Greatest Rock Artists Of All Time (Revision Version)

[ManPerson]

I don't know how I missed that.

[ManPerson]

My ranking from before + Abba
1. The Beatles
2. Elvis Presley
3. James Brown
4. Bob Dylan
5. Michael Jackson
6. Madonna
7. Chuck Berry
8. The Rolling Stones
9. Stevie Wonder
10. Aretha Franklin
11. Ray Charles
12. The Beach Boys
13. Led Zeppelin
14. Jimi Hendrix
15. Fats Domino
16. Prince
17. Marvin Gaye
18. Kanye West
19. Little Richard
20. Jay-Z
21. The Who
22. Sam Cooke
23. Pink Floyd
24. David Bowie
25. Eminem
26. U2
27. Run-D.M.C.
28. Beyonce
29. Nirvana
30. 2pac
31. The Supremes
32. Bruce Springsteen
33. Queen
34. Bob Marley & the Wailers
35. Buddy Holly & The Crickets
36. The Temptations
37. Kendrick Lamar
38. Neil Young
39. R.E.M.
40. Taylor Swift
41. Drake
42. Elton John
43. Whitney Houston
44. The Everly Brothers
45. Janet Jackson
46. Mariah Carey
47. Black Sabbath
48. Public Enemy
49. The Byrds
50. Otis Redding
51. Metallica
52. Sly & the Family Stone
53. Bill Haley & the Comets
54. Bee Gees
55. Donna Summer
56. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
57. The Kinks
58. The Beastie Boys
59. Bo Diddley
60. Roy Orbison
61. The Clash
62. AC/DC
63. ABBA
64. Fleetwood Mac
65. Rihanna
66. The Doors
67. Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions
68. Dr. Dre
69. The Notorious B.I.G.
70. Joni Mitchell
71. Outkast
72. Britney Spears
73. Simon & Garfunkel
74. Creedence Clearwater Revival
75. Parliament/Funkadelic/George-Clinton
76. Lady Gaga
77. Radiohead
78. N.W.A.
79. Coldplay
80. Aerosmith
81. Eagles
82. The Weeknd
83. Adele
84. Guns n Roses
85. The Police
86. Van Halen
87. Al Green
88. Green Day
89. The Drifters
90. Mary J. Blige
91. Rod Stewart
92. Paul McCartney/Wings
93. Pearl Jam
94. The Grateful Dead
95. Missy Elliott
96. Bad Bunny
97. The Shirelles
98. Van Morrison
99. Cream
100. Red Hot Chili Peppers
101. Fugees/Lauryn Hill
102. The Isley Brothers
103. The Dominoes
104. The Orioles
105. Justin Timberlake
106. The Band
107. Billy Joel
108. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
109. The Platters
110. Jerry Lee Lewis
111. Deep Purple
112. TLC
113. Jackie Wilson
114. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
115. Big Joe Turner
116. Johnny Otis
117. Lana Del Rey
118. Daft Punk
119. Oasis
120. Janis Joplin/Big Brother & Holding Company
121. Ruth Brown
122. The Allman Brothers Band
123. Elvis Costello
124. The Clovers
125. The White Stripes

[ManPerson]

1. The Beatles
2. Elvis Presley
3. James Brown
4. Bob Dylan
5. Michael Jackson
6. Madonna
7. Chuck Berry
8. The Rolling Stones
9. Stevie Wonder
10. Aretha Franklin
11. Ray Charles
12. The Beach Boys
13. Led Zeppelin
14. Jimi Hendrix
15. Fats Domino
16. Prince
17. Marvin Gaye
18. Kanye West
19. Little Richard
20. Jay-Z
21. The Who
22. Sam Cooke
23. Pink Floyd
24. David Bowie
25. Eminem
26. U2
27. Run-D.M.C.
28. Beyonce
29. Nirvana
30. 2pac
31. The Supremes
32. Bruce Springsteen
33. Queen
34. Bob Marley & the Wailers
35. Buddy Holly & The Crickets
36. The Temptations
37. Kendrick Lamar
38. Neil Young
39. R.E.M.
40. Taylor Swift
41. Drake
42. Elton John
43. Whitney Houston
44. The Everly Brothers
45. Janet Jackson
46. Mariah Carey
47. Black Sabbath
48. Public Enemy
49. The Byrds
50. Otis Redding
51. Metallica
52. Sly & the Family Stone
53. Bill Haley & the Comets
54. Bee Gees
55. Donna Summer
56. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
57. The Kinks
58. ABBA
59. The Beastie Boys
60. Bo Diddley
61. Roy Orbison
62. The Clash
63. AC/DC
64. Fleetwood Mac
65. Rihanna
66. The Doors
67. Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions
68. Dr. Dre
69. The Notorious B.I.G.
70. Joni Mitchell
71. Outkast
72. Britney Spears
73. Simon & Garfunkel
74. Creedence Clearwater Revival
75. Parliament/Funkadelic/George-Clinton
76. Radiohead
77. N.W.A.
78. Lady Gaga
79. Aerosmith
80. Eagles
81. Guns n Roses
82. The Police
83. Van Halen
84. Coldplay
85. Al Green
86. Green Day
87. The Drifters
88. Adele
89. The Weeknd
90. Rod Stewart
91. Paul McCartney/Wings
92. Pearl Jam
93. The Grateful Dead
94. Mary J. Blige
95. Missy Elliott
96. The Shirelles
97. Van Morrison
98. Cream
99. Fugees/Lauryn Hill
100. Red Hot Chili Peppers
101. The Isley Brothers
102. The Dominoes
103. The Orioles
104. The Band
105. Bad Bunny
106. Billy Joel
107. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
108. Justin Timberlake
109. Oasis
110. TLC
111. The Platters
112. Jerry Lee Lewis
113. Deep Purple
114. Jackie Wilson
115. Lana Del Rey
116. Daft Punk
117. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
118. Big Joe Turner
119. Johnny Otis
120. Janis Joplin/Big Brother & Holding Company
121. Ruth Brown
122. The Allman Brothers Band
123. Elvis Costello
124. The Clovers
125. The White Stripes

[ManPerson]

On some of the differences that were a bit harder to reconcile
- Coldplay are unquestionably the most popular band of the 21st century, they are among the top 25 most streamed artists of all time, which is very impressive considering their most popular songs were, for the most part, released 20 years ago. They also have a good deal of acclaim (not a ton but also not necessarily any less than, say, Eagles or Aerosmith). In terms of influence, while this isn't their strongest category, I actually think they have clearly shaped the sound of pop rock in the past 20 years, while their concerts and marketing have been cited as influential as well. I wouldn't have them any lower than I have them in the compromise I posted.
- Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott are both game changers within their genres, with the former having a good deal of popularity as well, and the latter having a good deal of acclaim.
- The Weeknd seems comparable to Adele in the criteria, though I'd say he's probably a bit more influential and Adele's probably a bit more acclaimed, but it's pretty much splitting hairs. The fact that he's among the most popular artists of the past 15 years, while pioneering a major subgenre of r&b and being pretty well respected, means I'd say he's worthy of the top 100.
- Bad Bunny is already clearly among the most popular artists of all time, and the recognition he's received is pretty unprecedented for a spanish speaking latin pop artist (in the US, anyway). It's probably too early to give him credit for significant influence, but that's his only weak spot at this point.

[Fido]

My problem with Bad Bunny is mainly that I see Reggaeton as a Latin style with rock influences and I'm not sure if it should be on the list. To add to that, it's also weird to see him as the artist championed when the genre is decades old with other more important artists (Daddy Yankee) from a Spanish speaking perspective, just because he is the one that broke through in the US, especially when other Latin artists had already paved the way so to speak.

Also, I still think Beyoncé is out of her league ahead of Nirvana and Pac, especially if cultural impact is the least important criterion.

[Tim]

Well, the common implication with ddd lists is that they are from English-speaking/US perspective, for what it's worth.
Bad Bunny being #1 Latin trap/hip-hop artist is not really too different from Elvis being #1 classic rock and roll artist. I would also say Bad Bunny is rock by ddd definition, given that hip-hop is rock.

[Tim]

Feel cultural impact being de-emphasized hurts Nirvana and 2Pac about as much as it does Beyoncé.

Influence (incl. Cultural): Nirvana/2Pac > Beyoncé
Popularity: Beyoncé > 2Pac > Nirvana
Acclaim: Nirvana > Beyoncé > 2Pac

[ManPerson]

Since reggaeton originated from dancehall and hip hop I don't see why it shouldn't be considered rock.

[ManPerson]

My problem with Bad Bunny is mainly that I see Reggaeton as a Latin style with rock influences and I'm not sure if it should be on the list. To add to that, it's also weird to see him as the artist championed when the genre is decades old with other more important artists (Daddy Yankee) from a Spanish speaking perspective, just because he is the one that broke through in the US, especially when other Latin artists had already paved the way so to speak.

Also, I still think Beyoncé is out of her league ahead of Nirvana and Pac, especially if cultural impact is the least important criterion.

Beyonce is clearly more popular than Nirvana and Pac, and is probably more acclaimed than them at this point, as well. She's behind them in influence, true, but she also does very well in that category in her own right.

[ManPerson]

Feel cultural impact being de-emphasized hurts Nirvana and 2Pac about as much as it does Beyoncé.

Popularity (incl. Cultural): Beyoncé > 2Pac > Nirvana
Influence: Nirvana/2Pac > Beyoncé
Acclaim: Nirvana > Beyoncé > 2Pac

I think cultural impact should count under influence. I'm also skeptical that Nirvana beat Beyonce in acclaim.

[Tim]

On some of the differences that were a bit harder to reconcile
- Coldplay are unquestionably the most popular band of the 21st century, they are among the top 25 most streamed artists of all time, which is very impressive considering their most popular songs were, for the most part, released 20 years ago. They also have a good deal of acclaim (not a ton but also not necessarily any less than, say, Eagles or Aerosmith). In terms of influence, while this isn't their strongest category, I actually think they have clearly shaped the sound of pop rock in the past 20 years, while their concerts and marketing have been cited as influential as well. I wouldn't have them any lower than I have them in the compromise I posted.
- Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott are both game changers within their genres, with the former having a good deal of popularity as well, and the latter having a good deal of acclaim.
- The Weeknd seems comparable to Adele in the criteria, though I'd say he's probably a bit more influential and Adele's probably a bit more acclaimed, but it's pretty much splitting hairs. The fact that he's among the most popular artists of the past 15 years, while pioneering a major subgenre of r&b and being pretty well respected, means I'd say he's worthy of the top 100.
- Bad Bunny is already clearly among the most popular artists of all time, and the recognition he's received is pretty unprecedented for a spanish speaking latin pop artist (in the US, anyway). It's probably too early to give him credit for significant influence, but that's his only weak spot at this point.

Yeah I am cool with your latest compromise list.

[Tim]

The first 10 from Brian's #101-200 to insert (excluding artists already inserted by us).

101. Wilson Pickett
102. The Ramones
103. Eric Clapton
104. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5
105. The Four Tops
106. Frank Zappa
107. The Coasters
108. Etta James
109. LL Cool J
110. Dion (& the Belmonts)

[Fido]

I don't see how it's even arguable that Beyoncé is less acclaimed than Nirvana and Pac, esp Nirvana. Both artists are routinely lauded as the best artists of their respective subgenres, the top artists of their decade, incredible songwriters (the voice of a generation and all that) who haven't stopped being relevant after decades of being dead. Beyoncé also doesn't have a Nevermind, or anything close to that. Not to mention she isn't really an innovator, she was another R&B diva in the line of Diana Ross, Whitney, Mariah, who emerged from another fabricated R&B vocal group (managed by her father no less, pun intended). This is not to diminish the great music she has made, or any of the other artists mentioned, but she doesn't have the "genius who makes it because they are THAT good" kind of acclaim.

[ManPerson]

She has the most Grammys which should at least count for something. Also, she received masterpiece type acclaim for Renaissance and Lemonade, so I think you're definitely underrating her in that regard.

Beyoncé also doesn't have a Nevermind, or anything close to that.

Many artists ahead of Nirvana don't either.

I guess I could see Beyonce between them as a sort of compromise.

[Tim]

1. The Beatles
2. Elvis Presley
3. James Brown
4. Bob Dylan
5. Michael Jackson
6. Madonna
7. Chuck Berry
8. The Rolling Stones
9. Stevie Wonder
10. Aretha Franklin
11. Ray Charles
12. The Beach Boys
13. Led Zeppelin
14. Jimi Hendrix
15. Fats Domino
16. Prince
17. Marvin Gaye
18. Kanye West
19. Little Richard
20. Jay-Z
21. The Who
22. Sam Cooke
23. Pink Floyd
24. David Bowie
25. Eminem
26. U2
27. Run-D.M.C.
28. Beyoncé
29. Nirvana
30. 2pac
31. The Supremes
32. Bruce Springsteen
33. Queen
34. Bob Marley & the Wailers
35. Buddy Holly & The Crickets
36. The Temptations
37. Kendrick Lamar
38. Neil Young
39. R.E.M.
40. Taylor Swift
41. Drake
42. Elton John
43. Whitney Houston
44. The Everly Brothers
45. Janet Jackson
46. Mariah Carey
47. Black Sabbath
48. Public Enemy
49. The Byrds
50. Otis Redding
51. Metallica
52. Sly & the Family Stone
53. Bill Haley & His Comets
54. The Bee Gees
55. Donna Summer
56. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
57. The Kinks
58. ABBA
59. The Beastie Boys
60. Bo Diddley
61. Roy Orbison
62. The Clash
63. AC/DC
64. Fleetwood Mac
65. Rihanna
66. The Doors
67. Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions
68. Dr. Dre
69. The Notorious B.I.G.
70. Joni Mitchell
71. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5
72. Outkast
73. Britney Spears
74. Simon & Garfunkel
75. Creedence Clearwater Revival
76. Parliament/Funkadelic/George Clinton
77. Radiohead
78. N.W.A.
79. The Ramones
80. Lady Gaga
81. Aerosmith
82. Eagles
83. Guns N' Roses
84. The Police
85. Van Halen
86. Coldplay
87. Al Green
88. LL Cool J
89. Green Day
90. The Drifters
91. Adele
92. The Weeknd
93. Rod Stewart
94. Paul McCartney/Wings
95. Pearl Jam
96. The Grateful Dead
97. Mary J. Blige
98. Missy Elliott
99. The Shirelles
100. Van Morrison
101. Cream
102. Fugees/Lauryn Hill
103. Red Hot Chili Peppers
104. The Isley Brothers
105. The Dominoes
106. The Orioles
107. The Band
108. Bad Bunny
109. Billy Joel
110. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
111. Justin Timberlake
112. TLC
113. Oasis
114. The Platters
115. Jerry Lee Lewis
116. Deep Purple
117. Jackie Wilson
118. Eric Clapton
119. Wilson Pickett
120. The Four Tops
121. Lana Del Rey
122. Daft Punk
123. Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young)
124. Big Joe Turner
125. Johnny Otis
126. Frank Zappa
127. The Coasters
128. Dion (& the Belmonts)
129. The Allman Brothers Band
130. Janis Joplin/Big Brother and the Holding Company
131. Ruth Brown
132. Etta James
133. Elvis Costello
134. The Clovers
135. The White Stripes

[Fido]

Kendrick above Young (yes, I'm still on that part of the list) kinda looks weird. Influence and popularity cancel themselves out I guess, which leaves us with acclaim where Young is one of the strongest ever. I can see it being a tie, and I'd give the win to the most influential (Young). Don't want to derail the list over one spot, just throwing some thoughts.

I don't think Drake, however, has anything on Elton and Whitney, and the Everlys have a big lead in influence and imo acclaim.