Though it's certainly a difficult question to ask, this list tries to decide who are the best British rock bands. Some might argue that the roots of Led Zeppelin (and, to a lesser extent, Keith Relf’s Renaissance) were evident here.
Essential album: "Complete Greatest Hits". The rock album had only begun to come of age in the past couple of years, as emphasis gradually shifted from the 45 RPM single to the larger statement that could be made with an LP.
The producers of Rhino's Billboard Top Rock 'N' Roll Hits series have done an amazingly good job with this volume -- especially when one considers that the music of such top (and representative) acts of 1967 as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Doors et al, was not available to them.
The Grateful Dead is one of San Francisco's first "flower power" bands, and they virtually invented the jam band concept.
Vanilla Fudge—Vanilla Fudge—What a concept! Its popularity endures to this day, thanks to classics like "White Room.". His skills as a song interpreter were fully formed on this debut, where he made songs by Dylan, the Beatles and others his own. Essential album: "The Essential Oyster Cult". Albert King—Born Under a Bad Sign—Many of the great 20th century blues artists were still active in the late ’60s, and Albert King proved especially popular with the rock audience. It’s hard to believe songs like “Plastic People” and “Call Any Vegetable” got actual airplay, but the new FM rock stations (and magazines) loved them. Kiss remains a major influence on kids everywhere who dream of rock and roll stardom. Using a flute as a lead instrument and writing songs heavily influenced by classical music, Jethro Tull created a sound unlike any other in rock and roll. Janis Ian—Janis Ian—She was all of 16 when her debut album was released, and already she displayed a vision and maturity of artists twice her age. Best Classic Bands Editor Jeff Tamarkin has been a prolific music journalist for more than four decades. This was their second LP, and while not as shocking as the debut, it’s still pretty insane. They were one of the first bands to use light shows and fireworks in their live performances. The Hollies—Evolution—This album, along with Butterfly, released later in the year, marked the end of the Graham Nash era. As you might have suspected, The Beatles top our list at No.
Their "Stairway To Heaven" is believed to have received more radio airplay than any other song in history, even though it was never released as a single. Essential album: "The Byrds' Greatest Hits". Pink Floyd—The Piper at the Gates of Dawn—Well, this was something different.
Formed by singer Steve Winwood, Traffic had far greater success with albums than with singles, and it thrived in spite of numerous personnel changes and long breaks. Truly brilliant stuff.
Essential album: "Complete Greatest Hits". The rock album had only begun to come of age in the past couple of years, as emphasis gradually shifted from the 45 RPM single to the larger statement that could be made with an LP.
The producers of Rhino's Billboard Top Rock 'N' Roll Hits series have done an amazingly good job with this volume -- especially when one considers that the music of such top (and representative) acts of 1967 as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Doors et al, was not available to them.
The Grateful Dead is one of San Francisco's first "flower power" bands, and they virtually invented the jam band concept.
Vanilla Fudge—Vanilla Fudge—What a concept! Its popularity endures to this day, thanks to classics like "White Room.". His skills as a song interpreter were fully formed on this debut, where he made songs by Dylan, the Beatles and others his own. Essential album: "The Essential Oyster Cult". Albert King—Born Under a Bad Sign—Many of the great 20th century blues artists were still active in the late ’60s, and Albert King proved especially popular with the rock audience. It’s hard to believe songs like “Plastic People” and “Call Any Vegetable” got actual airplay, but the new FM rock stations (and magazines) loved them. Kiss remains a major influence on kids everywhere who dream of rock and roll stardom. Using a flute as a lead instrument and writing songs heavily influenced by classical music, Jethro Tull created a sound unlike any other in rock and roll. Janis Ian—Janis Ian—She was all of 16 when her debut album was released, and already she displayed a vision and maturity of artists twice her age. Best Classic Bands Editor Jeff Tamarkin has been a prolific music journalist for more than four decades. This was their second LP, and while not as shocking as the debut, it’s still pretty insane. They were one of the first bands to use light shows and fireworks in their live performances. The Hollies—Evolution—This album, along with Butterfly, released later in the year, marked the end of the Graham Nash era. As you might have suspected, The Beatles top our list at No.
Their "Stairway To Heaven" is believed to have received more radio airplay than any other song in history, even though it was never released as a single. Essential album: "The Byrds' Greatest Hits". Pink Floyd—The Piper at the Gates of Dawn—Well, this was something different.
Formed by singer Steve Winwood, Traffic had far greater success with albums than with singles, and it thrived in spite of numerous personnel changes and long breaks. Truly brilliant stuff.
Boston's progressive, synth-based sound is both slick and exciting. It may or may not be the Beatles’ greatest achievement. In spite of the fanfare that has always surrounded them, their genius can't be denied. Moody Blues—Days of Future Passed—When we last heard from them, they were another British Invasion band with a penchant for the blues.
We’re not ranking them; they’re arranged alphabetically by artist. Their highly personal 1977 "Rumours" album is still among the top 10 best-selling albums ever released. Though it's certainly a difficult question to ask, this list tries to decide who are the best British rock bands. Some might argue that the roots of Led Zeppelin (and, to a lesser extent, Keith Relf’s Renaissance) were evident here.
Essential album: "Complete Greatest Hits". The rock album had only begun to come of age in the past couple of years, as emphasis gradually shifted from the 45 RPM single to the larger statement that could be made with an LP.
The producers of Rhino's Billboard Top Rock 'N' Roll Hits series have done an amazingly good job with this volume -- especially when one considers that the music of such top (and representative) acts of 1967 as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Doors et al, was not available to them.
The Grateful Dead is one of San Francisco's first "flower power" bands, and they virtually invented the jam band concept.
Vanilla Fudge—Vanilla Fudge—What a concept! Its popularity endures to this day, thanks to classics like "White Room.". His skills as a song interpreter were fully formed on this debut, where he made songs by Dylan, the Beatles and others his own. Essential album: "The Essential Oyster Cult". Albert King—Born Under a Bad Sign—Many of the great 20th century blues artists were still active in the late ’60s, and Albert King proved especially popular with the rock audience. It’s hard to believe songs like “Plastic People” and “Call Any Vegetable” got actual airplay, but the new FM rock stations (and magazines) loved them. Kiss remains a major influence on kids everywhere who dream of rock and roll stardom. Using a flute as a lead instrument and writing songs heavily influenced by classical music, Jethro Tull created a sound unlike any other in rock and roll. Janis Ian—Janis Ian—She was all of 16 when her debut album was released, and already she displayed a vision and maturity of artists twice her age. Best Classic Bands Editor Jeff Tamarkin has been a prolific music journalist for more than four decades. This was their second LP, and while not as shocking as the debut, it’s still pretty insane. They were one of the first bands to use light shows and fireworks in their live performances. The Hollies—Evolution—This album, along with Butterfly, released later in the year, marked the end of the Graham Nash era. As you might have suspected, The Beatles top our list at No.
Their "Stairway To Heaven" is believed to have received more radio airplay than any other song in history, even though it was never released as a single. Essential album: "The Byrds' Greatest Hits". Pink Floyd—The Piper at the Gates of Dawn—Well, this was something different.
Formed by singer Steve Winwood, Traffic had far greater success with albums than with singles, and it thrived in spite of numerous personnel changes and long breaks. Truly brilliant stuff.
Procol Harum—Procol Harum—“A Whiter Shade of Pale” defined the year 1967 as much as Sgt. Fantasy—There was little indication, when Steve Winwood sang his heart out with the blues-rocking Spencer Davis Group, that he had this kind of creativity in him. The Beach Boys 2. Pepper, Hendrix and the Doors. The Beatles—Sgt. Evolution was their move into more complex territory. In August 2018, their 1976 greatest hits album edged out Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as the biggest-selling album of all time, with over 38 million copies sold. The Mothers of Invention—Absolutely Free—The followup to their debut Freak Out! Tim Buckley—Goodbye and Hello—The singer-songwriter’s sophomore release was an ornate, expansive masterwork that revealed its creator to be way more than just another troubadour with a guitar. With one of the most recognizable sounds in rock and roll, Rush is also known for their fantastic live shows.