# The greatest American rock band of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2015, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690 "2015-09-02T11:55:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/141 "2015-09-03T18:26:51Z")
I personally go weak at the knees for The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nirvana, and Guns N’ fukin’ Roses. Every time I want to rock out to some US music\*, they are the bands I’ll choose first. I might go on a tangent, via YouTube, to plenty of other groups but I’ll almost always go #1:those four. \*Americana might also include Blues, Funk or Jazz, but mostly will be rock ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/142 "2015-09-03T18:54:11Z")
Heh heh. You said “go #1.” Heh heh. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/143 "2015-09-03T22:56:40Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > I wonder where Steely Dan fits into all this? > > Are they rock enough? Musically you’d not have any argument, and as for longevity - well they are still going, but can you call them a band or a collection of various session musicians that step in and out of the Steely Dan orbit from time to time. First, no band after the 60s is allowed to be an answer. You all should know how I feel about Becker and Fagan since I worship them in every music thread. They’re beyond wonderful as songwriters and producers. A band? No. They’re good but not great musicians and they dismissed their backups after two albums. Did they rock? They could. Listen to “Boddhisatva.” That made me think of Jefferson Airplane. I played _Surrealistic Pillow_ and _Crown of Creation_ today and their music was terrific. They’re also not known for cooking as a band, but take a listen to “If You Feel.” It rocks as hard as “Boddhisatva.” (And Carlos Santana did the beautiful guitar work on “Pretty As You Feel” from _Bark_.) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/144 "2015-09-03T23:06:35Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > The Eagles’ “Long Road Out of Eden” tour from 2008-2011 grossed over $250,000,000. Their current “History of the Eagles” tour is on pace to equal that amount. Both tours have had multiple sellouts and rave reviews. > > The Eagles have sold 140,000,000 albums worldwide and their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is the best selling album of all time in the U.S. > > “Nobody listens to the Eagles anymore?” > > What a ludicrous statement! > > It’s like Yogi Berra’s comment about the restaurant nobody goes to anymore because it’s too crowded. The Eagles managed to bring in that much money touring because they know people will pay several hundred dollars a ticket to see them. :dubious: As for their “Greatest Hits” album, I never owned it, but I did get “The Long Run” for Christmas from my brother when I was in high school. Good album, although I don’t know what made him think I would like it. Oh, well. Around that same time (1980-ish), I rang up tons of that “Greatest Hits” album at Target, the one with the blue cover, and since we’re on the topic of the Allman Brothers, Target later sold boxes of cutout LPs at 99 cents each. “Enlightened Rogues” probably sold more copies that way, from that store alone, than it sold elsewhere all put together. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/145 "2015-09-03T23:19:33Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Bands go back very far, yes. This is a thread about rock bands. It’s right there in the name. > > Umm, we are all looking back through history. That’s the only thing people who weren’t there can do. And if if you were there, it means bupkiss. I know, I was there for some of it. > > But how much they rocked would bear heavily on the status of that band as a “Rock” band. > > Concern about image pretty much came with the first generation of Rock 'n Roll performers. You’re way off base laying that at some point after punk, and it has pretty much nothing to do with how good a rock band was. For example: Bowie was completely concerned about image (in a sub-genre heavily concerned by it), but he and several of his cohort totally rocked. My point is that looking backwards through a backwards telescope is limited and makes it smaller. It has nada to do with the reality. I wasn’t referring to self-consciousness. It was a total paradigm shift.You must not have been there. The punks were very self conscious, and they (said they) hated the older bands. It was like the biggest change ever and it took the bands a long time to get over it. It took years before anyone would admit to liking Zeppelin, have long hair again, play guitar solos. Meanwhile most cities got “scenes” where there had only been cover bands before. That wasn’t a pivot point? Where were you? I’m not proud of being there. But “Bupkiss”? So much for fighting ignorance eh? The point is older bands sound slower and have less production at their disposal, not to mention less marketing strategy (in the production) (!) , and are way less monomaniacal about “ROCKING”. They had other things to say that made them great artists. That’s rock too. But their music must be better whether it rocked or not because most of the great bands cited here are prepunk and pre NWOBHM. If you are only looking backwards through a small lens you won’t see it. To judge them against each other for booty scooting is not informational. “How much they rocked” is very much a function of their mini-era, and not their quality. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/146 "2015-09-03T23:23:10Z")
Our local “alternative” paper a couple years ago did a survey to determine the all-time greatest American rock band. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers finished #1 followed by the Ramones. Creedence, the Doors and the Allman Brothers join those two in my top five, although I should probably include Chuck Berry and whoever was backing him up at the time. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/147 "2015-09-03T23:28:50Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > First, no band after the 60s is allowed to be an answer. > > You all should know how I feel about Becker and Fagan since I worship them in every music thread. They’re beyond wonderful as songwriters and producers. A band? No. They’re good but not great musicians and they dismissed their backups after two albums. Did they rock? They could. Listen to “Boddhisatva.” > > That made me think of Jefferson Airplane. I played _Surrealistic Pillow_ and _Crown of Creation_ today and their music was terrific. They’re also not known for cooking as a band, but take a listen to “If You Feel.” It rocks as hard as “Boddhisatva.” (And Carlos Santana did the beautiful guitar work on “Pretty As You Feel” from _Bark_.) I want to use this opportunity to say I really missed the boat. I should have put Steely Dan up in the top 3. I apologize. That is what rock means to me. The band held for 3 LPs, and it has two geniuses. Then three more brilliant Lps with the two. That’s enough for me. Plus Denny Dias came back for the solo on Aja. What does it mean “To Rock”? Can you rock and suck too? Can you rock without a drummer? I really like it when the band rocks when they have a rocking thing to say. That usually is a function of melody. If the melody is not there I couldn’t see it rocking me. IMHO. It’s like breathing. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/148 "2015-09-04T01:02:31Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I want to use this opportunity to say I really missed the boat. I should have put Steely Dan up in the top 3. I apologize. That is what rock means to me. The band held for 3 LPs, and it has two geniuses. Then three more brilliant Lps with the two. That’s enough for me. Plus Denny Dias came back for the solo on Aja. > > What does it mean “To Rock”? Can you rock and suck too? Can you rock without a drummer? I really like it when the band rocks when they have a rocking thing to say. That usually is a function of melody. If the melody is not there I couldn’t see it rocking me. IMHO. It’s like breathing. I think the essential components of rock are a backbeat groove and danger. If you aren’t putting something at risk with your music, your image, your challenge, I am likely not going to think its rock n’ roll or rock. Steely Dan are wonderful, but didn’t cast nearly the shadow that the Ramones have, to cite one example. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/149 "2015-09-04T01:17:36Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I think the essential components of rock are a backbeat groove and danger. If you aren’t putting something at risk with your music, your image, your challenge, I am likely not going to think its rock n’ roll or rock. > > Steely Dan are wonderful, but didn’t cast nearly the shadow that the Ramones have, to cite one example. Well, the point about the Dan is that they’re sui generis. They were an antithesis to every other style of the 70s, which they had open contempt for. More so even than the Ramones in some ways. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/150 "2015-09-04T01:18:03Z")
I want to reiterate Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I’m a huge fan of that band (and they are a band), though they maybe are a bit too derivative of the Byrds and other bands from that era, but I’d argue that they managed to encapsulate the true sound of American rock perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/151 "2015-09-04T01:26:28Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > I want to reiterate Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I’m a huge fan of that band (and they are a band), though they maybe are a bit too derivative of the Byrds and other bands from that era, but I’d argue that they managed to encapsulate the true sound of American rock perfectly. I don’t know if they are the greatest american rock band but I think they are vastly underrated ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/152 "2015-09-04T01:57:48Z")
Here’s a happy thought: what if the Greatest American Rock Band **of All Time** hasn’t come along yet? After all, we’ve still got part of “all time” ahead of us. If we’re really lucky, there’s still good rock waiting to be made. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/153 "2015-09-04T02:26:37Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Here’s a happy thought: what if the Greatest American Rock Band **of All Time** hasn’t come along yet? After all, we’ve still got part of “all time” ahead of us. If we’re really lucky, there’s still good rock waiting to be made. Rock is definitely in a slump. The Black Keys are about the only good and popular band right now. In the last 10 years add the White Stripes. Hopefully it bounces back. ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/154 "2015-09-04T02:32:42Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > You must not have been there. The punks were very self conscious, and they (said they) hated the older bands. It was like the biggest change ever and it took the bands a long time to get over it. It took years before anyone would admit to liking Zeppelin, have long hair again, play guitar solos. I’m trying to figure out where the above story might have been true. Maybe England? I was there, and in the U.S., we punks were vastly outnumbered while long-haired bands dominated the charts. See how many true punk bands you can find among the Billboard Top 100 albums for any year of the 70’s or 80’s, and report back. As for the OP, I have no problem if Van Halen wants to bill themselves as the Greatest - I guess they have as much a claim as anybody else. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/155 "2015-09-04T03:06:21Z")
> [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](#): > > I’m trying to figure out where the above story might have been true. Maybe England? > > I was there, and in the U.S., we punks were vastly outnumbered while long-haired bands dominated the charts. See how many true punk bands you can find among the Billboard Top 100 albums for any year of the 70’s or 80’s, and report back. > > As for the OP, I have no problem if Van Halen wants to bill themselves as the Greatest - I guess they have as much a claim as anybody else. What city did you live ( in or near)? What was your rock station(s)? Charts weren’t a good reflection of anything then in the culture. Punk was fairly quickly adapted into new wave and was all over the place. Was it in the Billboard charts? No. Was it on burgeoning video outlets and eventually MTV etc.? Of course. You quoted me out of context: The scenes that sprang up were not hard rock long hair scenes where you were, were they? Maybe I’m talking about my experience in an urban area with Colleges, and you aren’t? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/156 "2015-09-04T03:27:49Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > No mention of Meat Loaf, I guess there’s a lack of longevity there? Meat Loaf - solo artist. Although I guess he’s big enough to be confused for a band. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/157 "2015-09-04T03:42:06Z")
Two things: 1. Does Tom Petty do ANY songs that don’t make some reference to California? B. Don’t confuse “hippies” with long hairs. They weren’t the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/158 "2015-09-04T03:47:14Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > What city did you live ( in or near)? > > What was your rock station(s)? > > Charts weren’t a good reflection of anything then in the culture. Punk was fairly quickly adapted into new wave and was all over the place. Was it in the Billboard charts? No. Was it on burgeoning video outlets and eventually MTV etc.? Of course. > > You quoted me out of context: The scenes that sprang up were not hard rock long hair scenes where you were, were they? > Maybe I’m talking about my experience in an urban area with Colleges, and you aren’t? When I got to Washington DC in '80, it already had one of the best Punk scenes in the country and one of the best radio stations in WHFS, but if you drove 20 minutes outside the city, not a punk rocker to be seen; nothing to be heard but bad, bad music. Yes, New Wave had a non-negligible cultural impact, but I guess you think it caused a paradigm shift while I think it was absorbed. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/159 "2015-09-04T03:57:28Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > 1. Does Tom Petty do ANY songs that don’t make some reference to California? Are you talking about “Free Fallin’” here? ---
**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 4, 2015, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690/160 "2015-09-04T05:46:06Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > First, no band after the 60s is allowed to be an answer. I’m sorry, I didn’t realise this was the “Greatest American _dinosaur_ band of all time” thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729690.md?page=9)