# The 6 greatest British bands of all time **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2024, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019 "2024-09-09T16:26:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/101 "2024-09-11T03:09:56Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Of these, The Who are getting the least love in this thread, and they are, by far, my favorite band of all times. Mine as well. In their prime as a live band no one could touch them (Just ask the Rolling Stones). Losing Keith diminished them, but they still blew the roof off Madison Square Gardens in the Concert For NYC. Losing John was the final straw though, after that their shows were good but the magic was gone. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/102 "2024-09-11T03:15:01Z")
The Smiths Radiohead New Order The Clash Depeche Mode Oasis Tough to leave The Cure out, but 6 is 6. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/103 "2024-09-11T03:23:43Z")
This post is representative of why I started this thread. The accumulation of bands I’m not familiar with. The Smiths have come up a lot. I’m not familiar. I need to fix that. Someone once gave me a New Order CD. I was young and never took the shrink wrap off of it. > [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Tough to leave The Cure out, but 6 is 6. Got it in though! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/104 "2024-09-11T03:52:20Z")
If I were going for the top six bands based NOT on my preferences, but on the historic changes they brought to popular music… well, it’d be close to what’s been posted already: - The Beatles - The Rolling Stones - Led Zeppelin - The Who - Queen - Pink Floyd or Cream _(or Bowie, but he’s not a band…)_ . I’d love to then list another six (like The Smiths), from the later era _after_ history had been changed by the first six… but oh, well (which reminds me of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac…). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/105 "2024-09-11T03:58:27Z")
> [@digs](#): > > If I were going for the top six bands based NOT on my preferences, but on the historic changes they brought to popular music… well, it’d be close to what’s been posted already: > > - The Beatles > - The Rolling Stones > - Led Zeppelin > - The Who > - Queen > - Pink Floyd or Cream > _(or Bowie, but he’s not a band…)_ I’d been considering how/what to post in this thread, but I think that the reasoning I’d put into it, and who I’d pick, are exactly what you’d shared. FWIW, I’d probably lean more towards Pink Floyd than Cream. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/106 "2024-09-11T04:03:32Z")
Well, you’re all just lucky I didn’t go into my lonnng reasonings behind every band’s inclusion. I would’ve spent twenty paragraphs tying the rise of the middle class to both World Wars and the British monarchy and the twelve-tone scale and the ferry 'cross the Mersey… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/107 "2024-09-11T08:24:44Z")
One thing I’ve noticed - I _think_ only 4 posters have mentioned bands fronted by women. > [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > The first rock opera You say this like it’s a positive rather than something they’re to blame for 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/108 "2024-09-11T12:10:33Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > One thing I’ve noticed - I _think_ only 4 posters have mentioned bands fronted by women I’m surprised myself that nobody had mentioned Fleetwood Mac ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/109 "2024-09-11T12:15:58Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > I’m surprised myself that nobody had mentioned Fleetwood Mac Well, if I knew the Monkees qualified… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/110 "2024-09-11T12:20:41Z")
I would guess a lot of people consider them (at least the Buckingham-Nicks variation) only _semi_-British. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/111 "2024-09-11T12:33:39Z")
Do the Pretenders count as a British band? Because they’d be my pick for best female-lead band, and they keep up with everyone posted so far. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/112 "2024-09-11T12:39:42Z")
Really? Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Chrissy McVie are all British, and the band was started in London. Yes, they’ve got some American members, but I would count the band as a British one in a way the Monkees really aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/113 "2024-09-11T12:43:08Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > Yes, they’ve got some American members “Only” the two main frontpeople for most of the band’s best-know period & songs. > [@Teuton](#): > > I would count the band as a British one As would I. I was just offering suggestions as to why people weren’t. The other option - hear me out here - is that people just don’t rate them as highly as at least 6 other bands. . > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Do the Pretenders count as a British band? I mean, they formed in London, right? Although, by that standard, so’s the Jimi Hendrix Experience 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/114 "2024-09-11T12:45:57Z")
That last is entirely possible - I didn’t list them myself for that reason. Mick Fleetwood has always been the headline guy for me. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/115 "2024-09-11T12:47:19Z")
I really think of Fleetwood Mac more as an LA band, than a London band. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/116 "2024-09-11T12:49:33Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > Mick Fleetwood has always been the headline guy for me. I think most people would say Buckingham/Nicks/McVie, even if Mick’s name is on the tin. Singers get the glory first (closely followed by lead guitar) ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/117 "2024-09-11T13:03:32Z")
Beatles Pink Floyd Led Zeppelin Rolling Stones Yes The Who ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/118 "2024-09-11T13:29:54Z")
I too was surprised by how long it took Fleetwood Mac to get a mention, though fair point that they are not 100% British. I don’t know enough about music to have a strong opinion on which 6 British bands had the most influence etc, so I’ll just list the 6 whose music I enjoy the most. Queen Dire Straits Oasis Fleetwood Mac Deep Purple Coldplay (yes, really - like all bands, they’ve put out some rubbish, but also some really good tunes) ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/119 "2024-09-11T13:45:51Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > I don’t know enough about music to have a strong opinion on which 6 British bands had the most influence etc, so I’ll just list the 6 whose music I enjoy the most. Same here. I admit that any list of actual “greatest British” bands not to include The Beatles is probably wrong. The 6 I mentioned are just my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019/120 "2024-09-11T16:19:39Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > > [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > > > The first rock opera > > You say this like it’s a positive rather than something they’re to blame for 🙂 Depending on your point of view, The Pretty Things deserve at least some of the blame. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-6-greatest-british-bands-of-all-time/1007019.md?page=7)