Top Ten Rock & Roll Bands?

[Bobarian]

Okay, FRiends. It's a lazy Sunday afternoon and I need a distraction from Obamamania. Anybody care to debate the top ten rock & roll bands?

Not necessarily personal favorites, but in terms of influence, endurance and popularity.

I think the top four, in no particular order, would have to include:

The Doors
The Rolling Stones
The Beatles
Led Zeppelin

[wecantalkaboutitnow]

THE BAND. Music From Big Pink, The Brown Album. Classic. Levon Helm is Arkansas’ gift to the world. RIP Rick and Richard.

Allman Brothers, The Who, Cream, and The Dead round out my top five.

[mad_as_he$$]

Beatles, Hendrix, Airplane, Dead - good question. There was a whole movement in SF that was very early on with bands lost to the dust of time now.

[ResponseAbility]

****It’s funny, to hear other musicians talk about them, Abba was a hugely influential band. Which just goes to show that in art, “influential” doesn’t necessarily mean “good.” (Although I do like a couple of their songs quite a bit.)****

Yep, take the Bee Gee’s for example. They started the whole crappy disco phase.

[ResponseAbility]

I just looked over at allmusic.com and they list The Yardbirds and The Byrds as the first bands to use fuzzy guitars, sitars and chanted vocals that were the beginning hallmarks of psychedelic music. I guess The Beatles were riding a wave at this time.

[ResponseAbility]

I’ve been finding some old tunes from bands like Mountain, Peanut Butter Conspiracy, The Rascals, The Human Beinz etc. on youtube. It’s fun to look up old bands and see whats there. That might even be a good thread topic.

[Smokin' Joe]

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
Deep Purple
Chicago
Doobie Brothers
Steppenwolf
Grand Funk Railroad
Three Dog Night
The Guess Who
The Beatles
The Grateful Dead

and I’m leaving Motown as a separate category....

[reagan_fanatic]

Kansas.
Styx.
Queen.
Boston.
Aerosmith (the early years, not that newer crap.)
Molly Hatchet.
Foreigner.
BTO.
ZZ Top.
Pink Floyd.

[Syncro]

Rock Around The Clock---a classic, crocodile...

Frank Zappa was quite the innovator

[ResponseAbility]

Here's an oldie, Count Five Psychotic Reaction

[ResponseAbility]

Haha, a must see video The Castaways Liar,Liar

[dfwgator]

The Dukes of Stratosphear.

[Clemenza]

The Ramones. In a class by their own. Nobody else comes close for REAL rock and roll.

I'm sorry. Led Zep, ELP, and Yes are not rock and roll, they are musical masturbation.

[ResponseAbility]

The Ramones pretty much personify the term Rock & Roll. I’ll bet most people would rather be blind with hairy palms than be stuck listening to The Ramones only.

[Southbound]

Might as well add my picks as a retired, deprived, hairy-legged banjo picker.......

Beatles
Stones
Eagles
Doobie Brothers
Beach Boys
Lynrd Skynrd
ZZ Top
Van Halen
Led Zeppelin
The United States Marine Band

[ResponseAbility]

Excellent song and youtube find. The lyrics remind me of Bob Segar and Huey Lewis, Both of whom probably got the idea directly or indirectly from this song.

Is rock & Roll really here forever? The music from way back is still here, but will future generations embrace it? If there are to be many future generations, music from the 60’s will still be around I think.

[Skenderbej]

Are only classic-era bands considered here?

I say add:

Red Hot Chili Peppers (Over 20 years of top-10 albums, way above average bassist)
Aerosmith

Newer band that I like:

Audioslave (great singer and interesting instrumentalists)

[Mariner]

Add Tom Petty and the HEartbreakers

[ResponseAbility]

Definitely an overlooked band so far. Reminds me of the 70’s watching Gene Kirchners(sp)Midnight Special. There goes my girl and American girl.

[ResponseAbility]

Here's a well known song by The Byrds Eight Miles High