Who is the greatest American rock band of all time?

[Busy_Scissors]

@Peremensoe

No other band touches or contains as many different facets of American music–in addition to having their own idiosyncratic, yet quintessentially American thing.

Dead lyricist Robert Hunter said, "The best compliment I ever had on a lyric was from an old guy who’d worked at the Cumberland mine. He said, ‘I wonder what the guy who wrote this song would’ve thought if he’d ever known something like the Grateful Dead was gonna do it.’ "

Out of interest, if you stopped 100 auld geezers in the street and asked them to name two Grateful Dead tracks, how many do you think could do it?
I can tell you the answer in Europe is zero, which does give them a sort of quintessential American thing unique to the bands in the poll. Even in the US, though, everyone knows their name, but do they know their music?

[Sage_Rat]

I’d have to vote for Queens of the Stoneage or the Dead Weathers.

[adaher]

@Busy_Scissors

Out of interest, if you stopped 100 auld geezers in the street and asked them to name two Grateful Dead tracks, how many do you think could do it?
I can tell you the answer in Europe is zero, which does give them a sort of quintessential American thing unique to the bands in the poll. Even in the US, though, everyone knows their name, but do they know their music?

Touch of Grey is it for me. But I will tell you, last time the Grateful Dead came to south Florida, I saw tons of young people going. Phish is another band like that, seems to attract stoners of all ages.

[Peremensoe]

I expect most geezers could recall the title of “Truckin.” I expect virtually all geezers, and many younger, would recognize that, “Touch of Grey,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and “Casey Jones,” maybe one or two others, should they hear them. These were classic-rock radio staples for some years.

[Jaguars]

The answer is AC/DC. The fact that they are from Aussie is neither here nor there.

[TBG]

I vote for AC/DC

[Wesley_Clark]

Either Skynyrd or The Smashing Pumpkins