Not mentioning Dire Straits is criminal.

Dude, the Olympics? Really?

We crush everyone at sports, AINEC.

I agree the UK probably beats the US for music straight up. Normalized for population, they crush us.

Competitive eating is one of the top 5 worst things about the US imo.

I thought merkins didn't do irony?

You're one of the top 1 worst things about the US imo!

Let's see: Celebrate American gluttony? Check. Conspicuously waste food in a public spectacle when people are starving to death in the world and going hungry in America? Check. Encourage people to permanently damage their bodies and metabolisms for a few bucks and fleeting pseudo-fame? Check. Totally ****ing disgusting to watch? Check. Contestants all vomit offstage right afterwards? Check.

What's not to like?

I wonder how many of the 70s and 80s Brit band members are domiciled outside of the UK, and particularly in the US.

And I wonder how many of those great early British bands cited non-US influences. Seems that Floyd Council and Pink Anderson didnt have cockney accents.

The musical wasteland that was the Brit 90s is quite clear from the pathetic bands you were able to pull out, compared to the very vibrant US music scene.

There was an incredibly vibrant and diverse music scene in the UK in the 90s. Not all of it went Kerrang Kerrang or 99 problems but Imperial Dominance aint one, so you wont have heard of them in the two track music scene in US.

I wonder how many of these early US singers didn't use a guitar, which of course is primarily a European invention.

Quality has no borders. If we havent heard of them, they suck.

Most of the early US rock/R&B singers didnt use a guitar, their voice was the only instrument they needed. And sue the US for only being 235 years old, I'll stack up those 235 years over Europes centuries for accomplishments any time.

I wonder where Fender and Gibson were started.

you guys win, I forgot the US has copernicus

Who is 'we'? The UK adopted The Pixies and Jimi Hendrix well before America did, so I wouldn't say that America has very discerning taste when it comes to music.

Hardly anyone knows who Bon Iver is, that does not make him ****. Nor does the fact that everyone knows who Avril lavigne is make her the GOAT.

lol you can't be real

Spice Girls tho.

Youre right...that they (not he, so how well you know them is in question) s^ck is what makes them s^ck.

No doubt many sucessful bands come to the US because they have a bigger market and it may be more lucrative. That doesn't discount that many of these bands come out of their local communities.

Bands all over the world cite sources globally. But quite often a smaller area, despite their influences, create something new. For instance, Manchester England has had a thriving music scene for decades that has produced a number of notable artists and trends. The way a musician synthesizes their influences can make something new and fresh.

I don't know your tastes which I suspect is largely driving your criticism. To say those bands are pathetic ignores their worldwide success and influence.

Again, I realize calling music 'good' is largely opinion. But I have worked in music licensing, work regularly with music supervisers and musicians. I have worked with a lot of people who are very devoted music fans, musicologists and musicians. I feel confident that your opinion about the state of music in England is a minority.

Groups like My Bloody Valentine, while never a huge commercial hit in the US, is the kind of band that is cited by critics and bands due to their influence. Its like the Pixies... a lot of people don't know much about them, but many, many acts (many who had much more commercial appeal then the Pixies) will cite them as a hugely influential band.

I don't have a problem with you not liking British bands. But that doesn't mean you are knowledgeable to their success or influence.

the fact of the matter is that US radio really sucks. And the larger music market you live in the worse the music. The bigger the market you're in, the less adventurous the radio is.

Not to mention that due to new technologies (between internet customized radio, youtube and things like XM radio), radio has lost much of its influence.

I believe it is harder for bands to become as exposed as they did in the past because there is more media, specialized media playing narrowly programmed music to smaller and smaller audiences.

The US market is often times completely ignorant of musical artists and trends that may be huge internationally. People who are really devoted to music and have the desire and energy to explore what's going on can find stuff, but the general public never hear much because the US media is extremely limited in what they will play.

Good thing, since far from not liking British bands, the vast majority of the music I listen to is British or British influenced (via American influences). But others' attempts to say that they are/were quintessentially British and not extraordinarily influenced by American music are just stupid.

I forgot, you guys have phill

coinflip imo

Very keen to hear Copernicus's prediction on the future state of the relative status of UK and USA music.

Considering his previous statements, I can't imagine he's heard of either of those bands, so he will automatically consider them ****.

Its pretty tough to quantify influences since they large travel both ways across the ocean (well, oceans since let's face it musicians borrow from all over)

Radiohead, for instance, which is considered by many to be one of the greatest bands in the last 2 decades or so can cite influences from American Jazz to German Industrial Music.

The Clash and the Police (both hugely influential british bands, of course) met success by blending Punk Rock (which was largely a british phenomenon) with Jamaican Reggae... still, I'm calling them British.

Ska originated in Jamaica... but became a larger worldwide phenomenon when the british punks picked it up in the late 70s. The US then had their own wave largely emulating the brit bands and adding things like rap and hard core in the 80s. Sublime was an American band (that I love) whose influences punk (questionably british though there certainly were US punk bands), reggae (jamaican) and ska (jamaican? british? American?... )

UK and America extraordinarily influence each other and mapping such influences would have hundreds of lines going back and forth between the countries (with plenty of sidetrips to other parts of the world).

Just curious- what current british bands are you listening to? (or are you only listening to bands 40 years or older?)

You seem to ignore the fact that America invented music.

We even brought people over to invent Jazz. You're welcome world.