Top 20 most influential BRITISH rock bands

[MartyMoffatt]

Following on from the top American bands thread, it got me thinking about the influence of British bands on the rock genre, particularly in the early years. I'm specifically talking about classic/melodic/heavy rock bands. Here's my starting list, in no particular order:-

Black Sabbath
Bad Company/Paul Rodgers
Deep Purple
Free
Pink Floyd
Queen
Def Leppard
Cream
Fleetwood Mac (although it took two Americans to bring the band into the mainstream)
Whitesnake
The Who
Led Zeppelin
UFO
Rolling Stones
The Police
Rainbow
Thin Lizzy
Iron Maiden
Genesis
Judas Priest
Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter

These are bands who not only achieved commercial success but heavily influenced their peers and often shaped the music that came after them.

I'm sure I've missed one or two, and I almost put AC/DC in there as they are almost British (The Young brothers were born in Scotland and they are now fronted by a Geordie)

Any more suggestions?

Marty

[mistiejourney]

Following on from the top American bands thread, it got me thinking about the influence of British bands on the rock genre, particularly in the early years. I'm specifically talking about classic/melodic/heavy rock bands. Here's my starting list, in no particular order:-

Black Sabbath
Bad Company/Paul Rodgers
Deep Purple
Free
Pink Floyd
Queen
Def Leppard
Cream
Fleetwood Mac (although it took two Americans to bring the band into the mainstream)
Whitesnake
The Who
Led Zeppelin
UFO
Rolling Stones
The Police
Rainbow
Thin Lizzy
Iron Maiden
Genesis
Judas Priest
Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter

These are bands who not only achieved commercial success but heavily influenced their peers and often shaped the music that came after them.

I'm sure I've missed one or two, and I almost put AC/DC in there as they are almost British (The Young brothers were born in Scotland and they are now fronted by a Geordie)

Any more suggestions?

Marty

Oh...maybe.....the BEATLES??????

[styxman]

ELO, should get a slot on the list.........others I wouldn't put on the list but liked at the time were: Saxon, Climax Blues Band, Wishbone Ash and Jethro Tull.

What about the Pretenders?

[MartyMoffatt]

Oh...maybe.....the BEATLES??????

Oh...OK then. I forgot about them because I don't actually like them. And also I didn't really consider them a rock band.

Marty

[styxman]

Supertramp, although it took a little help from America to supersize them...same can also be said of Def Lep.

[MartyMoffatt]

ELO, should get a slot on the list.........others I wouldn't put on the list but liked at the time were: Saxon, Climax Blues Band, Wishbone Ash and Jethro Tull.

What about the Pretenders?

ELO? Yes, maybe they should be there. Saxon I liked too but I regarded them as followers not innovators. Can't say I've even heard any CBB or WA stuff. Jethro Tull were a cool band, very original but maybe too original as I can't think of any other band that followed in their footsteps.

Marty

[styxman]

ELO, should get a slot on the list.........others I wouldn't put on the list but liked at the time were: Saxon, Climax Blues Band, Wishbone Ash and Jethro Tull.

What about the Pretenders?

ELO? Yes, maybe they should be there. Saxon I liked too but I regarded them as followers not innovators. Can't say I've even heard any CBB or WA stuff. Jethro Tull were a cool band, very original but maybe too original as I can't think of any other band that followed in their footsteps.

Marty

Climax had that ballad........I love you, has to be my favorite from that era. Not a massive band but they've a place in British rock. Wishbone fell into the J Tull folky rock style. Wetton left them for Asia and the rest is history

[IanR]

ELO, should get a slot on the list.........others I wouldn't put on the list but liked at the time were: Saxon, Climax Blues Band, Wishbone Ash and Jethro Tull.

What about the Pretenders?

Influenced everyone who came along later with twin leads

[Little Lenny]

Following on from the top American bands thread, it got me thinking about the influence of British bands on the rock genre, particularly in the early years. I'm specifically talking about classic/melodic/heavy rock bands. Here's my starting list, in no particular order:-

Black Sabbath
Bad Company/Paul Rodgers
Deep Purple
Free
Pink Floyd
Queen
Def Leppard
Cream
Fleetwood Mac (although it took two Americans to bring the band into the mainstream)
Whitesnake
The Who
Led Zeppelin
UFO
Rolling Stones
The Police
Rainbow
Thin Lizzy
Iron Maiden
Genesis
Judas Priest
Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter

These are bands who not only achieved commercial success but heavily influenced their peers and often shaped the music that came after them.

I'm sure I've missed one or two, and I almost put AC/DC in there as they are almost British (The Young brothers were born in Scotland and they are now fronted by a Geordie)

Any more suggestions?

Marty

have to say i pretty much agree with that

[Matthew]

I reckon Yes deserve a place in the Top Ten. I'm not sure how many people outside the prog genre they influenced in the 1970s - but their early 1980s era was actually more influential on the entire rock/pop sound of that decade than - say - Mott The Hoople were on the previous one.

I take it you're not much of a fan though, Marty?

[Little Lenny]

Then there is also
T-rex
The sweet
Wizzard
Roxy Music (in their 70's period)
Slade
Hello

Some of these bands may have not been big anywhere but the UK, but they certainly contributed to the Glam scene of the 70's and there music is even popular today, lets just say they may not be the greatest bands, with some exceptions such as Marc Bolan, but they were certainly an inspriation for many young kids at the time, for that they ahve to be given a subset of greatness for their contribution...I think:-)

[Little Lenny]

I reckon Yes deserve a place in the Top Ten. I'm not sure how many people outside the prog genre they influenced in the 1970s - but their early 1980s era was actually more influential on the entire rock/pop sound of that decade than - say - Mott The Hoople were on the previous one.

I take it you're not much of a fan though, Marty?

Mott the hoople were brilliant, but so were Yes

[Matthew]

Then there is also
T-rex
The sweet
Wizzard
Roxy Music (in their 70's period)
Slade
Hello

Some of these bands may have not been big anywhere but the UK, but they certainly contributed to the Glam scene of the 70's and there music is even popular today, lets just say they may not be the greatest bands, with some exceptions such as Marc Bolan, but they were certainly an inspriation for many young kids at the time, for that they ahve to be given a subset of greatness for their contribution...I think:-)

And don't forget David Bowie who was possibly the most ground-breaking musician in that scene....

[Little Lenny]

Then there is also
T-rex
The sweet
Wizzard
Roxy Music (in their 70's period)
Slade
Hello

Some of these bands may have not been big anywhere but the UK, but they certainly contributed to the Glam scene of the 70's and there music is even popular today, lets just say they may not be the greatest bands, with some exceptions such as Marc Bolan, but they were certainly an inspriation for many young kids at the time, for that they ahve to be given a subset of greatness for their contribution...I think:-)

And don't forget David Bowie who was possibly the most ground-breaking musician in that scene....

totally...i love bowie

[Matthew]

Oh...and there's Motorhead as well...definitely an influential band on the US thrash metal movement in the 1980s....

[Little Lenny]

Oh...and there's Motorhead as well...definitely an influential band on the US thrash metal movement in the 1980s....

and before ....

there were so many bands in the 70's and 80's....and they were all great..with the exception of maybe a few ....John Myles was another good one(70's)


What About Girlschool?:D They were one of first all female rock Bands that I can remember from my youth : ) yes! I am that fossil LMAO

[MartyMoffatt]

I reckon Yes deserve a place in the Top Ten. I'm not sure how many people outside the prog genre they influenced in the 1970s - but their early 1980s era was actually more influential on the entire rock/pop sound of that decade than - say - Mott The Hoople were on the previous one.

I take it you're not much of a fan though, Marty?

Yes were a terrific and influential band, there is no disputing that. I saw them a couple of times, and I still regard Rick Wakeman as one of the all time greats on the keyboard. The sight of him in long glittery cloak surrounded by banks of keyboards making magic was awe inspiring. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get over Jon Anderson's vocals - too high and whiney for my taste (and yes I know that is an anomaly considering Rush, with Geddy Lee, is my favorite band). However, I can see a case for including Yes, as bands like Starcastle, Kansas etc (and even Rush to some degree) must have been heavily influenced by them.

As to Mott The Hoople, I didn't realise until fairly recently how influential they were. They preceded the Punk movement by nearly a decade, and are often cited as a major influence on a lot of those bands. In the early 70's they were almost the only 'rock' band to have a succession of chart hits in the UK. And of course 'All The Young Dudes', although written by Bowie, was an iconic song for Mott. It is also worth noting that another of their songs, 'Marionette', bears a striking similarity in style to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and was aired during Mott's headline tour of the US in 1974, supported by - you guessed it - Queen. Subsequently, Ian Hunter continues to be a major influence on other musicians, and Mick Ralphs of course went on to form Bad Co.

Marty

[MartyMoffatt]

And don't forget David Bowie who was possibly the most ground-breaking musician in that scene....

Bowie! I had forgotten about him. Yes, he was groundbreaking at the time and influenced a lot of what came after.

Marty

[MartyMoffatt]

Then there is also
T-rex
The sweet
Wizzard
Roxy Music (in their 70's period)
Slade
Hello

Some of these bands may have not been big anywhere but the UK, but they certainly contributed to the Glam scene of the 70's and there music is even popular today, lets just say they may not be the greatest bands, with some exceptions such as Marc Bolan, but they were certainly an inspriation for many young kids at the time, for that they ahve to be given a subset of greatness for their contribution...I think:-)

I'm not sure how well known these were outside of the UK, but they were a genre in their own right here. It is difficult to pick one in particular though and say that they led the way. Maybe Marc Bolan and T-Rex. The rest seemed to just all appear together and for 5-6 years they ruled the airwaves in the UK. Perhaps some of the LA Hair bands of the late 70's early 80's (eg Mottley Crue) owe a lot to the musical style of these Glam rock bands.

Marty

[Little Lenny]

Then there is also
T-rex
The sweet
Wizzard
Roxy Music (in their 70's period)
Slade
Hello

Some of these bands may have not been big anywhere but the UK, but they certainly contributed to the Glam scene of the 70's and there music is even popular today, lets just say they may not be the greatest bands, with some exceptions such as Marc Bolan, but they were certainly an inspriation for many young kids at the time, for that they ahve to be given a subset of greatness for their contribution...I think:-)

I'm not sure how well known these were outside of the UK, but they were a genre in their own right here. It is difficult to pick one in particular though and say that they led the way. Maybe Marc Bolan and T-Rex. The rest seemed to just all appear together and for 5-6 years they ruled the airwaves in the UK. Perhaps some of the LA Hair bands of the late 70's early 80's (eg Mottley Crue) owe a lot to the musical style of these Glam rock bands.

Marty

I couldn't agree more, I for one used to listen to these bands a lot, especiallyhaving older siblings. I always Loved Wizzard as a kid, and my oldest sister was a massive Slade fan. i'm still into T-rex today , and my daughter Cat who is only 10 loves the track New York CIty...at least one of my 3 kids has developed some good musical taste! The Older ones are techno and R N' B fans ...yes I know! It Pains me very much to admit some of my offspring strayed off the good path LOL

[squirt1]

I was a junior when the Beatles hit and they changed music forever. You should see the music when I was younger ! Yuk ! I have to say Queen and Def Leppard and Led Zep were incredible. The Rolling Stones and Elton and Rod Stewart also contributed.

[Rockindeano]

WTF is up with this thread? UK bands? Who gives a shit?

[Crazie Scarab]

WTF is up with this thread? UK bands? Who gives a shit?

And all this time I thought Bad Co was an American band. Goes to show I'm still learning something new at least every other day!

[Rick]

WTF is up with this thread? UK bands? Who gives a shit?

And all this time I thought Bad Co was an American band. Goes to show I'm still learning something new at least every other day!

They came from good cloth.

Bad Company were an English blues rock supergroup founded in 1973, consisting of band members from Free (Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke), Mott the Hoople (Mick Ralphs) and King Crimson (Boz Burrell). Bad Company was managed by Peter Grant, who had also guided Led Zeppelin to massive success, the band enjoyed great success throughout the 1970s.

[MartyMoffatt]

WTF is up with this thread? UK bands? Who gives a shit?

I think it would be interesting to compare this list with the list of American bands on the other thread, to see who had the most influence on rock music, worldwide. It would be a pretty close contest but I venture to suggest that the Brit bands would be right up there near the top.

Anybody who is interested in rock music generally (not just Journey or er... Journey) should give a shit.

Marty

[Little Lenny]

Then there is also
T-rex
The sweet
Wizzard
Roxy Music (in their 70's period)
Slade
Hello

Some of these bands may have not been big anywhere but the UK, but they certainly contributed to the Glam scene of the 70's and there music is even popular today, lets just say they may not be the greatest bands, with some exceptions such as Marc Bolan, but they were certainly an inspriation for many young kids at the time, for that they ahve to be given a subset of greatness for their contribution...I think:-)

I'm not sure how well known these were outside of the UK, but they were a genre in their own right here. It is difficult to pick one in particular though and say that they led the way. Maybe Marc Bolan and T-Rex. The rest seemed to just all appear together and for 5-6 years they ruled the airwaves in the UK. Perhaps some of the LA Hair bands of the late 70's early 80's (eg Mottley Crue) owe a lot to the musical style of these Glam rock bands.

Marty

There were also a lot of other bands in the later 70's and early 80's ..some names i've just thought of that I suppose were influential in a way..(having talked to my older siblings The sensatinal Alex Harvey band, and also one of my faves what I forgot(slap on wrist) Nazareth..in their own way they did help to shape how the rock scene developed too in Britain, as well as some other countries in Europe. Then there were groups that seemed to have an instant sort of effect, maybe not lasting, but sort of got everyone on the floor..Dr Feelgod was one of them...
I suppose there have been so many British bands that in their own way have been influential even if it was only a little way... after all music is as mutable as a waterway, always moving on, always changing.

[Rockindeano]

Anybody who is interested in rock music generally (not just Journey or er... Journey) should give a shit.

Marty

Marty said "shit."

[MartyMoffatt]

Anybody who is interested in rock music generally (not just Journey or er... Journey) should give a shit.

Marty

Marty said "shit."

Yup, and it made me cringe as I said it

[Little Lenny]

WTF is up with this thread? UK bands? Who gives a shit?

I think it would be interesting to compare this list with the list of American bands on the other thread, to see who had the most influence on rock music, worldwide. It would be a pretty close contest but I venture to suggest that the Brit bands would be right up there near the top.

Anybody who is interested in rock music generally (not just Journey or er... Journey) should give a shit.

Marty

I suppose you could also look at who has influenced who,
Gene Simmons was really influenced by The Beatles(Even though I agree with you Marty,. I wouldn't say there were a rock band, but nevertheless were influential)
JSS is a massive Queen fan
Ozzy Osbourne - is also a massive Beatles fan, particularly John Lennon's material( even though OZZY is a Brummy I grant You):) .
Alice Cooper--Another Beatles & Rolling Stones fan
Neil Schon was influenced By Eric Clapton....

Just as people today are influenced By Bands from all over the world really

[styxman]

WTF is up with this thread? UK bands? Who gives a shit?

I think it would be interesting to compare this list with the list of American bands on the other thread, to see who had the most influence on rock music, worldwide. It would be a pretty close contest but I venture to suggest that the Brit bands would be right up there near the top.

Anybody who is interested in rock music generally (not just Journey or er... Journey) should give a shit.

Marty

I suppose you could also look at who has influenced who,
Gene Simmons was really influenced by The Beatles(Even though I agree with you Marty,. I wouldn't say there were a rock band, but nevertheless were influential)
JSS is a massive Queen fan
Ozzy Osbourne - is also a massive Beatles fan, particularly John Lennon's material( even though OZZY is a Brummy I grant You):) .
Alice Cooper--Another Beatles & Rolling Stones fan
Neil Schon was influenced By Eric Clapton....

Just as people today are influenced By Bands from all over the world really

Cain was influenced by Liberace
I don't think Ozzy really knew who the hell influenced him.....I'd say is was some white powder and amber liquid