TOP 5 Classic rock bands

1. The Beatles - they experimented with backwards tape loops on Revolver.

2. The Doors - Jim Morrisons lyrics were dark and the organ sounds created by Ray Manzarek were eerie.

3. The Who - Tommy was the second Rock Opera after the Pretty Things SF Sorrow.

4. Cream - Imagine three of the best musicians of their time soloing at the same time.

5. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Influenced a lot of guitar players with his unorthodox upside down guitar playing and bending of the strings etc. because he was a lefty playing a righty guitar.

1. The Beatles- What can I say, they made me enjoy Rock Music. I grew up on them as well.

2. The Who- Very consistent with their sound (although it did change), and each album sounds different and original.

3. Cream- Clapton is one of my biggest influences... so obviously

4. Led Zep- What everyone else said.

5. Then a tie between Primus and GnR.

The Who had everything - they could rock as hard as Zeppelin but they could also deliver hit singles that didn't make you cringe, rock movies that were actually pretty good and masive concept albums you could talk about with your non proggy mates. All this, plus they looked like the gang everybody wanted to join, as did the almost equally brilliant

Led Zeppelin - Jimmy page was a better axeman than Pete Townshend, but in the never ending Who versus Zep debate I alwayswent with the 'oo. Zeppelin had a kind of dark, satanic mystique to go with the immaculate riffs, plus their policy of no interviews and no singles (in the UK at any rate) made them remote from parents and teachers. They were great fans of

Dr. Feelgood, a band from Essex who played short, brutal bursts of high octane, high energy rivvum an blooz. Like any bunch of classic rockers, they also looked as hard as nails - you could be forgiven for thinking that the bouncers had chucked the band out and picked up their instruments. The fightingest band in rock was

Thin Lizzy, fronted by a stick thin black Irishman and boasting almost as many axe heroes passing through the ranks as the Yardbirds. Phil Lynnott's bass had a mirrored scratch plate that was cooler by itself than every poodle rock band in the 80s put together - add the twin axe attack and some of the truest lyrics ever penned and the combination was irresistible. The last of the true greats was

The Clash - they may have started out as 3 chord towerblock amphetamined boredom, but by 1979 they had turned into serious contenders for the greatest rock and roll band on the planet. They showed how rock and reggae could be mixed convincingly (Sting? Who he?) and absorbed  The American Experience in a way that made later pretenders like U2 look like the pale excuses for rock that they truly are.

There's been some great stuff since, but only Nirvana have come close to the swaggering pirate, rampaging viking charisma that marks out the truly great rockers.

Cert,

Good to see some constructive supporting comments, and not just a list of 5 bands! 

1) Queen.

A unique band, whose initial blend of rock, operatic vocals, classically styled piano and pristine guitar solos combined with imaginative and highly creative use of multitracking, and proud avoidance of synths led to a style that was innovative and inimitable. Their later forays into the pop/stadium rock arenas were, unlike many other bands, completely within their philosophy, hence Queen never sold out - they were, as Mercury put it "Musical prostitutes" - but one listen to any of their output is testament to the fact that they worked exceptionally hard on all their music to get it perfect - for what it was. Several of their albums remain hugely underrated, e.g. "Sheer Heart Attack", "Jazz" and "Innuendo", but a classic rock band that cannot be overlooked.

2) The Scorpions.

...and all their offspring. Uli Jon Roth produced some albums that are certainly worth investigating by any proghole into wierd guitar trips, Michael Schenker spawned his own group, showcasing his Nigel Tufnell tendencies to the Max... only kidding! Schenker took the Ritchie Blackmore classical pretensions trip to a different level, paving the way for the shredder generation, and taking his place near the front of the grid for a generation of guitar heroes. The Scorps themselves released their debut in 1969, I believe, and created a catalogue of hard-rockin' tunes with pristine Germanic songwriting sensibilities and demonically catchy melodies - a unique sound. Albums worth checking; "In Trance", "Lovedrive", "Animal Magnetism" - and probably the rest. Recommended MSG album; "Live at Budokhan". UJR is really for the more adventurous...

3) Motorhead.

The Beatles of Heavy Metal. Alright, not really - but if you don't like the 'head, you don't like heavy music. The son of a Vicar, Ian Kilmister started out in a band called The Rockin' Vicars, roadied for Jimi Hendrix (allegedly...), kipped on my mate's floor for a while, then joined an anarchic bunch of space freaks called Hawkwind. His bass and vocal style grew, then, after he got kicked out of the 'wind following a narcotics bust (speed, natch!), teamed up with two ex-Pink Fairies to produce an album that should have taken the world by the throat and ripped out the juicy bits. Instead, the record company got cold feet and shelved "On Parole", and we got Punk Rock instead. Unperturbed - but only just, Ian got together a couple of likely lads who believed in the music, and Motorhead arose, pheonix-like. The rest is history... another band with a totally unique sound (a pattern is forming...).

4) Metallica.

Possibly not what most would consider a "classic" rock band, that is exactly what they have become. There is hardly a metal band on tour or recording today that doesn't owe at least part of its sound to Metallica. While the production of Bob Rock is widely prevalent, the looming hulks of the massive, Sabbath-inspired slow riffs combined with the frenetic buzz of thrash that Metallica perfected (even if they didn't invent it) liberally sprinkled with progressive pretensions reined in by an almost psychotic attention to compositional detail... where was I? Oh yes! These guys are responsible for the widespread adoption of Metal by the masses, and gave it a huge (metal) kick up the ass when it needed it most (anyone else shudder at the glammy hair bands of the 1980s?). Yes, there were other bands in the genre that Metallica disowned (Lars Ulrich hated the term "thrash"), but none did as much for or took the genre through as many different interpretations as Metallica. And without them, where would prog metal be?

5) Every other classic band I can't mention due to having arrived at #5 already.

Godz, how could I not mention Deep Purple and their many offspring? Thin Lizzy? Ten Years After? AC/DC? Aerosmith? Budgie? Diamond Head? Led Zeppelin? Cream? Black Sabbath? Van Halen? The Troggs?

I'm going to throw a wild one in here; Blue Cheer.

"Vincebus Eruptum" is virtually unlistenable - but shows moments of awe-inspiring (if accidental) greatness, but "Outside Inside" is the classic that never was. This album is the birthplace of heavy metal, grunge and a whole stack of other genres. When Douglas Adams wrote about Demolition Squad, this was probably the band he had in mind. OK, it probably wasn't - Adams had probably never heard them, but if he had, they would have been the perfect fit for a band that sounds best from the next planet in the solar system... a band that "turned the air around them into candy floss", a band that played so loudly that they could be heard 10 miles away, a band that called their 2nd album "Outside Inside" because they overloaded the equipment in the studio and had to finish the album on a mobile recording rig in a field. They produced other albums, but none as devastatingly ground-breaking as the latter 2. Their place in history is widely unrecognised, so read up, get listening and spread the word... http://www.furious.com/perfect/bluecheer.html

oliverstoned wrote: Blacksword wrote: Led Zeppelin Black Sabbath Motorhead Aerosmith (pre Permenant Vacation) Van Halen (Pre-Hagar) you're too much into heavy! ok for led zep, but forget others

I grew up on metal so I still have a bit of a hangover from all the headbanging I did in the 80's

I rarely listen to very heavy stuff these days. Dream Theater is about as matallic as I get, although some would argue thats pretty heavy. Motorhead were always my top metal band, but Black Sabbath and Zep formed the bridge to prog land for me.

Good to see some comments RL, to everyone else. Please say WHY you like those bands!!

Lists are dull unless there is some supporting narrative to stumulate discussion.