The conclusion of The Doors taking the title, by the writers of the article posted earlier is pretty convincing to me. I would have ranked them probably 3rd or 4th prior to reading it.
Wasn't so much the argument for them that changed my mind, but the arguments against the other contenders that did it, particularly The Beach Boys.

What is the Greatest American Rock Band of All Time? The Answer is Not as Easy as You Think…

"Which brings us to who we think is actually the quintessential American Rock band of all time. Taking into account everything in this article we’ve talked about, all the criteria, we believe that the Doors are the greatest American rock band of all time. Many of you I’m sure will disagree, as well as with this whole article, because I, too, disagreed at first. “Why them? They’re not nearly the first name I think of when I think about American rock.” But then I started thinking: if the Beatles were the crowning musical achievement in the 60s that embodied change, then surely the Doors were the closest musical equivalent for the U.S., because they too were the embodiment of change, Americanized. Throughout the Vietnam war, the moon landing, the counterculture movement, the Doors were always in the background. Not only that, but they’re the only American band I can think of whose legacy only skyrocketed after their break-up. Every American frontman from Glenn Danzig to Julian Casablancas to Marilyn Manson site Jim Morrison as their greatest inspiration. Jim Morrison leads more of a legacy in the afterlife than he did roaming the Earth, which is enough to prove how timeless they were in the mere five (!!!) years spent together, with each following generation still finding a fascination for them. They were the pinnacle American musical achievement in merging blues and heavy rock, with Morrison’s lyrics elevating the rhythm section into truly universal songs.
[eraofgoodfeeling.com]

Another vote for The Doors:

[www.youtube.com]

-Yeah, as said before, The Doors by me.

-And why? The first songs I heard was Love Her Madly and LA Woman. I was charmed by their seemingly relaxed and mature approach to singing and playing. Rock & Roll sung by a crooner and played by a coctail-jazz band sounded like an unresistable combination to me.

Beach Boys

REM

ZZ Top

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straycatuk
Beach Boys

REM

ZZ Top

Hard to argue against ZZ Top - classic bluesy rock and roll, massive catalogue, great live, the longevity factor including the same three members since 1969, etc., etc., etc.
That said, I'm still not convinced that any band could labeled solely as the best American rock band ever as this thread has shown w/the numerous entries- there's just too many great ones.
Unlike England where it's usually narrowed down to two or three, maybe half a dozen at most, w/The Beatles practically always labeled as #1 near unanimously.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

......Bruuuuuuce & the E Street Band!!!

Can there be any other?

Elvis and his backing band. Bill Haley and his Comets.

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Sighunt
......Bruuuuuuce & the E Street Band!!!

Can there be any other?

Agree with the article I posted.. not eligible and/or discounted.

"Discounting singer/songwriter driven bands (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) in consideration for groups that contained individual personalities coming together to create,"

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MisterDDDD

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Sighunt
......Bruuuuuuce & the E Street Band!!!

Can there be any other?

Agree with the article I posted.. not eligible and/or discounted.

"Discounting singer/songwriter driven bands (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) in consideration for groups that contained individual personalities coming together to create,"

Indeed. If bruce is in then so is Bob. And Bob is undoubtedly the bigger of the two.

Van Halen is not a band. Dominated by the guitarist.
CCR is not a band. One man did all the work.
Nirvana not a band. Cobain and any two guys would have had the same impact.

See how silly this argument is.

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Hairball

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RisingStone

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Mariuana

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RisingStone
My only reservation is, however, the author picks The Doors as the greatest American rock band of all time albeit ad interim. How many song titles of them can a casual music listener or an average person of the general public name when they are asked? Probably only two — Light My Fire and The End. Maybe Hello, I Love You and Touch Me, but that’s it. Compare them with the case of The Beatles or The Stones — go figure.

There are plently of songs by The Doors that are pretty much known for an average listener to name (besides those you've already mentioned). People are strange, Roadhouse Blues, Riders On The Storms, LA Woman, Break On Through, and that amazing record they did with Jim chanting under the Adagio by Albinoni, to name the few.
And I don't even follow them close.

If the band that only existed for less than decade left such a legacy as the Doors did, they easily can be the greatest American band ever. At least, that's what I'm totally agreed with.

Break On Through maybe. But are the other titles you mention as well-known for an average listener or among the general public as those I picked above, really? I’m not so sure...

More people probably know of Riders on the Storm and L.A. Woman than they do Touch Me. Also Roadhouse Blues, People are Strange and Break On Through are better known than Touch Me- especially Break on Through.
Touch Me was sort of a curveball imo (w/the strings, horns, etc.), and far from being one of their best/signature tunes, but I do like it just as I do most Doors tunes.

Having grown up in the Venice/Santa Monica area, I was a big fan back in the day. I vividly remember my older brother buying L.A. Woman when it was released in '71 w/ Love Her Madly being a big hit on the radio. By the time I was in high school around '79/'80, I was somewhat of a "diehard". Trivia: The "blue bus" Jim refers to in The End is in reference to the public Santa Monica bus's which were blue and known as 'the big blue bus'. Also, the line "I see your hair is burnin', hills are filled with fire" evidently was written when Jim was watching the massive Topanga fire of 1970. As a seven yr. old, I also recall watching it from Santa Monica as the entire mountain range was ablaze, and the sky to the north was filled with smoke billowing over the coastline.

Are they the best American rock band of all time? Hard to say, but they're definitely up there in the rankings of all time American greats.

video: [www.youtube.com] I have to go with the Doors-always liked them. Was in Venice 20 yrs. ago & hunted down the Morrison mural on the side of a building. Seen them twice in NY-was great crazy stuff live. Went to 11p.m. late show. Wild! At one point he says I hate NY nobody rushes the stage-all hell broke loose which of course is what he wanted!! Cops not happy pulled curfew bs-ended it-you can hear him sing cops says its time to go now. Wild fun nite.

Cool story mrjones - it would have been intense and amazing to see them live.

On a side note, and having reread the posts above, I noticed something awkward looking w/my spelling of "bus's"...ha... guess I should have known the plural of bus is buses!

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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Whale

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MisterDDDD

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Sighunt
......Bruuuuuuce & the E Street Band!!!

Can there be any other?

Agree with the article I posted.. not eligible and/or discounted.

"Discounting singer/songwriter driven bands (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) in consideration for groups that contained individual personalities coming together to create,"

Indeed. If bruce is in then so is Bob. And Bob is undoubtedly the bigger of the two.

Alright I'm just having a little fun here guys. Lets not take ourselves too seriously, ok? Lol

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Sighunt

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Whale

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MisterDDDD

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Sighunt
......Bruuuuuuce & the E Street Band!!!

Can there be any other?

Agree with the article I posted.. not eligible and/or discounted.

"Discounting singer/songwriter driven bands (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) in consideration for groups that contained individual personalities coming together to create,"

Indeed. If bruce is in then so is Bob. And Bob is undoubtedly the bigger of the two.

Alright I'm just having a little fun here guys. Lets not take ourselves too seriously, ok? Lol

??
Not sure who isn't

You know, the Doors didn't even have a bass player.

jb

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MisterDDDD

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Sighunt

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Whale

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MisterDDDD

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Sighunt
......Bruuuuuuce & the E Street Band!!!

Can there be any other?

Agree with the article I posted.. not eligible and/or discounted.

"Discounting singer/songwriter driven bands (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) in consideration for groups that contained individual personalities coming together to create,"

Indeed. If bruce is in then so is Bob. And Bob is undoubtedly the bigger of the two.

Alright I'm just having a little fun here guys. Lets not take ourselves too seriously, ok? Lol

??
Not sure who isn't

Anyhoo, Bruce isn't American, he's from New Jersey.

J. Geils
The Band
Booker T and MGs

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Stoneage
Elvis and his backing band. Bill Haley and his Comets.

But Elvis was marketed as a solo artist; which he was. That’s a real stretch there, Stoneage!

Looking at the opinions of my fellow posters, I cannot help but feel there is somewhat of a generational divide going on here: Springsteen, The Doors, ZZ Top... These are all real oldies. How about Nirvana, Green Day and Weezer? All hugely Influential in their own right. They inspired their contemporaries, as well as future generations. They’re acts who enjoyed great success - Weezer, not quite so much in the U.K. and continue to be much-loved.

"How about Nirvana, Green Day and Weezer"?

How about no, no, and no.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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Hairball
"How about Nirvana, Green Day and Weezer"?

How about no, no, and no.

Fair enough!

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jbwelda
You know, the Doors didn't even have a bass player.

jb

On LA Woman they did

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Big Al
Looking at the opinions of my fellow posters, I cannot help but feel there is somewhat of a generational divide going on here: Springsteen, The Doors, ZZ Top... These are all real oldies. How about Nirvana, Green Day and Weezer? All hugely Influential in their own right. They inspired their contemporaries, as well as future generations. They’re acts who enjoyed great success - Weezer, not quite so much in the U.K. and continue to be much-loved.

Shouldn't it be a pre-requisite that "the best American rock band of all time" had many great albums under their belt?

If Nirvana made 5 or 6 albums on par with their best, they might have been a contender, imo (and, mind you, this is not my kind of music, apart from maybe Bleach - but the impact they made can't be ignored).

If a band's total catalogue consists of 5 or 6 albums they can't really make the list, the way I see it.

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DandelionPowderman


If a band's total catalogue consists of 5 or 6 albums they can't really make the list, the way I see it.

I'm not sure I agree, my friend. Most of the great acts who've released dozens of studio albums, have released a lot of lesser-work as part of that: Elton, Rod, The Beach Boys, etc. A group - say, The Velvet Underground - can release a mere handful of albums, yet have a cultural and musical-impact that few can match. Nirvana were huge and, still to this day, are an immense influence, surely? They're definitely one of the very greatest American acts.

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Big Al

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DandelionPowderman


If a band's total catalogue consists of 5 or 6 albums they can't really make the list, the way I see it.

I'm not sure I agree, my friend. Most of the great acts who've released dozens of studio albums, have released a lot of lesser-work as part of that: Elton, Rod, The Beach Boys, etc. A group - say, The Velvet Underground - can release a mere handful of albums, yet have a cultural and musical-impact that few can match. Nirvana were huge and, still to this day, are an immense influence, surely? They're definitely one of the very greatest American acts.

I, too, see that they are great, but the greatest? We're trying to find the american equivalent to The Beatles here. Not sure if making a great cultural impact, and then burn out, will suffice - although I'm definitely hearing you.

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DandelionPowderman

I, too, see that they are great, but the greatest? We're trying to find the american equivalent to The Beatles here. Not sure if making a great cultural impact, and then burn out, will suffice - although I'm definitely hearing you.

You know, I don't believe the U.S. has equivalent of the same calibre as The Beatles, Stones, or Floyd. The Americans gave us the blues, jazz and rock n' roll. I think, we, us Brits, did the rest.

.... Its The Rolling Stones ....



ROCKMAN

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Rockman
.... Its The Rolling Stones ....

It always is, isn't it?

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Rockman
.... Its The Rolling Stones ....

The ultimate American rock n' roll band from England!

That’s easy. The Velvet Underground.