His social commentary is only cultural impact to the extent that it changed things outside of rock music. So, if you believe that his protest songs helped spur the civil rights movement, that would be a (potentially huge) cultural impact. But the question is how much that is true.

It really is. Gets worse as you dig deeper. It's a perfect top five, though, except for the order.

Poor James Brown, left off perfect top five.

Actually, they really do kind of say that the list isn't in order. Of course, it's also clearly not random. The order seems to be "how our readership would like it to be ordered, but if you disagree with the order, well, SIKE!, the order means nothing, and we're totally not saying that U2 is more deserving than any black act, in fact you're probably racist for thinking we're saying that, and it's just total coincidence that we started with 8 huge white acts."

Maybe retroactively, but it was clearly intended to be in order at the start with this inaugural class. I mean, just look at the first line of The Who's write up. I mean, what are we supposed to be surprised by? That they're in the Hall of Fame at all? That would surprise no one.

Didn't see that. In reply to the very first comment shown (which appears to be the first comment, period), in which the commenter complains about Chuck Berry not being in the first group, they TWICE state that "it doesn't matter what order you get in", but they also explain why Berry's not in the top ten. Jesus, they really can't keep their stories straight! Seems that they put way too much emphasis on album sales.

The next class of ten really drives that point home. It also explains why U2 and Led Zeppelin are in the top ten.

Why oh why have these guys not made the list. Saw them in '75, absolutely brilliant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E-uCWXYq58

Status Quo were never big in the US, although they're huge in the UK and probably a lot of other parts of the world. I suppose their criteria are very US-centric.

I'm not sure I'd support them for the Rock Hall (although they'd be better than a couple of the inducted acts), but if you're doing a list of 700 artists, yeah, they ought to be there.

think guy is talking about our list.

Oh, then, no, no way is Status Quo in the top 100 artists in rock history.

Really. I can count over 50 artists, perhaps more on that list that shouldn't even pass as 'rock'. I mean come on, Jay z, 2pac, Eminem, Donna Summer , Al Green.....and the list goes on.

Play this through your best:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veYBYpmVLwY

Piledrive, this link could help: http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/why-rap-is-rock.html

Rock is a black art form dating back to 1947, made BY and FOR black society initially. Within a decade white audiences discovered it and became fans and consequently white artists began performing it as well and were accepted by black performers as peers. But it seems from who you singled out as those who "shouldn't pass as rock" apparently you are of the belief that once whitey makes a claim over something then that's all that matters, so no matter how far apart musically white artists like Bob Dylan and Metallica are from one another, their credentials as rock artists can't be questioned, yet predominantly black styles (even when performed by a white artist like Eminem) are somehow not legitimate.

But the truth is if you were forced to choose between the qualifications of the two AS rock 2Pac is closer stylistically to Wynonie Harris (look him up if you don't know his role in helping to invent rock) than Velvet Underground, Nirvana and the Beatles combined. Donna Summer's dance rock is much more aligned with the original definition of rock as largely "black dance music" than Deep Purple or Radiohead could ever be. Al Green's a direct musical descendant of Sonny Til and Clyde McPhatter, two of the most important and influential rock singers ever, whereas the singing styles of Jim Morrison or Bob Dylan are completely alien to rock's stylistic origins.

Yet despite that nobody here is complaining that Velvet Underground, Nirvana, The Beatles, Deep Purple, Radiohead, The Doors or Bob Dylan don't belong, but you are complaining that the true, all-inclusive and historically accurate definition of rock that is used here to compile this list is somehow wrong and needs to apparently be confined to what, let me guess, white shirtless guys with guitars?

Status Quo anyone?

Yes, Status Quo ARE rockers, but they are not anywhere near as great going by the objective criteria used to compile the list as any of the aforementioned artists, both black (2Pac, Jay-Z, Summer, Green) or white (Eminem, but also The Velvet Underground, Nirvana, The Beatles, Deep Purple, Radiohead, The Doors or Bob Dylan). That's all that matters. You can, and should, like Status Quo all you want, but the only thing that matters to a list like this are how those artists careers stack up as determined through objective achievement-based criteria.

But by all means, please feel free to offer a rebuttal to this. I'll happily respond and try and educate you on the full history of rock along the way. Who knows, you might even enjoy it.

Thanks for your reply and fair enough, however, using the bolded statement above, Quo have had more hits that the Stones. Now, if that isn't 'achievement-based' criteria I'm lost for words.