*Rolling Stone:The Immortals:100 Greatest Artists of All Time
Submitted by blindsider on Fri, 12/05/2008 - 04:24
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- This is RS magazine's list of the 100 greatest artists of all time.
- 1. The Beatles - Makes sense. What else can you say?
- 2. Bob Dylan - I could argue with this one. He's a legend, but number 2?
- 3. Elvis Presley - Very successful, the king of rock n roll of course, but he was very controlled by his manager.
- 4. Rolling Stones - Often called 'Anti-Beatles', definitely top 5
- 5. Chuck Berry - Probably invented Rock n Roll. Deserves to be here.
- 6. Jimi Hendrix - First guitar god, I believe. Revolutionary player
- 7. James Brown - Godfather of soul, is it? Great showman
- 8. Little Richard - American Rock & Roll/R & B singer and pianist
- 9. Aretha Franklin - I think she was the first woman to be inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame. I'll look that up later.
- 10. Ray Charles - American R&B singer and pianist
- 11. Bob Marley - Jamaican reggae singer
- 12. The Beach Boys - Some of the catchiest songs I ever heard.
- 13. Buddy Holly - Tragic death. One of the first to use a solid-body electric guitar.
- 14. Led Zeppelin - Possibly the 'fathers of heavy metal', but some might argue that Black Sabbath is.
- 15. Stevie Wonder - American soul singer. Plays many different instruments, and has won 22 grammy awards
- 16. Sam Cooke - A founder of soul music.
- 17. Muddy Waters - 'Father of Chicago Blues'
- 18. Marvin Gaye - 'The Prince of Motown'.
- 19. The Velvet Underground - American rock band, formed in 1965. Regarded as highly influencial in the rise to punk-rock, and alt-rock.
- 20. Bo Diddley - Legendary R&B singer. Known as the 'Originator'
- 21. Otis Redding - You might not know him, but you've probably heard 'Sittin' on the dock of a bay'.
- 22. U2 - The Joshua Tree was one of my favourite albums
- 23. Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA was overplayed. Good to see him make music again.
- 24. Jerry Lee Lewis - 'Great Balls of Fire' was his greatest hit, and one of my favs
- 25. Fats Domino - Rock & Roll pianist
- 26. The Ramones - Regarded as the first punk-rock group
- 27. Nirvana - I swear, RS magazine has a hard-on for these guys. They put Kurt Cobain at #12 on their 'Greatest Guitarists of All Time' list, and now this.
- 28. Prince - 'Purple Rain' is one of my favourite albums. He's also an icon in style
- 29. The Who - Should be higher. Rock artists still try to sound like them
- 30. The Clash - English punk-rock band from the 70's
- 31. Johnny Cash - The 'Man in Black'. Should be higher, since he's the equivalent of Elvis, except country. The only country singer I like
- 32. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - American R&B group
- 33. The Everly Brothers - Country/Rock Duo
- 34. Neil Young - Candadian singer-songwriter. Influential in grunge
- 35. Michael Jackson - Would be higher if he wasn't wacko. Thriller was the best-selling album of all time
- 36. Madonna - I don't like her music, but she could still be higher. The 'Queen of Pop'
- 37. Roy Orbison - American singer-songwriter. Sang 'Oh, Pretty Woman'
- 38. John Lennon - Liked him in the Beatles, not as a solo artist. Imagine was a great song, however
- 39. David Bowie - Icon in music, as well as style
- 40. Simon and Garfunkel - Should be in the top twenty, in my opinion. If you haven't heard of them, you need to get some education
- 41. The Doors - I'd put them top 30, but this is alright
- 42. Van Morrison - 'Van the Man'. Sang 'Brown Eyed Girl'.
- 43. Sly and the Family Stone - American funk band
- 44. Public Enemy - Not a chance. I'd say about 80, maybe
- 45. The Byrds - American rock group
- 46. Janis Joplin - American singer-songwriter
- 47. Patti Smith - The 'Godmother of Punk'
- 48. Run-DMC - Biggest act in hip-hop throughout the 80's
- 49. Elton John - Should be higher. Not a huge fan, but I can appreciate his talent
- 50. The Band - Canadian rock band. They backed Ronnie Hawkins, and Bob Dylan
- 51. Howlin' Wolf - Blues singer
- 52. Allman Brothers Band - Southern-rock band
- 53. Eric Clapton - English blues-rock guitarist
- 54. Dr. Dre - Has numerous Grammys for rapping and producing
- 55. Grateful Dead - American rock band
- 56. Parliament/Funkadelic - African-American soul band
- 57. Aerosmith - American hard rock band
- 58. Sex Pistols - One of the first punk bands. Definitely one of the most prolific
- 59. Louis Jordan - Jazz musician
- 60. Joni Mitchell - Canadian singer-songwriter
- 61. Tina Turner - American singer and entertainer
- 62. Etta James - American R&B singer. Sang 'At Last'
- 63. Phil Spector - He's a producer. Why is he on here?
- 64. The Kinks - English rock group
- 65. Al Green - American gospel singer
- 66. Cream - '60's British rock band. Considered to be the first 'supergroup'
- 67. The Temptations - American R&B vocal group
- 68. Jackie Wilson - R&B singer
- 69. Carl Perkins - 'The King of Rockabilly'
- 70. The Police - Sold over 50 million albums world-wide. Highest paid musical act of 2008
- 71. Frank Zappa - American composer. Phenomenal guitarist
- 72. AC/DC - They've had countless hits, and are one of the most popular bands around. I'm surprised they weren't higher
- 73. Radiohead - Glad to see them gettin' some love, but they were placed ahead of some great legends. Maybe a few years down the road I would put them here
- 74. Hank Williams - Country singing legend
- 75. The Eagles - Could be higher. Their greatest hits album was the 2nd greatest selling album of all time
- 76. The Shirelles - Girl group in the 60's. The first to get a #1 single on the Billboard 100.
- 77. Beastie Boys - Jewish hiphop group. Never would have guessed they'd be successful, but they were
- 78. The Stooges - Highly influencial in punk-rock
- 79. The Four Tops - American R&B quartet. Are noted for having a baritone for a lead singer(stubbs)
- 80. Elvis Costello - English musician, singer-songwriter
- 81. The Drifters - American R&B vocal group
- 82. Eminem - Has many awards, including an Academy award for 'best original song' for 2002's 'Lose Yourself'
- 83. N.W.A. - Gangsta-rap group from the eighties. Dr. Dre and Ice Cube were in this group
- 84. James Taylor - American singer/songwriter and guitarist from Boston
- 85. Black Sabbath - RS never really liked Black Sabbath. If memory serves me correctly, their first review of Sabbath went something like 'Should they even exist?...'. I would place them in the top 40 at least
- 86. Tupac Shakur - Rap artist. The first to have an album go to #1 while in jail.
- 87. Gram Parsons - Country singer. Died at age 26
- 88. Miles Davis - Jazz trumpet player
- 89. The Yardbirds - English rock group. Introduced us to Clapton, Page, and Beck
- 90. Carlos Santana - Solo guitar player. His band has consisted of about 40 people over the years
- 91. Ricky Nelson - American singer with over 50 Hot 100 hits
- 92. Guns n Roses - 'Appetite for Destruction' was the best thing they ever did. Too bad they weren't consistent
- 93. Booker T. and the MG's - Instrumental soul band. One of the first inter-racial groups
- 94. Nine Inch Nails - Trent Reznor is Nine Inch Nails. He's pretty much the only member
- 95. Lynyrd Skynyrd - American southern rock band
- 96. Martha and the Vandellas - Female R&B group
- 97. Diana Ross and the Supremes - Popular female singing group of the 60's
- 98. Roxy Music - English rock group from the 70's. They re-formed in 2001
- 99. Curtis Mayfield - American soul singer
- 100. Lee 'Scratch' Perry - Influencial figure in Reggae music
- Artists That Deserved to Make The List (At Least More Than Some of The Ones That Actually Did)
- Queen - Top 30 material, easily
- Pink Floyd - Top 50
- Metallica - I don't want to sound like another metalhead that doesn't shut up about metal groups, but Metallica deserves to be somewhere on the list. In the 90-100 range at least
- Tom Waits - One of the most unique voices, and an amazing talent. Top 80, about
- Pearl Jam - They have Nirvana at 27, and Pearl Jam isn't on the list? Where is the justice?
- Willie Nelson - I'd put Willie on the list before I'd put Gram Parsons on, that's for sure
- Van Halen - I'd say somewhere around 80
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- REM
- Neil Diamond
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Rod Stewart
- Fleetwood Mac
- Judas Priest
- Wu Tang Clan
- Notorious BIG
- Waylon Jennings
- B.B. King
- Wilson Pickett
- Frank Sinatra
- The Cure
- The Smiths
Author Comments:
This list has so many flaws, I wouldn't know where to start. It's a good topic for argument, so I copied it down, and posted it. Please let me know your thoughts on the list.
Also, check out
100 Greatest Vocalists
100 Greatest Drummers
100 Greatest Pop Songs
For an objective list, this is pretty terrible. No Pink Floyd? No Queen? Yet there's Dr. Dre, Eminem, Radiohead, Martha & the Vandellas, Roxy Music, Lee Scratch Perry?
Hey man, I didn't make it...RollingStone magazine did. I definitely don't agree with it, and when I read it, I thought the same thing?"No Queen..No Pink Floyd?".
Haha, I know you didn't make it. RS are morons.
Well at least this poll was voted by musicians and producers. Another similiar poll the Vh1 100 Greatest Rock Artists poll was voted by musicians and producers and had the Beatles at number 1
Seconded. No Pink Floyd, no Queen? LOLOL
Miles Davis on the list? #88?
Where's Tom Waits? Is Art Tatum here?
Don't you think that the hip hop artists deserve to be on the list? There is much more to music than just rock n roll and its roots. You refer to Run DMC as "him" and that is just wrong. Run DMC is a group of three guys who could be solely responsible for bringing hip hop to urban and white cultures. They're mix of Walk This Way with Aerosmith is one of the most ground breaking contributions to music ever.
Also Eminem could probably be higher- did you know that voters rated Eminem as the best rapper alive in a poll taken by Vibe Magazine this past summer?
I agree that the classic rockers deserve their respect, but so do the hip hop artists. Dr. Dre pretty much ran most of the rap industry in the 90s and early 2000. Take this or leave it, but hip hop artists are a very important part of American culture and the music industry today. And I'm talking about real artists that write real music, not the gang bangers who write about bullshit.
Excellent point, I'll give you that one.
The problem I have is that they have RunDMC ahead of so many others, including Aerosmith. They also left out:NotoriousBIG, Wu Tang...who I think deserve to be on the list.
It's a very controversial list, and it's nearly impossible to please everyone. It's purely opinion, and I personally don't believe Dr. Dre should be as high as he is.
Thank you for the post, it's given me plenty to think about
Also, I'm not very familiar with the genre of hip-hop, so I might just be a little biased towards rock & roll. I need to learn more about it, I suppose.
QUEEN? IN MY OPINION THEY WOULD BE MY NUMBER ONE OR TWO...AS I LOVE THEM AND THE BEATLES!
SERIOUSLY THERE LYRICS ARE PHENOMANAL, THEIR INSTRUMENT TALENT IS AMAZING, FREDDIE MERCURYS VOICE IS FANTASTIC, AND OF COURSE THEIR ALL ROUND TALENT TO ALSO ENTERTAIN THE CROWD IS PRICELESS. R.I.P FREDDIE! BY FAR THE BEST BAND EVER ALONG WITH THE BEATLES! XX
Why isnt Green Day on the list??? They definenly deserve it
I'll make a new list sometime: 100 Greatest Artists That Weren't On The Rolling Stone Version(or something along those lines). I'll remember to put them on.
This list is so way off I had to become a member just to voice my opinion..
Like someone said before, I almost don't know where to start, but i do know
two words.."Steely Dan" anyone remember them? they wrote some of the best recorded music of the 70's & early eighties, right along them how about their
peer/buddy group "The Doobie Bothers" how could these two great bands not be included? also not included that i feel is ridiculous are the following:
Chicago,Creedence Clearwater Revival,Journey,Grand Funk Railroad,Pink Floyd,Yes,
Deep Purple,Jackson 5,Jefferson Airplane/Starship,Van Halen,America,Robert Johnson,George Harrison,Heart,Neil Diamond???(top 3 biggest selling of all time,along w/ Streisand & Elton),The 4 Tops,The Mama's & the Pappa's,Fleetwood Mac (top 5 biggest lps /Rumours),Three Dog Night,btw: who is Lee Perry??lol
i'm sure there are more but i've made my point. it seems that some were included just for the sake of not offending some readers such as:nine inch nails,radiohead, Louis jordan??Dr Dre?? but no Crosby,Stills,Nash? how about
The Guess Who,The Hollies, Wings, Ricky Nelson,N.W.A ?
The bottom line this list is bogus, & also the greatest guitarists list is way off, Eddie Van Halen #70 lol just 1 poor example. they should have put Steve Miller #1, not Hendrix lol kidding.. I do like Duane Allman at #2 but to rate guitarists is very difficult, to me its who moves you..
keep on with these silly lists RS..
and where are BON JOVI?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Nirvana Overrated? Hmmm they started the whole grunge movement and are still influencing music today. KISW had a ton of their songs in their top 999 of 2008 which is based on requests.
Notorius BIG Underrated? Take away Puffy and what do you got? His lyrics sure aren't on par with 2Pac and his voice isn't as straight to the heart like NWA is. Oh and while 2Pac's records are still selling Notorius BIG has faded away.
Bon Jovi should be listed? Bon Jovi didn't bring on a movement on their own. They sold a lot of records and their music was good but hardly deserving of being on this kinda list. You put Bon Jovi on there you have to add every hair metal band who sold at least 10 million records and had catchy music.
Rolling Stone Magazine is based on who influenced music the most not who was the most popular or best selling. People who hate Rolling Stone Magazine ratings either know nothing about the influence of an artist, is biased and thinks all their favorite groups should be on here or thinks popularity and sales should determine everything. I don't agree with all of Rolling Stone but it's hardly a horrible list.
If it's about how people influenced I mean Michael Jackson is number 35 what the fuck is up with that huh?
So the Ramones definitly should be on there, for being the first punk rock band
BTW in my opinion 2Pac should be ranked the best Rapper of all time. He's a poetic rapper who's music has feeling and can make u feel what he's feeling. I think in time you will see him continue moving up that list and Notorius BIG continuing to lose popularity.
Eminem is really good to
Boys 2 Men????????? What's up with that??
Why are Fleetwood Mac and Dire Straits not on this list?!?!?
Are u fucking kidding me Michael Jackson is on this as number 35 who cares what he did doesn't change the way he changed music fuck rolling stone
Stumbled on this while killing time. While there are definitely many arguments to make for a number of bands not being on the list, and while the original poster added a solid group of bands that should have made but did not make the list, it was interesting to note that neither the RS list nor the individual who posted this remembered Tom Petty, one of America's greatest rockers. I would argue he ought to be in the top 10 of this list. Reasons: 1. The guy's written countless hits for over 40 years and counting; 2. The Heartbreakers are amazing as was his original band Mudcrutch, as is his solo work; 3. The guy worked with half a dozen artists on this list; 4. In fact, he and the Heartbreakers toured with Dylan as an opening act for over a year in the 1980s and they acted as his backup band with Tom singing harmony right along side Dylan; 5. Tom was a founding member of what was arguably the greatest super group of all time, the Travelling Wilbury's in which he played along side Harrison, Orbison, Dylan, and Lynne; 6. He was one of the pioneers of music video (from Don't come around here no more to Last Dance with Mary Jane and everything in between); 7. He and the Heartbreakers have sold over 60 million Records; 8. He still tours and is as amazing a live performer as a recording artist (not something you can say for everyone on this list); 9. The people who want to work with an artist, say something about the artist, so let an artist be judged by other artists--why would Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, George Harrison, Ringo Star, George Mcguinn, Stevie Nicks, Dave Groll, and Johnny Cash and producers like Rick Reuben, Dave Stewart, and Jimmy Levine work with Petty, if he wasn't THE MAN; 10. Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock n' Roll hall of fame in their first year of eligibility, not something often seen; 11. Finally, though I could list about 20 songs here that even an individual who has never owned a Petty album but just listens to the radio would recognize, I'll limit myself to two songs--American Girl and Free Falling. Pretty much everyone I know tells me that when they here one of those two songs, or any Petty song, that they instantly want to sell everything, by an old American car, saw the top off and drive it out west.
Sorry for the quite long argument in favor of putting Petty at the top of this list. Like I said above, it's not just shocking that he isn't on the list at all, but that he wasn't in the top 10. And this isn't the first such list I have noticed he was absent from. I hope I changed someone's mind.
What is this "Top 100 English artists"??
Where is Serge Gainsbourg?
Mmmm once again, this is more of a top 100 recognizeable showcase.
Pink Floyd?
I mean seriously PINK FLOYD??
Uhm.. I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned... BUT WHERE IS RUSH?!
The Ramones DEFINITLY need to be on this list (30-60). They are widley credited for starting the punk rock genre! incredible dissapoinment. And korn/Slipknot should be in there, since they started the nu metal music. But I'm glad Dr. Dre is in there, as well as nwa, nirvana, eminem, and a couple others are in there...
This is the most ridiculous piece of shit
I have ever read in my entire life.
I have no arguments about The Beatles, that is
about the only thing they got right. Elvis Presley
at number 3? Are you kidding me? He hardly ever
wrote his own stuff. There's no denying he had
an amazing voice, but he was in no way a musician.
No Pink Floyd? I have never been so outraged in my
life. I would have been seriously pissed to see them
anywhere less than top 10, but to not be on there at all? I completely lost all respect for The Rolling Stone magazine when I read this list. They managed to single handedly flush all of their decades of prestige down the toilet with one single article. Pink Floyd revolutionized rock music. They created the "concept album" idea. I was bummed when I saw David Gilmour (Pink Floyd's guitarist) wasn't very high on their "greatest guitarists" list. But at least he was on there!
And another thing... while I'm in rant mode.
I am so sick and tired of hearing about Nirvana!
"OH MY GOD! THEY REVOLUTIONIZED MUSIC! THEY CREATED GRUNGE!" Let me ask you something... just where in the hell is grunge music? Huh? Started in mid 90s and gone by 2000. What a fucking run that was eh? Some revolution. All Kurt Cobain did was repeat the chorus 59 times for about 3 of the 4 minutes of every god damn song. They could have possibly been a good band if they were around for more than 5 years. Beastie Boys? Are you kidding me? They left out Pink Floyd (Dark Side of the Moon was, for a long time, the most selling record in history, until Thriller) and Queen (Bohemian Rhapsody is possibly the greatest song of all time, and near the top of most rocker's lists) but they had the Beastie Boys in there? What exactly did they revolutionize? How did they "change music forever"? They simply screamed simple rhymes as loud and high pitched as their tiny balls would allow them. I will never take Rolling Stone seriously ever again. Its a fucking joke. I am seriously surprised they didn't put Britney Spears or Lady GaGa on this list. If that list was made this year, I bet Hannah Montana and Lil' Wayne would be put on here as well. Hell, why don't we take every band off of here but the Beatles, and put in Hip Hop and Pop stars? Maybe even The Wiggles... just to see what people would fucking do. fuck this. 2nd and last post I ever make on this site. I just needed to voice my opinion on this sorry excuse for a list of greatest musicians. There are many on here that I agree with, but many of their choices were just to make all the little gangstas and emos happy.
I know there will always be disagreements with lists such as these, but this list really has no credibility. Before I nitpick some of the choices, the main reason the list has no credibility is it doesn't include these 4 artists anywhere on the list:
Ten Years After
Johnny Winter
Humble Pie
J. Geils Band
Others have pointed out that Queen, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, and CCR are also missing.
As far as nitpicking goes, I can see the Beatles being first, but Elvis should have been second. Someone erroneously commented that Elvis shouldn't have been 3 because he wasn't a musician. First, he did play guitar and second, the list is for top Artists, NOT top musicians.
The Doors, Zeppelin, the Who, and Cream all should have been in the top 10.
Finally, Deep Purple and Joplin also should have made the list.
That's the way I see it. ;)