Is there a big 5?

[Rufus]

The Beatles
The Stones
The Who
Led Zep

are without doubt cosidered to be the greatest & most influential bands of all time, but is there a number 5?

Maybe The Kinks, Beach Boys, Queen,Pink Floyd?

[bill g]

If we're talking 'rock' music, yeah I'd say:

Beatles
Stones
Beach Boys
Pink Floyd
Led Zep

probably the most influential, and had the most sales. Then, I'd probably throw in The Who, Yes, Nirvana, maybe Genesis, possibly the Kinks or Steely Dan?

[Dave (in MA)]

[JKL2000]

I'd put The Doors ahead of The Beach Boys.

Pink Floyd is prog.

[Digital_Man]

Without being a prog big five I would say maybe:

The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
The Beach boys
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd

Other possible contenders would be U2, The Doors, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Boston, The Police, The Eagles, Genesis, Metallica, AC/DC. It all depends on how much we are taking album sales into account or just longetivity or influence or whatever.

[Digital_Man]

If we're talking 'rock' music, yeah I'd say:

Beatles
Stones
Beach Boys
Pink Floyd
Led Zep

probably the most influential, and had the most sales. Then, I'd probably throw in The Who, Yes, Nirvana, maybe Genesis, possibly the Kinks or Steely Dan?

Wow, I put mine up before even looking at yours. Yeah I would agree with that list(obviously). It's tough to leave out the Doors and the Kinks though but any band who influenced the Beatles as much as the BB's did has to be on there.

As for Pink Floyd being prog, well so what? The Beach Boys were surf rock and the Stones were blues influenced and LZ were proto metal. I think it's safe to say that PF are well known enough outside of prog circles to qualify. You could consider Genesis also for the same reason.

[Progmatic]

The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
The Beach boys
Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd

I cannot make myself to give The Beach Boys so much credit...for me Who, Cream, Jimi Hendrix may be a better fit for Big 5

[klothos]

are without doubt cosidered to be the greatest & most influential bands of all time, but is there a number 5?

Mainly because they were the pioneering bands at the start of the self-writing Modern Rock Ensemble-era of music

The Beatles and The Rolling Stones for sure....I can add Led Zeppelin as well though their hey-dey later

but the term "Greatest" is an ambiguous subjective term which can be based on anything from listener's preference to actual global sales..."Influential" is also a whole separate parameter, in which if we are saying "an artist whose works have influenced subsequent generations of artists", I can tell you flat out that Rush probably single-handedly owns this category (I will wager that for every ten musicians poll'd in a question about musical influences, at least half will credit Rush -- either as a band or as individual musicians -- as being influential), yet they wane against most popular mainstream models for consideration

If we are talking bands that have influenced both "the public mainstream perception" in artistry, sales, and worldwide superband status and appeal:

The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
Led Zeppelin
Queen
U2

[Rufus]

Wow, I put mine up before even looking at yours. Yeah I would agree with that list(obviously). It's tough to leave out the Doors and the Kinks though but any band who influenced the Beatles as much as the BB's did has to be on there.

As for Pink Floyd being prog, well so what? The Beach Boys were surf rock and the Stones were blues influenced and LZ were proto metal. I think it's safe to say that PF are well known enough outside of prog circles to qualify. You could consider Genesis also for the same reason.

You couldn't count Genesis ! sure they had big success in the 80's but that period of their career was hardly influential & the critics hated them !

[Modry Effekt]

The King must be in a big 5.

[klothos]

The King must be in a big 5.

The OP said "bands"

[PeterG]

Well The Kinks are ruled out by dint of The Beatles, likewise The Who due to the Stones i.e. an overlap in similar music. The Beach Boys were only carrying on where others had started.

My BIG SIX

1st acknowledged true R & R band Bill Haley & The Comets
Most influential R & B band converting to Pop with their own material - The Beatles
Most influential R & B band to add rock & their own material to British R & B The Rolling Stones
Most influential rock band to not use an R & R, R & B or a blues base Black Sabbath
Most influential rock band to have truly transcended from arena rock into global ambassadors for good U2
The hugest band in the world that could fill 100,000 seater stadiums for 7 nights in a row Iron Maiden

[bill g]

I cannot make myself to give The Beach Boys so much credit...for me Who, Cream, Jimmy Hendrix may be a better fit for Big 5

Well the sales are there for starters. Also, the influence. So many of today's indie bands wear their Beach Boys influence on their sleeves, couldn't say for sure but I'd think there are more BB influenced artists than the Who or Cream. I was leaving personal taste out of it.

[JKL2000]

Wow, I put mine up before even looking at yours. Yeah I would agree with that list(obviously). It's tough to leave out the Doors and the Kinks though but any band who influenced the Beatles as much as the BB's did has to be on there.

As for Pink Floyd being prog, well so what? The Beach Boys were surf rock and the Stones were blues influenced and LZ were proto metal. I think it's safe to say that PF are well known enough outside of prog circles to qualify. You could consider Genesis also for the same reason.

I only mention Floyd being prog to hopefully spark further debate

[JKL2000]

I cannot make myself to give The Beach Boys so much credit...for me Who, Cream, Jimmy Hendrix may be a better fit for Big 5

Good point that Hendrix should be in!

[klothos]

Jimmy Hendrix

[NogbadTheBad]

Well according to wikipedia & based on sales its

Beatles
Led Zep
Pink Floyd
AC/DC
Queen

[Progmatic]

well instruction says influential...(and spelling is also fixed )...

[klothos]

well instruction says influential...(and spelling is also fixed )...

I was only referencing the "Jimmy"..... thats why I put that in bold ... that might just be an older musician-thing: A good many of us can only see the name Hendrix with Jimi in front of it

[Progmatic]

I was only referencing the "Jimmy"..... thats why I put that in bold ... that might just be an older musician-thing: A good many of us can only see the name Hendrix with Jimi in front of it

I actulally never paid attention to his name ...I guess he was a lazy speller and I am a lazy reader...

[Rufus]

I was in Waterstone's today looking for a new bio. If the amount of literature written about a band is a marker then its The Who , Beatles , Stones , Led Zep & Pink Floyd !

BTW . i bought Dear Boy :The Life of Keith Moon .

[Scrotum Scissor]

The Byrds are arguably the most influential rock band of all time (although their commercial success only lasted a couple of years) besides The Beatles, Stones, The Who and the Beach Boys. Plus Elvis Presley, of course.

As for British 60s groups, The Small Faces have had as much impact as The Kinks - in the long run.

[TheH]

The hugest band in the world that could fill 100,000 seater stadiums for 7 nights in a row Iron Maiden

I was under the influence of Maiden tonight

[Birdy]

The Byrds are arguably the most influential rock band of all time (although their commercial success only lasted a couple of years) besides The Beatles, Stones, The Who and the Beach Boys. Plus Elvis Presley, of course.

As for British 60s groups, The Small Faces have had as much impact as The Kinks - in the long run.

The Byrds? Really.

[Scrotum Scissor]

The Byrds? Really.

Thanks for the roll. But yes, without the music of The Byrds and The Small Faces respectively, the whole phenomenon of 80s and 90s "indie-pop/rock" - which essentially gave such musics longevity in a wholly other extent than Bon Jovi or G'n'R or your average arena rock act or whatever - might have turned out completely different. Granted they were nothing near the commercial grandness of other acts mentioned, much of their credibility with both hipsters and critics stems from exactly that condition.