Top 5 Blues Rock Bands That Don't Totally Suck

Organic craft beer enthusiasts, The Black Keys

One common theme recurred again and again about our 20 Worst Hipster Bands list: People are amazed that we don't like the Black Keys. Well, we're amazed at their amazement. They have the most tepid, unadventurous approach to blues rock since Eric Clapton's solo career. So, in an attempt to do the world a solid, we've compiled this list of five blues-based rock bands that say "I am a person of taste and refinement," not "I have an NPR membership, drive a hybrid and practice attachment parenting."

5. Stack Waddy
Hailing from the great city of Manchester, England, Stack Waddy were a bit of a retro act even for their time. Their 1971 self-titled debut is drenched in fuzz and wah, without any of the heavy metal pounding of Sabbath or Deep Purple. But don't look for the boogie jams of their blues rock contemporaries, either. Authentic Muddy Waters' covers sit seamlessly alongside primitive versions of Kinks' songs. This is raw, rough and rugged blues punk before there was a name for it.

4. Edgar Broughton Band
When you hear Edgar Broughton Band singing, it's hard not to hear Howlin' Wolf. There's a bit of a sense of play to the Broughtons' (as they were known) approach to the blues. Their breakthrough hit, "Out, Demons, Out!" has all the passion of a church choir with all the silliness of a Yippie demonstration. Still, their ability to have fun with the sound shouldn't be mistaken for a sense of irony. This isn't hipster blues rock. This is what happens when British blues men drop acid.

3. Cream
An old joke goes "What do Eric Clapton and coffee have in common? They both suck without cream." I'm a big fan of black coffee, but anything else to leave Slowhand's slow hands since Cream broke up is painfully white bread. Cream didn't pioneer white Brits on acid playing the blues, but they sure did it better than anyone else. It doesn't matter how many Baby Boomer nostalgia flicks we hear it in, "Sunshine Of Your Love" never fails to astound with its pounding psych pop blues heaviness.