SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic - Five Most Important Rock Bands/Musical Artist

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

Not sure if this has been done before, but I thought it might be fun to name who you think has been the most important contributors to rock 'n roll and its development over the decades.

Here is my list in chronological order:

1. Elvis
2. The Beatles
3. The Doors
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. The Smashing Pumpkins

I think there's definitely an argument for The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, AC/DC, GnR, NIN, Pearl Jam and Nirvana. I hear a lot of support for RHCP lately, but I cannot agree. They've certainly had staying power and are quite good, but I do not think they have had a significant contribution to the evolution of rock.

Pearl Jam and Nirvana were definitely important, but I just did not like them at all, so I could not put them on my list.

Posted: Feb 05 2009 02:36 pm

I'm doing two for each beause they are equally influential, but skew their interpretation of Rock n' Roll in different directions...It's like a pyramid scheme.

1. Robert Johnson/Muddy Waters
2. Elvis Presley/Buddy Holly/Chuck Berry (Sorry, had to do three)
3. Beatles/Rolling Stones
4. Jimi Hendrix/Eric Clapton
5. Black Sabbath/Led Zeppelin

Posted: Feb 05 2009 02:38 pm

The Stones
Pink Floyd
Iggy Pop
Elvis

I need a fifth? Fuck, I don't know. I can't think of anyone who influenced rock on the same level as those four. Beatles, I guess. Or maybe KISS.

Posted: Feb 05 2009 02:44 pm

Elvis is overrated. He shouldn't be on any list.

Posted: Feb 05 2009 02:47 pm

Should Elvis be on a list of things that are overrated? Or, how about a list of Elvi?
1. Elvis Presely
2. Elvis Costello.
End.

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

Pink Floyd is a good pick, and I can't believe I forgot Iggy Pop.

I forgot Judas Priest too, and he was huge.

Regarding Elvis, whether he was overrated or not is moot, he had a big influence on the industry and its fans. I personally like him, he had a great voice and released a lot of good pop songs.

Posted: Feb 05 2009 02:58 pm

I'm kind of going chronologically, sort of:

1. Beatles (like them or not, rock would not be what it is today without them)
2. Pink Floyd
3. Kiss (don't like em, but they were innovators)
4. Black Sabbath
5. Nirvana. This could be replaced with Fugazi or Sonic Youth because almost any band out there talks about how much they admire those two bands. even Huskar Du could go here.

Posted: Feb 05 2009 03:02 pm

Cattivo wrote:

I forgot Judas Priest too, and he was huge.

There's a guy called Judas Priest?

And in regards to Elvis, he is important because he was largely responsible for popularizing rock n' roll with white audiences and bringing it into the American mainstream. Also, he had a great voice and he was a fantastic entertainer.

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

Heh, I always make that mistake.

Yep, the popularization was key there on Elvis.

Joined: Apr 09 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 3112

I'm going importance here, not influence. Bands like Elvis and Zeppelin, while talented, were more influential than innovative. Also, I don't acknowledge popularizing or forcing music into the mainstream. Hell, I've never really liked some of these artists, but I do acknowledge what they've done for rock.

Bo Diddley- Invented rock and roll. 'Nuff said, no arguments.

The Beatles- Not the first rock act by far, but definitely the foundation for the evolution of rock that was the British invasion, and what came from there. Also notable for expanding what rock could be with their musical invention and experimentation later in their career.

Pink Floyd- Brought an artistic legitimacy to rock, and made albums as much as a coherent, continuous

Iggy and the Stooges or The MC5- Started power-rock or what would become the foundation for punk and arguably metal.

Husker Du- Their early stuff wasn't too remarkable, but "Zen Arcade" is what really triggered alternative and grunge in the 90's that eventually led to modern rock and alternative that we know now.

Posted: Feb 05 2009 06:16 pm

The most infuental bands..... Hmmmmm.....

Elvis
The Beatles
Pink Floyd
The Rolling Stones
Queen

Posted: Feb 05 2009 06:21 pm

Greg the White wrote:

Husker Du- Their early stuff wasn't too remarkable, but "Zen Arcade" is what really triggered alternative and grunge in the 90's that eventually led to modern rock and alternative that we know now.

I mentioned this in my post, but I also said Fugazi, because they are in the same boat.

Posted: Feb 05 2009 09:44 pm

IMO I don't think the beatles were as great as everyone thinks they were in terms of influence on rock n roll. They are a great band and all, but their style involves short, catchy tunes that the whole family can sing along too, and do you know what other genre involves short, catchy tunes?.....pop music.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that even though they were technically a rock band I think they had a bigger impact on pop music. Basically I never thought of them as a great rock band, but instead the worlds greatest boy band.

Posted: Feb 05 2009 09:59 pm

Cattivo wrote:

5. The Smashing Pumpkins

HELL YES.

It's hard to think of the biggest contributors to rock, as there are tons of bands out there that have been highly influential to various sub-genres of rock, but here's my picks for biggest contributors to rock overall (in no particular order, since that would be...difficult):

Beatles (duh.)
Nirvana (popularized the grunge era)
Bo Diddley (again, duh.)
Smashing Pumpkins (a lot of varied artists site Smashing Pumpkins as one of their primary influences, and they simply have a myriad of songs that cover an abundance of styles)
Pink Floyd/Led Zeppelin (tie)

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

TopShelf wrote:

I don't think the beatles were as great as everyone thinks they were in terms of influence on rock n roll. They are a great band and all, but their style involves short, catchy tunes that the whole family can sing along too, and do you know what other genre involves short, catchy tunes?.....pop music.

In the first half of their history, yes. Try listening to some of their later stuff. You might be surprised.

Yeah Cam, the size and diversity of SP's library is astounding and isn't heralded enough. I have most of their published work, combined with b-sides, demos, and studio sessions burned on cds, and it comprises about 20 discs in total. Quite astounding.

Posted: Feb 05 2009 10:46 pm

For me:

The Beatles
Pink Floyd
Jimi Hendrix
Iron Maiden
Elvis

Joined: Oct 06 2008 Posts: 43

Milhouse wrote:

I'm doing two for each beause they are equally influential, but skew their interpretation of Rock n' Roll in different directions...It's like a pyramid scheme.

1. Robert Johnson/Muddy Waters
2. Elvis Presley/Buddy Holly/Chuck Berry (Sorry, had to do three)
3. Beatles/Rolling Stones
4. Jimi Hendrix/Eric Clapton
5. Black Sabbath/Led Zeppelin

Same list

Posted: Feb 05 2009 11:01 pm

Elvis
The Beatles
Black Sabbath
Nirvana
Van Halen

Posted: Feb 05 2009 11:06 pm

1. Elvis
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. Black Sabbath
4. Led Zeppelin
5. Pink Floyd

Joined: Sep 17 2007 Location: The Opium Trail Posts: 3475

Cattivo wrote:

I forgot Judas Priest too, and he was huge.

.

Joined: Apr 09 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 3112

Burt Reynolds wrote:

Greg the White wrote:

Husker Du- Their early stuff wasn't too remarkable, but "Zen Arcade" is what really triggered alternative and grunge in the 90's that eventually led to modern rock and alternative that we know now.

I mentioned this in my post, but I also said Fugazi, because they are in the same boat.

God, I don't even know what you could call Fugazi.

Hardcore-ska-pop-punk-alternative-grunge? I love Fugazi, but everything that Ian MacKaye does is just basically a 2-minute mindsplosion.

Posted: Feb 06 2009 05:14 am

First of all, Elvis is like the Bret Hart of music. The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

Here is my list, not really in order.

1. Elvis Presley. I shouldn't have to explain this. Nobody will ever be able to do what Elvis did.
2. Chuck Berry
3. The Beatles
4. Black Sabbath
5. Probably Nirvana

Honorable Mentions: Bob Dylan and Michael Jackson. Actually, I would even put Jacko in my top 5, but I can't think of who to take off the list.

Title: Hugh Joined: Sep 23 2007 Posts: 1591

The Beatles
Elvis
Pink Floyd
Iggy Pop
Sonic Youth

Posted: Feb 06 2009 12:54 pm

I'm going to nominate Def Leppard.

Def Leppard, though never really a glam band themselves, paved the way for hair bands that would rise to prominence in the mid-80s and dominate rock until 1992, at which point grunge rose to prominence in direct response to hair bands. And Hysteria sold like a billion copies.

Posted: Feb 06 2009 02:01 pm

I'm going to nominate the Temptations.

They weren't the first of their kind, but they were probably the most popular and had the biggest influence on the genre.