Honestly grow up. If someone has an opinion that differs from you at least be respectful. I could understand if I was saying Nickelback was the most influential rock act but to most people who I talk music with Elvis is dead and the Beatles influence still endures. Now that might piss someone like you off but those are the facts.

Ok I was looking at the old list sorry.

Yep, that's a bunch of B.S., all right.

Actually, Clash was looking at the old list. In the latest version of the revision, R.E.M. is #44 and the Byrds are #47. Your argument is based entirely on influence, which I would agree the Byrds win. But R.E.M. takes popularity with musical impact close, and R.E.M. also quite influential. I'd think if either of them takes cultural impact it would be R.E.M. So to me it looks like a narrow advantage to R.E.M.

They wouldn't say that if they understood what influence is. Influence is doing new things that were later done by others. Once an artist is influential, he is always influential. Saying Elvis isn't influential anymore is like saying that George Washington isn't the 1st US president anymore.

Brian.

Music moves on and it progresses. Production, songwriting, the sounds, the musicianship and the trends change. Troughout the time I have been following and playing music the Beatles have always been mentioned more as an influence than Elvis by far. Someone mentioned that Elvis wouldn't even be among the top 30 or 40 more influential artists since basically 1970. That is actually being kind. I have no problem saying that Elvis and Chuck Berry were influential pre-Beatles era those are the facts.


You can't dismiss it but at the same time the Beatles have been much more influential on the overall landscape of music. I can see the Beatles influence a progressive rock act or a hip-hop act. Even someone way outside of their genre based, Violist Roy Whelden took that chord progression of "I Want You (She's So Heavy) and made a French Baroque-styled chaconne out of the musical materials on his Galax CD for the New Albion record label. No one describes Michael Jackson music as Jacksonesque or Elvis Presley as Presleyesque but the they call the Beatles style as Beatlesque. Again I don't know how many times I must state this from a pop music song structure to recording standpoint you're hard pressed to NOT hear the Beatles influence everywhere in modern pop recordings. The Beatles music has endured all the trends of the new styles of pop and rock of the last 40 years. The catalog of the music is the most dissected and studied of any act in any genre in the last 50 years. I just don't see that with Elvis or Chuck Berry. Elvis popularized rock and roll to a larger degree it was already popular.

Every time you see the likes of Britney Spears, Madonna, Iggy Pop, Prince, Mick Jagger, and so on, performing in an overtly sexual manner, that goes back to Elvis Presley. Not to the Beatles.

That is musical influence? You think that pop stars today act or perform in a sexual manner because they want to copy Elvis? Please get real. I could switch this everytime I see someone with long hair in rock and roll I could say it goes back to the Beatles.

Believe me people like the Rolling Stones and Prince were more influenced by the Beatles than Elvis.

I don't care. I've had it with your ignorant drivel that Elvis Presley hasn't influenced anyone since 1970.

I thought we were talking about influence in general, not just musical influence. But for musical influence, to give one example for another artist you said is no longer influential, Chuck Berry used the guitar as the lead instrument. There continues to be a lot music today where the guitar is the lead instrument.

I have to say I never said that. I said the Beatles influence has been much more enduring and stronger than Elvis. To say otherwise is being ignorant or you just don't know the modern rock scene. Even so other people have agreed to this so why are we debating? Peace.

Whether or not they are deliberately copying Elvis has no bearing on whether or not Elvis is credited with influence.

Alternative Rock as many other rock related sub-genres is much more of a rhythm guitar sub-genre than it is lead guitar instrument. Then again the rock guitar has evolved so much during that time. There are so many styles of music that rely on a more prominent drum and bass sound than guitar.

Pete Townshend implicitly made the distinction when he said 'The Beatles brought songwnting to rock 'n' roll'. That's not to say that the legacy of Three-Chord Trick classics, from Chuck's 'Johnny B Goode to the Rolling Stones “Satisfaction” aren’t great songs. But the point is the Beatles that they were using a complete arsenal of resources. The Beatles dramatically broadened the potential of the pop song.

Here's what you said:



Close enough.

I have never seen that quote. Where is it from?



They're #2 on the influence list. How do you think they got there?