Can The Guess Who Stand The Test Of Time
 

If one had a chart with all the Canadian bands that ever existed the Guess Who would surely be on top of it. In my opinion they were the template for Sloan, Our Lady Peace, Odds and numerous other bands that came after them!
The Guess Who really knew how to write catchy chart topping songs along with some bluesy numbers. I think they stand the test of time and perhaps looking at their whole career are the best band that ever came out of Canada from a music standpoint.

The Guess Who have some great songs, but there are other Canadian artists I would put before them if I were to rank them.

Would you care to tell us who they are?????

Sure. You needed five question marks for that?

1. The Tragically Hip
2. Rush
3. Barenaked Ladies
4. Jann Arden
5. Gordon Lightfoot
6. Joni Mitchell
7. The Guess Who
8. BTO
9. Neil Young
10. Blue Rodeo

It was a quick way of suggesting 5 bands.......
Thank you for your 9 suggestions. There are some pretty high quality artists listed there. Personally I would probably give the nod to Neil Young and since Randy was in both bands it's a win win with BTO, but all the other artists for me are lower on the scale.

I felt like filling out ten spots... I guess we just have slightly different tastes in music. Over the last few years I've gotten more into classical and jazz, and other music.

Oh I can appreciate what those others bands and female artists have done it's just that the over all body of work that the Guess Who have given us I like better. I never really liked Rush because of the lead singer's voice. For those who like Rush I'm happy for you. The Hip well I like a few of their songs, but was not an avid fan. I think Blue Rodeo are a great band as is the Bare Naked Ladies, but again not even close to the Guess Who in my humble opinion.

I grew up with the music of the Guess Who... I got tired of it. They're a good band, but they are from my parents' generation.

So am I. But for the most part I agree with you

I would put Joni Mitchell in the top ten of all time, anywhere, ever. Even as much as I love Neil I'd put Joni above him

This is why I generally hate ranking artists. There's always someone who whines about where their personal favourite was placed. Neil Young is not my absolute favourite musician but he's a great songwriter and that alone bumped him into the top ten.

This may just be the best version of American Woman ever played!

:) I'm teasin but really. Neil Young > 1

Yes the Guess Who has given us some of the best simple straight ahead rock ever recorded. It is only after listening to numerous albums this opinion has been formed.

Fixed

What's that supposed to mean? I've always liked music.

BD...I'm disappointed. I'm saying classical and jazz aren't music.

Not sure if serious...

I know you're not, by the way lol

But now I feel like I was attacked

Although I love their version of "Shaking All Over" as The Guess Who? back when Chad Allen was lead singer, it's a bit hit and miss in my opinion. Not to dismiss their playing, but there were only moments where they stood out.

They were not that bad in The Late 60's-1970, but I think that only the American Woman album seriously stands out from the rest and is something that is a nice example of music from that time. From what I remember, Wheatfield Soul and Canned Wheat were OK but a little too light, and when Randy Bachman left after American Woman, their work since then turned very erratic ("Clap For the Wolfman" was a bit cheesy in retrospect listening for example - it was a hit when I was a kid).

American Woman is the one album I can direct new listeners to, although there are those who will also say Canned Wheat for some good reasons. If they would have kept up that level, I could have imagined them being better known today rather than the originators of a song that has been covered numerous times (Butthole Surfers and Lenny Kravitz are two I know right away).

I would be naive to think that the Guess Who are the only artist that has bowed to corporate pressure. But when I heard the original version of 'No Time' and found out the version that everyone knows was a label requested recording, I lost some respect for them. They sound fairly similar (outside of the dissonant intro on the original), but the new version is slightly sped up and significantly less noisy than the original. Essentially, a neutered version of their song for the label. Again, they're not the only band that has done this, but I just disappointed me when I found out.

Original Version


Version all y'all know

Speaking about songs re-recoded for American Woman, here's one that was turned into a heavy song although both sounded good. "When Friends Fall Out" was originally a little more Garage-like, and in my opinion is actually better than the 1970 version, although I can see others thinking that the slower version is possibly more fitting for the lyrics.


Two videos featuring the original version.

On a Canadian TV show...


The "better sound with slideshow" presentation...

Neil Young, Joni, and Rush > The Guess Who.

Not really sure about The Guess Who, their songs aren't really that striking or much of interest for that matter. I'd rather listen to Creedence Clearwater Revival.

I think that they were best in their Garage days, but then again that's where my music tastes lay when it comes to 60's-70's.



Now that's MY type of Guess Who? in my opinion (The ? was part of the name for a while until they dropped it early on). This version has stood the test of time with a pretty influential version of a rock and Roll classic. This possibly is the real reason why they still have a place, along with "American Woman" in Canadian Rock history in my view.


I don't play the compare game anymore, and I think that at least for passable bands that had a heyday that at least people remember, they did OK if not spectacular to my tastes, sometimes being too MOR or Easy Rock ("These Eyes" and "Undone" have the style that Lounge Lizards could imitate). Still, for those who do listen to them, I think that they dropped their progression after the American Woman album or at least their potential to actually have a long standing life.

I'd never heard this, thanks for posting!