Meatpants

As with all lists, I suspect this one was intended to spark debate. So let's have one!

1. The Beatles
2. Ramones
3. Led Zeppelin
4. Bob Marley & The Wailers
5. Nirvana
6. Parliament/Funkadelic
7. The Clash
8. Public Enemy
9. The Rolling Stones
10. Beastie Boys

11. The Velvet Underground
12. Sly and the Family Stone
13. U2
14. Run-D.M.C.
15. Radiohead
16. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
17. Sonic Youth
18. AC/DC
19. The Stooges
20. Metallica

21. The Smiths
22. Patti Smith Group
23. N.W.A.
24. Kraftwerk
25. The Sex Pistols
26. PEARL JAM
27. Grateful Dead
28. R.E.M.
29. Black Sabbath
30. Pavement

31. Fugazi
32. Kiss
33. Pretenders
34. Rage Against The Machine
35. Fela Kuti & Afika 70/Egypt 80
36. David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars
37. Blondie
38. Bad Brains
39. The Who
40. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

41. New Order
42. Huster Du
43. Guns N' Roses
44. Outkast
45. The Beach Boys
46. Massive Attack
47. Lynyrd Skynyd
48. Korn
49. Pink Floyd
50. Red Hot Chili Peppers

Jason

Typical nonsense. Nirvana is certainly not better than the Stones, and does anybody think Pavement should be on this list? Ditto Massive Attack.

BTW, who are Fela Kuti & Afika 70/Egypt 80? I'm familiar with everything on this list except for them.

demonio

What the hell is Radiohead even doing on the list? Especially above all those REALLY great bands.

Yancey

Fela Kuti was a Nigerian performer in the 70s, really really good. But he was primarily a solo artist. Spin included those two band names so as he could be mentioned. They also cheated that way with Hendrix, Bowie and Patti Smith.

But where's the R&B? Where are the Temptations? How are the Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine, Korn, etc., on there? Oh, right, readership.

What a crock this whole thing is.

I love the Ramones too, but #2?!? Gimme a break (and shock treatment).

Meatpants

I have a hard time understanding how Outkast is "greater" than the Beach Boys

The one band I was expecting to see was Smashing Pumpkins, especially if Rage, Pavement, etc made it.

sebastianv50

The Ramones are good, but Led Zepplin is a lot better. In my opinion its not even close.

slop101

Only about half these bands belong on that list.

This is what happens when you get a consensus from some "hipsters" that know nothing about relevant music and it's history.

Yancey

Which bands don't belong?

kornhead

no Aerosmith?

dork

Well, I wouldn't have included the Chili Peppers, Korn, Skynyrd, Blondie, Rage, Kiss, Sabbath, the Dead, Pearl Jam, the Beastie Boys and probably a few others. I like some of these bands but they just wouldn't make my Top 50 (some of them wouldn't make my Top 500).

Myster X

WTH? The Who and Pink Floyd on the bottom?

Goat3001

Korn, The Beastie Boys, Chilli Peppers and a bunch of others shouldn't even be near a Top 50 list

And Korn above Pink Floyd-- WTF!?!?

Yancey

I agree with those, except Sabbath and the Dead. I don't particularly like either band, but they are certainly important.

dork

I actually might have included the Dead for that very reason (even though to me their influence is mostly negative). I probably would also include Run-DMC more for their influence than their actual work. But why quibble when, as you say, Motown seems not to have existed in the eyes of Spin?

conscience

My question exactly.

BTW,

Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, N.W.A., Run D.M.C., New Order, Korn, Outkast, and RHCP should not be on the list. Matter of fact they should not be in the TOP 100000000000.

If THE BEATLES are number one, THE ROLLING STONES should be number two.

Not trying to cause a stir, but do you guys think the Ramones being so high is because of the death of Joey Ramone?

Bad Brains, Huster Du, Kraftwerk? Who?

Metallica so high?

We have Rage, but no SOUNDGARDEN?

Yancey

Well I agree that Outkast, Beasties, Korn and RHCP should not be on there. But certainly Public Enemy and NWA should. Run DMC is on the line, as far as I'm concerned. But I feel like your reasoning primarily comes from disliking hip-hop. At least that's the impression that I get.

And if you don't know who Bad Brains, Husker Du and Kraftwerk are, you should try to find out. Bad Brains were an excellent early 80s DC band that mixed punk and reggae. Husker Du emerged from Minnesota in the early 80s. They started off as a hardcore band, but then became noisy power pop. Check out their album New Day Rising, you might like it. Bob Mould, later of Sugar, was their frontman. Kraftwerk were a 70s German electronic group. Very good, simple music. They laid the groundwork for all of today's electronic scene.

grunter

This whole issue of Spin looks like it was thrown together in two days prior to the staff heading off for Christmas break. I mean they have a whole page of photos dedicated to NYC subway graffiti on the Britney Spears Vegas promotional poster. Not to mention a cache of "reviews" for albums that have mostly already been released or which classify as bottom-of-the-barrel promo freebees.

This "best bands" list is just a stab at VH-1 style filler. It's nothing but fluff. (And was a quick n' easy way to get Kiss back on the cover BTW.) Pay it no attention as it appears that the staffer that was in charge of compiling the list paid it about that much attention as well.

Spin really needs to stop aping the slick, ad-strewn, "lifestyles" approach of "Rolling Stone" - a magazine that long ago abandoned any sense of music journalism whatsoever.

Yancey

They did that?!?! I haven't gotten the issue yet, but one of my closest friends and coworkers pitched on a story about that and they said they weren't interested, they thought it was a dumb idea. What as*holes!

Applejack

I love the Rolling Stones, but since they have sucked for the last 15 years, and held on way too long, I can see why they were not #2.

You have to take the good (Ruby Tuesday, Paint it Black) into account as well as the bad (Has Anybody Seen My Baby, Emotional Rescue).

The Ramones shouldn't be number two either though.

atlantamoi

These lists certainly can cause some fun dialogue. Korn? Huh? Beastie Boys in the
Top Ten over Velvet Underground? Huh? I love Radiohead, but it's weird seeing
them up there, too.

I totally agree that Husker Du should be on there. I also think it's great they
included New Order. As for the Ramones.... I like their choice up there behind the Beatles.

cfmartin3

Word... putting Nirvana (or any of the so-called "Seattle" sound merchants) ahead of Husker Du or the Replacements is laughable. The whole Seattle thing was nothing but a soulless rehash of the Minneapolis sound of the 80's. And they took themselves waaaayyyy tooooo seriously.

As for Kiss, if you have to argue for or against them, you're missing the point. Spinal Tap in real life.

Lists are for debate, so excuse me while I put on my asbestos suit.

tofu

i guess singing groups like the supremes and the tempations don't count as bands so that's why there's no soul groups on there?

evenflow

Where's my favorite band, Tool? Tool is way better than Korn.

sebastianv50

Yea you are right. That's garbage and pretty much makes the whole list suck.

Jason

Who shouldn't be on the list?

Sly and the Family Stone
The Stooges
The Smiths
Pavement
Fugazi
Pretenders
Outkast
NWA
Massive Attack
KORN