Coming home from Indianapolis Saturday, I listened to Creed’s “My Sacrifice” and realized, “There’s a group I miss.” Then I thought of Guns ‘N Roses, another band with a distinctive sound and a collection of great songs. Miss them, too. Nobody has replaced Creed or Guns ‘N Roses. They were unique.

What makes a band unique and memorable? This is what I thought about much of the way home. I decided on these traits:

1. Great songs.
2. An overall distinctive sound, unlike anyone else.
3. A distinctive front man who is a big part of that distinctive sound.

And I began thinking of other groups that meet those criteria. Groups that, if they went away, would be missed. Or groups that have gone away, like Creed and GNR, and their sound is missed. These are the bands I came up with:

• The Beatles (obviously)
• Rolling Stones
• Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Boston
• REM
• Beach Boys
• U2

And that’s about it. I considered Green Day, while listening to “I Walk Alone.” I considered Bon Jovi (a great body of work, distinctive lead singer, but not a distinctive enough sound overall). Aerosmith, Kiss, Eagles, the Who–no. Heart–closer. Springsteen–great songs, but you can’t pin him down to a certain sound. Styx–real close, but I’ll say no for now. Various singers, like David Bowie, sported a distinctive sound but weren’t associated with a specific band, so they don’t count.

Any groups you would include?