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These are the bands that completely grip you.
So to start, in chronological order

The Beatles: What got me into music. Everything from Rubber Soul onwards is amazing.
The Velvet Underground: Their debut album is a kinda life changing album. But the first 4 LP's are equally incredible, all of them different.
Nirvana: If I didn't like only 2 LP's I might have stuck around longer, but Nevermind and In Utero are incredible.
Pink Floyd: Animals has stayed one of my favorites ever. Pink Floyd's catalogue is very impressive.
Electric Light Orchestra: Too catchy
Morphine: The dreamy blend is addicting
and of course
The Beach Boys: The reason I'm here   :)


List yours!

In chronological order:
Pink Floyd. The first band that I ever loved, my first favourite, and until around 2010, the only band I loved. Used to be only into the Waters era, but now I'm mainly into the Barrett era.
Simon and Garfunkel. The duo that actually got me into music. Although now I'm sick to death of them lol.
The Beatles. For a long time my favourite band. George Harrison is now my favourite member, it used to be John Lennon until I found out he was a bit of a prick. Another band I got a bit sick of.
The Rolling Stones. Currently one of two favourite bands (I love my two favourite bands equally). I do think the Mick Taylor era is vastly overrated, but is still a lot better than both the Ron Wood era and the post-Bill Wyman era. The Brian Jones era is by far the best, and I mainly listen to Stones music from that era.
The Beach Boys. My other current favourite band. Mainly into their late-60's and early-70's work. Very underrated. Always found it sad about how underappreciated the Beach Boys were/are, and they never got over their image problem. I'm one of the few that did see past their image. I'm glad I did.

Maybe I'm just strange, well I know I'm strange, but the only group I've ever obsessed over is TBB. It's been a great 50+ year ride and the fact that I have been able to follow one group since I was 12 is unbelievable.  They are the reason that I live in Southern California, drive Corvettes and married a California blonde. Life is good with TBB.

I have enjoyed other groups, Beatles, Simon and Garfunkle, Def Leppard, and many others but Obsess??? Never.

My Bloody Valentine
Smashing Pumpkins
Sonic Youth
The Beatles
The Beach Boys

and not necessarily in that order.

The Velvet Underground - the first TWO albums are kinda life changing!

The Residents - endlessly fascinating

Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - my smile is dead, I cannot go back to your bat chain pullerland! I enjoy Zappa but respond a lot more to his desert pal.

DEVO - the 70s years record-wise.... but still incredible live!

Throbbing Gristle - what a day.

Martin Denny - blame Throbbing Gristle for that.

The Fall - good vacuum the house music-uh!

Can - he IS Damo Suzuki

Negativland - never any other possibility.

Stereolab - makes me want to sing in French

Serge Gainsbourg - makes me wish I understood more French

The Sonics - because I'm on S's now and all they needed was PSYCHO for me to be obsessed.

Sun Ra Arkestra - so much to find and devour...

Then that band with the guy with the baseball hat who points a lot.

I listen to Serge too. Makes me sad I don't understand any of his constantly-praised-as-brilliant lyrics

The two bands that got going in the last thirty years, where I bought all their albums and just about all the compilations, are Stereolab and Yo La Tengo.  Besides them and the BBs the bands and individuals most completely represented in my collection are Syd Barrett (with Floyd and solo), Nick Drake, Sparks, Van Dyke Parks, Phil Ochs, Ian Whitcomb, the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, the Velvet Underground (though I have just a smattering of the solo stuff apart from Nico's first four), Steely Dan, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, MX-80 Sound, Red Krayola, the Monks....and Linda Jones.  And a fair amount of pre-1976 Dylan.

The Beach Boys
Frank Zappa
The Stranglers
The Residents
Captain Beefheart

There are lots of other bands/artists I love but these are the only ones I have become totally obsessed with at one time or another.

"Obsessed" is a very strong word, I'm going to narrow it down to four

The Cure (as a teen)
Jonathan Richman
The Beach Boys
Jacques Brel

Some other great bands I just love in a calm and reasonable manner and enjoy their music throughout my life without ever going through the crazed phase.

I've only really had 4 'obsession bands'.

The longest has been TBBs. This started when I was 7, saw them 4 years later, BW many times and the last C50 shows last year just reminded me why I love this band
Nirvana-the first time I stopped playing my BB cassettes was when Nevermind came out
Manic Street Preachers (circa '94-'97). Still an amazing band and the one I've seen the most (31 and counting!)
Scarfo-little known band in the late 90s. Very Buzzcocks/Sonics

My 'mild' obsessions include:
Sonic Youth
ELO
Moody Blues
Suede
Blur

My current obsession is Matt Berry-an extraordinary musician. Very Smiley Smile/Friends-esque

My three favorites since I was a kid are:
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
Elvis Presley
Since I was a teenager in the 1980's, I REALLY got into the hair bands of that era and my favorites where I bought everything were:
Quiet Riot
Stryper
Twisted Sister
Kiss
Dokken

Like one of two others, the Beach Boys are the only band I've obsessed over.

Have collected a few other acts though, the Wombles (pre-BBs), Darts, Neil Young, john Martyn (probably my number 2 'like'), Jethro Tull, Kate Rusby…
Edit: add Marillion to the list and possible Dan Arborise (though the latter has only released two albums to date)
But give me the BBs every time.

Oh lord. I'm embarrassed already, but here ya go:
(Chronological order)

The Beatles
Dave Matthews Band (ugh)
Stevie Ray Vaughn
The Allman Brothers
Derek Trucks Band
The Flaming Lips
Wilco

And now the Beach Boys. But this obsession has lasted a bit longer, and has been faaaaaaar more intense. For example, I've never been to a message board for any other band before, much less spent two years checking it daily (hourly). But it's been a helluva two years, though

Define "obsessed" ....

I would say, in chronological order:

The Police
Queen
The Beach Boys
Genesis
Yes
Peter Gabriel
Radiohead

Those are artists whom I would, at the time when I was obsessed, automatically buy anything they released...who I listened (and in all cases still listen to) frequently and become emotionally connected with their music. Those are artists who's back catalogue I investigated in cases where I discovered them during their mid or late career.

Funny, I've been going back to my old Police LPs lately enjoying them a lot still.

The Beach Boys were my first obsession  :love as a lad of 9 years, in 1980.  An obsession I maintained while falling in love with The Beatles.

Around '86, I got it bad for The Smith's - which led me onto Billy Bragg, They Might Be Giants and REM.   In 1988, the Beach Boys and I parted ways for a couple of years, until I picked up the first round of twofers in the early '90s.

Next - The Pixies, Frank Black, The Breeders, Belly, The Lemonheads - amazing stuff.  I also developed a real hankering for most artists signed to Flying Nun (a New Zealand record label - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P96cFKd4irY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P96cFKd4irY)).

Additionally, I come from a troppo British outpost called Brisbane; it spawned an outrageously incredible music scene for a small fish town - one tiny example - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq1s6FCEoZM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq1s6FCEoZM)

Nothing really grabbed me post '95 - got real with a proper job and a clutch of offspring.  With the emergence of the web, and Napster etc, finally heard the Smile stuff I'd read about in the Tom Nolan piece.  Via a message board I got a cassette of POB - and reconnected (that's an internet joke) with the good shi*, thus realising and accepting the BB's, in their myriad fractured ways, are my 1 constant obsession.

Bands currently obsessed with
The Beach Boys - I grew up listening to the hits with my dad, heard that Brian Wilson was a genius but didn't really understand why ("Surfin' U.S.A." hardly seemed genius). Years later, I popped in "Songs of Summer" in my car and heard "Heroes and Villains" again--I was blown away. Began to see the genius. A few years later in college, I finally got around to listening to "Pet Sounds", and I was hooked for good. I have been obsessed ever since. I have finally listened to almost their full catalog (of LPs). My initial listening experience with each album is meticulous, like a sacrament: I need to be alone, I need to be sitting exactly center between the left and right speakers, the room can't be messy, no interruptions are allowed, I look at the lyrics/artwork, no tracks can be skipped, the temperature of the room needs to be comfortable, etc. I do this with pretty much every album I listen to, but I go kinda insane with the Beach Boys.  For example, I have only allowed myself to listen to "new" (for me) albums of theirs only after waiting a few months since I've listened to their last "new" one. So, as strange as it may seem, I finally got around to listening to "The SMiLE Sessions" just two days ago--and I've owned it since it came out! But I decided to listen to certain albums first, and I wanted to cap the catalog off with "SMiLE". (Sadly, I've still got SIP to listen to, if I ever get the "chance"...)

Relient K - Have listened to these guys since 5th grade. They used to be punk, and now they've turned fairly pop, but the songwriting is solid, IMHO. The lead singer/songwriter is also a BBs fan. I met him once, and I asked him what his favorite BBs song was, and he name three: "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times", and "Kiss Me Baby".

Showbread - This band isn't particularly "good", but I really respect their artistry. For example, they released a double-album on the same day where both albums had good lyrics, but on top of the lyrics, each booklet had a story that you read along with the music (cued by time markers). Each of the albums had a story, and they paralleled one another.  They combined good music, good lyrics, and masterful storytelling all in one--it was a very powerful listening experience.


Used to be obssessed with
MxPx - My brother got me their mid-career best-of album, and that's when I became obsessed with them as well as their label, Tooth & Nail Records.


Anyone else heard of these bands? I know I'm showing my (young) age here with them hah.

Dream Theater
Prince
Metallica
Muse
Weezer
Beach Boys

Obsession?

In the 60's - The Doors.

I knew the lyrics to all their songs and could quote "Celebration of the Lizard"

I grew out of that, though.  :p

Next in line would have to be Todd Rundgren up to about 1980, but thats it.

In chronological order:

The Beatles
System of a Down (It's embarrassing, 16 is a strange age)
The Beach Boys
David Bowie
Pink Floyd
The Kinks
The Strokes

I only have "Angles", and I think its brilliant.  I plan on getting "Comedown Machine"--have you heard it?

Please learn where to start your threads, and take this to General Music Discussion

Moved to General Music Discussion.

I don't see anything strange about it. For a while, about seven or eight years ago, i went to bed with one BB song in my head and woke up the next morning hearing another (all in my mind). I even set the alarm clock out of hearing so that its ticking wouldn't interfere with Denny's (or Hal's) drums. I'm over that now and I've loved other artists---The Band, Gary Numan, Beefheart, U2----before and since but not in that way, and to that obsessive degree. 

Beach Boys
Kinks
Astrud Gilberto
of Montreal
Dylan

I would say Comedown Machine is their weakest release. You should start with their debut "Is This It", an amazing album.

My only two "obsession" bands are the BBs, casual fan since I was a kid, fanatic since I first heard all of Pet Sounds in '05,
and Barenaked Ladies, loved them since I was in high school in the late 90s/early 00s, though I'm not so big on their last couple of albums since Steven Page left the group.

The Beatles, which, through The Beatles: Rock Band got me truley into music [and playing drums], though I had seen Springsteen 4 times previous to this...  ;)

However, this eventually [and I mean eventually] gave way to a greater musical spectrum, taking me eventually into Pet Sounds, which then months later took me to the original UK Best Of LP [I didn't know the hits!] and then on to the overall picture... So yeah, The Beach Boys.

You could also throw in The Kinks, but obsession lies within the 'Kontroversy' to 'Muswell Hillbillies' era. After that I do still get the LPs, but I wouldn't call it obsession...

Definitely [no maybe] Oasis and the related solo acts. Got into these just as Noel's solo effort came out and absolutely dig their work. Probably know 80% of the lyrics too ;)

My most recent one would have to be Weezer, probably because you can attach Rivers and Brian relatively closely in a sense. Love all of their sometimes questionable output - Weezer Cruise 2014 here I come!

I suppose on a less obvious note you could throw in Michael Dermot and Wyatt Funderburk. Internet based artists with only 2 and 1 albums respectively, but everything both have released upon this world is absolutely perfect. And I have played their music A LOT. Definitely seek them out!

I 'spose that's it...

The Beach Boys are the only band I've ever been obsessed with. No other band has compelled me to become such a fanatic.

I'd say Coldplay are a distant 2nd. I know, they're a sh*t band with nothing to offer the artistic world yada yada yada. Songs like 'Strawberry Swing, Up With The Birds, and Death and All His Friends are some of the best recordings I've ever listened to.

The Doors are third. Bob Dylan fourth.

Beach Boys
Beatles
Jethro tull
Free
Sergio Mendez
Spirit
Led Zeppalin
Metallica

Cool you like Beach Boys and metal. pretty diverse taste

I'm currently going through King Crimson's entire catalog of music. I've always been a big fan of Discipline, Red and Absent Lovers, but I am now listening to every album they made.

Gosh Darn are they good. The multiple layers of complex instrumentation is something I enjoy in the same way I enjoy Brian Wilson harmonies.

Man I cannot wait to (hopefully!) see them live on the newest KC tour next year. I'm expecting to see a top tier kind of show, on par with C50 and Paul McCartney.

Beach Boys first for always.  Then:

The Flamin' Groovies
The Kinks
Blue Oyster Cult
Gary Stewart
Velvet Underground
Skip James

Pretty all over the place!

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Lake Street Dive! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U83IEj2VPac

I'm only 28, but I'm starting to feel a little  :old :old :old seeing people on here saying they got into bands through Guitar Hero and Rock Band. When those games came out, the majority of the songs/bands were old news to me thanks to being constantly overplayed on classic rock radio.