They're from '69. They're really closer to the 70's stylistically. They're also closer to today's music than the early 'roots of Rock' stuff. The Velvet Underground is still directly influential to a lot of groups, whereas Chuck Berry's influence is much smaller now.

Though I'm sure you'll all disagree and come up with examples of why Chuck Berry is still SO relevant and then call me a moron.

If you're playing rock 'n' roll with a guitar intro, witty storytelling lyrics relating to the audience and a guitar break before the close, you're essentially playing Chuck Berry. The influence doesn't change just because it's long ago. It's been recycled over and over and will continue to be recycled because it's the most direct accessible style of rock there is. Far more influential than VU, though they're not too shabby in the influence department themselves, just nowhere near as broad with it.

This.

Look, I think we've put a lot of balance in this list. Recent stuff gets it due, even things from the last couple of years such as "Rolling In The Deep" and "Fuck You". But something influential from the 50s or 60s will have a big advantage for two reasons: it's had more time to be influential, and it came out at a time when the rock world was more unified. Chuck Berry (and Elvis, and Little Richard) influenced just about everything that came out in their time, and then had a huge influence on 60s music. And you can still hear their influence today, as Sampson said. Punk rock owes a debt to those guys. Hip-hop has roots in what Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley did back then. Elvis, as Mojo Nixon said, is everywhere. Similar things can be said about The Beatles, James Brown, and Dylan.

Today's scene is more fragmented. Radiohead and Kanye West definitely have important influence on parts of the rock world, but there are lots of rock artists currently working who are influenced by one but not the other, and even some who may not be affected by either. It's also harder today for a song to reach mass popularity and cultural impact today the way the big hits of 1955-1975 did.

That said, things can change. Those modern records are still having an influence, and some are going to move up. As Bruce pointed out, we moved "Smells Like Teen Spirit" up. I'm proud that we have a good representation of hip-hop and contemporary R&B and I'm sure some of that stuff will move up over time as well. If you think our list is obsessed with the 50s and 60s, I think you'll really hate some of the other ones out there.

Also, some of the artists you're talking about are really more known for their albums than their singles.

If you look at the top 100 most critically acclaimed songs of all time at acclaimedmusic.net that list is jammed with 60s stuff, In fact 10 of the 13 most acclaimed songs of all time there are from the 60s.

Nebfotac's hideous hipster comments remind me of musicfan67 all over again...

I am pretty sure that Musicfan67 is much older than Nebfotac.

Yes but their posting styles are practically identical.

I dunno, Musicfan67 probably was much worse than Neb. I actually like Neb, even though I disagree with basically everything he posts.

Yeah I do too. Same goes for Echoes. Admire his passion and commitment but rarely, if ever, agree with any of his posts.

I actually like Echoes nowadays as well. I guess I am not really into hating DDD members anymore. Except for guys like Stryder who are simply irredeemable. I dont think I ever read good post by Stryder, even if it was factually correct.

The top 700 of all time according to a German magazine.

http://www.poplist.de/poplist.php?l=833

This is what the Top 100 looks like:

1. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
2. The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever
3. The Beatles - A Day in the Life
4. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
5. The Smiths - There is a Light That Never Goes Out
6. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
7. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
8. David Bowie - "Heroes"
9. Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah
10. The Clash - London Calling
11. The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset
12. Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights
13. Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
14. Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman
15. Prince - Purple Rain
16. New Order - Blue Monday
17. Talk Talk - I Believe in You
18. Radiohead - Paranoid Android
19. Prince - When Doves Cry
20. Bob Dylan - I Want You
21. Pet Shop Boys - Being Boring
22. Kraftwerk - Autobahn
23. The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
24. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
25. Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
26. Robert Wyatt - Sea Song
27. Lou Reed - Perfect Day
28. Prince - I Would Die 4 U
29. The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
30. John Lennon - Imagine
31. The Clash - Rock the Casbah
32. Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure
33. Beastie Boys - Sabotage
34. The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner
35. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven
36. Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues
37. Kate Bush - Cloudbusting
38. Link Wray & His Ray Men - Rumble
39. Blumfeld - Verstärker
40. Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen
41. Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up
42. Television - Marquee Moon
43. David Bowie - Life on Mars?
44. Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road
45. Eagles - Hotel California
46. The Ronettes - Be My Baby
47. Sparks - This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us
48. Radiohead - Idioteque
49. Sam Cooke - A Change is Gonna Come
50. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
51. David Bowie - Space Oddity
52. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
53. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Into My Arms
54. The Beach Boys - Surf's Up
55. The Velvet Underground - Venus in Furs
56. Iggy Pop - The Passenger
57. Kraftwerk - Computerliebe
58. LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge
59. Pixies - Where is My Mind?
60. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Little Wing
61. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message
62. David Bowie - Station to Station
63. The Cure - Just Like Heaven
64. Bob Dylan - Visions of Johanna
65. Slayer - Angel of Death
66. Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime
67. Sly & The Family Stone - Family Affair
68. Nick Drake - Pink Moon
69. Richard Harris - MacArthur Park
70. Bob Dylan - Girl From the North Country
71. Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
72. Nine Inch Nails - Hurt
73. The Beatles - Blackbird
74. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Like a Hurricane
75. Talking Heads - This Must be the Place (Naive Melody)
76. The Kingsmen - Louie Louie
77. Prefab Sprout - Bonny
78. Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat
79. Neil Young - Heart of Gold
80. Fehlfarben - Paul ist tot
81. The Velvet Underground - Pale Blue Eyes
82. The Church - Under the Milky Way
83. Simon & Garfunkel - America
84. The Beatles - Penny Lane
85. Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side
86. Blur - Out of Time
87. My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow
88. Bob Dylan - Tangled up in Blue
89. Noir Désir - Le vent nous portera
90. Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush - Don't Give Up
91. Public Enemy - Fight the Power
92. The Smiths - This Charming Man
93. Suicide - Cheree
94. Love - Alone Again Or
95. Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot
96. Simon & Garfunkel - The Sounds of Silence
97. The Supremes - You Can't Hurry Love
98. The Beatles - Helter Skelter
99. The Byrds - Eight Miles High
100. Hot Chip - Over and Over

Criteria?

I have no idea. Do you read German?

This list doesn't look like it has any criteria whatsoever. I mean, I like most of the songs mentioned there, perharps even more than most songs on our list but It look like a bunch of favourites with vague idea of greatness thrown in. Surely our list is more historically accurate and represent rock history much better then theirs.

Looks like it's a kind of similar idea to acclaimedmusic but only includes various best-of lists from eight different German music magazines.