Top 10 American Rock Bands 2011
The Doors
“ For me, there are no greater American bands of any kind than The Doors and no greater front man in rock history than Jim Morrison. The floppy-haired lothario didn't seem to know where he was most of the time or what he was going to do on stage but that vibrant spontaneity was a considerable part of what made his performances and Doors' records so incredibly compelling. The rest was down to some seriously learned song-writing and pure inspiration, which ultimately marked the band out as the best of the very best. ”
Nirvana
“ It was years before a rock front-man would capture the imagination in quite the same way as Jim Morrison had in the heady days of the mid-60s but Kurt Kobain of Nirvana certainly came close. As with the Doors, Nirvana's army of devoted, not to say besotted fans were deprived of a more considerable body of work by the untimely death of their respective protagonists. Nevertheless, the early-90s grunge scene pioneers had done enough to merit more than an honourable mention in any list of American rock legends. ”
Metallica
“ Saying Metallica is America's top rock band of all time is risky, but let's face it - they are rock n' roll. James Hetfield's deep, raspy vocals teamed with Lars Ulrich's unbelievable guitar skills has made this band a rock legend. With numerous hits ranging from "Mr. Sandman" to "Fuel," Metallica taught fans what rock music really is, and is one of few rock band's to endure countless decades without ever compromising the heart of rock for the sake of a top 40 hit. ”
Kiss
“ Say what you will, but if your band is big enough to also get hundreds of fan to dress up as you in idol-worshipping like behavior, you're doing something right. Kiss defined glam rock, and turned the rock world upside down when it did so. With blood spitting, pyrotechnics, and fire spitting, there wasn't any other rock band that could compete. Kiss created whole new expectations for the rock show, and did so while inciting a nation making it a great American rock band. ”
Aerosmith
“ Aerosmith's Steve Tyler and Joe Perry have paired catchy lyrics with rolling, memorable riffs since the 1970s, and have created a top hit each decade since the band's inception. Not only is Aerosmith a hit making machine, it is also a highly successful music trailblazer. When Aerosmith first debuted "Walk this Way" with Run DMC, they opened the door for a whole new genre of rock, and brought rap music to a new audience. And any rock band that can do that is solid American music gold. ”
The Strokes
“ I have no qualms about betraying my own preferences at this point and disclosing that I tend toward the indie end of the rock music spectrum and that's why The Strokes feature so highly on my list. New York's latest band of stylised ground-breakers took Britain by storm in the early 2000s and opened up a new set of parameters that are only now being re-arranged. They were in my opinion the best rock band of the previous decade and if they felt like it they could probably lead the way throughout the new one as well. ”
Guns and Roses
“ Having just outed myself as an indie rocker, I will further confess to rating Guns N' Roses as one of the best performers of all time. After all, what is rock music all about if not barn-storming live shows and near-criminal excess.
In their prime, there was not a rock band that could touch them in or out of the studio but their appetite for self-destruction meant they couldn't avoid the slippery slopes to hardcore self-indulgence, drug-addiction and ultimately terminal artistic differences. Fun while it lasted. ”
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
“ Perennial stadium-fillers and large-scale album shifters the Red Hot Chilli Peppers have been around with a variety of different line-ups for a few decades already but it only seems like yesterday they were thrashing around in the desert daubed in silver paint in the video for Give It Away.
Popular and credible back in the 80s and 90s, the Chillies found themselves being launched into the stratosphere in the 2000s thanks largely to the stellar success of their album By The Way, which was released early in the decade. ”
The Grateful Dead
“ Does this band's fame even have to be explained? Jerry Garcia even has a flavor of icecream named after him! The Grateful Dead fans even given have a special nickname, "Deadheads." The Grateful Dead defines the '60s and '70s with their crazy mix of rock and psychedelia which paved the way for all the weird indie and alternative music genres to follow, and declared their presence as one of the top American rock bands of all time. ”
Green Day
“ It would be interesting to know who can fill a stadium the quicker of the Red Hot Chillies and their fellow Californians Green Day. Either way, there's no doubting the success, the popularity or for the most part the quality of music being produced by both bands.
At their best, Green Day combine searing rock riffs and head-banging bass licks with intelligent and almost insightful lyrics. They are essentially a poor-man's Clash but that still makes them one of America's best rock bands. ”
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