Oceansize are the most talented band to come out of Manchester in decades.

And Amplifier (in my avvie) are pretty damn awesome also. I won't answer influential because I tend to dislike the majority of the bands from the "Madchester" scene.

Most influential - The Buzz****s. Their blend of pop artistry and punk energy has served as a blueprint for a widely eclectic list of bands for over 30 years.

Best - toss up between The Smiths and Joy Division. Everything Joy Division ever eleased was pure gold. Whilst The Smiths made at least three monumentally brilliant albums. The Stone Roses did release one of the greatest albums ever to emanate from the city with their debut, but what did they do after that? Their second offering is average. As for Oasis, what a joke.

Debatable. Especially with Elbow on the rise.:)

Elbow's earlier albums are very good, but I'm not so into them now.

Really? Asleep In The Back is very good, but I don't think they attained any kind of momentum until The Seldom Seen Kid.

I've never bothered with Elbow, dunno why. Are they any good?

EDIT: I remembered why I never bothered with them, I dislike prog rock.

They're alright, can be very good if you're in the mood for them and bore you stiff if you're not.

Ah, I think I recall listening to them a while back, just a couple of songs.. and the latter happened. Really boring.

You shouldn't dismiss a whole genre.
You might find some of their newer, more straight forward stuff more appealing.

Every prog rock band that I've listened to, I haven't enjoyed their music. Starting to think it's not my cup of tea. What album would you suggest is their best?