Based on sheer number of quality musicians, the best rock and roll band in the world is:- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

I think a lot of people have the same view as you nowadays, but I still really like him, although I can see where everyone else is coming from and why he would grate.

Has to be Zeppelin for me by a country mile.

Purple in second - Made in Japan is still the best live album ever made IMHO

Cant argue with that, a fine bunch of musicians fronted by the greatest live performer the world has ever seen.

Guns N Roses the best for me! Rock anyway

Bon Jovi !!

Have to agree with that. Seen him live a few times and the energy of him and the rest of the band is amazing. He certainly knows how to work the fans and get the sing along with the songs.

Imo

1) Nirvana
2) Jimi Hendrix

I love Aerosmith, U2, The Clash, the Foos .etc but I dunno where I'd place them in the greatest of all time list.

Other great bands like the Cult should get a mention too.

I like Bono too, but he can get annoying sometimes.
It annoys me how he doesn't seem to realise he's making people hate him. Maybe he doesn't care or doesn't see it as important in the grand scheme of Africa, I dunno, but it does annoy me.

He's a lot more down to earth than people give him credit for, but that's his own fault for going on about Africa all the time and giving some people the wrong impression.

A great rock star... but why does he have to play politics so often?

The Who, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, rolling Stones.

I'd rate The Beatles and Pink Floyd up there with those, but not purely as rock.

Can anyone actually explain the difference between 'pop' and 'rock'? If, as has been said, the Beatles were 'pop', does that mean that in the '60's, the Who were also 'pop'? Or are they 'rock'? If you compare the Beatles and the Who in the '60's, would it be fair to say that it's not that different to comparing, say, Deep Purple and Pink Floyd in the '70's? But then you would hardly label either of those as 'pop'. If we assume a 60's act such as Freddie & The Dreamers were 'pop', do the Beatles fall into that same category - or are they, in fact, 'rock'?
Material for a whole new thread!

I agree about The Kinks, much better on my ears than The Beatles. But then so is a dentist drill.

It depends what defines "best".. album sales etc.

I like Faith No More as well but also Alice Cooper, Metallica, HIM.

To me personally the best is at a push Marilyn Manson. Aware I am a lone voice with that band though

No, no, You're not alone! Not my top favorite band, but they're on the list. I like how they make quite heavy music that's also accessible and not too difficult to listen to.
Not so sure about their new single though... It might have to grow on me a bit.

1. AC/DC (by miles)

2. The Who

3. Led Zep

Lots of bands that I idolise, I wouldn't class as rock exactly - The Beatles, The Small Faces, The Kinks, The Smiths, Ride, The Beach Boys, The Yardbirds, The Charlatans, Velvet Underground, Verve for example, but for proper rock these would be on my list (in no order except top two) :

Focus
Pink Floyd
Free
Bad Company
Jimi Hendrix Experience
Steely Dan
Rush
Queen
Cream
Led Zeppelin
Golden Earring
Nirvana
AC/DC
Rolling Stones
Alice Cooper
Guns 'N' Roses
Boston
Supertramp
The Who
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
King Crimson
Jethro Tull
Deep Purple
Santana
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Yes
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band
Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
The Doors
Van Halen
Aerosmith
The Byrds
Kiss

If it's a rock band then it'd have to be the Rolling STONES!

Ha ha ha! I'll get my coat....

AC/DC. Or Led Zeppelin. Or Iron Maiden (or is that Heavy Metal!?).

Why would the Beatles not be classed as "rock"? The "White Album" is always seen as one of the best "rock" albums ever made.

I agree with the list, The Beatles and Led Zep are tops.

One of the U2's biggest influences were the Beatles. I would say "I Want You (Shes so Heavy)", "Revolution" and "Helter Skelter" prove the Beatles as rock and not pop....then again, the people who don't classify the Beatles as ROCK would have only heard Hard Days Night and Yellow Submarine

1. Steely Dan
2. Deep Purple
3. The Who
4. Whitesnake ( the early years )
5. Really
6. The Gaff

Ditto The Kinks... You Really Got Me, All Day and All of the Night, Till the End of the Day... pure rock.

Old Rolling Stones are pretty good imo

OK, I'll concede that the Beatles are 'rock' but that there is also 'heavy rock', 'prog rock' and 'pomp rock', which is what I would say most of my list consists of.

In that case, I would have to say that The Beatles are number one on my list.

The Jam!

I wouldnt call the beatles or queen a rock band....but there you go

1) Led Zeppelin ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaHeTy8X09E )

2) Jimi Hendrix ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXk9SvsF-I8 )

3) Cream ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqh54rSzheg )