artists ever, but who would you say comes a close second??

I'd personally go with Joy Division

James Brown maybe? Not many people have invented a whole style of music.

Or David Bowie?

Aretha Franklin
Then Dusty Springfield

I suppose Maddonna aswell.

Probably Aretha Franklin or Michael Jackson.

Aretha inspired nearly every R&B (oldschool and new) female singer, and has been cited many times as the "person that made me want to sing". Had a whole genre of music to herself during the 60s and 70s. Grammy after grammy after grammy.

Michael Jackson for his artistry. And on a personal level, his vocal ability, which often gets overlooked.

probably elvis. his music wasn't as good as the beatles, he made awful movies, got fat and became a parody of himself, but he was the first global solo megastar and most successful male solo artists are compared to him at some point

and arguably the beach boys. whilst they may be more known for the poppy surfing songs and being the american take on the beatles, the beatles admired the bands work, and the beach boys admired the beatles, and they both worked hard to compete against each other to make a better album. in the early years of each band they were both making music that was almost disposable pop music, but then brian wilson was inspired by rubber soul to create pet sounds, which inspired the beatles to create revolver, which inspired brian wilson to create pet sounds, which inspired sgt pepper. without the mutual adoration and competition, the beatles music might not have matured as it did, and became as influential. if the beatles kept on making pop hits in the same style as help or hard days night they wouldn't have been half as influential. the most influential material is from rubber soul onwards

I refuse to accept that about the beatles. They had some catchy tunes, that is all. Poor singing and silly head movements is what I think of when I think of the beatles.

Elvis Prestley and possibly Michael Jackson are the most important people in music I think.

Which is why the thread says it's commonly accepted that they are the most important... note the "commonly" in capital letters.

I''m saying The Smiths:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3005033.stm

...but it really isnt a matter of opinion, it is a matter of fact. the beatles ARE the most influencial artists ever in british/world music. their 'silly head movements' lasted a year or so, they evolved way beyond that. maybe they were lucky, being in the right place at the right time... does it matter? they lead the decade, inspired others and many of their songs are still relevant today. no one else comes close.


id suggest that john lydon is second to the beatles, both in the sex pistols and in p.i.l. as the figurehead of punk, he was the catalyst that the movement needed. ok it started off naff, poor, juvenile, but it soon took on its own momentum, growing and creating many of the fashions/musical styles/politically correct attitudes that shaped not only my generation, but all that followed.

lydon is still a must hear, as his interview on bbc4 the other night proved. an intelligent, free thinking, individual who has as many laughter lines as 'snarl' lines.

Hendrix.

Seconded.

This made me LOL... I'm desperate to hear what alternatives you'd offer... Take That for their breakdancing perhaps? If it wasn't for the Beatles, we'd probably still be buying albums of Chuck Berry covers.

Other than Beatles (who are clearly the most important) I'd put forward:

Chuck Berry , for creating rock n roll lead guitar

Kinks, for creating the punk rock and metal guitar sound

Beach Boys, for creating the album and taking pop music to the next level

Ramones, for starting proper punk and ultimately hardcore

Good choices there...I'd give the nod to The Stooges on the punkoid front though.

Elvis and Bowie, I'd say. Not MJ. for sure. Prince, before him.

... maybe but the ramones didnt connect with the british public like lydon did... its lydons legacy that resounds in music today, the sound might be out of america but punk became far more then just a sound.

Buddy Holly and The Crickets for me

True. Well, he invented several whole new styles of music. No one else has influenced music so much over such a long time - probably not even the Beatles.

Except possibly Louis Armstrong .

It's sorry to see that you think The Beatles were just some manufactured pop group, but I suggest you listen to Abbey Road or Revolver before you make such a stupid statement.

I'd go with the Kinks, especially their Golden Age albums, despite these making very little commercially, they were on to something critically, RCA gave them a million dollar advance afterall.

They had:
- Face to Face
- Something Else by the Kinks
- The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society
- Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
- Lola Versus Powerman, and the Money-go-Round Part 1
- Muswell Hillbillies
- Everybody's in Show-biz

Failing them, maybe Pink Floyd although one or two of their post-Barrett/pre-Echoes aren't all that good, but they were finding their sound, they had Dark Side of the Moon, the Wall, Echoes, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Animals, etc

Or even Paul McCartney, with a career spanning 50 years, although the critics never really loved him, the public did and still do. He only really had two flops (Wildlife and Press to Play) He had albums such as:

- Red Rose Speedway
- Band on the Run
- McCartney
- Speed of Sound
- Venus & Mars
- McCartney II
- Tug of War
- Ram
- Flaming Pie
- Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
- Electric Arguments

Maybe the Who, they did well having never had a number 1, with the rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia, and the brilliant Who's Next.

Possibly the Rolling Stones, but I feel their later stuff's a bit bland, and their earliest stuff was repetitive or samey.

Finally, the Doors or Led Zeppelin, but I cant be bothered to type more.

Yeh, a bunch of mohawked deadbeats living in squats together, screaming about Thatcher.

It's unusual for this to happen, but I've found myself agreeing with you throughout this thread.

I'd argue a case for The Kinks, The Smiths, Bowie, the Beach Boys, The Stooges and the Ramones... but probably most strongly for The Kinks - as it's said Dave Davies practically invented heavy metal with his "All Day And All Of The Night" riff.

Apparently he discovered the sound by destroying his guitar amp with a knitting needle... I have to wonder what Dave was doing with a knitting needle in the first place. Maybe it was Ray's?

I tried the knitting needle thing once on an ancient speaker my school was throwing out - it sounded terrible!

I think the Who is a good shout as their early sound was a big influence on the Velvet Underground who were a huge influence on late 70s/early 80s bands - who in turn are an influence on many current bands.

Cant stand the Beatles, never have and spent a whole life being treated like a lepper for daring to say so.

But even Paul McCartney said the Beach Boys are the best and most influential group ever and that Brian Wilson is one of, if not the greatest musical genius of our time.

He also said that they kept pushing the Beatles to improve going as far as saying Smile was possibly the greatest album of all time, so there ya go