Top 10 Rock Bands of Every Decade

[Joe > Average]

You can pick and choose if you want. Rock as it was then defined was obviously huge (and probably more diverse than its ever been both style and ethnicity wise, imagine that :| ) in the 50s, but I'm assuming rock wasn't as much band oriented until the 60s? But do as you please . 50s-00s or 60s-00s. Or just one and come back to the others later...I was going to do a poll, but I wanted to give more possibility, plus its hard for a poll to make it in the music subforum trying to live on 70% ninja voters .

You can disclose whether your list is your opinion of "best" or your favorites or you can do one for both if you like. Hard, soft, heavy, light, progressive, alternative, college, punk ect. all welcome .

So how bout it ?

[MattLoveModels]

you first

[Limerlight]

70's "Well Known Rock/ Progressive Rock List":

1. Led Zeppelin. Maybe the best pure Rock N' Roll Band of all time.

2. Pink Floyd. Just an amazing band no matter who led on vocals.

3. The Who. Had some fantastic albums in the 60's and success carried on.

4. Black Sabbath. Sometimes noted as the 1st heavy metal band.

5. The Rolling Stones. Their legacy speaks for itself.

6. Rush. My favorite band, had some strong music in the 70's but this on this list they go here, otherwise they are number one.

7. Carlos Santana. (Santana) One of the better guitarists of all time.

8. The Doors. Jim Morrison's death was tragic, otherwise who knows what else we would've got?

9. David Bowie. Bowie is bowie, a varied artist with lots of good work.

10. The Eagles. Influential band, one of the best selling records ever.

Mentions:

Kiss: A great Live band, their studio albums didn't match up to their live stuff for me.

Aerosmith: Tyler's voice after the first couple albums get's really annoying for me.

Eric Clapton: His legend is his own, and probably should be in the list, but I leave him out on this list.

Jimi Hendrix: Though he never put out a 70's album (while living), you can still and forever will hear his influence.

Genesis: Too many good artists in the 70's. Peter Gabriel led most of the 70's and had some amazing albums.

Camel: As is the case of Rush, Camel is my 2nd favorite band ever, however they are not well known enough, as this list is more of the "well known" but still amazing artists of the 70's.

Blue Oyster Cult: On my list, they are in the top 10, but some of their work isn't strong enough to compete with the likes of the Bowie and The Eagles for last spot.

B.B. King: Since this is just a Rock/ Progressive Rock list, and not including blues/Jazz, B.B. gets left off, though it should be noted he would be on here easily.

Stevie Wonder: Same reason as B.B. this is just purely a rock list. (Maybe not get on as easily as B.B., but the basic point is the same.)

Emerson Lake and Palmer: Great progressive rock! Just amazing band, but maybe not as well known again, thus getting left off.

Left out on purpose: The Beatles: I don't like them at all. I do not doubt their influence on music, but they never will appear on a top list of mine (unless it's influential artists, I can't deny that fact.)

[Limerlight]

My top 10, 70's Rock/Progressive Rock list:

1. Rush

2. Camel

3. Led Zeppelin

4. Pink Floyd

5. Eric Clapton (and bands)

6. The Rolling Stones

7. Carlos Santana

8. The Doors

9. Emerson Lake and Palmer

10. Blue Oyster Cult

Reasonings: Same as above post for all artists.

[Limerlight]

I do have a question though:

Is this going to be just "Rock?" Because i know some Blues/ Jazz artists that could easily be on some of my lists.

[Joe > Average]

Great commentary Limerlight . I'll get more specific into it when I get back.

you first

Too late . But mine just wasn't ready yet .

I do have a question though:

Is this going to be just "Rock?" Because i know some Blues/ Jazz artists that could easily be on some of my lists.

Rock actually isn't my favorite genre. I prefer Latin music, Jazz and R&B more, but I figured it was the most shared in common here outside of pop is why I made it rock. But I definitely don't mind mentions of those others .

[TheBaronOfFratton]

Like Limey, I'm going to have to go 70's first too (although really I'd be straddling the 60's too - I'm thinking really '68-'74 here):

10. Manassas - Only 2 albums, but no finer mix of Rock, Cuban, and Bluegrass...

9. Michael Nesmith & The First National Band - From The Monkees? Yes!

8. The Band - Virtuosos on everything!

7. Os Mutantes - Brazil's finest psychedelia. Whatever it is I'll have some.

6. T.Rex - Is there finer party music?

5. The Velvet Underground - Sex and munchies.

4. The Faces - They had a bar ONSTAGE!!! This is dirty, knockabout rock.

3. Roxy Music - The sound of the future. Aliens knock back absinthe and pick up instruments.

2. The Flying Burrito Brothers - By all accounts a little shambolic live, but Gram Parson's voice is the epitome of heartbreak. And Nudie suits are cool as fuck.

1. The Rolling Stones - Oh, to have seen the Stones (with Mick Taylor on lead) in the early 70's. Exile On Main Street, Sticky Fingers, Let It Bleed ALL in my top 10 albums! Everything a rock band should have been at the time. They looked cool, they sounded fantastic (and I've got plenty of bootlegs to prove it) and they've provided the music to so many 'special' moments of my life!

[Baby]

50's

n°1 Serge Gainsbourg

n°2 James Brown

n°3 Chuck Berry

n°4 Johnny Cash

n°5 Frank Sinatra (ok, this is not rock music, but i like him)

n°6 Jerry Lee Lewis

n°7 Bill Haley

n°8 Buddy Holly

n°9 Gene Vincent

n°10 Little Richard

60's

n°1 Can

n°2 Jimi Hendrix

n°3 Simon & Garfunkel

n°4 Frank Zappa

n°5 The Rolling Stones

n°6 Cream

n°7 Jefferson Airplane

n°8 King Crimson

n°9 Pink Floyd

n°10 The Yardbird

70's

n°1 Ash Ra Temple

n°2 Kraftwerk

n°3 Guru Guru

n°4 Birth Control

n°5 Tangerine Dream

n°6 Amon Düül II

n°7 Neu!

n°8 Cluster

n°9 Faust

n°10 Suicide

+n°11 Led Zeppelin

+n°12 Talking Heads

80's

n°1 Fugazi

n°2 Fad Gadget

n°3 The Sugarcubes

n°4 Nirvana

n°5 Cabaret Voltaire

n°6 Pere Ubu

n°7 Teenage Jesus and The Jerks

n°8 The Pixies

n°9 The Young Gods

n°10 Norma Loy

+ n°11 Mars

+ n°12 Liaisons Dangeureuses

+ n°13 Sonic Youth

+ n°14 Dinosaur Jr.

+ n°15 Moss Icon

90's

n°1 Alice In Chains

n°2 Drive Like Jehu

n°3 The Nation of Ulysses

n°4 Unwound

n°5 June Of 44

n°6 Mad Season

n°7 The Smashing Pumpkins

n°8 Shellac

n°9 Don Caballero

n°10 Fudge Tunnel

+ n°11 Lvmen

+ n°12 DJ Shadow

° n°13 Aesop Roxk

2000's

n°1 31Knots

n°2 Hot Snakes

n°3 Battles

n°4 The Evens

n°5 Faraquet

n°6 Clouddead

n°7 Jesu

n°8 Fantômas

n°9 Secret Chiefs 3

n°10 Company Flow

+ n°11 Cannibal Ox

+ n°12 Ólafur Arnalds

[Joe > Average]

"special" moments

Interresting lists guys .

[Limerlight]

Top 10 "Well Known" 80's List:

1. Iron Maiden. One of the best metal bands of all time, if not the best.

2. U2. Biggest band in the world at times.

3.Stevie Ray Vaughan. Simply an amazing guitarist who's life was cut way too short

4. Van Halen. Epitimized 80's music for me atleast.

5. The Police. Can you argue there catalouge of work?

6. Rush. 80's had some experimenting, but many good albums.

7. Metallica. Four amazing metal albums in the 80's.

8. Peter Gabriel. Former Genesis front man, put out some great music in the 80's.

9. Dire Straits. Only 3 albums in the 80's but some fantastic work.

10. Ozzy Osbourne. Randy Rhodes was a genuis on guitar for Ozzy.

[Limerlight]

My top 10 80's List:

1. Rush

2. Stevie Ray Vaughan

3. Camel

4. Iron Maiden

5. The Police

6. Blue Oyster Cult

7. U2

8. B.B. King

9. Neil Young

10. Ozzy Osbourne

[Limerlight]

60's List

60's Is gonna be a bit different, as I'm only doing one list, as this is the easiest one to do.

1. Jimi Hendrix. There is no-one else in the whole history of Rock N' Roll quite like Jimi. His 3 albums while he was alive, are all instant classics, and he has influenced so many musicians, he deserves top spot.

2. The Rolling Stones. Maybe the most iconic rock band of all time, their legacy is amazing in any decade.

3. Cream. Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, the first ever supergroup, and a legendary band despite only 4 albums released.

4. Miles Davis. Truly a jazz god, arguably some of his best work was released in the 60's.

5. The Who. The start of another iconic band, amazing work.

6. The Doors. Again, a great band that started in the 60's.

7. Ray Charles. Just an amazing artist.

8. The Yardbirds. Amazing is just one of the words to describe them, espically later (70's mostly) but again the start of something amazing.

9. Frank Zappa (and Bands). Zappa is weird, crazy whatever you want to call him, but he's one hell of a musician.

10. The Beach Boys. A band that needs to explanation as to why they are here.

[Joe > Average]

Favorite 60s, The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Best 60s, IMO. Not trying to sound political here, but...BEATLES! Definitely not my favorite, but I feel that the level of songwriting, consistency, quality and impact of their work is overall greater than any rock band, though they aren't my favorite.

Favorite 70s, Crosby, Stills & Nash/Allman Brothers Band/Rolling Stones/Zep/CCR?/Black Sabbath

Best, again not trying to sound political but, IMO...ZEP or STONES

Favorite 80s, Rush

Best 80s,

Favorite 90s, Rage Against the Machine/Soundgarden/Smashing Pumpkins

Best 90s,

Favorite 00s, my era, but ironically not sure....

Best 00s,

[Limerlight]

Yay Rush! I love meeting other Rush fans

And yes, your two points about 60's and 70's are spot on. The Beatles(though i despise them) deserve probably the title of at least most influential band of the 60's. And 70's there is no other choices then Zeppelin and the Stones, two amazing bands that will never be forgotten.

[TheBaronOfFratton]

I might have been too literal with the term 'Band' - of course I'd have put Bowie in my 70's list. I'm not an idiot!!!

[mbinebri]

Favorite 60s, The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Best 60s, IMO. Not trying to sound political here, but...BEATLES! Definitely not my favorite, but I feel that the level of songwriting, consistency, quality and impact of their work is overall greater than any rock band, though they aren't my favorite.

Favorite 70s, Crosby, Stills & Nash/Allman Brothers Band/Rolling Stones/Zep/CCR?/Black Sabbath

Best, again not trying to sound political but, IMO...ZEP or STONES

Favorite 80s, Rush

Best 80s,

Favorite 90s, Rage Against the Machine/Soundgarden/Smashing Pumpkins

Best 90s,

Favorite 00s, my era, but ironically not sure....

Best 00s,

...although CCR's success was more in the 60s.

[Max_god1]

00's : 1) Radiohead 2)White Stripes 3) Franz Ferdinand 4) Yeah Yeah Yeahs 5) Queens Of The Stone Age 6) Arcade Fire 7) Coldplay 8) Arctic Monkeys 9) Bloc Party/Tv On The Radio 10)Nine Inch Nails

Honorable Mention : Gorillaz, The Hives, The Strokes, Interpol, M.I.A., Muse,Black Keys,

90's 1) Pearl Jam 2) Radiohead 3) Nirvana 4) Smashing Pumpkins 5) Soundgarden 6 & 7) Oasis or Blur 8) Beastie Boys 9) Beck 10)Nine Inch Nails/ PJ Harvey/Rage Against The Machine

Honorable Mention : Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Alice In Chains, Massive Attack, Portishead, Pavement, The Verve, Weezer

80's 1) Joy Division (Even if Unknown Pleasure was realese in the 70's they're a 80's band to me)2) U2 3) The Cure 4) Depeche Mode 5& 6 Pixies/Sonic Youth 7) R.E.M.8) New Order 9)The Smiths 10)Jesus And Mary Chain

Honorable Mention : The Police

70's 1) Led Zeppelin 2) The Clash 3) David Bowie 4) Pink Floyd 5) The Stooges 6) The Ramones 7) Sex Pistols 8) Television 9) The Police 10)?

60's 1) Beatles 2) Jimi Hendrix 3) Rolling Stones 4) Bob Dylan 5) The Who 6) The Doors 7) Beach Boys 8) CCR 9)OS Mutantes 10)?

Hard to chose a decade : The Flaming Lips, My Bloody Valentine, Iggy Pop, Dinosaur Jr, Tool

[Joe > Average]

Thanks Max, good stuff .

...although CCR's success was more in the 60s.

Yeah, that's why I put that question mark there, if I thought about it...I could have figured it out by the subjects and style I guess . But I just knew a couple songs at first but you convinced me to check more stuff out, now they're up there for me (Y) . And Corgan...well...is a genius .

Yay Rush! I love meeting other Rush fans

And yes, your two points about 60's and 70's are spot on. The Beatles(though i despise them) deserve probably the title of at least most influential band of the 60's. And 70's there is no other choices then Zeppelin and the Stones, two amazing bands that will never be forgotten.

Thanks and yeah, true that about Beatles and co.

As to Rush, some seem to hate Geddy's voice and think they should have just gotten a lead singer and let him play base only, but I like them the way they are, especially when they hav their 3 man jam sessions .

[mbinebri]

C'mon, people, no Limp Bizkit in your 90s lists?

As to Rush, some seem to hate Geddy's voice