Top Ten Rock Bands of all Time
84How do you pick the top rock artists of all time?
Choosing 10 top
bands to choose as your top rock groups of all time is a difficult task, and you are probably wondering how each of the rock artists on my list got there. So I'll share my factors with you before we get into the list.
Personal
preference played a large role in choosing my top rock bands but
there was more to consider than that. In fact, I'm not above putting an
artist on my list that I don't even listen to, if they have had a big
impact on the music world. In order to be a top rock artist of
all time the band has to have had a big impact on the rock genre
as it is today. So I also put a heavy weight on how many other
rock bands they have influenced and how groundbreaking their
work was for their time. If they opened the door to a new style that
wasn't popular before they came along, they get big points in my book
whether I like that style or not.
I didn't number this list or place them in any particular order, because who am I to say who the very best rock band of all time is? The best I can do is narrow it down to my picks for the top ten rock artists to date. I don't expect everyone to agree with my picks so I'd love to know what you think. Please take a moment to vote on who you think is the best rock artist is from my list and use the comments section of the bottom of the page to tell me who you think I missed. I hope you enjoy reading this list as much as I enjoyed creating it!
Another important note about this list is that it covers all rock and it's categories. You may see these artists repeated on another list of mine as I delve deeper into the all the categories that the term "rock" includes. If you want to see other genres check out my top tens of music homepage.
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Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin started in 1968 consisting of Jimmy Page on guitar, Robert Plant doing vocal), John Paul Jones playing bass guitar, and keyboard and John Bonham on drums. Led Zeppelin was known for a heavy guitar sound, and are known to be one of the first heavy metal bands. However, they have a unique style that by many genres. They are known to have a rock-infused interpretation of the blues and folk genres
that also incorporates reggae, rockabilly, funk, classical,
soul, Indian, Celtic, Arabic, Latin, pop, and country. Led Zeppelin preferred the concept of album oriented rock so the popular songs of their first albums were not released as singles.
After Bonham died in 1980, the group disbanded. However, they continue to be held in high regard for their boad influence in the music world, their artistic achievements, and commercial success. Led Zeppelin has sold an estimated 200 million albums worldwide and all of their original studio albums reached the top 10 of the Billboard album chart in the U.S., six of those hit #1. Rolling Stone magazine has labeled Led Zeppelin as "the heaviest band of all time" and "the biggest band of the '70s".
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The Beatles
The Beatles formed in Liverpool, England in 1960. The band's makup consisted of four members, all of which participated in the groups vocals, John Lennon on rhythm guitar, Paul McCartney on bass guitar, George Harrison on lead guitar and Ringo Starr on drums. Thier initial sound was based on the rock and roll and skiffle of the 1950's. However, the rock band experimented with several different music genres including psychedelic rock and Tin Pan Alley. The Beatles became trend setter in the fashion world with their style of clothing and they had a signifigant influence on the cultural and social revolutions of the 1960's. The band continued with enthusiastic popularity until 1970 when the members parted way and went on to each have successful solo careers.
The Beatles sold more than one billion records and enjoyed one of the most commercially successful careers in the history of popular music. Rolling Stone magazine ranked The Beatles number one in its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004 and they also cite that The Beatles' innovative music and cultural impact helped define the 1960s, and their influence on pop culture is still evident today. In 2008, The Beatles secured the number one spot in Billboard magazine's list of top-selling Hot 100 artists to celebrate the chart's fiftieth anniversary.
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Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd started in London in 1965 after Syd Barrett from Cambridge moved there and joined The Tea Set. The Tea Set wasa small group made up of Nick Mason, Roger Waters, Richard Wright and Bob Klose who were Regent Street Polytechnic architecture students. Pink Floyd was met with moderate success in the mainstream but became one of the most popular bands in the London underground toward the end of the 1960s. The rock psychedelic rock band was originally led by Sid Barrett. However, Barrett's erratic behavior eventually led the group to replace him with guitarist and singer David Gilmour. Roger Walter's grew as the band's leader throughout the 1970's and reamined so until he left the group in 1985. Althought the group held continued popularity in England throughout their career. However, they did not achieve worldwide success until the release of The Dark Side of the Moon in 1973, Wish You Were Here in 1975, Animals in 1977, and the rock opera The Wall in 1979.
Pink Floyd is known today for their psychedelic and space rock music during thier early career followed the the progressive rock music they became popular for in thier later years. Their songs included sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics, elaborate live shows, and innovative album cover art. The rock band has sold more that two-hundred million albums world and are one of rock music's most successful acts. Many popular rock bands have been influenced over the years including Nine Inch Nails, Genesis, Dream Theatre and Yes.
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The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience started in London in 1966 and had both English and American influences. The original members included Jimi Hendrix, an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, Noel Redding, the band's backing vocalist and bassist Mitch Mitchell on drums. The Jimi Hendrix Experience released three successful albums before Redding left the band in June of 1969.
After Redding's departure from the rock band, Hendrix and Mitchell joined up with Billy Cox, a bassist and a few other musicians to Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, a short-lived band that played at Woodstock. Hendrix went on with Cox to have another brief steint in a rock band called The Band of Gypsys. After which Hendrix reformed The Jimi Hendrix Experience with both Cox and Mitchell.
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Van Halen
Van Halen started Pasadena, California in 1972. This hard rock band became successful following the release of their debut album in 1978 named Van Halen. The group has sold over 80 million albums worldwide and have had more number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart than many other rock bands. And in the 1980s they took the record for more Billboard Hot 100 hits than any other heavy metal band or hard rock band up to that point. Van Halen has been noted as the 19th best selling band/artist of all time by the Recording Industry Association of America. Thier sales have topped over 56 million albums in the USA and they are one of only five rock bands to date that have sold more than 10 million copies of two different albums in the US and were one of the best paid acts in the world in 2008.
Van halen isn't just known for it's success, the exits of their former members has been dramitc and widely publicized throughout the years. David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar both left the band several times. Each departure from the group was met with controversy and mass press coverage. The confusing press coverage showed highly contrasting statements made by the former members and the band. More recently, the band kicked member Michael Anthony for controversial reasons. The band took a brief hiatus from 2004 until September of 2006 when they hired Wolfgang as their new bass guitarist. And finally, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12, 2007, amidst rumors of Roth reuniting with the group.
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Vote for the top rock band of all time!!!
Who's your favorite?
See results without voting
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Queen
Queen started in London in 1970 following the break up of the band Smile, the English rock band was made up of Freddie Mercury as the lead vocalist, Brian May on guitar, John Deacon playing bass and Roger Taylor on drums. Queen was known for their vocal harmonies, multi-layered arrangements, musical diversity, and pulling in the audience to participate in their live performances. An industry poll found their Live Aid performance in 1985 to be the best live rock performance of all time.
At the start of the 1970's the rock band found success with the albums Queen and Queen II. However, the release of Sheer Heart Attack in 1974 and A Night at the Opera in 1975 brought the group out into view and they became an international success. During their career, Queen has released fifteen recorded albums, five live albums, and many
compilation albums. This band is noted for their big impact on the live performance aspect of the music world.
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Eagles
Eagles started in Los Angeles, California in the early 1970s. Several of the groups members had previously been a part of the band The Byrds, so the name Eagles was chosen for the new rock group as a tribute to that. Bernie Leadon was a founding member, coming to the band with experience in Dillard & Clark along the former Byrds singer Gene Clark he also spent some time in The Flying Burrito Brothers with Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke who were also former Byrds members. Frey was very particular about the rock band being referred to as Eagles and not The Eagles and that request was even noted in comedian Steve Martin's autobiography, Born Standing Up.
The Eagles were one of the most successful bands of the decade with six number one albums and five number one singles. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, two of their albums, Hotel California and Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975, were ranked among the 10 best-selling albums by the end of the 20th century. Rolling Stone magazine included their best-selling album, Hotel California in their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time is rated in the 37th spot. The group appeared again the the magazine's 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time taking the number 75 spot on that list. And they have enjoyed holding the record for the best selling album in the U.S. to date with Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975.
The Eagles reunited in 1994 for Hell Freezes Over, after a 14 year long spearation folling their break up in 1980. Hell Freezes Over contained a mix of both new studio tracks and previously recorded live ones. The band continued to stay loosely together following that release, touring intermittenly, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. The group continues to work together and have recently released their first studio album in 28 years, Long Road out of Eden.
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Metallica
Metallica was formed in Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981 as a heavy metal rock band. It all started when Lars Ulrich, the band's drummer posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, The group's members have consisted primarily of Ulrich, James Hetfield a vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Kirk Hammett, the groups lead guitarist.The spot for Metallica's bass position has undergone a large turnover and has most recently been held by Robert Trujillo.
The the early years following the groups formation they released music that featured included fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship that earned the a spot in the thrash metal subgenre as one of the "big four" alongside of Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax. Master of Puppets, released in 1986 was described by critics as on of the most "heavy" and influential thrash albums of the time, and won the band a growing fan base in the underground community. They finally found widespread success in 1991 with the release of Metallica, debuting in the number one spot on the Billboard 200.
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U2
U2 started in Dublin, Ireland. This alternative rock band consists of Bono singing vocals and playing guitar, The Edge on guitar, keyboards, and vocals, Adam Clayton playing bass guitar, and Larry Mullen, Jr. on drums.
The groups members were all teenagers at the time the band was born in 1976 and they had limited musical knowledge and skills. However, by the mid-1980s, U2 was a top act internationally. They found a great deal more success with their live performances than they did with record sales until the release of their hit album, The Joshua Tree in 1987. That album elevated the alternative band's stature "from heroes to superstars", according to Rolling Stone. U2 reinvented themselves with their 1991 release of the album Achtung Baby in response to the dance and alternative rock revolution and a sense of stagnation musicially that was shared by the band members. This release was accompanied by the Zoo TV tour. The alternative band has turned to a more conventional rock sound since the year 2000, this sound, however, retains the evidence of their earlier works..
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Bob Marley & The Wailers
Bob Marley & The Wailers was formed by Bob Marley in 1974, the reggae band included Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer who left their former band. The Wailers to join Marley's group. It also included two brothers Carlton on drums and Aston "Family Man" Barrett on bass who had been members of The Wailers for four years, following their time in Lee "Scratch" Perry's studio band The Upsetters, during their time with Perry, the brothers were supporters of The Wailers and chose to stay with Marley when the band merged with him.
The Wailers performed as the backup band to lead singer Bob Marley in the new group. Marley also played guitar and was the main song writed for the band. The final makeup of The Wailers Band included the brothers Carlton and Aston Barrett on drums and bass, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson playing lead guitar, with keyboards played by both Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on droms. The I Threes, made up Marley's back up singers and consisted of Bob Marley's wife Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths.
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I agree with you Jimmy, and I love the Beach Boys. In fact they just missed my top ten list, coming in at number 11 for me.
Beach Boys were Beatles pretenders.
Yes. U2 has to be there. In any list actually. Led Zeppelin is great. Great hub.
Well nice hub ,very nice and strong names,but i believe ROCK is not only record sales and charts etc.Rock is the power of live music ,and maybe some others should be in your collection.
I more or less agree with your list, except for the Wailers, more of an R&B band, and Pink Floyd, heavily over-rated. At any rate, I really like the way you've stacked your capsules so that your text matches up with the photos. I'll need to do that one of these days. Later!
U2 were REM pretenders
Thanks for all the comments and compliments!
Gus - You're right, the ability to make money is far from what makes a band great. I did try to include thier performance abilities and impact on the future of music equally, but I'm quite open to you're input! lol
Kosmo - I completely agree with you about Pink Floyd, I like thier music and everything, but have a hard time listening to them because EVERYONE is into Pink Floyd and I really hate following a crowd. But I couldn't deny the impact the band had and leave them out based on principle could I?
And Nic - Tsk, tsk lol... just cuz you think they are pretenders doesn't mean they didn't influence music as we know it. Enough other people didn't think they were pretenders for them to make it on my list. ;)
Well as far as the "over-ratedness" of these bands, I'd say Pink Floyd is less so than some of the others on the list. Maybe that's just because I only know a few other real fans i.e. people who listen to songs besides "Another Brick in the Wall part 2". Maybe they're overrated in that sense but they're still great musicians.
And Quiline, all of these bands have a huge fan base, so no matter what you pick you're still following a pretty big crowd. Some music is popular for a reason, that's why these bands are legends and other bands fade into obscurity.
You're absolutely right, they do have a huge fan bases. But it's hard not to have a huge fan base and have a huge impact on the music industry at the same time. Just like I said with Pink Floyd, I didn't pick any of these bands because they're what I personally listen to all the time. I picked them because of how I think they impacted the music industry and opened doors to the music we enjoy today. :)
Fair enough, but my point is, good music will usually attract a large following. If you genuinly don't like a band that's popular that is fine, but don't dismiss them on that basis alone. When the music fits your fancy, the crowd is meanigless.
I agree whole-heartedly. I love many bands, both popular and unpopular alike. Huge followings can be so misleading and can distract you from some real gems of music that are floating around out there. Not to say the popular one's aren't good too, but no true music buff can live solely on following the "music crowd."
Totally agree. My statement works both ways, you can't just like the popular stuff either.
Great list and pretty accurate. No newer rock bands in there but they are mainly influenced by these 10 anyway.
I enjoyed this Hub. You made a fine presentation and your choices reflect good taste. I wouldn't have the Wailers (A Reggae band)in there, though. I don't see Metallica this high up the hierarchy.
My list would be: The Beatles; Pink Floyd; Jimi Hendrix; Led Zeppelin; Van Halen; Yes; The Rolling Stones; Aerosmith; Rush; Emerson, Lake & Palmer; ZZ Top.
I know. That's 11. :-)
I wouldn't have included Van Halen or Bob Marley, if this is a list of best sellers then you could be right. AC/DC should be there,Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I understand that these are your personal Top Ten, and the biographies are nice, but I was hoping you'd give us some personal tales about why YOU like them specifically, and how you came to embrace them as your favorites.
Howdy! Your list is good, however everyone has their own personal favorites. The one thing that sticks in my mind about picking a top band is this: are they a band or really a solo performer?
Example: Elvis Presley would be a solo artist. The Beatles are a band as all contribute.
This is where I believe that jimi Hendrix should be excluded as it was all Jimi and the members were just sidemen. I voted for Led Zeppelin as all members contributed to the project and I believe they are the biggest rock band. This takes me to another subject of categorizing your list as top Rock Bands of all time, top Blues Bands, Top sixties group, etc.
I like your list. Have you seen the Rolling Stone top 100 guitarists of all time?
That list really ticks me off. I think that list was for purely marketing reasons and not a true assesment.
James - Haha... so hard to get it down to 10... you have a good list too!
And Island... that's an interesting thought. I'm not sure if I have a "personal" story about each one of these though. As I said in an earlier comment, they aren't all my favorite bands, they are the one's that I think had the most influence on rock.
Rob - Yeah, I wavered with the band vs. performer vs. artist, etc... in some genres it's harder to differentiate the two like in rock, where jazz is all about the artist and less about the band. So I ended up kind of going by band. And even though Jimi's sidekicks are often forgotten these days, he wasn't technically a solo artist until later.
And you're right about splitting my list up. This was my first one and it has expanded into several more that are specific to classic rock, alternative, blues, etc. You should check those out.
Rolling Stones - always about the marketing as with any other media. Whoever pays the most gets their name on the list of course. How do you think they got so rich? lol
I really like this hub - or I would if it weren't for the fact that you have wrongfully labelled Bob Marley and the Wailers as rock.
I love Bob Marley and I also love rock, but the two of the in the same genre? I think not. Even MP3's differentiate between the two.
Bob Marley has always been and always will be Reggae - not rock.
Beatles were pop as were the Beach Boys.
U2 were not REM wannabes as they were around four years before REM got together, but that's down to your commenter, not your hub.
Otherwise, nice work.
Enjoyed your hub and the Poll!
I voted for Led Zep! :)
some on the list deserve to be there but i hate u2 and u nirvana, alice in chains, pearl jam, and staind all amazing bands and all gave great live performances (and still do with the exception of nirvana rip kurt) but in like hendrix and zepplin being on there i dont like the beach boys being on there or bob marley not really rock
the rolling stones
The Moelock Posse
A great list. I think AC/DC,Lynyrd Skynyrd & Oasis should be added too. My son's a fan of all three of them [and now I am too] and this year we watched them perform live in Dusseldorf & Koln.
nice hub. all of these bands contributed to the rock scene in different ways. I would replace bob marley with nirvana who introduced the alternative, grunge rock. they sold over 50 million albums, 25 million in the US alone. that's huge. I guess all of us music lovers have our all time favorites. nice reading, I voted for Led Zeppelin. :)
Marley while great is not really a rock band. Top of thre reggie or RB but not top ten in Rock. Replace with the Stones.
where is gnr?
Not a bad list -- but some glaring ommissions: The Band, The Stones, The Who, Joe Cocker Mad Dogs and Englishmen and Buddy Guy quickly come to mind. You included the Eagles but left off The Band -- who do you think influenced the Eagles and their country-rock sound? Btw ...where the Heck is Neil Young?
Music is so incredibly subjective that conflicts are sure to come up when someone posts a list.
YES!!!!
Ummm, All I now is on December 24th, 2009 Styx became only the 3rd known American rock band to sell more than 100 million records.
Where is Guns n Roses? Without them no "best of rock" ranking can be complete?
STYX? Easy Mr. Roboto ....
Nice list, U2 have to be in that list and though REM are good they are not in U2's league yet.
Quite simply there's QUEEN and then everyone else follows!
where is Rolling Stones?
I agree, the Stones need to be on this list!
Compliments to the great picture choices.
Awesome list! I also agree stones should be among the top 10 and we musn't forget Black Sabbath. All in all it is a great list. Thank you!
Any list which doesn't include AC/DC is simply a joke
BLACK SABBATH instead of U2 and you've got a good list....and don't beat yourself up over not including STYX...They could sell 100 billion records and still..well..
Good list and hub. I have music reviews on my hub. I just published one on Led Zeppelin's Mothership on vinyl. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Solid playlist, the reason why i never tried to compile one is the fact that it's impossible. That would be my list alone. The fact is that I would never put Metallica in top 10, yes I love them and yes they are a great band, but top 10 of all times! Not a chance, there are other bands that deserve that position much more. And the fact that Queen has only 11% and Hendrix 1% is a shame. Metallica and U2 have 13% and 8%, and they are nowhere near top 10!
this list was obviously not made by a musician but by just a fan/listener.
ummmmm Journey is wayyy better than U2 and Metallica (who is metal)
i love pink floyd, no one can top them, then comes led zeppelin and then jimmy hendrix, then comes beatles and in the end guns and roses. These are all the bands i listen to and none else.
BEATLES ALL THE WAY!
well you good rockers on this list but um i just have to say that i wish there could be like a top 30 of the best rockers or some thing becase there is other rockers out there that have master pices too you know but this top ten of the greatest rokers of all time was put together nice sooo good job but i wish you could make one that had 30 of the greatest rockes of all time or something like that but thats all i have to say and rock on man
Ok, so according to this article U2 released Viva La Vida? :/
where the hell is acdc
Wow! I think you know your music well. In fact I think if I was to compose a top 10 list my self it would be similer to yours. However what of THE rolling Stones? I myself am a zepplin fan first, But don"t you think the stonesshould have erned a place on your list? If not please explaine.
I agree with you for the most part. I am huge Metallica fan so i am glad to see them on this list. However, i think a top 20 list would have been easier. I think AC/DC should be on here and Aerosmith. Great hub.
i am the greatest fan of metallica i want to see metallica at no 1 place
where are oasis and the stone roses...there music defined the decade of the 90's
Lists such as these are impossible to make. The 60's wouldn't have been the 60's without The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks, The Who and many many more. The 70's were formed by Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC....it's impossible and it depends on taste.
this list is much more accurate then the top tens! i think it should be
1.led zep
2.pink floyd
3.the who
4.beatles
5.grateful dead
6.deep purple
7.queen
8.the doors
9.rolling stones
10.jimi hendrix
11.CSNY
12.bob marley
13.audioslave
.....and so on
Hey there! Nice hub you've got here. Of your list, the only one I could vote on was VH! I've always been a fan of theirs whether the lead was Sammy or Diamond Dave. Lots of band that were not on your list that are favs of mine thou...maybe I should do one of my own...a bit more Metal based I think..Happy Holidays to you!
Without Kiss or GNR it is hard to agree with everything you have on the list. Kiss probally influenced more rock bands than anyone I can remember and they are without a doubt the most comercialized band ever,
everobody knows that nirvana is the best band of all time because they have most honors
The Guess Who,Nazareth, Boston,The Sweet,Rush,Supertramp,April Wine,Deep Purple,Beatles and number 1 of all time...Queen.
Good list.
Mine:
1. The Beatles
2. Queen
3. Led Zeppelin
4. The Who
5. RUSH
6. YES
7. Pink Floyd
8. The Eagles
9. Aerosmith
10. The Beach Boys
11. The Rolling Stones
12. Fleetwood Mac
13. Black Sabbath
14. AC/DC
15. Van Halen
16. Metallica
17. Kiss
18. Genesis
19. Nirvanna
20. Pearl Jam
21. Journey
22. Guns n Roses
23. Pantera
24. Styx
25. Soundgarden
lp has got to be on the list
beatles, zep, stones, floyd, u2, who, sex pistols, clash, rem, radiohead
Well, for everyone that realy know´s about ROCK, know that Led Zeppelin is unquestionably the best rock band of all time.
If u say that Beatles are better you are unquestionably when talking about POP
I agree with the list prepared by hub, but some bands who definitely deserved a spot in the top 10 were AC/DC, Iron Maiden & Nirvana.
The Beatles would be considered rock. Call them pop if you want, but pop/soft rock, hard rock, metal, etc. falls under that giant umbrella of rock. Besides, I wouldn't classify Revolution and Helter Skelter as pop either. Thanks for playing...
No Sir... you left out AC/DC..2nd best selling album of all time back in black.
anyone seen this site? http://rockranking.com/ you can vote on the bands you most like to see a ranking by country!
Why are Thin Lizzy not on some of these lists???
US rock group Sparks ( http://www.sparks-fanatics.com/ ) can boast a 35 year career that has scaled the peaks and troughs of the ever changing rock world. Why aren't Sparks listed here I wonder?
dis list is fake..... Linkin Park is the best rock band in the whole world
my top rock bands list is-
Linkin Park
Evanescence
Skillet
Greenday
Backstreet Boys
Onerepublic
Iron Maiden
Bowling for Soup
30 seconds to mars
bon jovi shud be included!!!
1. Led Zeppelin
2. The Beatles
3. The Who
4. Hendrix
5. Pink Floyd
6. Metallic
7. Queen
8. AC/DC
9. Van Halen
10. The Rolling Stones
11. Pearl Jam
12. Guns n Roses
13. Black Sabbath
14. Dave Matthews Band
15. Radiohead
16. Deep Purple
17. U2
18. Greenday
19. Nirvana
20. The Eagles
21. Red Hot Chili Peppers
22. Aerosmith
23. YES
24. Oasis
25. REM
Aqib- your list is horrible.....bowling for soup really?
this list is bullshit
where is linkin park the best band ever ????????
Vince..i think ur list is horrible......linkin park is not there in your list..lol...wtf??
Aqibs list is beteer den list of vince
Punk Rocker- Linkin Park is shit...its not even Rock...
When you learn what Rock means come talk to me, and also learn how to spell you moron
i think linkin park is most faboulus rock band in the world. and linkin park is 1 no. rocking band
I can't stand the Beatles the only people who like them now are skaters I like metalica but they don't belong on best and joni Hendrix should ne second but bob marley and the wailers should be on top 10 reggae bands
i really love nikky.
i like nikita gupta
werz guns n roses...?
F*cking Linkin Park, really? Linkin Park is rock yes but they're not one of the best and if this is a rock list where the hell is Elvis Presley? He may not have been a band but how can you deny the King his crown?
Where is Oasis?Oasis were undoubtedly one of the best rock bands of all time.Sure they act stupid sometimes :) but you cant deny their influence and their musical creativity.Noel Gallagher is an amazing guitar player and one of the best song writers of all time
REALLY???????????? THE WHO
what about KISS??!!!
where is bon jovi?
No Fleetwood Mac??
The Eagles
Led Zeppelin
Steve Miller
The Doors
Motley Crue
Metallica
The Cars
Toto
Bob Seger
Ozzy
Gerry Rafferty
Steely Dan
Little River Band
REO Speedwagon
Journey
Rob Zombie
Van Halen
Styx
Ambrosia
"VINCE" I loved your 'list' Ha ha that Hitler guy "Punk Rocker' has no idea what he's talking about!! Linkin Park SUX ITS NOT EVEN ROCK or punk rock lol!! Rock is when you play instruments Linkin Park is crap they got some guys behind the curtain with a synthesizer making crappy fake noises and altering the singers voice to add to the crappiness cause he's got no talent!!
people lets not forget the velvet underground
iam awesome
Led Zeppelin #1 . .. Linkin Park? wtf they shouldnt be mentioned in any list let alone top 10. They are alright but any moron who says they are top 10 needs to go listen to real bands. Zeppelin, Hendrix, Floyd, Lynyrd Skynrd, The who, AC/DC, The rollingStones, Steve Miller Band.
I don't know how you could leave off Aerosmith they have more album sales(over $155 million)than any rock and roll band in history and Steven Tylers vocals are off the hook-truely one of the best bands ever!
In the UK, Queen are the most popular nowadays and have outsold all the rest (A search around the net can tell you this too). Plus they have not only the greatest song ever under their belt (Bohemian Rhapsody) they also have the greatest performance ever too (Live Aid)
Drop U2 and Metallica. Metallica has a mediocre singer who always grunts after each line and a horrible, HORRIBLE drummer in Lars Ulrich. Listen to The View from their collaboration with Lou Reed. His constant out-of-pace smashing of crashes kills the song completely. GNR outdid them at every step...until 1996...
U2 is, and always has been, a soft-rock/pop band. Aerosmith has to replace them, just by how many rock artists they have influenced. I've only heard maybe one rock band among all of the pop artists who list U2 as influences.
Not to mention: Eagles, Stones, AC/DC, Sabbath, Deep Purple, Styx (though they're kinda pop), etc.. I also don't think Bob Marley fits in with rock that much, but they fit a helluva lot more than U2.
forgot ACDC,NIRVANA
I agree with Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Beatles and Queen being there but the best American rock band I have ever heard, Alice in Chains, has not even been mentioned! They are the best of the 90s, even before Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden (who would also be in the top 20 somewhere).
It's really hard to touch on this subject, for a number of reasons. Fourteen-year-olds think whatever band they like that moment is "the best band ever," never mind that in six months they will delete all their songs off their iPod. Music, as with all forms of art, is subjective, and therefore what's good to you may be hideous to me, and vice versa (need proof? I grew up loving Buck Owens!). As a result, what someone thinks is "best" might be on someone else's "all-time worst" list. Also, because music tastes tend to be highly personal there's always the "how could you leave off" remarks, since it's very difficult to divorce one's self from personal taste. For instance, I love the Eagles, and they're certainly my favorite band on this list; however, I wouldn't call them "best ever," not even in country-rock, where Poco blows them out of the water. (And, for clarification: nobody in the Eagles was ever in the Byrds. Henley was in a band called Shiloh, Frey in a duet Longbranch Pennywhistle with J.D. Souther, Leadon in the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Meisner in Poco and Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band.)
Objectively, I would say that Buddy Holly & the Crickets (rock's first successful band, a major influence on the Beatles), the Beach Boys, and the Clash should also be in consideration.
I do give you credit (and a vote up) for trying to address the issue in this fine hub.
MY Top Ten Rock Bands of All Time;
1)Rolling Stones
2)Led Zeppelin
3)The Beatles
4)AC/DC
5)Rush
6)The Who
7)Bon Jovi
8)Cream
9)The Yardbirds
10)The Eagles
You should add Mayday to the list.
Eagles may have been great, but the greatest American rock band of all time is - the one and only Chicago!!!
How can anybody ignore these guys? Especially those great early albums created with the original lineup (Peter Cetera, Robert Lamm, Danny Seraphine, Terry Kath - someone who is horribly underrated among guitar greats, Jim Pankow, Walt Parazaider and Lee Loughnane) during their years with Jim Guercio as manager/producer.
They were the ultimate jazz-fusion, rock, pop band who also dis some serious rockers and political-tinged tunes in their early days. Even now, in their ballad period, they still come up with some rockers and off-the-wall stuff. Check out Stone of Sisyphus for proof.
Deftones, Nirvana, the cure
Deep purple :)
AEROSMITH,GUNS N ROSES,QUEEN,LED ZEPPELIN,U2 ARE TOP 5 ROCK BAND EVER
where is iron maiden....
pink floyd rules...no match...then zeppelin
led zeppelin are truly the greatest rock band ever. The beatles are the greatest pop rock band ever, but they are no where near led zeppelin's priceless perfection. Led Zeppelin could do a concert flawlessly, whereas the beatles were just good. Led zeppelin gets a perfect 10. the beatles an 8 or 9 at best.
No question for the top 3. It had to be them (Beatles, Zeppelin, Floyd) and no one else.
jimmy warr 2 years ago
Beach Boys started early stayed late,sold millions.charted dozens,changed the world, spread America all over the earth,most recorded with,recorded by,recorded from,Pet Sounds,harmony,themes,tv ,movies,books,products,the sound,the look ,the feel, the wish,What more do you want.