Favorite Musicians and Bands

This is a perfect example of a section that would do well to have a discussion forum. I am interested in learning what great music is out there as well as sharing some I have come across. More later. Just a few for now.

Rock

Rainbow - My favorite rock band overall. Richie Blackmore is by far my favorite guitarist. The melodies, complexity, and speed with which he plays just amazes me.

Marillion - This band is kind of like a tougher version of Genesis, and takes a little getting used to. They have great lines, (Albeit a fixation of alcohol and drugs), and play the kind of music that you can just let repeat in the CD player for hours. But not for everyone.

Sting - The best complement I can pay him, is to say the world would not be the same without his music.

Alanis Morrisette - Early stuff. Great.

Gipsy Kings - Incredible! Incredible energy. Life!

Klaatu - "Hope" is still an all-time favorite. Hard to explain, very quirky rock. With fantastic sci-fi lines like: In our warp, when time and space are one, you can no longer see the sun, in fact there's nothing there for us to see, for light is nowhere near as fast as we.

Easy Listening

Enigma - For those of you who don't know them. I find this another band that you can just let stay on repeat.

Jonathan Elias - The Prayer Cycle is an atonishingly spiritual album that I bought by chance. Since I saw the cover, and it had Sting, Ofra Haza, and Alanis Morrisette I figured it had to be good. It is in fact, Great! Interestingly, Ridley Scott used this music for the trailer to "The Kingdom of Heaven".

Ofra Haza - Hebrew mostly. One of the purest voices I have ever heard in any medium. Perfect tonality comes out of this beauty in the form of catchy Israeli folk songs modernized.

Jesse Cook - The "Nomad" disk was given to me by their promoter in return for a small favor. She said I would love it. I thought "well... how do you know". She was right. Great multicultural music.

Gato Barbieri - Thanks to Michelle for showing me this music. Sexy jazz.

Classical

Mozart - Specifically his later symphonies (21 on), Die Zauberfloete, Requiem (Not all written by him), and well... most of what he wrote.

Beethoven - Symphonies 1-9 in particular. Number 9 of course being written while he was completly deaf. And is one of the most astonishing pieces in musical history.

Puccini - Captured love, and was able to articulate it in music.

Verdi - Similiar to Puccini in my opionioin. "Turandot" in particular.

Tchiakovsky - Violen Concerto in particular. Among many others.

Vivaldi - Four Seasons of course.