I know I did this about American bands several months ago, but what do the Dopers across the pond look to as influences? And again, I would hope you could defend you choice.
SSG Schwartz
No defense necessary for my band. You know Who they are.
Did you ever hear these four fellas from Liverpool?
ETA: rereading the OP, I’m confused as to what you want to know. Do you want to know about the most influential band from the UK, or the band that had the most influence on music in the UK, or the band that people from the UK (or Europe generally) think has had the most influence. Anyway, In all these cases I stand by my answer as offered above.
^
Thread Over.
Too many to name mate. So I guess that makes it a good question! Choosing the most influential is very tough. The Beatles are in some sort of socio-political cultural space all by themselves, and choosing between the great British rock bands of the 70s is fun, but just splitting hairs. If you’re talking about pop music, though, the answer is clear cut: David Bowie.
Bowie was / is a massively influential guy on the sound and look of any band that came through in the 70s and 80s with any sort of popular sound. He’s the archetypal pop star, rather than rock star. His influence really extends across all genres of music in terms of how his image, which he famously re-invented, was absolutely integral to his music. Many years ahead of his time in this respect.
Giant though he is, I’m not sure how much he is listened to these days. ‘Classic pop music’ is a bit of an oxymoron.
Who is the most generous guy on the north pole?
The Beatles were the most influential, certainly, in that they inspired the most guys to pick up guitars and start bands of their own. But very few bands they “influenced” copied their sound. I can think of a few singles here and there that sounded like the Beatles (The Knickerbockers’ “Lies,” for instance), but I can’t think of many successful bands (apart from Oasis) whose whole sound was imitative of the Beatles.
But I think practically every heavy metal band (from the serious ones to the frivolous hair bands) has been consciously imitating Led Zeppelin, which puts them right into the conversation.
And if not Led Zeppelin, then certainly Black Sabbath.
Well, yeah, but don’t they say Helter Skelter by The Beatles is the first heavy metal song? 
I think the influence of The Beatles extends beyond just the sound into, for instance, writing songs that don’t follow the regular pattern of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-verse.
The Beatles have many influences that are beyond their sound. Things like long songs, Indian music, complex production methods (Queen may sould little like the Beatles, but “A Night at the Opera” would never have been made without “Sergeant Pepper.”), different chord progressions (before the Beatles, there were sounds everyone used; the Beatles would accidentlly play a wrong chord and, instead of saying “Oops, did it wrong,” would say “That sounds good. How can I use it?”), different song structures, and many other things. The Beatles influence on modern popular music is akin to oxygen’s influence on life on Earth – it’s everywhere, even if you don’t realize it.
Definitely true- even though “Days of Future Passed” and “Court of the Crimson King” don’t sound at all like the Beatles, there’s no way to conceive of such records if “Sgt. Pepper” hadn’t so drastically expanded everyone’s idea of what rock and roll COULD be.
The Beatles are clearly in the top spot, but if you’re arguing about second place, the Rolling Stones certainly deserve consideration.
The Stone Roses.
I’ll stick up for Genesis. Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel alone make them worth of consideration.
The Stone Roses imitated The Beatles at their psychedelic, ground-breaking best; Oasis merely imitated their ‘pop-iness’! IMO.
There’s just no arguing The Beatles. This thread is really like asking who was the best basketball player on the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.
But, if we’re talking about second place, I would put Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath above The Rolling Stones. I might even put The Who above the Rolling Stones. As enduring as the Stones are, I don’t see them as particularly influential.
Obviously bands such as the Beatles, Stones, Floyd, etc. are highly influential.
But for the kind of music I listen to, I’d say the most direct influence is the Smiths, Britain’s most important band of the 80s.
Mike Ditka?
The Ramones - I know they’re American, but they basically created the British Punk era. Just one concert they held created the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Souxie and the Banshees, and other founders of the British Punk scene of the late '70’s. They probably have direct or indirect influence on every modern rock band in existence to today.
Do you realise if there was no (Southern Death) Cult, there’d be no Smiths? Both Marr and Mozzer owe their musical starts to Billy Duffy :eek:
…and I’d say Joy Division/New Order has it over the Smiths, personally.