Ultimate supergroup

If you've been watching the recent TV programme narrated by Mark Radcliffe, you may, like me prefer your music with a bit of balls. I've found the series interesting and arguments such as these make for stimulating discussion.

So to start off with, its a bit like picking a great football team - you start from the back and work your way towards the front. Traditionally, the back means the drummer. But, I would maintain that you would have to pick the drummer alongside a quality bass player who played in the same group because this constitutes the rhythm section and will underpin the entire sound of the group. This makes it a bit of a two horse race; either you go for Bonham and Jones from Led Zeppelin or you go for Moon and Entwhistle from the Who. Other applicants need not apply! The best bass player on show here is Entwhistle, comfortably. While Bonham might just shade Moon for technique, Moon is the only choice for the complete package and he and Entwhistle do create the mother of all rhythm sections. However, I think to do this properly, they will need a keyboard player to complement them. This is not so easy as several great players spring to mind. Lord, McLagan, Emerson and Manzarek are the obvious front runners. With Moon in the band, I don't want anyone too showy so this rules out the wonderful Keith Emerson. Manzarek is too used to having to supply the base sound so is surplus to requirements in the company of the legendary Ox. So which sound is the most appealing? The harder rock sound of Jon Lord or the bluesier style of Ian McLagan? Keith Moon wouldn't go for the latter because he nicked his wife so Jon Lord it is. I now have a rollicking good rhythm section. Being really cheeky, I would recruit a good backing vocalist to supply rhythm guitar and can think of nobody better than the late great Steve Marriott. For lead guitar I want someone really special who has the whole bag of tricks. For me, Jimmy Page from about 1968 to 1974 was without equal so he gets the gig. Would you really want to try and sing with that lot behind you? Well, I suspect that not many would be able to. The only candidate who I would deem capable of competing while at the same time shining would be Ian Gillan. So there is my band although I would urge those of a nervous disposition to keep their distance...