Okay, the top ten most influential rock bands

Kipp - Tell it like it is! Supersuckers & the Good Reverend kick some serious ass. No pussy footin' around with those boys!

You ever heard THE 4 HORSEMEN? Another band not to be over-looked. Their 2nd album "Gettin' Pretty Good... At Barely Gettin' By" is friggin' killer!

How about "Jason & the Scorchers"? Another band not to be taken lightly. Not to mention "Webb Wilder"...

mOOnie
 
And I don't understand why everybody is slagging Nirvana?
I admit, I got burnt out on them after a while. However, Nevermind was/is a great albumn. At least it paved the way for rock in the 90's, and put an end to that godawful hair metal of the 80's. ( Slaughter, White Lion, Cinderella, Great White, Ratt, Bon Jovi,Motley Crue, etc.) Jesus! That $hit was total garbage!
I loved "hair metal" because it introduced the Pop market to guitar-based rock. The majority of those Pop/Rock crossover bands struck an ingenious balance between talent and image. The songs were accessible to the masses, largely discussing familiar themes of life's day-to-day challenges (living, working, playing, loving). Some bands (White Lion is a fine example) delved into themes of social issues, history and mythology on songs like "When the Children Cry", "Little Fighter", "Broken Home", Cry for Freedom", "El Salvador", "Lady of the Valley" and "The Road to Valhalla" I don't understand why some are so quick to slag this style of music, either. These bands cared about tone. Just listen to a a few of Vito Bratta's (White Lion guitarist) melodies and solos. It's sad that a band as talented as Great White (yet another severely underrated band) will be remembered not for their musical talent, but for a horrible tragedy that happened as they took the stage for what was intended to be a night of good music and great fun, believing that their managers and crew were doing their assigned jobs so the band could focus on doing theirs, which is the way it should be. Some have tried to blame the band, but this is looking like crummy handling by the tour managers. Are musicians now expected to have degrees in Engineering so they can put on a safe show? Isn't that one of the purposes of the crew and managers, to handle the technical aspects?
 
Hate to burst your bubble but White Lion and Great white are no better then Pop music at best. Rock it is not! IMO

Nirvana kicks some serious ass. Try any of their releases before Nevermind such as Bleach.
 
Hate to burst your bubble but White Lion and Great white are no better then Pop music at best. Rock it is not! IMO
An opinion to which you are certainly entitled and with which I must still disagree. Listening to all of White Lion's CD's (not just Pride) and reading their lyrics tells a different story, as does listening to Great White's albums that preceded Once Bitten, particularly an excellent cover of The Who's "Substitute". Even if Hair Metal were truly "no better than Pop music" then it would certainly deserve credit for being a much more enjoyable and talent-rich sub-genre within Pop than the likes of Britney, Christina, N'Sync et al. Sometimes it seems too easily forgotten that Rock is, by definition, a sub-genre of Popular Music. At least the hair bands' live shows were truly played as oppsed to lip-synced. That in itself deserves some measure of respect considering the climate of today's mainstream Pop. Even the hairstyles, although they looked like wigs, were usually the musicians' own hair. In the words of Paul Stanley, "This is rock-n-roll. We're not painting the Sistine Chapel (sp) here, we're just some guys with paint rollers trying to spruce up the place." Some had more in common with mainstream Pop than with mainstream Rock, while others decidedly tipped toward the other end of the spectrum. I personally enjoyed most of it then and still enjoy it now. Pretty Boy Floyd, Slaughter and Nelson are examples of more-Pop-than-Rock hair bands, but even they had their moments. Excessive radio airplay ruined some good songs for me, though. In fact, part of my distaste for Nirvana is due to the flooding of radio and MTV with them and too many of their imitators. As a sub-genre of mainstream Rock, it was also good. What it later became was the next new wave of Pop, "Overplayed Hits of the 90's...good music that radio made you sick of".
 
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I'm struck by what I DON'T know here!
I could not name a tune by any of the following:
Van Halen, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Metallica, Rush, Scorpions, Blasters, Bon Jovi, or Styx.
Yeah, sure, I've *heard* of 'em, but I could only say I've heard Metallica (FM, MTV, etc.) and thought they were OK. Aerosmith, 'cause that guy is the father of Liv Tyler, and she's a hottie.
 
Just did a little research on those White Lion's lyrics.
Very profound indeed...

are you feeling down
are you all alone
have your dreams been shattered
have you lost all hope
all you need is music
it's your destiny, it sets you free

whoh, ohh, ohh, ohh
all you need is rock'n'roll
whoh, ohh, ohh, ohh
whoh, ohh, ohh, ohh
all you need is rock'n'roll
whoh, ohh, ohh, ohh

you can raise your hands
you can stomp your feet
get down and turn around
you can do it all cause there ain't no rules
when you feel the music
just move your feet, to that heavy beat

whoh, ohh, ohh, ohh
all you need is rock'n'roll
whoh, ohh, ohh, ohh
whoh, ohh, ohh, ohh
all you need is rock'n'roll
whoh, ohh, ohh, ohh

whoh, ohh, ohh, ohh
all you need is rock'n'roll
whoh, ohh, ohh, ohh
whoh, ohh, ohh, ohh
all you need is rock'n'roll
whoh, ohh, ohh, ohh

If that's not enough to make a believer out of you... Check these out as well.
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/w/white-lion/lyrics.htm

deep dude. ;)
 
I just happened to check into VH1's top 100 hard rock bands tonight. Was suprised to see so many bands we had already mentioned.
Bully, dude, man you need to get some LPs!:)
No. 1 was Led Zep.
 
Just did a little research on those White Lion's lyrics.
Obviously you picked the second one on the list to quote. Scrolling down a few would have brought you to this one that borrows from Viking folklore. It's called "Lady of the Valley"

Lady of the Valley -- White Lion

lady of the valley
can you hear me cry
in the sillness of the night
I have lost my brother
in the fights of the war
and my heart has broken down

in the night I cry but no one seems to hear
I step into the light but all I feel is fear

lady of the valley
can you bring him back
to the days when we were kids
once we were together
we stood young and strong
now it seems so long ago

the golden key is at the end of the chain
how it hurts ohh lady free me from this pain

in the night I cry to the lady of the valley
cause I'll die without the lady of the valley
in the night I call to the lady of the valley
on my knees I fall before the lady of the valley

in the valley lies the treasure
and the lady guards it well
he who bears all the pressure
is the one to break the spell
there's a sign that I've followed
and it has led me to your seat
I have brought my fallen brother
and I've laid him, yes I've laid him
at your feet

in the night I cry to the lady of the valley
cause I'll die without the lady of the valley
in the night I call to the lady of the valley
on my knees I fall before the lady of the valley

And here is another one, further down the list. This one is an obvious allusion to the Second Coming of Christ called "When the Children Cry.

When the Children Cry -- White Lion

Little child
dry you cryin eyes

How can I explain the fear you feel inside?
'Cause you were born into this evil world
Where man is killin' man but no one knows just why.
What have we become
just look what we have done

All that we destroyed you must build again.

When the children cry
let them know we tried

'Cause when the the children sing
then the new world begins.

Little child
you must show the way
To a better day for all the young.
'Cause you were born for the world to see

That we all can live with love and peace.
No more presidents and all the wars will end

One united world under God.

When the children cry
let them know we tried
...

What have we become
just look what we have done

All that we destroyed you must build again.
No more presidents and all the wars will end

One united world under God.

When the children cry
let them know we tried

'Cause when the children fight
let them know it ain't right.
When the children pray
let them know the way

'Cause when the children sing
then the new world begins.


And yet another, the story of a reluctant soldier leaving to fight a war ... perhaps Vietnam ... without really knowing why. This is called War Song.

War Song -- White Lion

I got the call one summer night
He said you¹re on tomorrow¹s flight
My mother cried my sister too
My father said I¹m proud of you
I can¹t believe it¹s true
We¹re going after ³who²
And still I wish that I just knew
What are we fighting for
When the price we pay is endless war
What are we fighting for
When all we need is peace
Though I¹m blind to what I see
They tell me there¹s an enemy
I know I gotta get outta here
Insanity is drawing near
Can¹t take it anymore
I¹ve knocked on heaven¹s door
No I¹m not dying for this war
What are we fighting for
When the price we pay is endless war
What are we fighting for
When all we need is peace
What are we fighting for
Can¹t we learn from what we¹ve done before
What are we fighting for
When no one ever wins, in war
A young man returns from war
Where he didn¹t know
What he was fighting for
The streets remained the same
But people¹d changed
The medals on his chest
Didn¹t mean a thing
A tear dropped from the corner of his eye
Did he come come
My grandpa died in Normandy
My brother is still in Vietnam
I know there¹s nothing good in war
I know Rcause I¹ve been there before
So what am I gonna do
I know this war ain¹t through
And still I wish that I just knew
What are we fighting for
When the price we pay is endless war
What are we fighting for
When all we need is peace
What are we fighting for
Can¹t we learn form what we¹ve done before
What are we fighting for
When no one ever wins, in war

Other profound lyrics, not appearing on the site you viewed are ...

"Little Fighter" -- Martin Luther King Jr.
"Broken Home" -- Domestic Violence
" Cry for Freedom" -- Apartheid
"El Salvador" -- Dictatorship versus Freedom
"The Road to Valhalla" -- Viking Folklore

Of the three I quoted, two are from the album Pride (1987), which admittedly contains more Pop anthems and ballads than profound Rock songs. Blame the times, not the band. They had the talent to do Rock and were pressured for hits, so they chose to do some of each. The albums Fight to Survive (1985) and Big Game (1989) were similar, containing both Pop anthems, ballads, and profound Rock. Nearly all of their songs were quite intricate in a musical sense, despite the simplistic lyrics of their big commercial hits. I'm not saying they're the greatest band ever, only that there's more to them than what those who've only heard their pop hits are aware of.

Poison's "Something to Believe In" is another profound lyric from a "hair metal" band ...

Something to Believe In -- Poison


Well I see him on the TV
Preachin' 'bout the promised land
He tells me to believe in Jesus
And steals the money from my hand

Some say he was a good man
But Lord I think he sinned, yeah

Twenty-two years of mental tears
Cries a suicidal Vietnam vet
Who fought a losing war on a foreign shore
To find his country didn't want him back

Their bullets took his best friend in Saigon
Our lawyers took his wife and kids, no regrets
In a time I don't remember
In a war he can't forget

He cried "Forgive me for what I've done there
Cause I never meant the things I did"

Chorus:
And give me something to believe in
If there's a Lord above
And give me something to believe in
Oh, Lord arise

My best friend died a lonely man
In some Palm Springs hotel room
I got the call last Christmas Eve
And they told me the news

I tried all night not to break down and cry
As the tears rolled down my face
I felt so cold and empty
Like a lost soul out of place

And the mirror, mirror on the wall
Sees my smile it fades again

Chorus

Sometimes I wish to God I didn't know now
The things I didn't know then
Road you gotta take me home

Solo

I drive by the homeless sleeping on a cold dark street
Like bodies in an open grave
Underneath the broken old neon sign
That used to read JESUS SAVES

A mile away live the rich folks
And I see how they're living it up
While the poor they eat from hand to mouth
The rich is drinkin' from a golden cup

And it just makes me wonder
Why so many lose, so few win

Chorus

You take the high road
And I'll take the low road

Sometimes I wish to God I didn't know now
The things I didn't know then

And give me something to believe in

I'll sum up by reiterating a point from an earlier post..

Even if Hair Metal were truly "no better than Pop music" then it would certainly deserve credit for being a much more enjoyable and talent-rich sub-genre within Pop than the likes of Britney, Christina, N'Sync et al.

Sometimes it seems too easily forgotten that Rock is, by definition, a sub-genre of Popular Music. At least the hair bands' live shows were truly played as oppsed to lip-synced. That in itself deserves some measure of respect considering the climate of today's mainstream Pop. Even the hairstyles, although they looked like wigs, were usually the musicians' own hair.

In the words of Paul Stanley, "This is rock-n-roll. We're not painting the Sistine Chapel (sp) here, we're just some guys with paint rollers trying to spruce up the place."
 
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Ya know what jshorva65... If it makes you feel good, that's really all that counts. Just don't preach to me about how "hair metal" introduced the Pop market to guitar-based rock. It started LONG before Aqua Net was on the shopping list of all the 80's hair bands you so admire.

And as far as their lyrics go... Well... Bob Dylan they're not.

Enjoy what you will...
mOOn
 
Probably the most influencial album in rock ever made was Woodstock. That concert had more to do with what was popular and got airplay than anything that ever happened.
As far as greatest bands go that allowed genres to expand I think one of the very best and also not that popular for reasons I never understood was Traffic. Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys was possibly the first commercially successful Fusion song ever to be recorded.
Late 60s I would guess the best that had far reaching influences would be
Beatles
Traffic
Hendrix
Blood Sweat and Tears
Dylan
Doors
Zappa
Donovan
Simon and Garfunkle
Best performer I would say was Joe Cocker
Most popular to sing with.........Motown
 
Cameo
Pet Shop Boys
Culture Club
Fine Young Cannibals
Dexy's Midnight Runners
The Bangles
A Flock of Seagulls
The Vapors
B52's
Men Without Hats
 
I believe The Carpenters sang muskrat love and I omitted Captain and Tenille because as much as I think they rock most folks don't consider them a Rock Band.
 
Cameo
Pet Shop Boys
Culture Club
Fine Young Cannibals
Dexy's Midnight Runners
The Bangles
A Flock of Seagulls
The Vapors
B52's
Men Without Hats

You also forgot...

Devo
The Buggles
Men at Work
WHAM!

ROFLMAO -- Memories of the early days of MTV.
 
Thor muskrat love is on The Captain and Tenilles album "The twenty years of romance". I'm sure you've got that album dloaded somewhere on that massive HD of yours. :D


Mike
 
Actually, my favorite 80's bands were the ones whose music most closely resembled the classic rock of the 70's. Some of the "hair bands'" best work was released on independent labels before and after the "hair" era that brought them brief, high-profile commercial success. Not all 80's guitarists, in fact not even "most" of them, were purely "speed shredders" as some have said. One of my favorite bands to come out of the 80's was Iron Maiden, often dismissed as speed/thrash/death metal. Someone will, no doubt, dig up their most dark and perhaps evil-sounding lyric to post here, but I challenge that same poster to tell both sides of the story by also posting the lyrics to "Alexander the Great" from the Somewhere in Time album. Getting back to my point about there being more to 80's guitar than speed, check out "Still Life" on Iron Maiden's Piece of Mind album, particularly its intricate guitar solo (just before the song's third verse) that includes much rock-inspired moderate-tempo playing, an intricate two-guitar, synchronized, harmonized part, and some speed-shredding.
 
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Warning: postwhore post!

The Captain & Tennille had bullies!! They were usually included somewhere on their album covers. Only reason I bought, what, their first album? The two bullies!

I like guitar-based rock n roll, 'shredders' are fine by me.

What about this young guy Eric Johnson?

pete
 
Elvis P.
Buddy Holly
Little Richard
Muddy Waters
Eddie Cochran
Beatles
Kinks
Led Zeppelin
Hendrix
Bob Dylan
Velvet Underground
Bowie
Ramones
Elvis C.
X
Blasters
Nirvana
Does anyone really think Ted Nugent really influenced anyone to do anything different?
Or did he just spawn other look-alike, sound- alike bands? To truly be influential is not to entice people to imitate, but to entice poeple to innovate and evolve. Those big hair bands of the 80's (except Aerosmith when they were sober) contributed no more than Captain and Tennile did in the '70's. Gino
 
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