There have been many excellent rock bands in the history of modern music, but among that pantheon there is one group that surpases them all, one that stands at the pinnacle. That band, my friends, is Rush.
As Haibane Renmei is my favorite anime, and Doctor Who my favorite TV series, so Rush is my favorite band of all time. The trio of Geddy Lee (vocals/bass/keys), Alex Lifeson (guitars), and especially Neil Peart (drums/percussion/lyrics), is truly one of the most powerful forces in music...
OK, so I'm a fanboy, I admit it =P But really, if someone said the phrase "Classic Rock" to me, I would instanly think of Rush. This is a band I reccomend everyone listen to, or at least try. They've grown and experimented over their 30+ years together, but they've never compromised their quality and desire to make music.
Their 1977 album A Farewell To Kings is one of the best in a long line of flawless classics. Among the songs contained on it are the mini-epics Xanadu and Cygnus X-1.
Xanadu is based on the poem "Kubla Kahn" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. If you haven't read the poem, I encourage you to find it and do so.
The album version of Xanadu is over 11 minutes, but this video has had about a minute shaved off the beginning, so it clocks in at 9:52. It's probably the longest thing some of you have ever listened to, but I promise you that it's worth every second 
EDIT: I just found out that they're releasing a new live double-CD recorderd during last year's tour 
*desperately searches for a way to skip ahead to April 15*
