All-Star Band

Vocals: Paul McCartney (The Beatles)

Backup Vocals: Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young

Drummer: Neil Pert (Rush)

Bass: Paul McCartney

Rhythm Guitar: Neil Young

Lead Guitar: Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)

Keys: Linda Ronstadt

Style: folk/pop/artistic rock

If all physical limitations of time and space were not applicable and I was to create my own all-star band, it would be comprised of influential musicians of the highest caliber. Talent, intelligence, sensitivity, and art would be the ideal goal for my group.

My first choice would begin with the foundation of the group: the drummer. And who else would I pick but one of the best drummers in the world, Neil Peart from the band Rush. The magazine, Modern Drummer, voted Peart "Best Rock Drummer" each year from 1980-1988, "Best Multipercussionist" from 1983-1986, and voted him in to the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1983.

When Peart first joined Rush in 1974, he brought with him a flair for intelligent, fantasy-based lyrics. Rush drew inspiration from Led Zeppelin, which is why I think Jimmy Page would work well with Peart's flair for more adventurous, epic-length song structures. The two would contribute a combination of instrumental dexterity, throttling hard rock, and zeppelin-esque flights of lyrical fantasy.

As mentioned before, Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin, would be chosen as lead guitarist because he is unquestionably one of the all-time most influential and versatile guitarists and songwriters in rock history. He helped establish a style of music known as heavy metal yet he refuses to be pigeonholed to any single musical style. Examples of how he touched upon folk, country, funk, blues, and other genres can be heard in his multi-talented biography of work, such as The Yard Birds, Led Zeppelin, and his solo career. He is known to be open to experimenting with new sounds and styles of music, which makes him an excellent member of any band.

For a bassist I would choose Paul McCartney because out of all members from the Beatles, he has had the most successful solo career. The songs he wrote with John Lennon could be considered as some of the best in the history of rock and pop music. McCartney has also worked with many pop sensations, such as Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson on the singles, "Ebony and Ivory" and "The Girl is Mine," respectively. This proves that he is able to collaborate with artists unlike him. It would be interesting to see how well Jimmy Page and Paul McCartney could work together on writing songs. As the two Brits in the band, McCartney would be able to add a mainstream-pop flavor to the brilliant ideas Page came up with.

For rhythm guitar, I would choose someone similar to Jimmy Page's work ethic. Neil Young is considered one of the most influential and distinctive singer/songwriters of his generation. He is open to exploring new musical territory from the opposite extremes of gentle folk and country-rock, and crushingly loud electric guitar rock. His biography of work can be heard in the garage band Crazy Horse, the folk-rock band Buffalo Springfield (later known as Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young), and his solo work. His talent as a mellow, country rock songwriter would make him the perfect candidate to play rhythm guitar. I believe he could offer a great deal of depth, sentiment and emotion to the group's songs, along with the help of McCartney and the final member of the band, Linda Ronstadt.

I would place Linda Ronstadt on keyboards and backup vocals. Her beautiful soft voice would blend well with McCartney's or Young's on the group's ballads. Like Young, whom she had once collaborated with, her musical roots lie in a country-folk style. Her history of Top 40 singles coincide with McCartney's pop style of love songs. The keyboards would fill out the sound of the band and she could add a feminine sense of emotion to the group's songs.

Each of these members have had a huge influence on the creation of rock music. With Neil Peart on drums, he would add a creative rhythm to any song. Jimmy Page on lead guitar would create awesome guitar melodies and spectacular solos. Paul McCartney would incorporate blues-inspired bass scales. His vocals would blend in harmony with Neil Young, as he keeps a steady guitar rhythm, and with Linda Ronstadt, as she adds a touch of new wave on the keyboards. I would hope that they all got along well with each other and wouldn't let their individual rock star egos hinder the creative song writing process.