The right answer is the Beatles regardless of whether someone likes them or not. Favorite rock band opens the question up more. Gotta go with Zeppelin. I don’t care how many times I hear Bonham play drums it’s just awesome. His feel and groove are just magical. Then there’s the other 3. It is funny to hear their early stuff and realize they took credit for all of it. No way a white dude from England was writing those lyrics from scratch.
It’s all relative to what you think “rock and roll” is. From a music theory perspective I would think most people would say a rock and roll song is -two verses -three choruses -a bridge -Vocals -guitar (crunchy or distorted. Rarely clean) -bass guitar -drums Only occasion keys etc. So like under that pretext it’s hard to classify Radiohead or even Pink Floyd as rock and roll. It’s some version of rock but not your cookie cutter version. I think given the qualifiers + longevity + creativity + achievements it’s gotta be either the Beatles or Stones. The Beatles just checks off the most boxes but because of Longevity it really does become a very tight race. I personally like Radiohead more than either of them but I think as “rock and roll” it’s a two way tie. Radiohead could be the greatest band of all time though and they aren’t even finished yet.
Interesting. I don't think of either Floyd or Radiohead as 'rock bands', so maybe my subconscious has categorized them based on what you mentioned. Does Metallica fit? I think they deserve honorable mention here.
but progressive rock is still a form of rock! rock and roll has gone in so many different directions and thats what makes these questions so difficult. there are too many apples-to-oranges comparisons. we have seen both ac/dc and radiohead mentioned in this thread and while one can make a case for either, they have absolutely nothing in common. but theyre both "rock bands".
This is such a subjective question- what is the criteria? Number of records sold? Critical opinion? Musicianship? Influence and legacy? Until this question is answered, there is no right or wrong answer.
Great point Manny! My criteria might be a "rock" band that transcends everything to just rise above all else. And therein lies the subjective nature of my angle. The Beatles. Led Zepplin. AC/DC. The longevity of their transcendence is obvious. I think it comes down to each person's definition of "rock and roll". Very hard to quantify a specific sound or quality. For instance...based on my parameters, shouldn't Elvis and Michael Jackson be included? Tough call. Elvis was definitely more rock than MJ...but MJ might've transcended higher than anyone else...but not with a hard rocking sound. Very interesting discussion. I'd like to also say that for a few years in the mid-80s, there was no bigger "rock and roll" band/act than Van Halen (pre-Hagar). Not sure I'd place them in the all-time spectrum...but they are definitely up there. Same with Metallica, Chuck Berry, The Who, and countless others.
I'm gonna toss this match out and say that AC/DC and Radiohead are 2 of, if not the top 2 (we need a proper bbs manny poll) most overrated bands in the history of music.
The Rolling Stones announce new 'Sixty' tour https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/14/entertainment/the-rolling-stones-tour/index.html
