MR.BIG　

Mr. Big were one of the few shredder pop metal bands (translation： the bandmembers were highly proficient at their instruments) that prized songcraft as highly as virtuosity. The seeds for the gr ..more

Sonic Youth　

Sonic Youth were one of the most unlikely success stories of underground American rock in the ’80s. Where contemporaries R.E.M. and Husker Du were fairly conventional in terms of song structu ..more

THE DAMNED　

With punk’s history having entered a new millennium, the impact of the band initially judged the least likely to seems to grow ever more each day. The Ramones hold deserved pride of place for kic ..more

Robert Johnson　

If the blues has a truly mythic figure, one whose story hangs over the music the way a Charlie Parker does over jazz or a Hank Williams does over country, it’s Robert Johnson, certai ..more

Night Ranger　

Night Ranger is best known for Sister Christian, a 1984 single that reached the Top 10 in the U.S. and Canada that later turned into a power ballad perennial. Prior to Sister Christian, Night ..more

Neil Young & Crazy Horse　

Stereolab　

Combining an inclination for melodic ’60s pop with an art rock aesthetic borrowed from Krautrock bands like Faust and Neu!, Stereolab were one of the most influential alternative ban ..more

George Michael　

One of the most successful solo artists of the late ’80s and ’90s, George Michael grew up listening to ’60s-’70s soul/disco music and in the early ’80s he hooked up with Andrew Ridgeley to create a po ..more

Europe　

Originally a progressive rock group, Europe didn’t achieve success until they reworked their sound into bombastic yet melodic pop-metal. In their first incarnation, the Swedish band was called Forc ..more

Joy Division　

Formed in the wake of the punk explosion in England, Joy Division became the first band in the post-punk movement by later emphasizing not anger and energy but mood and expression, pointing a ..more

MAYHEM　

Formed around 1985 by Necrobutcher and guitarist Euronymous (born Oystein Aarseth), Mayhem was the first black metal band from Norway to make a serious impact in their homeland, which in t ..more

THE BLACK CROWES　

At the time of their 1990 debut, the kind of rock ＆ roll the Black Crowes specialized in was sorely out of style. Only Guns N’ Roses came close to approximating a vintage Stones-style raunch, ..more

Dr.Feelgood　

Dr. Feelgood was the ultimate working band. From their formation in 1971 to lead vocalist Lee Brilleaux’s untimely death in 1994, the band never left the road, playing hundreds of gigs every yea ..more

Jack Johnson　

Before Jack Johnson became the 21st century kingpin of beachside pop/rock, he was a champion surfer on the professional circuit. The sport was second nature to the Hawaiian native, who began chasin ..more

The Buzzcocks　

Formed in Manchester, England, in 1975, the Buzzcocks were one of the most influential bands to emerge in the initial wave of punk rock. With their crisp melodies, driving guitars, and guitarist ..more

Backstreet Boys　

The Backstreet Boys were, in many ways, a contradictory band. Comprised entirely of white middle-class Americans, the group sang a hybrid of new jack balladry, hip-hop, R＆B, and dance club pop that ..more

Alter Bridge　

Alter Bridge resurrected the music-making portion of Creed. After that band’s 2004 dissolution, guitarist Mark Tremonti and drummer Scott Phillips tapped ousted bassist Brian Marshall f ..more

Supertramp　

Supertramp followed an unusual path to commercial success in the 1970s, fusing the stylistic ambition and instrumental dexterity of progressive rock with the wit and tuneful melodies of British pop ..more

Faces　

When Steve Marriott left the Small Faces in 1969, the three remaining members brought in guitarist Ron Wood and lead singer Rod Stewart to complete the lineup and changed their name to t ..more

Pixies　

Combining jagged, roaring guitars and stop-start dynamics with melodic pop hooks, intertwining male-female harmonies, and evocative, cryptic lyrics, the Pixies were one of the most influential Amer ..more