Curious to know what people outside of the U.S. think is the biggest American Rock Band of All Time...

Here'a few:

The Eagels
Aerosmith
Kiss
Van Halen
The Doors
Green Day
The Beach Boys
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

(Please- no Bon Jovi)

When you think about it, it is amazing how many great bands came from the U.K.

What's your thoughts?

PECMAN

The Doors are like Kennedy, serves a few short years at the top, lots of charisma that keep folks talking for years, but no great accomplishments (IMHO).

Georgia Satellites, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gov't Mule, ZZ Top, Allman Bros. and CCR to name a few that can't be left out.

My list this week:
Doors
Dolls
Skynyrd
Dead Kennedys
Blondie
Patti Smith Group
13th Flooors Elevators
Gonn
Stooges
The Band

The obvious omission to Pecman's list is the Grateful Dead

Almost certainly the most successful touring band to have come from the US, although their appeal isnt quite the same overseas.

In terms of commercial success, its almost certainly The Eagles.

Cant really count Bruce & The ESB as a 'band' in the same sense as its Bruce who has the record contract...but if you must include them, theyre unquestionably the best of the lot and one of (but not the) biggest.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2008-06-06 22:10 by Gazza.

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Baboon Bro
My list this week:
Doors
Dolls
Skynyrd
Dead Kennedys
Blondie
Patti Smith Group
13th Flooors Elevators
Gonn
Stooges
The Band

The Band were, with the exception of Levon helm, Canadians.

Gazza, I agree with you about Patti Smith being on the list. I saw her at the Longhorn Ballroom Dallas in 78. Just a Honky Tonk trying make xtra money. Only about 200 people showed(at $6!). The bandstand was only about 1 ft high and you could stand with your shoes touching it! With the difference in our height I was looking her right in the eyes about 3 ft away. Great show! Also have to put ZZTop on the list. Even though I hated the techno crap in the late 80s they're a helluva live band. You gotta be to make that much noise with 3 pieces! Billy Gibbons even impressed Hendrix when his Houston band opened for him in the 60s. the Ft Worth Fandango Tour show was a blast.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND

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scottkeef
Gazza, I agree with you about Patti Smith being on the list.

It was Baboon Bro who said that. Not me. I didnt compile a list!

Patti's certainly a great artist, but on a "biggest" list ? No way.

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keeffriffhard
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND

A bit of a stretch to say they were 'big' when they were all but unknown during the entire period of their existence.

Wow...quite diverse lists. I wonder if the perspective differs from those of us in America and others from around the globe. My list is by no means about the 'best' or 'greatest' American band...that's a whole other discussion and would likely include none of these, BIG bands:

Grateful Dead - filled stadiums coast to coast until Jerry's death
The Beach Boys - huge in the 60s. Pathetic afterwards.
Aerosmith - longevity thru 70s till today, thru many eras
Bruce Springsteen - the best band on this list (IMHO), but not the biggest
Kiss - embarrassing
Skynyrd - down in flames sadly though I was never a fan
Allman Bros - an institution of still amazing musicians, but far from the biggest ever
Nirvana - how big could they have gotten if Cobain lived.

My nominee for biggest American band:

The Eagles - boring music for boring people...and there are a lot of boring people here. They are the vanilla of bands. They sell shitloads of CDs (their Greatest Hits is still selling well). They charge a ton for tickets and get people to pay it.

All that being said....my next few concerts by American bands that I have tix for are REM, Modest Mouse (yes they have Johnny Marr...but it's an American band), Tom Petty and Robert Cray with Keb'Mo.

Crosby, Still, Nash & Young
The Bryds
Nirvana
Guns N Roses

are a few more

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Gazza

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Baboon Bro
My list this week:
Doors
Dolls
Skynyrd
Dead Kennedys
Blondie
Patti Smith Group
13th Flooors Elevators
Gonn
Stooges
The Band

The Band were, with the exception of Levon helm, Canadians.

And Canada is, or was last time I saw, situated in America?

Sorry for leavin' out Byrds, Velvet, Kozmic Blues & CCR.
Guess I forgot a dozen more.

Guess we have to add a subjective flavor here,
otherwise we can only glanze at the billboard lists.

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scottkeef
Gazza, I agree with you about Patti Smith being on the list. I saw her at the Longhorn Ballroom Dallas in 78. Just a Honky Tonk trying make xtra money. Only about 200 people showed(at $6!). The bandstand was only about 1 ft high and you could stand with your shoes touching it! With the difference in our height I was looking her right in the eyes about 3 ft away. Great show! Also have to put ZZTop on the list. Even though I hated the techno crap in the late 80s they're a helluva live band. You gotta be to make that much noise with 3 pieces! Billy Gibbons even impressed Hendrix when his Houston band opened for him in the 60s. the Ft Worth Fandango Tour show was a blast.

Agree with you about ZZ Top's later music. I LOVE this song, however!!

WMiller-yeah thats a great video! theres so little documented from their US appearances thank goodness for the european stuff. Also as much as I love Dusty and Frank the truth is they are 2 of the luckiest jokers around.ANYBODY that got hitched to Billy's wagon was going places!!

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Hound Dog
Crosby, Still, Nash & Young

1 Brit, 1 Canadian--so only half.

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Baboon Bro

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Gazza

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Baboon Bro
My list this week:
Doors
Dolls
Skynyrd
Dead Kennedys
Blondie
Patti Smith Group
13th Flooors Elevators
Gonn
Stooges
The Band

The Band were, with the exception of Levon helm, Canadians.

And Canada is, or was last time I saw, situated in America?

On the continent, not in the country. I think the Canucks on here might take issue with you on this one...LOL

the grateful dead ,aerosmith are my top us bands

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

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Pecman
When you think about it, it is amazing how many great bands came from the U.K.

What's your thoughts?

PECMAN

The bizarre thing for me is that while a disproportionately large % of the top rock bands of all time came from the UK (considering we've just 20% of the population of the US), the vast majority of great solo acts originated from the USA. Britain has produced very few by comparison. David Bowie is perhaps the most noteworthy exception.

It seems that theres something cultural in which we manage to churn out great bands and America produces great solo artists

Didn't Heart end up absolutely HUGE? ><

One of them did!

Elvis Presley
&
Jimi Hendrix

both need to fit on the list somehow...

Allman Bros
Beach Boys
CCR
Doors
Grateful Dead
Eagles

I think The Eagles and Aerosmith are the biggest bands.

but the best one is CCR.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-06-08 18:12 by BowieStone.

bo donaldson & the heywoods

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Gazza
On the continent, not in the country. I think the Canucks on here might take issue with you on this one...LOL

The country "America" "L'America"?

Didn't someone once say summit like "Man you Brits got your Beatles and we've got our Rolling Stones." ?

Might have been Homer Simpson!

Sorry BTW to leave out Jimi Hendrix Experience, War & Canned Heat (esp 1968-70).