My 15 Most Influential Bands of the mid-20th Century

A random Facebook post discussing Stone Temple Pilots' place within the pantheon of great bands inspired me to contemplate who would make my list of 15 best bands.

While the STP-inspired discussion was later clarified to only be regarding the 1990s I wanted to look at all bands or at least modern bands primarily in the pop/rock genre. I decided a decent starting point was a familiar one since most of these lists and discussions end up with The Beatles being the top spot getter or some strange twisted logic that includes the Stone and Led Zeppelin.

I begrudgingly accepted this logic and can explain very briefly during the list. The post-Beatles format was one of the first to start giving me some pains since you should examine bands such as Bill Haley and the Comets or the doo-wop and soul bands that almost certainly were as influential on The Beatles as The Beatles have been on so many artists since. But you have to have some boundaries and so I drew a red line at the Fab Four and then proceeded outward.

Another criteria that should be explained: this quickly morphed from a list of the “best” into the “most influential”. I decided that was the only criteria I felt comfortable with and it helped simplify an already daunting task. Some of the ways I personally factored in influence was simply how much of their music do you still hear in artists today and how much of a change did their arrival create. How disruptive were they and how much does their influence still exist. This criteria will certainly cause some strong disagreement and required me to make some hard personal choices which I again will explain later. But hey, let’s get to what we all want to argue about: the list.

1. The Beatles: I accept the logic that they were the beginning of what we know as modern rock music. I also accept that without them there would have been no Rolling Stones as we know them today and possibly no British Invasion. Let’s be clear, I base most of this on my personal opinion and not fact or research. If presidential candidates can do it, so can I!
2. The Rolling Stones: Their roles as the dirtier side of The Beatles and their injection of classic blues and roots music into pop music was also of paramount importance. Mick Jagger’s development of what a lead singer should be was a invaluable contribution to modern music.
3. Led Zeppelin: I almost look at these first three bands as the building blocks of modern rock music with each adding upon the others work. Led Zeppelin is credited with inventing heavy metal music (however I think it should be attributed to number 5) but also took blues music and added a level of spectacle and flair that the Stones rarely did. Other arguable contributions include: drum solos, arena rock, and the popularizing of prog rock??
4. Fleetwood Mac: This is one where folks may disagree, but I feel that you hear the influence of their music so strongly in so many artists; especially the newer breed of indie folk stuff. Plus the vocals and melodies of Buckingham and Nicks were a game-changer.
5. Black Sabbath: I may be wrong about this, but i think they deserve the creators of heavy metal label more than Zeppelin. They are again the next musical evolution of what Zeppelin was doing but were far enough removed from blues, at least in the final product, to invent a new type of expression. A dark and supernatural take on things that has inspired and influenced entire genres of music.
6. Sex Pistols: They took the work of all their progenitors and rightfully pissed all over it. From a political and social perspective they were extremely important, especially in the UK at that time, and at least helped create the punk movement. Not only their irreverence for rules, for authority and music but also the fact that they were a product packaged and managed by Malcolm McClaren just adds to their importance.

Pain Points

Any discussion of McClaren also brings up the New York Dolls…should they be on this list? They definitely had an influence on a number of bands that also gave me pains such as Kiss. I also have struggled with any inclusion or addition of the main influencer of hair metal-but that era of music can’t be dismissed. I deal with it later is a perhaps bizarre, invented, or completely misplaced way.