Led Zeppelin. One of the first heavy metal bands in the world, and now absolutely legendary (for the lifestyle as well as the music, e.g. the red snapper incident), they were born from the ashes of British blues-rock group the Yardbirds. Their hit single "Whole Lotta Love" used to be the theme tune to Top Of The Pops but now the BBC has tried to change and "update" the show and it's got a boring ringtone-like techno theme tune which does not compare!
Recommended albums: Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin IV (also known as Untitled or Symbols), Physical Graffiti, Early Days & Latter Days.

Linkin Park. I'm not much into nu-metal but Linkin Park are better than most others in their genre!
Recommended album: Hybrid Theory.

Metallica. Said to be one of the loudest metal bands ever, Metallica invented thrash metal in the early '80s and have been massive ever since and done all the usual rock star stuff (grow interesting facial hair, go into rehab, play massive stadiums and festivals, wear sunglasses a lot, do an ambitious experimental album or two...)
They also toured with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra - something they wouldn't have ever dreamt of in their early hard-rockin' years - yet it actually worked really quite well and you can hear the result on the album (and now DVD) called "S&M". A pity that "St. Anger" is crap.
Recommended albums: Ride The Lightning, Metallica (also known as "the black album"), S&M.

Morrissey. See the Smiths, below.
Recommended albums: Your Arsenal, You Are The Quarry, Suedehead: The Best Of Morrissey, Viva Hate, Vauxhall And I, Bona Drag, My Early Burglary Years.

Skid Row. Once icons of 80s hair metal, Skid Row have never quite recaptured their success or quality since. Legendary singer Sebastian Bach still sings solo from time to time, and the rest of the band have finally released (frankly disappointing) comeback album "ThickSkin". But their first album had some great songs, even if a lot of it does sound dated now.
Recommended album: Skid Row.

The Clash Although they are known for being a punk band, The Clash were one of the most original and influential, and experimented in lots of different genres, including reggae, pop, jazz and rock 'n' roll. Recommended albums: The Singles, From Here To Eternity Live, London Calling, Combat Rock, The Clash, The Essential Clash.

The Darkness. If you haven't yet heard of Lowestoft's finest flamboyant rockers than clearly you must have been living in a rather thick lead box for the last couple of years. Their debut album "Permission to Land" is selling like hot cakes and recieving great acclaim from fans and critics alike. They are setting the British rock scene alight with their upbeat, optimistic, 80s-style fun pop-metal, and they're cool live too! Go and buy their album... now!
Recommended album: Permission To Land.

My Darkness fansite.
Official site.

The Music - funky, groovy Leeds dudes combining rock, electronica, soul, funk and dance music in a fresh, addictive, deliciously infectious mix to get you on your feet! First album "The Music" is more dance/electro-orientated while second album "Welcome To The North" is the more rock... different but both excellent albums.
Recommended albums: The Music, Welcome To The North.

Old official site.
New official site.

The Ordinary Boys - young, fun rockers from Worthing who sound like Morrissey minus the melodramatic melancholy and Oasis minus the odious infighting, which may sound pretty harmless, but according to the local papers, they've actually caused a lot of controversy, allegedly angering residents and members of the press with their awful antics. It was so terrible that it warranted a whole page of one newspaper. Ooh, so what have they been up to, then - all the usual rock 'n' roll shenigans, involving sex, drugs, scandal, and hotel-room-trashing? Er, no. This "controversy" was that they were photographed in nearby Brighton for an article in the NME, and Worthing people (meaning the local paper) were a bit pissed off that the photoshoot wasn't done there instead. But lifestyle, image and location aside, they do make some great singles such as "Seaside".
Recommended album: Over The Counter Culture.

The Smiths - I can't believe I didn't start listening to these guys earlier! Morrissey and his old band crafted some of the best pop songs since The Beatles in the 5 years they worked together, mixing in elements of indie, pop, rock, punk, funk, metal, rockabilly, rock and roll, folk, just about everything in fact. Their music was all about emotion (gladioli, the flowers Moz most often wore, mean "sincerity", according to a website I once saw about flower symbolism...) and still rings true, touching the hearts of millions today. Incredibly consistent albums too. Fansite under construction, so in the meantime visit these links...
Recommended albums: The Very Best Of The Smiths, Best 1 & Best 2, Meat Is Murder, The Queen Is Dead, Strangeways Here We Come, Singles, Hatful Of Hollow, The World Won't Listen, The Smiths, Louder Than Bombs, Rank.

Moz's official site
Shoplifters Of The World Union
Passions Just Like Mine
It May All End Tomorrow
Strangeways Fan Forum
True To You.

The Stone Roses - the late '80s masters of "baggy", "Madchester", funky, dancey rock, influencing the likes of Kasabian today. They did some awesome singles ("Made of Stone", "I Wanna Be Adored", etc.) and released one of the best debut albums ever, before leaving a great legacy. Singer Ian Brown went solo and guitarist John Squire formed britpop band The Seahorses - both very good projects too.
Recommended albums: The Stone Roses, The Very Best Of The Stone Roses.

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