Best Rock bands with a female front
 

The thread about 3 member bands got me to thinking, what are the best rock bands featuring a female front (lead singer)? My list would be:
1) Big Brother and the Holding Company (have to be #1)
2) Jefferson Airplane (Starship)
3) Heart
4) Fleetwood Mac (I think between the two they'd qualify)
5) Blondie
6) Juliette & the Licks (yes I like them this much)
7) The Plasmatics
8) Bif Naked (Ok, group & her name)
9) Stone Poneys
10) 'Til Tuesday
Any thoughts?

Sleater Kinney

and Luscious Jackson when they were around were pretty righteous.

Def Heart!!!

One of the best female-fronted bands the last 10 years had to offer, imho.

i saw them open for alanis morissette when i was in high school.

i was pretty obsessed with alanis in those days after "supposed former infatuation junkie" came out -- and i was so blown away by Garbage that i found myself being a little bored during Alanis's show, when any other time I would have been wetting myself.

Embarassingly enough, Paula Cole is the best live show I've ever seen in my life -- but Garbage would probably be a close second at this point.

Rilo Kiley

I'm kinda partial to The Pretenders with Chrissie Hynde.

Paula Cole... blast from the past! I couldnt get past the hairy armpits though. So distracting. :eek:

LOVE LOVE LOVE Shirley!

Amy Lee needs some recognition. Great voice even if the band itsself is overrated.

Hole is another that deserves some mention. Not a truly gifted singer, but she phrases uniquely (Courtney Love).

I wouldnt exactly call 10,000 Maniacs "rock" but Natalie Merchant is instantly recognizable vocally.

Dolores o'Riordan of The Cranberries fame has one of the smoothest alto's in rock. Her tone is amazing but there's also grit when needed. A true sign of cross-over versatility.

Ann Wilson of heart just has amazing chops. With a slight rasp to a strong, husky alto, for unusually provative lyrics, she paved the way for many females.

Courtney Love---Hole....lol

I would adds the Yeah Yeah Yeah's as a new band going places with a female lead as well.

Sharon and Andrea Corr of the Corrs

Honorable mention to Veruca Salt, Portishead, and Plumb.

10,000 Maniacs deserve mention...I like Natalie better when solo though. Not a big Hole fan, I wonder if we would have even heard of her if not for her b/f? Again, I think both Bif Naked and Juliette Lewis do that type of music better! Someone mentioned the Pretenders and I agree, almost put them in my top 10.

I like Natalie's solo career better as well. Goes to show you dont need much range if you have an original and recognizable tone.

I actually like the Hole stuff that most of its hardcore fans would consider their attempt at "selling out". I happened to love Celebrity Skin.

Courtney Love was/is such a disaster that we would have known about her even if Cobain was never connected to her. She's managed to keep the flame going many years after his death wtihout much reference to it. And anyone who named their child Frances Bean deserves to be on tv somewhere.

Bif Naked is hot... Juliette Lewis... never got.

Pretenders are absolute rock royalty.

The Eurythmics dont really fit "rock" but how great is the legendary Annie Lennox??!!

With an amazing contralto that emotes so incredibly well, they def left a mark on many musicians and fans alike.

Somer, I'm with you on F Mac & Heart (remember seeing them w/John Parr opening up for 'em)

Oh yeah, and of course The Legwarmers (www.thelegwarmers.com) :)

Here's a little diddy from Mr.John Parr as a blast from the past for some of ya...(close your eyes and you'll swear it's Billy Squire)...naughty naughty!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTaySI8HXcY

ive met Nicole S when i was clubbin in the PHilippines, god she was soo hott and nice.

I guess Neko is considered a lead singer for The New Pornographers. They rock.

OMG.. I AGREE 100% Pils! They are pretty damn good!

I saw 10,000 Maniacs in 1989. Not bad....but not a great show overall, but I wouldn't put them on the list, plus she bolted pretty quick for her solo career. I would go with Jefferson Starship (Airplane blew!!) and Blondie as the best. Garbage also very good. I guess Heart is good, but they just irritate me for some reason.

There's where we differ.....Jefferson Airplane was classic San Fran sound...I mean really, White Rabbit, Hey Frederick, Somebody to Love etc! Grace Slick had the pipes and the band was tight, I always saw Starship as more pop....ok, but not with the vitality of Airplane. Heart really were trend setters, unfortunately while they overcame the female lead issues, the weight issue killed them. Many people were put off when they had that fundraiser for Charlie and the family...frankly, I never got the idolization (if that's a word) of Manson.

I mis spoke...I meant the opposite...Starship blew, I got them mixed up for some reason!! I agree with you 100 percent.

I have a couple videos of Bif Naked on Myspace page...I love the vid for Lucky! When you say you don't "get" Juliette, what do you mean? Her music or performance or both?

Grace put out a solo album titled Welcome to the Wrecking Ball which was fantastic! I lost it in a basement flood a couple years ago but some of the songs are at Myspace and other sites....of course some of the band did Hot Tuna and I think some were in New Riders of the Purple Sage (not sure on that one)...The Adventures of Panama Red was a nice album.

I had to check...can't find any involvement in New Riders for any of the Airplane...it sticks in my memory though...maybe they played together in concert or something???

Mazzy Star.

Hope Sandoval's voice is beautiful and haunting. I guess though they don't count, since they really werent a commercially viable band.

best story of my life that i keep meaning to add to my "about me" section on my myspace:

luscious jackson broke up when i was in high school. they had only come to chicago in 21+ clubs every time they showed up in town.

i cried the morning i found out they broke up...i had never seen them.

The Sundays....I agree! I love that version of Wild Horses...which, by the way plays in episode 20 of season 3 of Buffy. I have the vid for the song on my Myspace page in fact!

I have always like Varuca Salt. But The Pretendars are awesome. But I think it has to begin with Janis Joplin.

Absolutely! That's why I rank Big Brother number one! Lousy band to be honest but all you need is her to be great!

3. Patti Smith
2. Janis Joplin
1. Suzi Quatro

Patti Smith....an exceptional poet! I always thought of her as a solo performer merely using backup musicians but she is certainly one of the greats...Horses!!

They're excellent.

Concrete Blonde.