The World's Top Five Rock Bands are all British?

[Cosmic Cowboy]

I would include Elvis, CCR, Grateful Dead, Otis Redding and The Eagles.

Are we going by record sales? Charts?

 

[2HBStrat]

I’ll never understand the fascination the majority of people have with the Beatles.

That's too bad.

Yeah but it's about bands. I always see it as the US is the place where innovations start and Europe is the place where they're perfected. All those top Brit bands started out by playing what they heard on 45s from the US. And they were mostly listening to individual artists, like you mention. I also brought up Elvis and Bob Dylan, maybe the two most influential of all (?) but not consistent with the topic.

*and I forgot Chuck Berry in my earlier post, ouch!

Right. But if we're talking individual acts then Elvis, Little Richard, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others would be in the discussion.

 

[tacobender]

No mention of GWAR? Oh yeah, they are from another planet.

 

[Old Plank]

Springsteen? No way! I have to disagree. He has had no effect on the direction of music. Nothing would be any different without him. There is nothing original about him. He made a living trying to rewrite Woody and Dylan.

Lol well I can't really disagree with most of your points/opinions, although I've never heard anything like say Jungleland come out of Dylan or Woody. But, he's been playing arenas for almost 40 years, sold a ton of records over that time including a few huge sellers, and he and the band are one of the most prominent names/performers/acts in American rock history; none of that can be debated really ... guess it just comes down to what the OP was looking for in 'top' bands?, and personal opinions.

 

[8bit]

I believe that Gilmour's guitar playing is THE reason that Pink Floyd is as big as it is.

I think you’re both right. They certainly would’ve never been as big without Gilmour’s playing. But there’s also no denying the songwriting and overall quality of the band took a step back after Waters left. I’m a huge fan and enjoy some of the post Waters stuff. But it doesn’t even feel like the same band to me.

 

[Jim W]

Pointless!

 

[Wheelhouse]

Aside from the Beach Boys, the Americans you can name are individuals - Elvis, Buddy Holly. Otherwise, that's a solid top 5.

 

[Timbresmith1]

AC/DC is the epitome of hard rock. Angus and Malcolm should be the first thing you see when you Google 'rock', period, end of discussion.

Can I get an amen?

No. Sabbath beat them to the punch.

 

[bactrian666]

Buddy Holly & the Crickets

 

[notmyusualuserid]

What with being all from the same island I have to wonder about inbreeding.

You could say the same about all those bands from south of Mason Dixon. Probably with more accuracy.

 

[notmyusualuserid]

Every now and then some, usually American, nimrod comes along for a troll and stirs the pot with a US v UK post. Every bugger else from the US jumps on the train to do some patriotic chest beating. Chaos and bad feelings ensue.

I do wonder why the mods continue to allow it. It's tiresome.

 

[ndcaster]

Ummm. . .

Couple of American cats you might have heard of. Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly. Maybe Eddie Cochran, too. The rest went to school on these cats.

true, but they were individuals, not "rock bands"

the perfect rock band is AC/DC: you leave their show and go, "those guys rock" -- and that's it

the Beatles band started in rocknroll and went music hall and a series of pop experiments

Stones and Zep are mostly blues soul Americana and psychedelia

Queen was a rock broadway opera band, like Elton John without a piano

Pink Floyd, psychedelia

you can't be rock without a strong blues foundation

that foundation crumbled with Nirvana

 

[Manual Slim]

Does that mean Nirvana is or isn't a rock band?

 

[ndcaster]

Does that mean Nirvana is or isn't a rock band?

Grohl got his drum approach from the Dazz Band and Ohio Players

 

[Manual Slim]

OK. But does that mean Nirvana is or isn't a rock band? I'm just trying to keep up, man.

 

[effzee]

That's too bad.

Right. But if we're talking individual acts then Elvis, Little Richard, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others would be in the discussion.

Or, we read through the thread and discover that, much to our astonishment, they've already made their way into the discussion. Possibly because all things music related are interconnected on a molecular level and eventually everyone gets involved and we all have a jamboree.

 

[2HBStrat]

I would include Elvis, CCR, Grateful Dead, Otis Redding and The Eagles.

Are we going by record sales? Charts?

Is Otis Redding a rock band? Is Elvis?

 

[ndcaster]

OK. But does that mean Nirvana is or isn't a rock band? I'm just trying to keep up, man.

no

they're an angry disco punk band

 

[Cosmic Cowboy]

Is Otis Redding a rock band? Is Elvis?

I think so

 

[Skydog1010]

Well, a lot of great rock bands in history originate from the UK. If they are still British, when choosing to live in the US, is arguable

Funny thing though, if you look at top streams on Spotify, you'd rather find Queen, Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, etc in the top 50, than the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple.. world has moved on

Tilted a bit too, I'm afraid.