Top 10 Best Power Trios
A "power trio" is a rock band with a lineup consisting of an electric guitar, a bass guitar, and a drum kit. This list ranks the greatest power trios of all time.
Blue Cheer was an American rock band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, Blue Cheer played in a psychedelic blues rock style, and are also credited as being some of the earliest pioneers of heavy metal,... read more
Rush was a Canadian progressive rock band that was formed in 1968. The band has had an iconic lineup since 1975, which included Neil Peart (Drums, Percussion), Geddy Lee (Vocals, Bass, Keyboards), and the guitarist, Alex Lifeson. Peart passed away after a 3 year battle with brain cancer in January of... read more First of all, Rush is nothing like Aerosmith, AC/DC, Van Halen, or any other band, alive or dead. They are totally unique. Even comparing them to these other bands shows you are either negatively biased or have never listened to their music.
They all play their instruments at a virtuoso level and have had only one lineup change in their entire history. No disrespect to any other band or power trio, but Rush is at least two leagues ahead of the rest.
Rush is the best power trio without any doubt. Neil is the best drummer alive and a genius lyricist. Geddy is an amazing bass player and vocalist, fulfilling both roles simultaneously. Alex has incomparable creativity.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience was an English-American rock band that formed in Westminster, London, in September 1966. Composed of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding, and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969. During this time... read more
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup power trio consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton. Cream was the ultimate power trio! The first true supergroup and the number one power trio.
Sorry, but there are no other groups that had a better drummer than Moon, the best bassist Bruce, and Clapton on lead. Cream's live recordings are better than most other trios' studio work.
With all due respect to the other trios on this list, who are indeed very good, I believe Cream should be first. They were one of the earliest, if not the first, power trios, and they greatly influenced modern music and blues rock.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of keyboardist Keith Emerson, singer, bassist, and producer Greg Lake, and drummer and percussionist Carl Palmer.
ZZ Top is an American rock band that formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. The band is composed of bassist and lead vocalist Dusty Hill, guitarist and lead vocalist Billy Gibbons, and drummer Frank Beard. That little ole band from Tejas!
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland. They are most known for their songs "Message In A Bottle", "Don't Stand So Close To Me", "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", "Roxanne",... read more They were like The Beatles of the first half of the '80s. They were classic pop poets.
The Police should be higher. They're one of my favorite trios.
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The members are Matt Bellamy (lead vocal, lead guitar, piano, keyboard), Dom Howard (drums, percussion) and Chris Wolstenholme (bass, backing vocals). They've won several awards including 5 MTV Awards, 8 NME Awards, 2... read more One of the better modern bands.
Primus is an American funk metal band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim Alexander. Les Claypool is regarded as one of the best bassists of all time for his slap-bass ability in notable songs like "My Name Is Mud",... read more They're my favorite band, of course I voted for them.
Motörhead were an English heavy metal band formed in June 1975 by bassist, singer, and songwriter Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister, who was the sole constant member; guitarist and songwriter Larry Wallis; and drummer Lucas Fox. The band's harsh vocals and fast paced tempos helped inspire speed metal and... read more Rush, Nirvana, and Motörhead should be the top three!
The Newcomers
The Arcana are a British rock band formed in 2016 in London, England. The band consists of Peter Lennodo (vocals, guitars and keyboards), Jack Aquiziac (vocals, bass guitar and keyboards) and Joey Silverheel (drums and percussion)... read more
Triumph was a Canadian hard rock band formed in 1975. They were popular in the late 1970s and the 1980s, building on their reputation and success as a live band. Between their 16 albums and DVDs, the band received 18 gold and nine platinum awards in Canada and the United States. They were nominated... read more
Coroner is a Swiss thrash metal band from Zürich, formed in the early 80s. They have been called "the Rush of thrash metal" for their increasingly complex style of progressive rock-infused thrash. They garnered relatively little attention outside Europe .
Nirvana was an American grunge band that was formed in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987. Nirvana disbanded after Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994. The drummer of the band, David Grohl, went on to start the Foo-Fighters, an alternative rock band... read more Nirvana set the grunge scene and shaped alternative rock as it's now known, with only three members. Blue Cheer did it with early metal and hard rock, but they do not deserve #1 if Nirvana can't even crack the top 10. Hope they go up.
Nirvana is the best and most influential rock trio, hands down!
1. Nirvana
2. Rush
3. The Police
4. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
5. Green Day
Venom are an English extreme metal band formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the new wave of British heavy metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal—are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general.
Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their leader Phil Lynott was composer or co-composer of almost all of the band's songs, and the first black Irishman to achieve commercial success in the field of rock music. Thin Lizzy's most successful songs, "Whiskey in the Jar", "Jailbreak"... read more
Green Day are an American pop punk/punk rock band formed in East Bay, California in 1987. The members include Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals and guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass), Tré Cool (drums) and Jason White (guitar). Green Day are associated with punk rock, pop punk and alternative rock. Some of their... read more Why aren't they higher? They are literally the best trio out of all of them.
Gun were a late 1960s British rock guitar trio who had a single British Top Ten hit, "Race with the Devil" and recorded two albums before disbanding. The band included brothers Paul Gurvitz and Adrian Gurvitz.
Grand Funk Railroad, sometimes shortened as Grand Funk, is an American rock band popular during the 1970s, when they toured extensively and played to packed arenas worldwide.
The Jam were an English mod revival/punk rock band during the 1970s and early 1980s, which formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, in the county of Surrey.
Blink-182 is a pop-punk band formed in 1992. The original lineup consisted of Mark Hoppus on bass guitar and vocals, Tom DeLonge on guitar and vocals, and Scott Raynor on drums. Raynor was fired from the band in 1998 and replaced by drummer Travis Barker. They gained mainstream popularity after the... read moreThis group epitomizes what it means to be a power trio. The complexity, melody, and chemistry in their music are unmatched.
While I love many of the other bands on this list, I don't think any of them compare to the uniqueness of this supergroup.