Top 5 American rock bands of all time

[Fk_Pitt]

Madden had this subject on his show recently. I forget who his exact top 5 were but he had

1) Aerosmith
2) Van Halen
3) ??? (May have been kiss or Motley Crue)
4) Metallica
5 Eagles

I’d like to put REM in there but I’m objective enough to know that they don’t belong. So here’s my opinion

aerosmith has a Disney ride named after them. That has to count for something.

Van Halen has arguably the best musician of anyone on the list. That counts for something.

The Eagles sold more records than anyone. That certainly counts for something.

but for me, I’d have to lean toward Van Halen being #1. Current radio airplay has to be a major factor, and there are probably 15 David Lee Roth era songs and 15 Sammy Hagar era songs in everyday rotation. I don’t think I could name 15 Aerosmith songs or eagles songs. So for that, I’d give the nod to Eddie and the boys.

what do you guys think? Remember this is “American top 5” , so you Rush fans, Beatles fans, AC/DC fans and stones fans can save it!

 

[lilspainishflea]

I guess I never realized how many of my favorite rock bands were British, Canadian, or even Irish.

My 5 American bands in no particular order:

CCR
Fleetwood Mac
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Van Halen

 

[Chris Peak]

Pound for pound, I would put Guns n Roses against anyone. Small sample size, but Appetite is a masterpiece, a classic of American rock. And I say this as someone who thinks the Grateful Dead is about as good as it gets.

 

[pbrad]

Journey
Van Halen
Springsteen
Petty
Jimi Hendrix Experience

 

[Ski11585]

Woof. America has produced some bad rock groups. Are we talking best or favorite?

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Pound for pound, I would put Guns n Roses against anyone. Small sample size, but Appetite is a masterpiece, a classic of American rock. And I say this as someone who thinks the Grateful Dead is about as good as it gets.

Sample size has to disqualify GnR for top 5. But it’s a good suggestion.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

I guess I never realized how many of my favorite rock bands were British, Canadian, or even Irish.

My 5 American bands in no particular order:

CCR
Fleetwood Mac
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Van Halen

Oh man, Fleetwood Mac is a great suggestion.

 

[lilspainishflea]

Oh man, Fleetwood Mac is a great suggestion.

Limiting to 5 is so tough because there are some really great ones that would make the cut over others depending on the criteria. I mean, the Eagles and Aerosmith were maybe the 2 biggest rock bands in the world each for a period of 5ish years. Hard to argue with one band that had an album go 7x platinum and another that had an album go an astonishing 26x platinum

 

[Fk_Pitt]

I interrupt this thread with a little Neil Diamond to get us through this challenging time.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Woof. America has produced some bad rock groups. Are we talking best or favorite?

Best.

 

[Chucky Green]

Fleetwood Mac, but they had British roots. I liked them better as a British blues based rock band before Stevie and Lindsay joined in '75. Yes, I'm old. Saw them in '71 in Chicago's Aragon Ballroom. They went for 3 hours, best show I've ever seen. Mick Fleetwood is an all around percussion genius. Nobody can say who's best, just who is your favorite. I still believe the Stones are the greatest rock and roll band in the world and always will be. Again, early stuff is generally their best.

 

[Seneca_Valley]

Madden had this subject on his show recently. I forget who his exact top 5 were but he had

1) Aerosmith
2) Van Halen
3) ??? (May have been kiss or Motley Crue)
4) Metallica
5 Eagles

I’d like to put REM in there but I’m objective enough to know that they don’t belong. So here’s my opinion

aerosmith has a Disney ride named after them. That has to count for something.

Van Halen has arguably the best musician of anyone on the list. That counts for something.

The Eagles sold more records than anyone. That certainly counts for something.

but for me, I’d have to lean toward Van Halen being #1. Current radio airplay has to be a major factor, and there are probably 15 David Lee Roth era songs and 15 Sammy Hagar era songs in everyday rotation. I don’t think I could name 15 Aerosmith songs or eagles songs. So for that, I’d give the nod to Eddie and the boys.

what do you guys think? Remember this is “American top 5” , so you Rush fans, Beatles fans, AC/DC fans and stones fans can save it!

No respect for the Beach Boys.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

No respect for the Beach Boys.

I love The Beach Boys. I remember when I listened to the radio show, The Beach Boys were mentioned. Madden is a fan of theirs, has seen them in concert multiple times, but gave his reason why he wouldn’t include them in a top 5. I forget what it was though.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Oh man, Fleetwood Mac is a great suggestion.

The fact that only Buckingham and Nicks were Americans, and they came in later, I think would disqualify Fleetwood Mac.

 

[Las Panteras]

Pearl Jam

Transformational band

 

[Cap pitt]

journey, fleetwood Mac, Lynard skynyrd, credence Clearwater revival, allman brother

 

[Salempanther2015]

Journey
Bob Seager and the Silver Bullet Band
Aerosmith
Van Halen
Rolling stones

 

[HailtoPitt]

AC/DC and The Clash.

Not sure who is 3-5.

 

[jtownknowitall]

1. Creedence Clearwater Revival
2. The Grateful Dead
3. REM
4. The Allman Brothers Band
5. The Doors

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Fleetwood Mac, but they had British roots. I liked them better as a British blues based rock band before Stevie and Lindsay joined in '75. Yes, I'm old. Saw them in '71 in Chicago's Aragon Ballroom. They went for 3 hours, best show I've ever seen. Mick Fleetwood is an all around percussion genius. Nobody can say who's best, just who is your favorite. I still believe the Stones are the greatest rock and roll band in the world and always will be. Again, early stuff is generally their best.

Was Danny Kirwan still with them then? He was a great guitarist and a pretty good singer as well. Too bad his mental health issues took him out.

 

[wbrpanther]

I guess I never realized how many of my favorite rock bands were British, Canadian, or even Irish.

My 5 American bands in no particular order:

CCR
Fleetwood Mac
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Van Halen

Any list without CCR is bogus IMO.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Really hard to make a list of American rock because most of it pales in comparison to the great acts that have come from the UK. My five, realizing that some of these fall solidly into the "alternative" category.

The Replacements
REM
Alice in Chains (for hard rock, hard to top their creativity and talent)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse (yes he's Canadian but his bands were mostly Americans and they all formed here)
Grateful Dead

And these are my favorites because to me, they are the best!

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

AC/DC and The Clash.

Not sure who is 3-5.

You guys are either stupid or refuse to follow directions/

AC/DC is Australian, the Clash British. How could you not know this?

 

[HailtoPitt]

You guys are either stupid or refuse to follow directions/

AC/DC is Australian, the Clash British. How could you not know this?

I missed the American part.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

These aren't my favorites.......but I think any American list would have to have these.

Eagles
Beach Boys
Tom Petty and Heartbreakers
Bruce and the E Street Band
Nirvana (for their impact)

 

[Cavalier Panther]

Lotta unquestionably great bands here. I like the Beach Boys addition (though some may consider them a "pop" band and that's a fair categorization).

To go with some more recent bands:

1) The Strokes
2) The White Stripes
3) Talking Heads (not that recent)
4) Sonic Youth
5) Spoon

 

[pittiswhereiamfrom2]

 

[pittbacker1]

1. Grateful Dead
2. Jerry Garcia Band
3. Jefferson Airplane
4. Lou Reed Velvet Underground
5. Leon Russell and the Shelter People

 

[steelcurtain55.]

1. Metallica
2. Van Halen
3. Doors
4. Pearl Jam
5. RHCP

 

[DT_PITT]

AC/DC and The Clash.

Not sure who is 3-5.

This list is for American Bands.

 

[DT_PITT]

Really hard to make a list of American rock because most of it pales in comparison to the great acts that have come from the UK. My five, realizing that some of these fall solidly into the "alternative" category.

The Replacements
REM
Alice in Chains (for hard rock, hard to top their creativity and talent)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse (yes he's Canadian but his bands were mostly Americans and they all formed here)
Grateful Dead

And these are my favorites because to me, they are the best!

I wouldn't put Alice in Chains on there but the other 4 are great picks.

I'd put Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as #1 and the other four could follow.

 

[DT_PITT]

Journey
Bob Seager and the Silver Bullet Band
Aerosmith
Van Halen
Rolling stones

Stones are British or course, but Aerosmith and Van Halen are certainly worthy selections.

 

[DT_PITT]

Journey
Van Halen
Springsteen
Petty
Jimi Hendrix Experience

Journey doesn't belong but the other four would fit.

 

[DT_PITT]

Pound for pound, I would put Guns n Roses against anyone. Small sample size, but Appetite is a masterpiece, a classic of American rock. And I say this as someone who thinks the Grateful Dead is about as good as it gets.

Just as long as you don't suggest Boston.

 

[DT_PITT]

1. Grateful Dead
2. Jerry Garcia Band
3. Jefferson Airplane
4. Lou Reed Velvet Underground
5. Leon Russell and the Shelter People

I don't even know what to do with the Velvet Underground suggestion, and I mean this is a very good way.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

1. Grateful Dead
2. Jerry Garcia Band
3. Jefferson Airplane
4. Lou Reed Velvet Underground
5. Leon Russell and the Shelter People

Time to shut this thread down. When someone suggests a band that 99% of the world has never heard of, it’s time to check out.

this isn’t a favorite band thread. This is top band of all time thread. I’m not a big fan of Aerosmith and they wouldn’t be in my personal top 5, but if I did a top 5 they’d firmly be there because of their accomplishments and contributions. That’s what I’m getting at.

criteria would be talent, musicianship, longevity, record sales, air play, cultural impact, influence in the industry, etc.

While I have appreciation for the Grateful Dead, a band like them or Phish, or someone who broke off on a solo project, or someone who released “we built this city on rock n roll” are nowhere near the top 5 of all time.

 

[DT_PITT]

Lotta unquestionably great bands here. I like the Beach Boys addition (though some may consider them a "pop" band and that's a fair categorization).

To go with some more recent bands:

1) The Strokes
2) The White Stripes
3) Talking Heads (not that recent)
4) Sonic Youth
5) Spoon

Love all five of these bands -- let's call them all very honorable mentions!

 

[DT_PITT]

Time to shut this thread down. When someone suggests a band that 99% of the world has never heard of, it’s time to check out.

this isn’t a favorite band thread. This is top band of all time thread. I’m not a big fan of Aerosmith and they wouldn’t be in my personal top 5, but if I did a top 5 they’d firmly be there because of their accomplishments and contributions. That’s what I’m getting at.

criteria would be talent, musicianship, longevity, record sales, air play, cultural impact, influence in the industry, etc.

While I have appreciation for the Grateful Dead, a band like them or Phish, or someone who broke off on a solo project, or someone who released “we built this city on rock n roll” are nowhere near the top 5 of all time.

I must agree.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Jimi Hendrix- even if his band was foreign
Jane’s Addiction

 

[DT_PITT]

Jimi Hendrix- even if his band was foreign
Jane’s Addiction

I always feel like Jimi is British even though he absolutely is not.