getting the hang of this so far? see... not only do i have the automatic argument-maker of each individual band (trust me... somebody somewhere is gonna have an issue with every band on this list. somebody somewhere thinks every one of these bands SUCK!!) & they might be inclined to join xomba just to tell me so...

right, ghostfaceslacker? you should head over to the sports section & join the gang hyping yer ravens to make the superbowl...

& on we go to 11-15...

11. the jimi hendrix experience
formed, 1966 in london.
debut: are you experienced?, 1967
disbanded: 1969
frontman: jimi hendrix
classic lineup: jimi hendrix, guitar; noel redding, bass; mitch mitchell, drums
drunk & dead young: jimi hendrix, od, age 27.
breakthrough album: are you experinced?
definitive album: electric ladyland
my fave album: axis: bold as love
best known song: voodoo chile (slight return)
best song: if 6 was 9
little known connection: mitchell beat out his fellow-auditioner aynsley dunbar for the drummer spot by a coin-toss. dunbar (who was in john mayall's bluesbreakers w/ eric clapton at the time), went on to join frank zappa's first mothers of invention lineup, splitting w/ flo & eddie. later, he joined journey... splitting when steve perry joined & took the group in a new direction. he was also the drummer in the revised jefferson STARSHIP in the late 1970s & in whitesnake when they finally hit big in the 1980s.

12. the kinks
formed, 1963 in london (as the ravens)
debut: the kinks, 1964 (aka "you really got me")
frontman: ray davies
classic lineup: ray & dave davies, guitar; peter quaife, bass; mick avory, drums
debate: standard sibling rivalry.
breakthrough album: the kinks
deninitive album: lola vs. powerman & the money-go-round
my fave album: something else by the kinks
last GREAT album: muswell hillbillies
last GOOD album: low budget
best known song: lola
best song: tricky... but i'll take "(wish i could fly like) superman" over 15 years' worth of contenders.
little known connection: avory was the drummer in the original 1962 lineup of the rolling stones, but he quit to join the ravens & was replaced by charlie watts.
the only band you'll find on my list of under-rated AND greatest bands... the kinks were the ONLY british invasion band still recording, touring & evolving by the 1980s. sure, the stones eventually got back together (as did the who & others), but in the 1980s only the kinks remained of the 1960s invasion.

13. KISS
formed, 1973 in new york city
debut: KISS, 1974
frontmen: stanley/simmons
classic lineup: paul "star child" stanley & "space" ace frehley, guitars; gene "the demon" simmons, bass; peter "the cat" criss, drums
debate: makeup or no makeup (it's not much of a debate THESE days... but at the time of "lick it up" & "animalize"... it ripped families apart!)
died young: eric carr, cancer, age 41.
breakthrough album: dressed to kill
definitive album: destroyer (over alive!, but just...)
my fave album: KISS
last GREAT album: sadly... KISS never made a GREAT album
last GOOD album: creatures of the night
best known song: rock & roll all night
best song: strutter
little known connections: the first person to appear on a KISS record who wasn't a member of KISS was drummer anton fig, who sessioned for peter criss on dynasty (criss would be tossed from the band for being drunk & unreliable soon thereafter). fig went on to play in frehley's comet, ace's 1980s band started up when the space ace was also ejected from the group for drinking & carrying on. those of you who recognize the name might recognize anton fig as being the drummer of david letterman's house band. & while ace frehley is & will always be the KISS lead guitarist... the position was actually held longer by his replacement, bruce kulick.

14. led zeppelin
formed, 1968 in london (as the new yardbirds)
debut: led zeppelin, 1969
disbanded: 1982
frontmen: plant/page
classic lineup: robert plant, vocals/harmonica; jimmy page, guitar; john paul jones, bass; john bonham, drums.
debate: greatest band ever?
drunk & dead young: john bonham, age 32.
breakthrough album: led zeppelin
defninitive album: the fourth one... zoso or zofo or led zeppelin iv or untitled or whatever you'd like to call it.
my fave album: how the west was won
last GREAT album: physical graffiti
last GOOD album: in through the out door
back from the dead: plant/page... why wasn't john paul jones invited?
best known song: stairway to heaven
best song: when the levee breaks
little known connections: page & jones met while sessioning for donovan. at the time... page was in deep shit trying to come up with a band to go with his sudden ownership of the rights to the yardbirds name & the tour that the rest of the group had quit rather than play... plant was brought in & suggested the drummer from his previous band (band of joy, it was called)... john bonham. bonham took the gig reluctantly, 'cause several other acts were offering more money.

15. motorhead
formed, 1975 in london.
debut: motorhead, 1977 [an earlier album, with their first guitarist, had been rejected in 1975 & was eventually released as "on parole" in 1979]
frontman: ian "lemmy" kilmister
classic lineup: fast eddie clarke, guitar; lemmy kilmister, bass; philthy animal taylor, drums
debate: YOU wanna argue with lemmy?
breakthrough album: ace of spades
definitive album: ace of spades
my fave album: 1916
last GREAT album: 1916
last GOOD album: overnight sensation
best known song: ace of spades
best song: ace of spades
little known connections: as many of you know... lemmy was kicked out of prog-rock supergroup hawkwind over a disagreement about the contents of his luggage (it's true!). he named his new band after the last song he wrote for the old band. fast eddie clarke spent the 1980s in an under-rated metal band called fastway.