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.

[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. Nirvana
29. Beyoncé
30. 2pac
31. The Supremes
32. Bruce Springsteen
33. Queen
34. Bob Marley & the Wailers
35. Buddy Holly & The Crickets
36. The Temptations
37. Neil Young
38. Kendrick Lamar
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. Otis Redding
50. The Byrds
51. Sly & the Family Stone
52. Metallica
53. Bill Haley & His Comets
54. Donna Summer
55. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
56. The Bee Gees
57. The Kinks
58. ABBA
59. Bo Diddley
60. The Beastie Boys
61. Roy Orbison
62. The Clash
63. Kraftwerk
64. AC/DC
65. Fleetwood Mac
66. Rihanna
67. The Doors
68. Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions
69. Dr. Dre
70. The Velvet Underground
71. The Notorious B.I.G.
72. Joni Mitchell
73. Outkast
74. Britney Spears
75. Simon & Garfunkel
76. Creedence Clearwater Revival
77. Parliament/Funkadelic/George Clinton
78. Radiohead
79. N.W.A.
80. Lady Gaga
81. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
82. LL Cool J
83. Aerosmith
84. Eagles
85. Guns N' Roses
86. The Police
87. Van Halen
88. Eric B. & Rakim
89. Coldplay
90. Al Green
91. The Ramones
92. Green Day
93. The Drifters
94. Adele
95. The Weeknd
96. Rod Stewart
97. Paul McCartney/Wings
98. Pearl Jam
99. The Grateful Dead
100. George Michael/Wham!
101. The Jackson 5/The Jacksons
102. Mary J. Blige
103. Missy Elliott
104. Earth, Wind, & Fire
105. Jerry Lee Lewis
106. Roy Brown
107. Wynonie Harris
108. The Platters
109. The Shirelles
110. Jackie Wilson
111. Van Morrison
112. Cream
113. Fugees/Lauryn Hill
114. Joy Division/New Order
115. Red Hot Chili Peppers
116. Eric Clapton
117. John Lennon
118. Deep Purple
119. Santana
120. The Isley Brothers
121. The Dominoes
122. The Orioles
123. The Four Tops
124. The Smiths
125. Blondie
126. The Clovers
127. Ruth Brown
128. The Band
129. Bad Bunny
130. The Sex Pistols
131. Iron Maiden
132. Billy Joel
133. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
134. Justin Timberlake
135. Oasis
136. TLC
137. Talking Heads
138. Phil Collins
139. Daryl Hall & John Oates
140. Chicago
141. Lana Del Rey
142. Daft Punk
143. Big Joe Turner
144. Johnny Otis
145. Eddie Cochran
146. Roxy Music
147. Genesis
148. Rush
149. Etta James
150. Martha & the Vandellas
151. Frank Zappa
152. Patti Smith
153. Diana Ross
154. Wilson Pickett
155. Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young)
156. Janis Joplin/Big Brother and the Holding Company
157. Sam & Dave
158. The Yardbirds
159. KISS
160. Bon Jovi
161. Alice Cooper
162. Carole King
163. Rick Nelson
164. Jefferson Airplane
165. Yes
166. James Taylor
167. The "5" Royales
168. Def Leppard
169. Dion (& the Belmonts)
170. R. Kelly
171. Gladys Knight & the Pips
172. Kool & the Gang
173. The Mamas & the Papas
174. The Coasters
175. Del Shannon
176. The Allman Brothers Band
177. Elvis Costello
178. The White Stripes
179. King Crimson
180. The O’Jays
181. Lynyrd Skynyrd
182. Solomon Burke
183. Tom Petty
184. The Animals
185. Bob Seger (& The Silver Bullet Band)
186. Hank Ballard & the Midnighters
187. Little Willie John
188. The Flamingos
189. The Cars
190. War
191. LaVern Baker
192. The Moody Blues
193. Jackson Browne
194. Ivory Joe Hunter
195. Bonnie Raitt

[ManPerson]

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

I underestimated Phil's influence a little bit.