It is difficult, and perhaps even impossible, to establish who were the greatest exponents of rock, or rather of that new and varied form of music that emerged in the 1950s and that has accompanied us to this day. One can, however, perhaps try to draw up a ranking or a list that concerns the groups that have revolutionized that world the most, those who – beyond their skill – have managed to shape the music scene and, around it, society of their country and the world, leading to changes that have gone far beyond their simple musical genre of reference.
Sales, digital streaming, impact on social networks and concert spectators. 24/7 Wall Street has taken care of studying, numbers and percentages in hand, the last 10 years of music produced by musical groups to discover the most famous bands of the last decade. Not all of them were born in this period of time, many, such as Pink Floyd, date back to 1965, but they have continued to dictate musical styles to this day.
From the metal genre, passing through rock and ending with pop, the list is full of sacred music monsters, but also pleasant surprises, like the only South Korean K-pop music group on the chart.
The best music bands of all time
The first that come to mind in this sense are the Beatles, so revolutionary as to impose a new and unprecedented role for the rock star, but after them other bands have moved the bar a little further, both for their behavior on stage or in the recording studio, both for their own personal life and for the lyrics of their songs. Let’s find out together.
Beatles
There had already been, in the 1950s and especially in the United States, characters capable of scandalizing the respectable public of the time: Elvis Presley had been swaying excessively for years, making the ladies blush; Chuck Berry got arrested for having sex with a minor; James Brown was screaming like a madman.
But the first band to multiply all this by four were the Liverpool Beatles: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Not that at first the four presented themselves as bad boys; far from it: they had the faces and clothes of the young people next door, and on the other hand when their first single Love Me Do suddenly hit the charts they were between 19 and 22 years old.
Their career, however, is too long – not so much chronologically (the group broke up in fact already in 1970), as from the point of view of the number of hits – to be retraced here in full; from the media point of view, however, the outbreak of the so-called Beatlemania in Great Britain already at the end of ’63, with concerts often unlistenable due to the screams of the fans and daring escapes, as soon as the performance is finished, to avoid being caught by their own admirers; the first trip to the United States, in 1964, accompanied by scenes of collective hysteria and the famous participation in the Ed Sullivan Show.
Rolling Stones
As we have already begun to see and as you will have even more way to discover by reading this article, all the groups we have chosen have sooner or later stopped their activity, dissolving either due to internal quarrels and frictions, or the death of some of their components. All but one: the Rolling Stones.
The band made up of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood (but who in the past also included Brian Jones, Mick Taylor and Bill Wyman in their ranks) has in fact been active and on the breach of the wave since 1962, and even if the contribution in terms of record releases has inevitably decreased, the London quartet still does not fail to perform in sold out concerts around the world.
And if in fact the Beatles were the “stars” of the innovations that the Sixties were bringing to the world, able to see them before others and to anticipate them, the Rolling Stones were probably the ones who exaggerated, inflated and made explode these novelties: not surprisingly, much of their success in the first years of activity came precisely from posing as the “dirty and bad” alternative of the Beatles, even if in reality the points in common between the two bands were more numerous – especially after the maturation of the themes of the songs of the Liverpool quartet – of the differences. With (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction already in 1965 the Stones established themselves as the singers of a tired and dissatisfied youth, ready to react with anger to the world in which they no longer recognized themselves, soon introducing even Satan and the devil in the lyrics of their songs provocatively.
Velvet Underground
Let’s stay focused for another couple of moments on the Sixties which, it must be admitted, were a fundamental decade for the evolution of popular music, shaping its uses, customs, epic and sound. So far we have seen two English bands considered rivals, because they are very close in age and basically public of reference, but before closing the circle with a third British group let’s move for a moment to the United States, where, starting from 1967, it began to emerge the star of the Velvet Underground, a short-lived group – they disbanded six years after their discographic debut, with only five albums to their credit and moreover only the first three in a formation that we could define representative – but which left a fundamental legacy in the history of music.
Founding members of the group were Lou Reed on vocals and guitar, John Cale on a range of different instruments that it would take too long to list, Sterling Morrison on guitar and Maureen Tucker on drums (with Angus MacLise only preceding her for a few months in the ’65 the four combined the texts of Reed, which plumbed the darker sides of contemporary society, between drugs and various perversions, with the experimental music of John Cale, a Welshman who had arrived in America to study classical music with Leonard Bernstein but he soon got involved in the underground scene.
Pink Floyd
A few weeks ago the news – broadcast on Twitter by Polly Samson , wife of David Gilmour – of a new Pink Floyd album to be released in October went around the world: entitled The Endless River, the disc should be based on some sessions recorded in 1994, when the line-up was composed by Gilmour himself, Nick Mason and Richard Wright, who passed away in 2008.
Beyond this unexpected album of unreleased tracks – on whose quality, twenty years after the group’s dissolution, there will be time to pronounce once heard, Pink Floyd undoubtedly marked an era, becoming the leader of that movement that between the late sixties and early seventies created and shaped the progressive, in an exhausting research that wanted to make rock music higher, detaching it from commercial songs and raising it to the complexity, both compositional and ideal, of the work.
Nirvana
After exploring the dawn of British rock and the American East Coast underground, we wanted to move a little further in time, even though we knew it was difficult to single out one name for everything that has happened in the music world from 1975 to today. We considered Led Zeppelin, Ramones, Kraftwerk, Sex Pistols, AC / DC, Beastie Boys, U2 and many others, but in the end, for reasons that go beyond the musical impact alone, we chose to include Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl’s Nirvana in the five-star.
Guns N ‘Roses
In 1985 the band made its debut. The members, who came from two different groups, LA: Guns and Hollywood Rose, decided to merge the two names to create the final one of the group. Between quarrels, scandals, excesses and farewells, the group has never had an easy life, also having to face accusations of xenophobia after the publication of G N ‘R Lies and One In a Million in particular. On January 5, 2016, the reunion of the group, which made record sales skyrocket again. They become one of the most famous celebrities in Hollywood.
AC / DC
Universally recognized as Australians, having formed in Sydney, in reality almost all members of the group are of British descent. Always faithful to the hard rock, heavy metal and blues metal genre, they have produced 30 albums including studio, live and collection records. They have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide since their debut and their ‘Back in Black’ is the second best-selling album of all time after Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
Metallica
Formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, they have won 9 Grammy awards (the Oscars of music) and 5 of their albums have debuted consecutively at number one in the Billboard Top 200. ‘Master of Puppets’ is considered their best work and for some it is one of the best heavy metal albums. Following the death of their bassist Cliff Burton in a car accident in 1986, Metallica seriously considered retiring from the scene, only to return active the following year. To celebrate 30 years of activity, in December 2011, they held four concerts at the Fillmore in San Francisco which were attended by artists and groups who have been a source of inspiration for them such as Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath.
Linkin Park
Despite having debuted in 1996, is considered one of the most commercially successful bands. In the decade between 2000 and 2010 alone, they sold over 100 million records. The sudden disappearance of Chester Bennington, in July 2017, forced the group to cancel the Tour. On October 27th a concert was held in memory of the singer during which Shinoda, voice, keyboard and guitar of the group, released the song. unreleased ‘ Looking For an Answer’, composed a week after the death of his friend. On December 25th 2017 the group released their third live album ‘One More Light’ consisting of 16 tracks recorded live before Bennington’s disappearance.
Coldplay
From 1997 to today the British pop scene has been monopolized by Coldplay who achieved fame already with their single’ Yellow’, contained in their debut album, while with’ Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends’, which dates back to to 2008, the group won 3 Grammy awards. They have sold over 80 million copies worldwide, but as well as for their music they are well known and esteemed for their social battles as well. The band is indeed an active supporter of Oxfam’s cause, which aims to reduce global poverty.
Maroon 5
Before they were Maroon 5, they were nothing more than three high school mates in Los Angeles. They debut under the name of’ Kara’s Flowers’, in three: Adam Levine, Jesse Charmichael and Ryan Dusick. Only after the arrival of James Valentine, guitar, the group will begin to be called Maroon 5. The origin of the name is still secret. They have released 8 studio albums, the latest of which, Red Pill Blues, was released on November 3, 2017.
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Funk, rap, hard rock, heavy metal, punk rock, alternative rock and pop rock. There is not a genre that they have not experimented with, so much so that in live performances they often indulge in total improvisation, and hold the record for the largest number of singles in first place in the Alternative Songs, drawn up by Billboard. They debuted in 1983 and their latest tour, not yet finished, has led them to perform at some of the most important musical events in the world, such as the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan and Rock in Rio.
Gorillaz
Founded in 1998, the band consists of 4 animated characters: 2D, singer and keyboard player, Murdoc Nicalls, bassist, Noodle, guitarist and Russel Hobbs drummer. Besides them there is also a ‘human being’, Damon Albarn, the only real character in the band. In 2001 the first eponymous album ‘Gorillaz’, which thanks to the success of the single ‘Clint Eastwood’ – over 6 million copies sold worldwide – earned the band a place in the Guinness World Records as the most successful virtual band.
EXO
9 guys now, 12 when they debuted in 2012. They revolutionized the k-pop genre by blending electronic and dance music with elaborate choreography, great vocals and rap. Part of the components can play even more than one instrument, write and compose their own pieces. With 253 musical awards they are the most awarded South Korean group ever. Their first studio album ‘ XOXO ‘ (2013) broke the 1 million mark, making it the best-selling album in Korea since 2001. Followed by: EXODUS, EX’ACT, The War and Countdown, an album entirely in Japanese. In fact, the group is able to perform in Korean, Chinese and Japanese. On 25 February 2018 they performed at the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
King Crimson
Following my Pink Floyd period, then at its peak, I became interested in the Progressive Rock genre. The cover of the album In the Court of immediately attracted me. And I was not disappointed by the music (although, at that precise moment, I was especially captivated by the song “Epitath”). The following listens will strengthen my enthusiasm. I even thought I was a fan of progressive rock (I continued my research but, with rare exceptions, I did not really find what I was looking for) and I even inquired about Jazz-Rock (but I quickly realized that my little brain was not yet ready).
The Beach Boys
This group is clearly one of the most underestimated in my eyes, they are certainly well known but their influence and the quality of their music is largely underestimated. I want to clarify that I do not put this group as high just because I find it underestimated but because I believe that it deserves this third place and that in the worst case it deserves to be just behind Led Zeppelin in fourth place.
This group is very dear to my heart and forged my musical culture for a lot of reasons. But let’s put ourselves in the context, the 60s are largely dominated by England musically, the whole world listens to the Beatles which is rather sad for the United States which in the previous decade had rock pioneers like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly. Brian Wilson then arrives with his friends and his track I Get Around which gives back his American rock plateau and creates a new style of music: the mix between pop and rock with a very “summer” and “beach” atmosphere.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin is of course a band that you have to listen to again and again in recording and live. This group can be summed up very simply: four musicians who are among the best in their fields and who play more and more badass and more and more complicated music. Their talent in their respective instruments will make them an incredible group to see live, which will give them a huge success and make them the major group of the 70’s and allow them to revolutionize the music industry in concerts. We can thank Led Zeppelin for making live performances something as important as the recordings themselves, it will increase the price of concert tickets (that’s not cool) and give more of the money.
Radiohead
The British alternative rock group was one of the most popular bands of the 1990s and 2000s. If Pablo Honey, released in the heart of the Grunge era, made them known to the general public thanks to their rock title “Creep”, it’s good with their next 2 albums – The Bends and especially OK Computer – the group has become essential. These two albums are considered to be masterpieces of the rock of the 90s. There will follow excellent albums such as “Kid A” in particular; the group will constantly continue to innovate around its musical universe. Radiohead is one of the greatest rock bands of all time… obviously.
The Andrews Sisters
The vocal trio of Andrews sisters began performing in 1925 during the age of swing and boogie. The American sisters had a variety of vocal skills, alt LaVerne Sophia Andrews, soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie “Patty” Andrews. Their career spanned 38 years, they released 12 records and sold more than 75 million albums. Their most famous songs are Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and their interpretation of the Hebrew song Bei Mir Bist Du Shein.
The Supremes
The pop, soul, R&B and disco female vocal group formed in 1959 in Detroit, USA. The group initially consisted of four black girls, Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown, all from Detroit’s Brewster-Douglass neighborhood. Diana Ross decided to pursue a solo career in the early 1970s, and the rest continued. The band disbanded in 1977. The girls, who mostly sang about love, have sold more than 20 million records in their 18 years of existence. They have had a string of big hits and today are considered one of the most evergreen song bands of all time: Baby love, You can’t hurry loves, Stop! In the name of love, You keep me Hangin’on, Where did our love go, Love child.
TLC
The women’s group was founded in 1990 in Atlanta, United States. The group, which mainly did R&B and hip hop music, consisted of three black girls Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas. Together, the band released four studio albums with numerous hits, such as Creep, Waterfalls, No scrubs, Unpretty. In the 1990s, they were hugely successful and sold more than 70 million albums, which places them at the top of the list. third place among women’s groups with the best-selling album. In 2002, their most talented member, Lisa Lopez, died in a car accident and the group broke up. In 2017, the remaining members released a new album, which was not very successful.
Destiny’s Child
The group was founded by the Knowles couple in 1990 in Houston, Texas, when little Beyoncé Knowles was only 9 years old. Kelly Rowland joined the girls group in 1992 along with Michelle Williams in 1997 LaTavia Robertson and LeToya Lucket t join the group as Kelly Rowland abandons it. In 2000 the group took the form of a trio with Beyoncé, Rowland and Williams. The group has released four albums and the last two were more successful. The girls who have had some worldwide hits, like Bills, bills, bills, Say my name, Survivor, Independent women. In 2005, they informed the public that they were breaking up and embarking on an independent journey. The most successful is obviously Beyoncé.
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls formed in 1994 in London and were 5 girls who later took on nicknames: Melanie Brown (Scary Spice), Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice), Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) and Victoria Beckham, born Adams (Posh Spice). Their first single from 1996, Wannabe, topped the music charts in more than 30 countries around the world and helped make the band a global phenomenon. Worldwide, the band has sold more than 80 million copies of singles and albums, making them the best-selling female music group of all time and the most successful British musical group since the Beatles.
Pussycat dolls
This female pop group was basically a theater and dance group formed in 1995 in Los Angeles (USA). In 2003, the band began sailing in musical waters. The lead singer became Nicole Scherzinger, accompanied by Melody Thornton, Jessica Sutta, Ashley Roberts, Kimberly Wyatt and Carmit Bacher. The girls have released two records and sold more than 54 million copies. Their most famous song is Don’t Cha, which they recorded with rapper Busta Rhymes. The group disbanded in 2010.
TATU
The Russian duo, consisting of Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova, was founded in 1999 by Moscow music producer Ivan Shapovalov. The band released their debut album in 2002, which had two worldwide hits All the things are said and Not gonna get us. The girls deliberately attracted attention with lesbian excesses and won the sympathy of same-sex communities and a dispute with the Church, in which politics later intervened. All this only increased the popularity of girls both in Russia and around the world. The girls have sold over 25 million records. From December 2012 they return to perform together occasionally, but in February 2014, after performing at the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics, but a personal conflict again leads the singers to decide to separate their artistic careers.
BTS
Today they represent the strongest export of K-pop in the world. The boyband, who wanted to push hip-hop influences in the construction of their own musical style, has achieved results never seen before. The Bangtan Boys were the first Korean group to have an album (Love Yourself: Tear from 2018) at # 1 on the Billboard 200, a single ( Dynamite from 2020) at # 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and even a Grammy nomination 2021 (in the Best Pop Duo / Group Performance category).
Blackpink
Even the BlackPink, as well as BTS, have been successful in come right in the US music circuit (and not only). The collaborations with great American stars testify to this, from Cardi B to Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga. They are the most followed women’s group on Spotify and with the most subscribers on YouTube, and have recently become Pepsi brand ambassadors for all of Southeast Asia.
One Republic
OneRepublic is a group of rock pop American, a native of Colorado Springs in Colorado. After a few years of mixed success, they grabbed the attention of the general public with the release of their singles Apologize and Stop and Stare. Apologize was the most legally downloaded song in 2008 in the United States with sales of over five million digital downloads. The group has over five million albums sold outside of the United States, totaling over nine million Apologize singles and over two million Stop and Stare. A remix of Apologize is featured on the album Shock Value by Timbaland and the debut album Dreaming Out Loud.
Arctic monkeys
Arctic Monkeys is a group of rock British, originally from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, in England. They were formed in 2002, more precisely in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield. The group consists of Alex Turner (vocals, rhythm guitar, guitar), Jamie Cook (lead guitar, rhythm guitar), Nick O’Malley (bass, backing vocals), and Matt Helders (drums, backing vocals). Former member of the group, Andy Nicholson (bass guitar, backing vocals) left the band in 2006, shortly after the release of the first album.