Jim Morrison (The Doors) – Vocals
I realise now as an older bloke that Jim Morrison was a bit of an arsehole, at least when he wasn’t being charming, and definitely when he was drunk; but as a teenager he was my rock god. And I still believe the range of his vocal styles are a rare quality – from his screaming wildly like a man possessed, to his spoken word delivery and romantic crooning. For this versitilty I am selecting Morrison as my front man.
Pete Townsend (The Who) – Guitar
On guitar I would have Pete Townsend. While he is not a renowned lead guitar player, he is an exceptional rhythm player and a prolific songwriter. How a songwriting collaboration with Townsend would work, I can’t say, and of course we will never know. But competition has never been a bad thing between two songwriters.
JJ Burnel (The Stranglers) – Bass
On bass, I would have to recruit JJ Burnel of the Stranglers. His bass sound is one of the heaviest you will hear, and my all-time favourite. Burnel is also a proficient singer, delivering the occasional lead vocal, as well as being on regular backing vocal duty. He, too, like Townsend and Morrison, is an energetic and visual performer.
Brian Eno (Roxy Music) – Synthesizer/Treatments
My soft spot for effects-based sythesizers in rock – I love Roxy, Japan, early Simple Minds and Duran Duran – would influence my inclusion of the younger Brian Eno, who I would have doing what he in early Roxy Music – basically adding live synthesized treatments to all the instrumentation.
John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) – Drums
On drums – without question – I would have John Bonham. I don’t really need to justify this choice to most rock fans – but for those who aren’t familiar with his drumming for Led Zep, it is the perfect mix of power , simplicity and flare. Unlike Keith Moon – who was of course also an exceptionally good drummer – Bonham always sounded like he was playing what was best for the song; he never overplayed – apart maybe from the odd live drum solo, and even those were some of the best ever played. Listen to Kashmir from the album Physical Graffiti, and you will understand. He and JJ Burnel would have created an outstanding rhythm section, indeed.
Toby Burton
@rocktilyoudrop
