Probably done before but what are the ten best uk bands of all time?

[saltyseadog]

What I don't understand about the Beatles/Stones era (which I can only look back on for the most part as I wasn't born until the end of 69) is that to me looking back the Stones didn't really hit their stride until the Beatles were pretty much over. To me the Stones didn't really become a 'great' band until around 68/69 with Let it Bleed and Beggars Banquet.

Before that they seem very 'patchy' especially on the albums. Is it mainly because the single was still king and The Stones managed to pull out a cracking single every 6 months? None of the albums before that are even close to the Beatles albums of the same year imo.

... and personally I think they trailed off quite badly after the 70's too, I'm not into their 80's stuff at all.

All of which is a long way of saying why they don't get in my top 10. I quite curious how people younger than me view them, especially as they are still around as a band. I can't imagine my kids would understand their significance at all.

I was born in 1950 and so grew up through the whole 60's beatlemania et al. The Stones were basically a chicago blues cover band in the beginning but live they were much different to the other bands around who all had professional managers who groomed them for success in much the same way as the Simon Cowell's of today do. The Beatles had the boy next door thing off pat while the Stones had that bad boy image your parents warned your sisters against. Until Jagger and Richards got their song writing going the Stones were in trouble getting a single until Lennon and McCartney gave them "I Wanna Be Your Man" which was their first chart hit then Mick and Keith figured out their songwriting. But you are right the Stones were hard to market in the early 60's and didn't really become the force we know until the late 60's and became the greatest rock band of all in there prime.

 

[black_doug]

The OP says top bands.

At the moment, considering who I still listen to,

The Who
The Who
The Who
Stones
The Clash
The Beatles
Average White Band
Blind Faith
Traffic
The Pretenders

 

[Fretting out]

The Stone Roses
The Chameleons
The Cure
The Smiths
The Jesus & Mary Chain
Teenage Fanclub
Slowdive

Just throwing some alt-bands into the mix as they tend to get overlooked by the classic rock crowd.

 

[burntfrijoles]

Beatles
Stones
Who
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
Dire Straits
Queen
Jethro tull
Cream
Kinks

 

[aging_rocker]

I've just read through the posts, and I think almost every band I would have mentioned has already been mentioned (I had to look closely to find Gang of Four, Killing Joke, Misty In Roots, SAHB and a few others though)

But I did think of some (that I don't think have been mentioned yet) that would feature in my personal 'best' list, because I still listen to them and they have influenced me for decades:

Free
Be Bop Deluxe/Bill Nelson
Ozric Tentacles
Talk Talk
The Sound/Adrian Borland
The Godfathers
Trapeze

 

[Kandinskyesque]

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band .... and Maggie Bell

I forgot about them.

I saw Maggie Bell playing in 2018/19 in essentially a church/community hall in front of about 250 people.

At nearly 75 she had every bit the performance and emotion I'd seen in her concerts in the early 1980s.
Which is why I've never understood 'to too old to rock and roll' opinion.

 

[tele pickin']

Sgt Pepper’s lonely hearts club band was a pretty good band

Beatles were not bad

 

[Oxidao]

I'll put my time limit in 1980

Aseptycally:

-Beatles, Stones
and Bowie

and then:
-Black Sabbath
-Sex Pistols
-P.Floyd
-Led Zepp

 

[warrent]

Gang of Four
Throbbing Gristle
Lulu & the Luvvers
The Specials
Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated
Roxy Music
Ian Dury
The Quarrymen
XTC
Brinsley Schwarz

 

[Bendyha]

801
King Crimson
Supertramp
The Jimi Hendrix Experience (the band was 2/3 British)
The Rutles
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

 

[Spox]

Discharge.