Top 10 Best Rock Bands of the 20th Century
A list of the greatest rock bands of the past century.Whoop! No wonder they are number one. They have been in the charts more times than The Beatles. They are the only band to have a Christmas number one on two occasions. Not to mention the blend of rock, mock opera, hard rock, and ballad in one song!
Oh, and all four of them have penned number ones: Freddie Mercury and Bohemian Rhapsody. Brian May and We Will Rock You. Roger Taylor and Radio Ga Ga. And John Deacon with Another One Bites the Dust. Love you, Queen. RIP Freddie!
Just like I said, Queen is the most talented and perhaps the greatest ever. They are the finest in live performances among any other group. They never split up until Freddie died in 1991.
Please bear in mind that music is a form of art and not a display of good-looking guys like The Beatles. The Beatles only sold and influenced many because of their looks, but their singing talent is amateur. Once again, Queen is the best ever!
Lots of great bands, but seriously? No one even comes close, even though I actually liked Led Zeppelin better. But the influence The Beatles had on music, culture, and the pure insanity of their followers was really something to behold. If you weren't alive at this time and didn't "live it," then your vote should not count because you don't have the perspective and you truly can't understand.
They started a new form of music. Built off of what Elvis and previous rock/blues groups did, The Beatles took that and transformed it into a new sound. With that, they revolutionized music forever. Without their achievements, groups like Queen would never have existed. The Beatles are the most influential music group of the twentieth century without a doubt. They are also arguably the most popular.
They are one of the most successful, innovative, and influential bands in rock history. They are pioneers of heavy metal and brought a new wave of magic and mysticism to their lyrics and stage presence, making them mysterious and unique. With songs like "Black Dog," "Immigrant Song," "Whole Lotta Love," and the famous and controversial "Stairway to Heaven," they have sold over 200 million albums worldwide according to some sources, while other sources state sales of more than 300 million records, including 111.5 million certified units in the United States.
This makes them one of the world's best-selling music artists of all time and the second-best-selling band of all time in the US. All of their original studio albums reached the top 10 of the Billboard album chart in the US, with six reaching the number one spot. Rolling Stone magazine has described Led Zeppelin as "the heaviest band of all time," "the biggest band of the '70s," and "unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history." Similarly, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame described the band in the 1970s as being "as influential in that decade as The Beatles were in the prior one."
A few of the awards the band has received include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 and the Polar Music Prize in 2006. Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. The band is ranked number 1 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and Classic Rock's "50 Best Live Acts of All Time." Led Zeppelin remains one of the most bootlegged artists in the history of rock music.
With this, no one can argue that they are the greatest band of the 20th century.
One of the most charismatic and influential groups in the history of rock, since their first album released in 1964, we know that they are here to stay. With songs like "Paint It Black," "Sympathy for the Devil," "Ruby Tuesday," "Honky Tonk Women," and "Brown Sugar," they are one of the most recognizable rock bands in the world.
They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. They are the second most successful group on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and they are without a doubt the 2nd greatest rock band of the 20th century.
Well, well, well, what are AC/DC doing here? You all know that the band is great according to their songs and albums. AC/DC's Highway to Hell is enough to prove it. And it's really, really good!
Of the century? More like best band ever. My other favorite band is Green Day, but I chose to vote for this because it's higher up. By the way, popularity does not mean it's the best.
Metallica at number two is still underrated. It surely should be number one. They ruled music for four decades. Listening to Metallica feels like riding the lightning.
The best of all time, hands down. Nobody gets the blood going better.
Best American band ever, with more records sold across the world - 159 million copies sold.
The Eagles were inspired by Led Zeppelin's folk music side and The Beatles too.
The best mix of the most talented musicians, singers, and songwriters.
They managed to combine their political views with rap and heavy metal. Their band contained one of the most gifted guitarists, Tom Morello. One of the most talented bassists, Tim Copperfield. An excellent drummer in Brad Wilk. And Zack De La Rocha, who managed to rap about his views over hard music. They haven't made one bad song, and they all have true meaning. They're definitely one of the most influential and all-around talented bands ever!
Best live sound and musicianship of them all. Ambitious music.
Hey people, Pink Floyd was more capable of doing anything than Led Zeppelin simply because they had better sounds and could make any sound. Rolling Stone magazine said that Pink Floyd did whatever they wanted to do, regardless of the rules.
Led Zeppelin's lyrics get cheesy after a while. In my opinion, the two greatest guitarists of all time are Jimi Hendrix and David Gilmour. Nobody else can dig into your soul more than these two guitarists. Pink Floyd has better vocals than Robert Plant. Jimmy Page is a great guitarist too, but he sounds extremely messy. I don't really like that. So that's why I go with Hendrix and Gilmour for guitar.
Oh, by the way, Echoes is a far better song than Stairway to Heaven. There's no comparison. I'm not dissing Led Zep, but I think that Pink Floyd is a better artist. They should be ahead of Led Zep and Queen on this list. Pink Floyd would destroy Queen.
Kurt Cobain conveys so much emotion through his lyrics and the music.
Legendary riffs in simple yet complex music that is totally underrated.
Green Day is a very underestimated band. Its songs from 1994 onwards are just spectacular. They carried punk forward into the 21st century. Even before the release of Dookie, the songs were of pretty good quality, with some of their best solos. The recent album trilogy displays their various capabilities. They are a true punk rock band.
This band was amazing. Widely recognized as hugely influential on the development of hard rock and heavy metal in the late 1960s and beyond, The Experience was best known for the skill, style, and charisma of frontman Hendrix, who has been voted one of the greatest guitarists by various music publications and writers.
All three of the band's studio albums, Are You Experienced (1967), Axis: Bold as Love (1967), and Electric Ladyland (1968), were featured in the Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, at positions 15, 82, and 54 respectively. In 1992, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
His most famous songs are "Foxy Lady," "Hey Joe," "Purple Haze," "All Along the Watchtower," and "Voodoo Child." For me, this ranks as the 6th greatest rock band of all time.
Personal note: I wish The Experience were ranked a little higher, but due to the lack of more success and impact (due to Hendrix's death and the band later disbanding) and the short duration, they don't make the top 5. It's really sad because this band had amazing potential, but it's okay because they achieved great success in the short time they lasted.
Southern rock and bluesy style is the best. Awesome live!
This band dominated the early to mid-'80s like no other band. They could rock all night long with songs like "You Really Got Me," "Dreams," "Hot for Teacher," "Panama," and "Jump."
As of 2007, Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Van Halen is the 19th best-selling band/artist of all time, with sales of over 56 million albums in the United States alone. They are one of five rock bands that have had two albums sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. In 1999, the RIAA certified their debut album diamond for ten million in U.S. sales.
They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12, 2007. For their success and accolades, they are the 8th greatest rock band of the 20th century.
The Clash is an amazing rock band that released the songs "Rock the Casbah," "Should I Stay or Should I Go," and "London Calling." They are the definition of a hit band of British punk.