EWB's Greatest 25 Bands of Rock and Roll

[Laice07]

No intro is needed to explain what this thread is about. Let us begin:

#25: Lynyrd skynyrd

The History

The Band

Discography

Excerpt from "The Band":

Skynyrd's ability to constantly rekindle its creative fires following tragedy is a testament to the indomitable spirit that has surrounded the band since its inception, and has largely defined Lynyrd Skynyrd over the years. The legendary singer/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and vocalist Cassie Gaines died in the infamous 1977 plane crash that ended the band's initial run. Guitarist Allen Collins survived the plane crash only to suffer paralysis and, eventually, death in a tragic car accident. And most recently the band lost bassist Leon Wilkeson, who died during the making of Vicious Cycle. Yet once again Lynyrd Skynyrd found the determination to continue working as well as a way to perpetuate its greatness, and Vicious Cycle may well be the greatest Skynyrd album since the band's classic lineup.

Edited July 9, 2005 by Laice_

[Laice07]

23. Alice in Chains

Biography

Discography

22.The Smashing Pumpkins

Biography

Discography

21. Red Hot Chili Peppers

Discography

THe History

Excerpt from History:

BIGGEST SINGLE: "Under The Bridge" (1992)

BIGGEST LP: Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)

GRAMMY AWARDS: 2

"The Red Hot Chili Peppers have always been driven by the power of funk since day one." - Anthony Kiedis, Red Hot Chili Peppers

[Enter Blue Guy]

First off... Laice, I'm not picking on you, but it's Lynyrd Skynyrd....

And Skynyrd at 25 is criminal! They should have cracked top 15 at least. Naw, that's just me personally, but I think they were one of the top North American bands in the 70's, if not the top overall. Every track of theirs was more than a song, it was an anthem. Whenever I listen to them it just feels like their music is running on all cylinders, like they covered all the bases in order to make a classic tune then went the extra mile to make the song mean something even more. The classic line up of Lynyrd Skynyrd was one the few bands that could ever pull something like that off flawlessly. Most people probably won't agree, but whatever. To me, classic Lynyrd Skynyrd > all. Long live ass kickin' Southern rock!

[GoGo Yubari]

So far this list isn't offensive, though the Jimi Hendrix Experience deserves to be higher.

But just watch. Some shitty British indie band will be #1.

[Liam]

So far this list isn't offensive, though the Jimi Hendrix Experience deserves to be higher.

But just watch. Some shitty British indie band will be #1.

←

Considering most of the people who voted seemed to be either 1) not British, or 2) if British, non indie fans, I doubt it. Especially since you can already guess that bands like Metallica, Maiden, AC/DC, The Eagles, etc etc will be up there.

And EBG, Lynyrd Skynyrd didn't get higher as they have no, or little, following anywhere outside of the US, it seems.

Edited July 9, 2005 by rvdwannabe

[GoGo Yubari]

So far this list isn't offensive, though the Jimi Hendrix Experience deserves to be higher.

But just watch. Some shitty British indie band will be #1.

←

Considering most of the people who voted seemed to be either 1) not British, or 2) if British, non indie fans, I doubt it. Especially since you can already guess that bands like Metallica, Maiden, AC/DC, The Eagles, etc etc will be up there.

←

I didn't actually look through the list of people who voted, I just remember the horror that resulted the LAST time we did something like this.

[Liam]

So far this list isn't offensive, though the Jimi Hendrix Experience deserves to be higher.

But just watch. Some shitty British indie band will be #1.

←

Considering most of the people who voted seemed to be either 1) not British, or 2) if British, non indie fans, I doubt it. Especially since you can already guess that bands like Metallica, Maiden, AC/DC, The Eagles, etc etc will be up there.

←

I didn't actually look through the list of people who voted, I just remember the horror that resulted the LAST time we did something like this.

←

I swear last time this was done, it was top 100, and it didn't actually get completed?

[lanky316]

It'll be interesting to see how this pans out as The Offspring and Green Day are the EWB Rock hall of famers I'm owndering how quick the mood will have changed for this batch.

[Laice07]

20. Soundgarden

Biography

Excerpt from Bio:

The "A-Sides" has seventeen tracks and clearly illustrates why Soundgarden was a major '90s group. "Superunknown" is their crowning studio achievement. The hypnotic "Black Hole Sun" starts slow and dreamy but transforms itself into a Grunge explosion. "Fell On Black Days" and "Blow Up The Outside World" are pile-driving Rockers. "Spoonman" has a catchy riff with a lighthearted touch. The song's inspiration comes from a Seattle street musician.

[Laice07]

19. The Who

Bio

Excerpt:

From the ashes of Lifehouse, another would-be concept album that Townshend abandoned in midstream, came the Who's next studio recording: Who's Next, a flawless album of discreet numbers that helped define the sound and sensibility of rock in the Seventies. From "Baba o'Riley"'s album-opening, synth-propelled discourse on "teenage wasteland" through to Daltrey's electrifying scream on the closing track, "Won't Get Fooled Again," Who's Next stands as a virtual rock primer.

Edited July 10, 2005 by Laice_

[Benji]

God, Grohl just isn't as hot when he can't be displayed.

[GoGo Yubari]

So far this list isn't offensive, though the Jimi Hendrix Experience deserves to be higher.

But just watch. Some shitty British indie band will be #1.

←

Considering most of the people who voted seemed to be either 1) not British, or 2) if British, non indie fans, I doubt it. Especially since you can already guess that bands like Metallica, Maiden, AC/DC, The Eagles, etc etc will be up there.

←

I didn't actually look through the list of people who voted, I just remember the horror that resulted the LAST time we did something like this.

←

I swear last time this was done, it was top 100, and it didn't actually get completed?

←

I remember there being a top #100 where MUSE was at #3 of all friggin' bands.

And meh at The Mars Volta being at #18, but outside of this I still have no real complaints.

[Liam]

So far this list isn't offensive, though the Jimi Hendrix Experience deserves to be higher.

But just watch. Some shitty British indie band will be #1.

←

Considering most of the people who voted seemed to be either 1) not British, or 2) if British, non indie fans, I doubt it. Especially since you can already guess that bands like Metallica, Maiden, AC/DC, The Eagles, etc etc will be up there.

←

I didn't actually look through the list of people who voted, I just remember the horror that resulted the LAST time we did something like this.

←

I swear last time this was done, it was top 100, and it didn't actually get completed?

←

I remember there being a top #100 where MUSE was at #3 of all friggin' bands.

And meh at The Mars Volta being at #18, but outside of this I still have no real complaints.

←

Meh, I could think of many worse bands that can go there. As long as I can think "hmmmm, they are a pretty good band", then I don't mind any of the bands that end up in the top 25....as it's other people's views, not just mine.

[Laice07]

15. Iron Maiden

About The Band

Excerpt:

Their self titled debut album in 1980 brought Maiden world wide exposure. In mid-1980, Paul Di’Anno decided to leave the band. He was replaced by ex-Samson lead singer Bruce Dickinson. Bruce would be the catalyst that Iron Maiden needed to shoot the band into the annals of heavy metal greatness. His growling vocals and powerful range was the perfect fit with the bombastic riffs from the rest of the band. In the mid-80’s, Maiden dominated the British charts with two albums ranking #1, Number of the Beast and 7th Son of a 7th Son.

[Hobo]

Seeing Green Day on this list makes me sad.

[Laice07]

12. Nine Inch Nails

Bio

Excerpt:

Nine Inch Nails was the most popular industrial group ever and was largely responsible for bringing the music to a mass audience. It isn't really accurate to call NIN a group; the only official member is singer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Trent Reznor, who always remained solely responsible for NIN's musical direction (he was, however, supported in concert by a regular backing band). Unlike the vast majority of industrial artists, Reznor wrote melodic, traditionally structured songs where lyrics were a focal point. His pop instincts not only made the harsh electronic beats of industrial music easier to digest, but also put a human face on a style that usually tried to sound as mechanical as possible. While Ministry crossed over to heavy metal audiences, NIN built up a large alternative rock fan base right around the time of Nirvana's mainstream breakthrough

[Laice07]

Well, were finally entering the top 10, and if there's something that surprises me the most, its around the top 5....some of you won't care, others will be surprised. Come to think of it, its not that big of a deal....as for the tenth spot, I'm glad they made it this far and IMO they deserve it(after halfway through the results it wasn't looking good for them).

10. BLACK SABBATH

About The Band

Excerpt:

Originally, they started as a blues-influenced hard rock group, but as they progressed they added more European folk elements to their sound, a sound that was not like any other group during their time. Thus, this was known as heavy metal, and in due time, the band became what we know as doom metal. Their lyrics dealt with darker issues than most conventional rock as well.

The newly-named Black Sabbath adopted darker lyrical themes, and a slower, ominous style - a significant element in the genre that would later be known as heavy metal, often ranked above Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Judas Priest in importance and influence in the genre.

Even though The Who, Blue Cheer, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Cream, and Deep Purple may also have had a profound influence on the emergence of hard rock and heavy metal music, it is Black Sabbath that is widely considered to be the first true heavy metal band.

[syck]

System of a Down, despite that I'm a fan, shouldn't have been where they landed on this list and Green Day shouldn't havea been in there spot either while Skynard should have been much higher.

[Laice07]

I've never heard of this band, maybe some of you have, but they come in at number eight.

8. Nirvana

Bio

Excerpt:

Prior to Nirvana, alternative music was consigned to specialty sections of record stores and major labels considered it to be, at the very most, a tax write-off. After the band's second album, 1991's Nevermind, nothing was ever quite the same, for better and for worse. Nirvana popularized punk, post-punk, and indie rock, unintentionally bringing it into the American mainstream like no other band before it. While its sound was equal parts Black Sabbath (as learned by fellow Washington underground rockers the Melvins) and Cheap Trick, Nirvana's aesthetics were strictly indie rock. They covered Vaselines songs, they revived new wave cuts by Devo, and leader Kurt Cobain relentlessly pushed his favorite bands -- whether it was the art punk of the Raincoats or the country-fried hardcore of the Meat Puppets -- as if his favorite records were always more important than his own music. While Nirvana's ideology was indie rock and melodies were pop, the sonic rush of their records and live shows merged the post-industrial white noise with heavy metal grind. And that's what made the group an unprecedented multi-platinum sensation. Jane's Addiction and Soundgarden may have proven to the vast American heavy metal audience that alternative could rock, and the Pixies may have merged pop sensibilities with indie rock white noise, but Nirvana pulled at all together, creating a sound that was both fiery and melodic.

[Adam X]

I like everything on here so far, I have my own list but I'll wait till you've finished yours to throw it up.

Side-note: No love for QotSA?