Greatest Rock Artists Of All Time (Revision Version)

[Tim]

It's my list not Man's as he did not submit his version yet. My thinking was that Phil Collins' solo popularity eclipses Genesis' and while they do win in acclaim and influence, Phil solo acclaim and influence improved over time as well.

[Tim]

I'd say Dre as an overall figure is more influential and acclaimed than Joni and if we credited Smokey for his songwriting in acclaim why not Dre for his production? Biggie is also extremely acclaimed and influential as an emcee and obviously more popular than Joni.

[ManPerson]

I agree with that. I also would have Joni Mitchell above Biggie, VU and Dr. Dre. Way more acclaimed than Biggie and Dre and also more influential. Against VU it's closer but she's more popular than them and when talking about musical impact instead of critics she's also a more acclaimed figure across the board.

Dre and Biggie are both clearly more popular and both two of the most acclaimed figures in hip hop. Dre also may be more influential than Joni, I think.

[ManPerson]

I haven't looked at it closely yet, but I think I'd have Genesis ahead.

[Tim]

Man?

[Zach]

Man, oh man alive!

[ManPerson]

I'll get to it.

[Dubrow555]

A weird question, with the addition of several recent artists from the last decade or two, I'm wondering if an artist like Aphex Twin would be appropriate for this list. Obviously very influential, popular (I read something about how he was recently getting more YouTube listeners than Taylor Swift), and not sure how massive acclaim is, but he is most certainly critically adored.

[Tim]

Guess I may add him to the list of candidates not on Brian's top 200 on page 8 for now.

[ManPerson]

A weird question, with the addition of several recent artists from the last decade or two, I'm wondering if an artist like Aphex Twin would be appropriate for this list. Obviously very influential, popular (I read something about how he was recently getting more YouTube listeners than Taylor Swift), and not sure how massive acclaim is, but he is most certainly critically adored.

Edit: nvm

[Zach]

Aphex Twin is very likely the most influential electronic artist overall since the early '90s, and his acclaim is top-tier within the genre as well. He's exceptionally well-known within electronic music circles, though his broader popularity has been somewhat lukewarm or decent. It's probably even stronger now, especially with his recent rise on YouTube, as Dubrow noted. If he's considered part of the rock genre, I think he might deserve a spot somewhere on this list, but that classification is ultimately up to y'all. For what it's worth, he's almost guaranteed a spot in the Top 10 of the eventual Greatest Electronic Artists revision.

Other electronic acts worth considering (beyond the already placed Kraftwerk, Daft Punk, and New Order):

- Depeche Mode (mandatory, of course)
- Björk (strong all-around)
- Pet Shop Boys (strong all-around)
- Brian Eno (about half his output is clearly rock; the other half is ambient/experimental)
- Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force (huge influence, with decent acclaim and popularity)
- Giorgio Moroder (industry-celebrated and seminal in making pop and dance music electronic, if production and film scores count)
- Tangerine Dream (major influence on electronic composition/infrastructure; rooted in progressive rock/krautrock)
- Yellow Magic Orchestra (influence on synth-pop and electronic music often seen as second only to Kraftwerk)
- Jean-Michel Jarre (less tied to rock than some, but helped elevate electronic music to a rock scale)
- The Human League
- Gary Numan / Tubeway Army
- The Prodigy
- The Chemical Brothers
- Massive Attack

[Tim]

Depeche Mode and Afrika Bambaataa are already on Brian's list and Eno is on Man's list of candidates but added the others, thanks for suggestions, Zach.

[Tim]

Reckon Moby is also worth considering as well, if we are talking electronic music.

[Zach]

Yeah, I almost listed him. He was actually next in mind.

[ManPerson]

I'd add Tyler, The Creator and Ice Cube to the list of contenders.

[Tim]

Added. Also added Motörhead to this list of contenders as well.