r/musicsuggestions • u/RRE4EVR • 3d ago
Best American rock band of all time
This is obviously a subjective post. As post suggest “all time” so feel free to go back to to the 50’s and please consider that bands from this millennium may not hold up in a couple decades. Also genre blending bands welcome.
Greatful Dead my answer
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u/PBJellyion 3d ago
Funkadelic
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u/Hot_Direction6627 3d ago
Creedence Clearwater Revival....
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u/Chester_A_Arthuritis 3d ago
I’m convinced everyone loves CCR
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u/Tangy_Fetus_1958 3d ago
I’d be the exception, though I do respect John Fogerty. I feel the same way about Creedence as I do about Bob Seger: they’re not bad, just not inspiring to me in any way.
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u/Past-Isopod-138 3d ago
The Allman Brothers
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u/Prior_Clerk4470 3d ago
One of my all time favorite bands, but they had some lean years and also stopped playing for much of the 80's. Around 73 they were the biggest selling band around. This is not an easy question that the OP asked.
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u/Similar_Tie3291 3d ago
If we’re basing our answers on recorded/album output, I probably wouldn’t pick them, but if this were a battle-of-the-bands type situation (with every band in their prime), I’d say hell yes.
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u/Massakissdick 3d ago
Imo, I can’t think of a better live album than ‘Live at Fillmore East’ and their comeback album - ‘Hittin’ The Note’ from 2003 featuring Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks is arguably one of their best studio albums. Gregg’s voice never sounded so good.
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u/Toad_da_Unc 3d ago
Has any band ever been able to replace dead/lost members with the incredible talent level that they did?
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u/WestBeachSpaceMonkey 3d ago
I’m going to augment your statement to talent level/chemistry. Bc it’s easy to throw money and get talent, but chemistry is something that is hard to find and all of their members (even ones with short tenures) had excellent chemistry with one another (and of course incredible talent as you mentioned)
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u/pretzel_style 3d ago edited 3d ago
People dont realize they invented southern rock. Pioneers. And of course Duane is the GOAT so it has to be them. Best original guitar music ever written arguably.
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u/DreamZebra 3d ago
It's the Beach Boys. They're not my favorite band but they laid the foundation for American rock for decades.
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u/IndependentSun9995 3d ago
I would call them the best live band ever. Their shows were true experiences!
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u/hankbobbypeggy 3d ago edited 3d ago
Can't believe nobody has suggested "The Band" yet. Rock and roll steeped in Americana. Hell, they were even Dylan's backing band when he went electric. They might actually be the perfect rock band.
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u/JustJack70 3d ago
That depends if OP means North America or USA by “American”
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u/hankbobbypeggy 3d ago
Yes, some were from Canada, but they were based in upstate NY and Levon Helm, arguably the "front man" even though he was also the drummer, is a born and bred southerner
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u/1rightwinger 3d ago
In terms of talent, influence, innovation, popularity, My first thought would be The Band.... but Levon was the only member from America so I didnt mention them.
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u/Raggeddroid85 3d ago
The Replacements
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u/seewhatididthere 3d ago
The ‘Mats are easily the MOST American rock band, if not BEST. Had all of the ability and potential to change things for the positive, but got wrapped up in ego and excess to their own detriment and eventual demise. Even when they were shitty live most still respected and celebrated them due to the belief that their potential was limitless. Yet, just like America itself, there was a limit, and both raced headfirst to meet the wall of reality and knocked themselves silly, leaving an ever growing pool of potential and “could’ve been” on the floor.
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u/CloudsTasteGeometric 3d ago
Little Feat, at least according to Jimmy Page
Total sleeper pick but they’re amazing. A bunch of ex Zappa musicians broke off and formed what I could only describe as an alternate universe Grateful Dead that is steeped in southern rock, funk, and jazz fusion.
Unbelievable live. And after 50 years they STILL tour.
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u/LanardSkanard 3d ago
Two (Lowell George and that other guy who left after the second album…and good riddance) doesn’t quite constitute “a bunch.” They were a California band that predated “southern rock,” for that matter.
Lowell notoriously hated the fusion leanings of some of the other guys, particularly “Day At The Dog Races,” which he refused to play on, asking them, “do you guys think you’re fucking Weather Report now?”
I don’t really get the Dead comparison, Lowell’s aborted Shakedown Street production notwithstanding. Feat very decidedly didn’t do free-form jamming. I love both, but they were very different bands.
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u/MnMetalman 3d ago
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
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u/OatmealApocalypse 3d ago
craziest part is they never lost it even once. across like 4 decades
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u/LowerObject2985 3d ago
Not sure they are rock, but for me it is the Talking Heads
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u/Nelly10nellY 3d ago
The Cars
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u/Mongolith- 3d ago
I considered suggesting this, then recalled how their albums slowly went downhill after their powerhouse first effort.
Full disclosure. Saw them twice in concert. Not easy to do for a Texas boy
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u/lightaugust 3d ago
I posted this another time this came up, but I stand by it:
R.E.M.
I realize it's not an automatic pick, but...
31 year history of generally quality albums and output. That beats anyone else on this list. Even the Beach Boys, who have the longitivity, but later output is absolute crap. Obviously, R.E.M. went through a transition that wasn't regarded as well after the drummer left, but only because those later albums were compared to themselves.
- At least two albums, Murmur and Automatic, which are regarded as masterpieces.
- 15/16 albums generally well regarded.
- The Murmur-Reckoning-Fables-Pageant-Document-Green-Out Of Time- Automatic straight run of albums is near unbeatable.
- Hugely influential to other bands. Most importantly, they showed legions of bands who came afterward how to work through the industry and maintain some semblance of integrity.
Talking Heads/ Beach Boys/ Velvet Underground/ the Supremes are all contenders for my money, but R.E.M. takes it for me.
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u/the_memesketeer3 3d ago
Damn, so so many.
Beach Boys, CCR, Dead, Eagles, Ramones, Velvets, Talking Heads, Husker Du, Replacements, Guided By Voices, Nirvana, Big Star, King's X...
How could you pick just one?
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u/Equivalent_Hunt_7899 3d ago
The Beach Boys. Pet Sounds literally changed the game for music as a whole
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u/GreedyComedian1377 3d ago
Im going with TP and Heartbreakers. Most solid top to bottom discography
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u/Titlenineraccount2 3d ago
I don’t know what to make of the fact that three of Tom Petty’s best albums are not the Heartbreakers, although Mike Campbell is on them.
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u/Toad_da_Unc 3d ago
The scene in the documentary with TP, explaining how he knew that the working relationship had run its course, talks about presenting a song in the Guys acting like it was lackluster… “And that song was free fall“… Makes me laugh my ass off every single time I think about it
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u/caso_perdido11 3d ago
Grateful Dead for me too.
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u/peteryansexypotato 3d ago
I think it'd have to be the Grateful Dead or Credence, for me.
There's a special place in my heart for the Violent Femmes self-titled album too.
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u/geetarboy33 3d ago
For me, R.E.M. Started as a College Rock band on an indie label. Switched to the majors and rode the wave as College Rock became Alternative Rock. Lost their drummer and experimented and transformed into a somewhat post-rock band. All while making great tunes. As a Gen Xer, I consider them the band of my generation.
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u/Signal_Hippo9806 3d ago
They’re better than the Goodful Dead, but I still prefer the Grateful Dead.
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u/jppcfnnumnum 3d ago
Beach Boys; Eagles; Doors
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u/MarlonEliot 3d ago
The Dude says to replace the Eagles with CCR
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u/jppcfnnumnum 3d ago
Ooo CCR--another good one. I would add them to the list. I love the Dude, but I will never knock the Eagles.
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u/georgstgeegland 3d ago
Does Bruce Springsteen and The E Street not qualify?
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u/Woody_Nubs_1974 3d ago
They most definitely do and it’s shocking that I had to scroll this far for their first mention.
I would rank them right behind TP & The Heartbreakers
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u/SenseNo635 3d ago
Van Halen - EVH redefined rock and roll guitar. Every band for the next 10 years tried to sound like them; unsuccessfully.
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u/TheShipEliza 3d ago edited 3d ago
Classic rock: CCR
Solo Rock: Chuck Berry
Blues Rock: Muddy Waters
Indie Rock: GBV
Punk Rock: Ramones
American Hardcore: Black Flag
New Wave: Talking Heads
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u/Delicious-Chart-1595 3d ago
fellow CCR fan spotted in the wild!
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u/TheShipEliza 3d ago
band had one of the greatest runs of albums in one of the shortest periods of all time. banger after banger. personal. political. fun. scary. short pop hits. long jams. best to ever do it imo.
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u/Delicious-Chart-1595 3d ago
three albums in one year is crazy in itself, but that every one of those albums is a masterpiece is something else, and then two more the very next year? unbelievable... I got into them back in uni and still listen to them to this day, can't say that about a lot of music I listened to in my life... just the perfect combination of four extremely talented guys who couldn't get along for long, but when they did, they gave us some of the best music ever...
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u/12ohmygod 3d ago
Beastie Boys Only hardcore punk band to cross over into hip hop and then back again. Plus they make random weird artsy tracks, too. No one is more genre blending than them.
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u/eugenesbluegenes 3d ago
Yo La Tengo
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u/GeprgeLowell 3d ago
Get high and listen to Wake Of The Flood and you might agree with OP, though.
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u/eugenesbluegenes 3d ago
Have done. Would prefer to do that with I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One (or at least ten other YLT albums) any day of the week.
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u/Titlenineraccount2 3d ago
I accidentally deleted the wrong comment. Just wanted to reiterate that I’m glad to see Yo La Tengo here
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u/alexj_baker 3d ago
I think it's legitimately R.E.M. I think if you go by the criteria of number of well respected albums, influence, underground respect but commercial success, number of sales, integrity. I don't think any other band can tick these as well
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u/Meefus 3d ago
Eagles
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u/Slim_Chiply 3d ago
Grand Funk
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u/Count-ChawColate 3d ago
Saw them in concert in 1974. No other band has ever come close to their rock show
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u/Left-Distribution-13 3d ago
Gwar
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u/guillotina420 3d ago
American band. Gwar is from space.
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u/Left-Distribution-13 3d ago
Well actually the South Pole is the home of the band, but they keep all their slaves in Richmond.
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u/No_Introduction1721 3d ago
Damn, 200 comments and not one mention of Buddy Holly
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u/Mr_Loopers 3d ago
If we're allowing anything from the 50s to be categorized as "rock", then it's Buddy Holly & The Crickets.
Honourable mentions go to the Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen w E-Street, and as a Canadian (as my spelling of honourable might reveal), I'll loan you The Band.
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u/Lumpy_Soup3613 3d ago
My more objective answer is Metallica. I think that their impact and influence is unmatched by other American rock bands at a global scale.
My very subjective answer is Hüsker Dü. I love them and think they are the best to ever do it in America.
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u/Hadyergranny 3d ago
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Never before or since has a better bunch of musicians been onstage or in the studio at the same time.
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u/MoreSnowMostBunny 3d ago
James Marshall Hendrix
Funkadelic
Prince, on stage by himself
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u/FutureMind2748 3d ago
Aerosmith OR The Eagles OR The Beach Boys OR Journey. It’s tough to think of anyone else that’s had a bigger impact on rock and roll in the USA. Statistically this is the correct answer. It’s tough to pick just one.
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u/shabamon 3d ago
Very few mentions for Aerosmith and they really have an argument for #1 overall. Longevity, tons of hits, cultural impact, membership stayed intact way better than most bands.
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u/Prior_Clerk4470 3d ago
I also thought of Aerosmith and the Eagles. Super popular bands for many years.
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u/thesoundofwaking 3d ago
Depends on the criteria you use, but there’s certainly a strong argument for the Grateful Dead. Their music and music philosophy combines elements of the blues, country, bluegrass, folk, poetry, and especially jazz, which is the most important American art form. Most rock isn’t truly improvisational, but their music is founded in improvisation, and improvisation, as opposed to other types of written or repeatable music is part of what makes those other forms so important as American musical traditions. Like any important group they original and inimitable. They capture the spirit of what rock is in the most inclusive way of any American rock band. Their open-mindedness, free spiritedness, and commitment to musical exploration - all important features. The idea that anyone should be able to record and share their music, too, is almost punk rock, and certainly part of the American ethos of inclusiveness and exploration. They were as interested in the audience and the philosophy as much as they were in their own egos, which is also unique. There are individual stars who embodied American rock who I think are also very important, but I can’t think of another band that embodied and reflected the American ethos and the rock ethos so charismatically for so long. And the persistent GD scene is testament to this. When I was walking in to the Sphere to see one of their many shows at the Sphere, I spoke to people of all ages in all kinds of clothes from all kinds of backgrounds. The lack of one identity was striking. It was an ecumenical vibe, a tribute to something greater than all of us, which is what Jerry Garcia wanted, I believe. We can discuss the merits of the music itself, or what the band represented at different times to different people, but I can’t think of another band that better captured what an American rock band could achieve over many decades, what it could say to so many people.
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u/LowerObject2985 3d ago
Sorry, man, I couldn’t read all that. I do understand that you like the Dead
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u/gallan1 3d ago
Talent, diversity, longevity...has to be R.E.M.
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u/LowerObject2985 3d ago
Love me some R.E.M, but I think longevity is a negative for them.
5 IRS albums - excellent and innovative
First 5 Warner bros albums - good and transitioning towards commercial success
Last 5 Warner Bros albums - not good and should’ve never been recorded
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u/BoozeAndTheBlues 3d ago
Using my definition of “best” I’m going with the traveling wilburys
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u/CaffeinePhilosopher 3d ago
Thinking through this question made me realise that many of the American rock artists marketed themselves in the singular rather than as a band. If I think who comes to mind as the greatest, Springsteen, Hendrix, Prince all jump out first in combined prowess and achievement, but they’re marketed more as artist plus band.
If we go pure band, then the field is more crowded and subjective. Most influential, Beach Boys. Most successful, Eagles. Most innovative, The Grateful Dead. Best live act, maybe ZZ Top. For longevity you would be hard to go past Santana as an act that performed at Woodstock and is still going…
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u/Main_Ad_3814 3d ago
Eagles. They cut across a lot of different demographics to produce music that echoes thru America.
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u/LeftLane4PassingOnly 3d ago
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Few bands can match their catalog of hits.
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u/toihanonkiwa 3d ago
I can’t believe I had to scroll for The Doors and still didn’t find it … or Jimi Hendrix Experience or Band of Gypsys
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u/CatholicRailfan6692 3d ago
There are so many to chose from it’s just possible to really name just one.
But if I had to I’d go with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 💘🎸
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u/TheTalkingWindow 3d ago
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem