Ranking MMJ

[Murph]

I know that all of us here are going to have a bias towards MMJ, but given their entire body of work up until this point where would you rank them with the Best American rock bands ever?  Would you put them with the ranks of the Doors, CCR, Pearl Jam, ect.?  top 3? top 10? top 50? I just wanna see what everyone else thinks.

[slimkim]

i do think they are the best American band in rock today. Wilco ranks up there.

true art stands the test of time. so only time will tell...

slim i am

[aslongasukeepa]

rankings usually don't mean anything because everyone has at least a somewhat bias opinion towards something, but i will say they rank up there with some of the best american acts of all time. their performance at red rocks clarified that for me.

[Isobella]

I would rank MMJ high for their live performances but not based on album
output -yet.  
I don't see the doors or pearl jam either.
How about Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Ramones
Husker Du , REM, Beach Boys, Sly and The Family Stone
To each his own...

[The DARK]

I find it hard to rank bands. How do you measure how "great" a band is? By their critical acclaim? By their influence? Or somehow by overall quality of their art?

Acclaim rarely goes hand-in-hand with greatness. Lots of classic rock albums that we consider untouchable today were trashed by respected publications upon release (The Wall, lots of Zeppelin albums). That said, for a rock band, My Morning Jacket does have a degree of critical acclaim that most true modern rock bands can only dream of.

The influence can already be felt, even considering that this band's most recent album, with all the hype and media coverage, only made it to #9 on the charts. The earlier albums have brought an entire genre to attention by the media (Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes) which would probably otherwise still be overlooked.

When it comes down to quality, My Morning Jacket has a very strong case to make. A greatest hits made right now wouldn't sound right because of the production and style. But as the live shows are evidence of, these songs have room to breathe. They take on a whole personality live and turn into the best rock songs you've ever heard. And they have five albums and several eps stuffed to the brim with these gems. Tell me: did you really think, before you heard it live, that War Begun and Picture of You could turn from simple acoustic ditties into live showstoppers? The band really have that kind of power.

So as for "greatness": I don't see them up with The Who, Led Zeppelin, or Bruce Springsteen yet. They haven't put out enough albums to prove that yet (though they are closing in: Zeppelin only released eight). But in terms of quality so far, I would call them equals to Velvet Underground, R.E.M., and maybe even The Beatles. My friend, who is obsessed with classic rock, went with me to a Bruce Springsteen concert and the My Morning Jacket show in Myrtle Beach. Bruce is one of his very favorite artists. After both shows, he was willing to say that they were probably the two best concerts he had ever been to. That speaks volumes.

[DaFunkyPrecedent]

i'll say this.  My Morning Jacket gives off the feeling of greatness.  

Other bands that do this for me: Radiohead, Bob Dylan, Arcade Fire, Led Z, The Beatles, Prince, Talib Kweli, Wilco, Ryan Adams, Stevie....

[bold99]

It hate to rank bands, especially comparing them to older bands and stuff like that.  I know that they are good and getting better.  There are a lot of good bands around today...Wilco, Black Keys, White Stripes...ect...I think MMJ are right up there...I don't know if they are the best because there really is no "best" its all opinion, but Live they are as good as anyone right now.

[bully]

to me, my morning jacket has always sounded 'bigger' than they are.

when it still moves came out i seriously was like:

"these stoners made this shit?  they're gonna be famous!"

[ycartrob]

17th

[searchinbig]

17th

;D  ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D

And the first 16?

:)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)

[purvis9876]

I think it's sad that I'm the first to reply that they rank number one with me. I don't keep a list of bands in my head and where they rank, but I know that MMJ is my favorite band of all time. I also do not think it's fair to compare them to the likes of Zeppelin, Rush, etc... I hold these first two bands in very high regards, but they have never felt like they were mine; more of my parents music. My Morning Jacket is a band that I can travel to see and follow. There isn't another band that I even consider to be close to them, for me. They are so much more than anything I've heard or could imagine hearing.

[Jon T.]

I think it's sad that I'm the first to reply that they rank number one with me. I don't keep a list of bands in my head and where they rank, but I know that MMJ is my favorite band of all time. I also do not think it's fair to compare them to the likes of Zeppelin, Rush, etc... I hold these first two bands in very high regards, but they have never felt like they were mine; more of my parents music. My Morning Jacket is a band that I can travel to see and follow. There isn't another band that I even consider to be close to them, for me. They are so much more than anything I've heard or could imagine hearing.

You're one of the good guys.   :-*

[pawpaw]

Dark, you're awesome. You too Purvis.

Hey Dark, what do you want to be when you grow up? (this is a totally serious question)

[pawpaw]

I think it's sad that I'm the first to reply that they rank number one with me. I don't keep a list of bands in my head and where they rank, but I know that MMJ is my favorite band of all time. I also do not think it's fair to compare them to the likes of Zeppelin, Rush, etc... I hold these first two bands in very high regards, but they have never felt like they were mine; more of my parents music. My Morning Jacket is a band that I can travel to see and follow. There isn't another band that I even consider to be close to them, for me. They are so much more than anything I've heard or could imagine hearing.

You're one of the good guys.   :-*

Jon T is definitely top 5. Definitely.

[The DARK]

Dark, you're awesome. You too Purvis.

Hey Dark, what do you want to be when you grow up? (this is a totally serious question)

I've never been very sure...though I've been thinking recently about maybe becoming a psychologist.

[Penny Lane]

Dark, you're awesome. You too Purvis.

Hey Dark, what do you want to be when you grow up? (this is a totally serious question)

I've never been very sure...though I've been thinking recently about maybe becoming a psychologist.

oh good! then you get the good pills :-)  but seriously, dark is so adorable ---it was great meeting him. from his posts, i thought he was going to be so much older---shocking

[pawpaw]

Dark, you're awesome. You too Purvis.

Hey Dark, what do you want to be when you grow up? (this is a totally serious question)

I've never been very sure...though I've been thinking recently about maybe becoming a psychologist.

oh good! then you get the good pills :-)  but seriously, dark is so adorable ---it was great meeting him. from his posts, i thought he was going to be so much older---shocking

Sheesh Penny, enough with the "adorable" talk, not in front of the fellas... ;) ;D

Seriously though, sorry for asking you (Dark) to plan out your life for the whole forum - I was just curious for some reason. You're a sharp guy though, and you write very well. Maybe you'll be able to write Penny and I some good prescriptions!  :D

[songdiver]

#1

Nobody even close.
Bob Dylan released a million albums, some much better than others
Velvet Underground is a hip,cool band to like
Jim Morrison was more sexy than talented
Beatles started as a boy band, Sgt Pepper insanely overrated
Radiohead is only amazing if you haven't heard Elephant 6 bands
Beach Boys made great pop songs, production good for it's time
Rolling Stones revolutionalized Rock, I guess, not a huge fan though
Neil Young has made a lot of albums I find weak, lazy, boring
Led Zepplin - love some songs, half of their songs are unpleasant
Pixies, "velvet underground of their era," I think better, but short life
Flaming Lips are my #2, nobody has ever made anything like Zaireeka
The Clash are my #3, Sandinista! is timeless and futuristic in vision
The Boss, I love, but never stepped too far out of the box musically
Pink Floyd is dated, their psychedelic music sounds boring to me now
I'm leaving out a bunch of other historically touted great bands

Mine:
1.  My Morning Jacket
2.  Flaming Lips
3.  The Clash
4.  William Hart (Circulatory System and Olivia Tremor Control)
5.  Bright Eyes  -  Lifted destroys anything a "singer-songwriter" has ever made

My Morning Jacket has all of the tools: Overall undefineable greatness, soul, production genius, greatest live band, Jim's insane voice, Jim's vocals don't sound the same on every fucking song like many of the "greats," great at creating layered music, great songs, cryptic lyrics that change in meaning over years, mature but still more fun than most anyone, 5 albums that would be rated higher if people still sat down and listened to albums rather than just listening to hit singles.

I remember when I wasn't a My Morning Jacket fan, so I think of this in that perspective as well.  When I heard At Dawn for the first time, I didn't say to myself, "oh, I like this album b/c I like My Morning Jacket," I never even fucking heard of them before.  At Dawn, before I even knew much about the band or the man, became the best album I had ever heard, over any Dylan, Beatles, Zepplin, etc, etc, that I had ever listened to in my lifetime.  More people need to listen to music with their souls and look past the fame of other bigger bands.

[ycartrob]

Radiohead is only amazing if you haven't heard Elephant 6 bands

not going to touch the Zeppelin, Beatles, etc.... however, I have heard Elephant 6 bands and Radiohead is amazing.

More people need to listen to music with their souls and look past the fame of other bigger bands.

whatever; it may be an age thing. If you grew up with Led Zeppelin and the Stones and the Beatles and Pink Floyd it speaks to you differently. It has nothing to do with "soul" or "fame". Keith Richards guitar work on Monkey Man has more soul than Conor Oberst's entire recording history. Seriously, Conor Oberst?

5.  Bright Eyes  -  Lifted destroys anything a "singer-songwriter" has ever made   ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D

[songdiver]

I don't think it's an age thing, it's a thing called heavy mainstream radio play vs. great bands that were accidentally born in the wrong time.  If the 60s and 70s were like today, you wouldn't be as confident in saying Zepplin is one of the greats, but you can b/c more people have heard of them and you can get confirmation from numerous sources.  And also, a band like Olivia Tremor Control won't get a fair chance, b/c they aren't famous, but if I've listened to every Radiohead album a million times, and I think it's shameful that anyone says "Kid A" is a experimental masterpiece, when OTC's "Black Foliage" makes that album look boring, and Circulatory System's album was even more insanely great, but hey, Radiohead has more articles written about them.

By the way, "Lifted" is an amazing album, and I never said I don't like a lot of the most popular greats of all time, but i think on an even playing field, when people are listening to everything from all generations without preconceived notions, many of those big-time bands wouldn't be as forgiven for their bad albums and the newer bands would be listened to with full attention.