song called “Somewhere Only We Know”, which was Keane’s biggest hit in the US, but here is one of the catchiest songs I’ve ever heard, from their “Perfect Symmetry” album:

Here is the VERY catchy music video for the song “Spiralling”:

Here is how the band is described on their website:

“Not many British bands these days have more than one big-selling album, let alone five. Fewer still manage to replicate – and maintain – that success outside the UK. But, in the last decade, Keane have achieved all of those things and a whole lot more. After selling over 11 million copies of their five consecutive Number One records, with their four award winning albums and their 8 track EP ‘Night Train’, it is no exaggeration to say that Keane are firmly established as one of the world’s most successful, innovative and cherished bands.”

That was posted several years ago before this happened:

After the release of their album, “The Best of Keane”, the band took a break of nearly five years. But they came back, and are currently listing 2025 concert dates which is music to my years!

Keane is upbeat, sunny pop music, with a bit of weekend dance vibe, and some nice love songs as well, very melodic…now, here is a band with a bit more of a rugged vibe:

“Doves” Take Flight!

“Doves” are a great band from Cheshire, England. The band is twin brothers Jez Williams (guitar, vocals) and Andy Williams (drums, vocals), and Jimi Goodwin (bass, vocals, guitar). The band have released four studio albums, two of which have reached Number One on the UK album charts.

Here is the band performing “Catch The Sun” live in 2010:

The band has a number of great rock anthems, and here is a great way to get to know them: their first career-spanning compilation album “The Places Between: The Best of Doves” was released a few years back…

Sadly, the band dissolved around 2020, but there is lots of great music to enjoy from their time together.

Here is an example of an acclaimed british band that is virtually unknown in the US:

Behold “Elbow!”

Elbow is one of the best bands in the UK today! They have been together since 1997, and about the name:  it was inspired by a line in the BBC TV drama The Singing Detective in which the character Philip Marlow describes the word ‘elbow’ as the loveliest word in the English language.

Each album is a moody, hypnotic classic, but I want you to hear Elbow’s first big hit: “Asleep In The Back”, from their very first album: it’s a haunting, melodic story of love lost.

In 2008 Elbow won the Mercury Music Prize for their album The Seldom Seen Kid, and in 2009 they won the Brit Award for Best British Group. In 2012 they released “First Steps”, the BBC theme for the 2012 London Olympics.

They are definitely worth discovering…now, here is a band that had success in the US, by far the “rocking-ist” band on the list!

Hello, Kasabian!

Here is one of Britain’s greatest live band today: Kasabian rocks!

If you don’t believe me, check out the music video for this raucous, aggressive and completely catch Kasabian hit: 

“Days Are Forgotten!”

Kasabian won a Brit Award in 2010 for Best British Group, and they headlined the 2014 Glastonbury Festival. They continue to create tight, focused rock!

Kasabian is one of the most inventive bands on the market today…and finally, I have a band who I have referred to as:

“The Band To Listen To If Coldplay IS Too Raucous For You”!

Time to meet the British band “Athlete!”

“Athlete” formed in Deptford, London, and had a period of high-profile domestic success when their debut album Vehicles & Animals was a platinum seller in 2005. 

It was followed up by their #1 CD “Tourist”, which went platinum in the UK. Their subsequent two albums “Beyond the Neighbourhood” and “Black Swan” were also hits in the UK.

Athlete’s “Superhuman Touch!”

Sadly, this marked the end of the group…they went their separate ways but left behind this beautiful music – check it out!

Athlete does have a Coldplay sound, mellow and smooth, but the songs are well-written and very catchy, and they are certainly worth a listen!

Now, as great as these five UK bands are, they don’t quite measure up to this band:

The Beatles!

Of course, the British Invasion was led by The Beatles, the single greatest musical group of all time…and this album cover for “Abbey Road” is iconic – and you can see the band in action as they create music – thanks to Peter Jackson’s six hour documentary – see more about it here:

As I said, “Abbey Road” is an iconic album cover, one of the greatest…click here to see what others have been chosen as “greatest album covers of all time!”

I hate lists like this – even when they are fun to see them – but it did remind me about the time I took a look at the other end of the album cover spectrum.

Yes, these are real album covers – click on my story to see some of the worst album art of all time!

Sometimes bad cover art is deliberate:

This Spinal Tap album cover is hilariously bad, but on purpose – see more of their hilariously inept artwork!

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https://johnrieber.com

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Categories: Art, Classic Rock, Music, Obscure Music, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities, The Beatles

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