Band who has the most unique sound that no one else sounds like.

I don't see what Townshend being a prolific song-writer has to do with anything, nor which band had the 'better' drummer. The simple fact remains, this sounds like The Who, so they did not have a unique sound:

 

as does this:

 

Nobody sounds like 16 Horsepower.

 

I said live. FAIL! I've know about The Creation for decades. OK they sounded like The Who for a few months, but by then they had already moved on.

 

finally, can't believe it took ten pages...the godfathers of electronic music

 

Ergo The Who does not have a unique sound!

Do I need to bring up The Jam next?

 

I honestly haven't heard anyone yet that sounds like The Rolling Stones, particularly post-'68. Closest people have come is Bowie with Diamond Dogs and Faces with Stay With Me.

 

Early Boredoms. Yamantaka Eye has got to be one of the most unique voices in rock history. You know how the Japanese take an idea, say Rockabilly, then take it way over the top? 2 foot pompadours? The Boredoms were like that with punk/metal/funk and jazz. Live they were like a cross between a band van car crash and a shinto ceremony.

Wow2 is close to the live sound. Recorded live in the studio, but is missing the energy feedback loop you get between a band and an audience.

 

One band is conventional, the other is not. Nice try though.

 

Ever heard Primal Scream?



Check this out from Thelonious Monster:

The Rolling Stones '77 Song (Original Mix) by Thelonious Monster on Beatport

 

That doesn't change the fact that their 60s records sound similar (not surprising given the same producer). Nice try though!

 

John Zorn's Naked City...surprised no one has mentioned them yet. @dub_siq mentioned Eye and The Boredoms above which made me think of them.

 

You don't hear some similarities with Mr. Bungle in places? Of course, it all depends on which Naked City album you are thinking about, because the classical and ambient stuff is a world away from the Carl Stalling inspired stuff.

 

Bungle takes some of the Naked City sound, but only a fraction. That has a lot to do with Mike Patton wanting to become John Zorn.

 

Does this remind anyone of anything?

 

Steely Dan

 

ZZ Top

 

Deerhoof
Alt-J (∆)

Other unique bands slip my mind at present.

 

Dead Can Dance was influenced quite a bit by Joy Division, as were many other bands in that era, and many of them were quite good. Some came and went, some sooner than others, and DCD does tend to stand out a bit from the pack, but I think there were/are some others with similar styles that do compare pretty well. Guess it may depend on what you like most about their sound. Their late-80s contemporaries in The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus comes quickly to mind since they just released a great new album a couple years ago.

Maybe a bit off-topic, but speaking of Dead Can Dance, did you ever hear the great 1992 Hector Zazou Sahara Blue album? He used a huge cast of musicians including John Cale, David Sylvian, Dead Can Dance, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bill Laswell, and many others (over 30 in all), celebrating the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud 100 years after his passing, with lyrics sung in six different languages. You'd probably enjoy it, it's been a big favorite of mine for all these many years, and I'm a big DCD fan too.

 

The Dead 60s sounds like Gang of Four? That’s a new one. I don’t hear it. The Clash, Sure. Gang or Four? No way. Now, if you said The Rapture sound like Gang of Four, then maybe you’d have something.

 

Wovenhand.

 

It was mentioned in all the reviews I saw of their eponymous album, which is what made me check them out. Both The Clash and Gang Of Four get mentioned as inspirations.

 

The Police

 

Greta Van Fleet