100 Greatest Rock Artists (under revision)

pauldrach · **Posted:** Mon Dec 27, 2021 10:50 am

Bruce wrote:

ManPerson wrote:

What's the chance that Sampson will ever end up completing this list.

He won't respond to me although I send him lots of emails through his website. I know he's reading them because he's made corrections on mistakes that I pointed out. Looks like he'll never post in this forum again, but he does do some work on lists occasionally.

Here's his email address if you want to ask him.

sampson@spontaneouslunacy.net

He responded to me once. Busy fellow.

I expect he'll update the all-time list once he's reviewed every single rock record of all time. He'll certainly get there eventually. All he has to do is continue.

ManPerson · **Posted:** Sun Jan 02, 2022 10:10 pm

Is there an argument for Kraftwerk in the top 100. They score well in musical impact and especially influence (granted some of it is non-rock influence).

Tim · **Joined:** Mon Mar 18, 2013 7:47 pm **Posts:** 11198

They were ranked #148 on Brian's list so apparently he didn't see much of a case for that. Here's Sampson's blurb for them for his Hall of Fame page.

Sampson wrote:

Kraftwerk

Two words keep them an outside threat for enshrinement - unique influence. Groundbreaking use of electronics changed the face of popular music from the 70's onward. Their influence is well documented even as their music remains curiously unknown and a lack of mainstream familiarity is always dangerous to any artist's chances. Their notoriety will keep their candidacy afloat however, even though it probably won't ever be enough to get them in.

Qualifications: 6

Bruce · **Posted:** Mon Jan 03, 2022 12:16 am

pauldrach wrote:

Bruce wrote:

ManPerson wrote:

What's the chance that Sampson will ever end up completing this list.

He won't respond to me although I send him lots of emails through his website. I know he's reading them because he's made corrections on mistakes that I pointed out. Looks like he'll never post in this forum again, but he does do some work on lists occasionally.

Here's his email address if you want to ask him.

sampson@spontaneouslunacy.net

He responded to me once. Busy fellow.

I expect he'll update the all-time list once he's reviewed every single rock record of all time. He'll certainly get there eventually. All he has to do is continue.

Unless he speeds up to like 10 reviews per day he'll never finish. It took him over 2 years just to do 1950 when there were not even that many rock and roll releases. He's in Feb 1951 right now, and he's been doing about 12 reviews a week lately. He has cut down though on B sides. At the rate he is going he won't live long enough to even finish the 20th century, let alone finish.

Zach · **Posted:** Mon Jan 03, 2022 12:36 am

^ My thoughts exactly. It's basically an insurmountable task. An interesting project nonetheless.

pauldrach · **Posted:** Mon Jan 03, 2022 4:10 am

Guys, what you forget is that the curve is exponential. He has sped up the process recently and if he continues doing that, he'll be in the 22nd century in no time.

ManPerson · **Posted:** Mon Jan 03, 2022 8:22 am

pauldrach wrote:

Guys, what you forget is that the curve is exponential. He has sped up the process recently and if he continues doing that, he'll be in the 22nd century in no time.

At some point if he's going fast enough he's just going to be copy-pasting a song's wikipedia page and then give his score.

ManPerson · **Posted:** Mon Jan 03, 2022 8:50 am

Tim wrote:

They were ranked #148 on Brian's list so apparently he didn't see much of a case for that. Here's Sampson's blurb for them for his Hall of Fame page.

Sampson wrote:

Kraftwerk

Two words keep them an outside threat for enshrinement - unique influence. Groundbreaking use of electronics changed the face of popular music from the 70's onward. Their influence is well documented even as their music remains curiously unknown and a lack of mainstream familiarity is always dangerous to any artist's chances. Their notoriety will keep their candidacy afloat however, even though it probably won't ever be enough to get them in.

Qualifications: 6

I think they score really well in two of the criteria, enough to make the list even if they don't do well in popularity and cultural impact.

Tim · **Joined:** Mon Mar 18, 2013 7:47 pm **Posts:** 11198

Influence sure but I am not too familiar with them being revered outside of electronic music circles. Keep in mind, acclaim as we use it on, say, film lists is not a part of criteria here.

Quote:

Musical Impact: The reaction within the music industry as a whole to an artist's work. This differs from influence because not all artists are even able to be influenced by things they admire. Different styles, different abilities, different audiences and different musical goals and a sense of creative independence means that artists many times would prefer to follow their own path, but their appreciation for another artist's achievements elevates the stature of that artist in the industry. This attempts to accurately determine what music was turning the most heads within their own community at the time, what was seen as raising the creative bar and set new benchmarks to strive to surpass. It is the peer recognition factor of the criteria.

ManPerson · **Posted:** Mon Jan 03, 2022 3:59 pm

I know. I think they were pretty highly respected among early hip hop artists.

Brian · **Joined:** Wed Oct 06, 2010 2:52 pm **Posts:** 4300

Kraftwerk's period of importance was 1974-1981, so I think that the only hip hop artists that could be considered their peers would be the very earliest ones, before hip hop was very popular. I would think that most artists that are borderline top 100 for this list would have at least as much musical impact as Kraftwerk. They aren't on Sampson's Most Influential Artists list, maybe they should be, but if he doesn't have them on that list, I doubt that he would put them in the top 100 of this one.

ManPerson · **Posted:** Tue Jan 04, 2022 7:44 am

Fair on the musical impact. I think not having them in the top 100 for influence makes no sense (unless. you just don't consider them rock).

Brian · **Joined:** Wed Oct 06, 2010 2:52 pm **Posts:** 4300

I'm pretty sure Sampson considers them rock. I think they should be on the Influential Artists list too.

Bruce · **Posted:** Tue Jan 04, 2022 11:16 pm

ManPerson wrote:

Fair on the musical impact. I think not having them in the top 100 for influence makes no sense (unless. you just don't consider them rock).

In the old days Samp never gave much credit to any acts that did not make it in the USA.

ManPerson · **Posted:** Wed Jan 05, 2022 7:22 am

I don't know what that has to do with anything for an artist's influence but it wouldn't surprise me if that logic was used.

100 Greatest Rock Artists (under revision)

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