Rock Music History: The Greatest Rock Bands British Roots

While the origins of rock and roll are rooted in various brands of American music, when the discussion turns to who were the greatest groups of all times, the answers often point to groups who came to America from across the pond. Perhaps when we talk about the fab four we should be talking about the four following groups from England that have shaped the world of rock and roll.

The question who is the greatest rock band of all time for many people comes down to The Beatles or the Rolling Stones. Two other groups often mentioned on a short list of the greatest rock bands of all time are Led Zeppelin and The Who.

The Beatles

The Beatles, Kennedy Airport, February 1964It is hard to argue the influence of The Beatles on the world of rock music.  With 20 number one singles in the Billboard Hot 100 charts and 19 number one albums in the Billboard Top 200 albums charts, no music act has dominated a generation of record sales like the Beatles.  Four decades after their break up, Beatles albums continue to be re-released and remastered and sell better than most new albums.

While some state the founding the date of The Beatles as 1957, the name the Beatles was first used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison in 1960.  The group evolved from the high school band that John Lennon created in 1957 in Liverpool, England that went by The Quarrymen. Pete Best joined in the summer of 1960 as the band's drummer. In August 1962, Best was fired and replaced by Ringo Starr.

The Beatles would first hit the charts in 1964 with a list of number one songs that included, "A Hard Day's Night," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and "Love Me Do. " Appropriately, one of the last number one songs of the Beatles would be in 1970 titled "The Long and Winding Road."

The Beatles would drift apart in the late 1960s, more interested in projects outside of the band. Paul McCartney, focused on the release of his solo album,  announced that he  was leaving the Beatles on April 10, 1970.

The Beatles spent most of the 1970s fighting between themselves.  John Lennon would be murdered in the streets of New York City in December 1980, eliminating any hope of a  reunion  George Harrison would die of cancer in 2001.


The Rolling Stones

Rolling Stones concert Milan July 11, 2006Established in 1962 in London, England the Rolling Stones continue to Rock on in the new millennium. Throughout their career, childhood friends Mick Jagger and Keith Richards remained at the core of the Rolling Stones since the very beginning. Drummer Charlie Watts has also been a member of the band from the original line up. 

Rhythm guitarist Brian Jones was one of the founding members of the band led the band in the early days until Jagger and Richards assumed leadership after teaming as songwriters. In 1969, Brian Jones left the band. A few weeks later Jones would be found dead in his swimming pool. Conspiracy theories say that Jones was murdered, the coroner ruled "death by misadventure."

The Rolling Stones would score their first number one on the Billboard charts in 1965 with "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." The song would go on to rank at number two of the Rolling Stone Magazines list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. 

The self proclaimed World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band would continue to crank out hits in each of the decades that followed. Scoring hits in 1971  with "Brown Sugar" and in 1981 with "Start Me Up." Voodoo Lounge would win the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album.  Their popular 2003 song "Sympathy for the Devil" would chart on the The Billboard Hot 100 as well as on various dance charts.

Recording and touring with few breaks since they began, few groups have endured and survived in the world of rock music like the Rolling Stones.


Led Zeppelin

Jimmy Page and Robert PlantLed Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in London, England in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer  Robert Plant, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With their heavy, guitar-driven blues rock sound, Led Zeppelin are regularly cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal and hard rock even though the band's individualistic style drew from many sources and transcends any single music genre.

Led Zeppelin preferred to establish the concept of album orientated rock, refusing to release popular songs from their albums as singles. The albums Led Zeppelin II from 1969, Led Zeppelin III from 1970, and Houses of the Holy from 1973 were all number one on the The Billboard 200 album charts.

While the group did not release their songs as singles, their two most well known songs, "Kashmir" and "Stairway to Heaven" are often listed near the top of many lists of all  time great songs.

Led Zeppelin disbanded following drummer John Bonham's death in 1980, but continue to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success, and broad influence. The band is widely considered to be one of the most successful, innovative and influential bands in the history of music


The Who

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The WhoThe Who were formed in 1964 in London, England by Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon, The four band members had wildly different personalities. Keith Moon would fall over his drums as Pete Townshend leaped into the air spinning his right hand over his guitar in exaggerated windmills. Vocalist Roger Daltrey strutted across the stage, while John Entwistle stood relatively still playing his bass guitar.

The first music work to be billed as a rock opera would be one of the most memorable works of The Who. Tommy, a double album released in 1969, tells the story about a deaf, dumb and blind pinball wizard. Songs from the album that made tha charts included "Pinball Wizard," "See Me, Feel Me," and "I'm Free."  The album Tommy was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.  Pete Townshend would continue to expand and improve on the concept of the rock opera following Tommy with Quadrophenia in 1973.

Illustrating that good rock and roll does not always lead to chart success, for all their great music of the 1960's it would be the  1981 single "You Better You Bet" that would score the only number one hit on the Billboard charts for The Who.

Keith Moon would die in 1980 of drug related causes.  John Entwistle survived a bit longer than Moon, but would die of a heart attack induced by cocaine in 2002.

Daltrey and Townshend continue to keep The Who alive. One of their notable performances of the new millennium was at the halftime show of Super Bowl XLIV on February 7. 2010.

 

Photo Credits:

The Beatles, Kennedy Airport, February 1964 United States Library of Congress

Rolling Stones concert Milan July 11, 2006, From Wikimedia Commons licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant two different photos edited togther, From Wikimedia Commons licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, From Wikimedia Commons licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.