You may have seen the ads for the new Eagles album, calling them the "greatest American band." My friend and I grimaced simultaneously at that suggestion. I really can't stand the Eagles, to be honest. If Joe Walsh hadn't joined they would have become a veritable black hole of pretentiousness. There are very few bands that will have me reaching for the channel changer on my radio faster than an Eagles song. Or a Don Henley solo song. Nevertheless, I suppose I have to grudgingly accept that they would be in the conversation.

So we tried to come up with an alternative. He suggested Metallica. I thought that was an interesting suggestion, especially given that they are a pure metal band. I countered with Kiss. They've been around forever, sold a ton of records, and put on the best show in the business according to many. I say this despite the fact that I am not a member of the Kiss Army by any means. He countered again with Van Halen. I also mentioned Aerosmith.

The more we talked, the more we seemed to think either Kiss or Van Halen, but we both thought that a closer look at Motown would be necessary too. Having said that, most Motown groups weren't bands per se, but individual singers or singing groups.

I'd be interested to hear what others think. It's funny that if you think of non-American bands, a ton come to mind: The Beatles, the Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, etc. With purely American bands, it becomes harder.