sombr　

Soft Machine　

Soft Machine were never a commercial enterprise and indeed still remain unknown even to many listeners who came of age during the late ’60s and early ’70s, when the group was at its peak. In their ..more

Soft Cell　

Art students Marc Almond and Dave Ball formed Soft Cell, a synth pop duo famed for its uniquely sleazy electronic sound, in Leeds, England in 1980. Originally, vocalist Almond and synth pl ..more

Soulfly　

Upon his exit from Sepultura in late 1996, singer/guitarist/songwriter Max Cavalera almost automatically set out to form his next musical endeavor, the ultra-heavy Soulfly. Besides leaving on ..more

Sex Pistols　

The Sex Pistols may have only been together for two years in the late ’70s, but they changed the face of popular music. Through their raw, nihilistic singles and violent performances, the band revo ..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

Supergrass　

Like many other British bands of the ’90s, Supergrass’ musical roots lie in the infectiously catchy punk-pop of the Buzzcocks and the Jam, as well as the post-punk pop of Madness and the t ..more

Slayer　

Slayer were one of the most distinctive, influential, and extreme thrash metal bands of the 1980s. Their graphic lyrics dealt with everything from death and dismemberment to war and the horrors of ..more

Slipknot　

Slipknot’s mix of grinding, post-Korn alternative metal, Marilyn Manson-esque neo-shock rock, and rap-metal helped make them one of the most popular bands in the so-called nu-metal explosion ..more

Slash　

As the lead guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, Slash established himself as one of hard rock’s finest and most soulful soloists during the late ’80s, technically adept yet always firmly grounded in th ..more

Small Faces　

Small Faces were the best English band never to hit it big in America. Outside Europe, all anybody remembers them for is their sole hit, Itchycoo Park, which was hardly representative of their {\ ..more

The Smashing Pumpkins　

Of all the major alternative rock bands of the early ’90s, the Smashing Pumpkins were the group least influenced by traditional underground rock. Lead guitarist/songwriter Billy Corgan fas ..more

Split Enz　

Best known for their early-’80s new wave pop hits, particularly I Got You, Split Enz -- after surviving a dizzying array of image and personnel changes and a full decade without any reco ..more

Sparks　

Spinal Tap　

Although originally conceived as the fictional subject of a music documentary, Spinal Tap became a real band -- a parody heavy metal band, to be exact -- following the film’s release. The joke bega ..more

Stories　

Though originally helmed by onetime Left Banke mastermind Michael Brown, Stories ironically scored their lone hit, the 1973 chart-topper Brother Louie, following Brown’s exit from the ..more

Stryper　

Heavy metal has been associated with ol’ Beelzebub ever since its inception, but a few acts took the opposite route and put their Christian beliefs in hard-rocking songs, such as Stryper. Formed in ..more

The Stooges　

During the psychedelic haze of the late ’60s, the grimy, noisy, and relentlessly bleak rock ＆ roll of the Stooges was conspicuously out of time. Like the Velvet Underground, the Stooges revea ..more

Status Quo　

Status Quo are one of Britain’s longest-lived bands, staying together for over six decades. During much of that time, the band was only successful in the U.K., where it racked up a string of Top Te ..more

Steve Hackett　

Steve Hackett is best known as the guitarist with Genesis during their best years as both a progressive and commercial band, across ten albums of their history. His arrival in the group’s lineup ..more