Nirvana-Best Rock Bands of All Time

Nirvana-Best Rock Bands of All Time

The band didn’t last long, as Kurt Cobain died too soon, but the spokesman of Generation X from the era’s flagship band will always be remembered for their groundbreaking songs. Quiet and subtle initial stanzas would always build up to heavy choruses. It was the period of grunge, and Nirvana made alternative rock part of the mainstream.

The Beach Boys-Best Rock Bands of All Time

The Beach Boys-Best Rock Bands of All Time

America’s Band originally specialized in light, uncomplicated but extremely catchy rock songs that featured California’s surfing lifestyle. Then came the album Pet Sounds and the single Good Vibrations, and the Beach Boys suddenly graduated to a complicated and multi-layered sound that was both captivating and appealing. Too bad, Brian Wilson had to go soon after because of substance abuse, but not after making sure the band left its mark.

The Who-Best Rock Bands of All Time

The Who-Best Rock Bands of All Time

Back in the 60s, they were known for destroying their instruments during concerts. Along with The Beatles and Rolling Stones, they complete the holy trinity of British rock. Fans of the three versions of CSI probably know them as the guys behind Who Are You?, Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again.

Queen-Best Rock Bands of All Time

Queen-Best Rock Bands of All Time

A progressive rock bank with songs friendly to the radio, there was a time when benefit concerts would seem incomplete without Queen and Freddie Mercury’s famous sing-alongs. Their Live Aid performance was perhaps the best of that concert, and that’s saying a lot because all the world’s greatest artists were there. Do you even know anyone who hasn’t heard We are the Champions, We Will Rock You or Bohemian Rhapsody?

U2-Best Rock Bands of All Time

U2-Best Rock Bands of All Time

When Bono leapt out of the stage to dance with a fan during the Live Aid concert, the rest of the world got introduced to U2. Though they have been around since 1976, their performance in the hunger benefit concert pushed the band to the forefront. They cemented their new status with the release of The Joshua Tree in 1986, and they have not stopped ever since.

Pink Floyd-Best Rock Bands of All Time

Pink Floyd-Best Rock Bands of All Time

Progressive, psychedelic and experimental, these are the words that best describe the sound of Pink Floyd. Their 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon is lauded as one of the greatest of all time, with a cover so iconic and music so influential that it stayed in the music charts for 14 years.

Velvet Underground-Best Rock Bands of All Time

Velvet Underground-Best Rock Bands of All Time

This list is not about album sales, but about the greatness of a band. And this is why Velvet Underground is included. Their first four albums all make the list for greatest albums of all time. Yet amazingly, the band led by Lou Reed and John Cale very few copies of its first album, with 30,000 being considered as an optimistic estimate. Still, as Reed had said, their influence was so profound that each person who bought that album probably went on to form their own band. Just ask the members of Kings of Leon, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, The Smiths and The Pixies.