dedicated to true rock icons

[HighLordDave]

Run DMC

Hands down, Run DMC was the most influential rap act of all time. Back when all of the other black hip hop artists were in diapers, Run DMC was not only opening doors for other rap artists, they were kicking them in.

In 1986, when Raising Hell was released, there were a handful of successful black rap acts (Grandmaster Flash, The Fat Boys, etc.), but none of them had broken through to the mainstream in any significant way. When "Walk This Way" was released, it changed rap music. By enlisting Steven Tyler and Joe Perry to appear on the record and in the video, Run DMC assumed instant legitimacy with hard rock fans and people who listened to "white people's music".

This opened the door for more controversial black rap artists (Public Enemy, Ice-T, etc.) and other R&B acts to get out of the regional ruts they were stuck in and entered into the national consciousness and mainstream markets.

Whether you liked rap music or not (it's called "hip hop" now), after Run DMC, it was here to stay.

[Jace]

IMO Nirvana, good as they were, just typified a movement. They did not realy break any new ground by them selves, the whole grunge thing was happening and they just did it best.

I do not rate Springsteen much. I think he is too derivative. Nothing he did broke new ground. He had some good songs, but I think that music would be much the same with out him.

For me the list major influences in rock are
Beatles - I don't like them but acknowledge their influence.
Hendirix
The Doors
The Who - First band ever to use preprogrammed syths on a LP
Bowie
Presley
Malcolm Mclaren
Bob Dylan
Miles Davis
Buddy Holly

Don't know much about Hip Hop, but I will take HLD's point about Run DMC

There are more, but these are the ones that spring straight to mind (I realise that I have left out the whole Motown thing here, but I can not think of any names ecxept Diana Ross, and I think she is derivitive of earlyer people).

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Led Zeppelin were pretty incredible too. Jimmy Paige(sp?) and Robert Plant worked especially well together.

[HighLordDave]

Madonna

You cannot discuss influential musical acts of the modern era (ie-post 1980) without considering Madonna, love her or hate her. Two people understood the power of the music video better than anyone else: Madonna and Michael Jackson. Where Madonna steps ahead of Michael is in her staying power and the fact that she has not become some reclusive wacko and accused child molester.

What makes Madonna such a pop music wrecking ball? It's not her singing ability; there are others more gifted out there than she is (Charlotte Church, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey to name a few). It's not her appearance; while attractive, she's not drop-dead gorgeous, but she is sexy. It's not her music; mostly pop drivel, Madonna's body of work is largely derivative and if not for Madonna's name appearing with it, it would be largely forgotten.

Madonna's influence is in her visceral understanding of how to use music videos and the media to get her way. She came along at just the right time and was smart enough to get on the MTV bandwagon in the beginning, like an Amway or Starlite salesperson, and let the thing build around her. She constantly changes her image and appearance and manipulates the public into following her every move and wanting to imitate her every action.

She is the complete package. Not just a pretty face lip-synching to music on stage, Madonna takes an active part in her music, from writing the songs, she even plays some of her own instruments, she produces her songs and has set herself up as a music mogul; not bad for a working-class girl from the midwest.

Her longevity is part of her influence, but her greater stamp on modern music (for better or for worse) is that no act can be successful on a large scale for an extended period of time without a signature music video. Even anti-establishment acts and people who disdain everything about her and what Madonna stands for acknowledge this.

[Jace]

HLD,
Yeah, good point. I will add her to the List.

[McBane]

Brian Setzer.

I loved the Stray Cats, and his orchestra really does great music.

[frogus]

Hendrix did not change music. Who has been influenced by him? Noone. There are those influenced by the hippy movement, but it would have been just as big without him.

Lou Reed didn't change music. Cale was the innovator, and the scene would have been just about as great without him...ps sleep have you read the Bokris(sp?) biography? I read it a week ago or so...

The Doors are bollocks.

I'm pretty sure The Who's influence died pretty quickly, and queen are not that exciting. A lot of their tunes are nicked of The Beatles, and they didn't invent Glam, so we can leave them out...

but aren't we all forgetting....

Lee "Scratch" Perry ? The first DJ? The first man to sample? The absolute beggining of dub and arguably reggae and hence pretty much all dance music? The man who plugged a coconut into a microphone in order to get the 'rhythm of Africa'? He was a god. The other real innovators and influences IMHO are:

Dylan
The Beatles
Bowie
Afriika Bambaata
Cool DJ Herc
Pink Floyd

if I've left any out please tell.

[Ned Flanders]

I believe this discussion was originally intended to discuss rock and roll. I don't think anyone would argue the influences of run DMC, madonna, and lee scratch perry on the history of music in their respective genres. However, I don't think they apply to rock and roll. Sure, once in a while a hard rock band will come along and use sampling (RATM) or rap (anthrax) but for the most part I don't think these elements apply to Aragornreturns intended subject. I am just as guilty for mentioning SRV, The Clash, and the Police.

@frogus, do you really believe Jimi Hendrix has influenced not one single person? And you say he didn't change music. Perhaps you should investigate biographies of other bands who were on the scene during the same few short years as hendrix. They think otherwise.

Also frogus to your list, I'd add robert johnson.

[HighLordDave]

When you talk about "influential" musical acts, you have to measure them against two scales:

The first are the rock n' roll innovators. These are the people who changed the fundamentals of rock music and/or brought something new to music in general. Most are popularly successful (ie-The Beatles, Madonna), while others are obscure (ie-Frank Zappa). You don't have to like them, and in fact many take a lot of pride in being hated, but you must acknowledge their influence.

In this category, I would put Elvis (rock n'roll's first "bad boy"), The Beatles (rock's first boy band), Led Zepplin, Eddie van Halen, R.E.M. (the standard-bearer for alternative music in the 80s), Nirvana (the benchmark for grunge in the 90s), Run DMC, Madonna (see my posts above), the Talking Heads, the Rolling Stones and probably a dozen or so other acts.

The other category of musical influence are the people who sell out stadiums, make rock n' roll fun and that people look at and say, "I want to be a rock star!" They aren't necessarily musically original, but their contribution to rock n' roll is equally indeniable because kids grow up wanting to be like them, and every now and then one of them makes it.

Jimmy Buffett, The Who, Kiss, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, Aerosmith and just about every other act with a following falls into this category. Musicians immitate each other. If something is successful, everyone tries to copy them. Our friend frogus says that Hendrix wasn't influential; he's wrong if for no other reason than because after the first three notes of "The Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock, everyone knows it's Hendrix. He is one of the most immitated guitarists in rock n' roll. He could get more out of his instrument than almost any other guitarist of his time (excepting maybe Clapton and a couple of others), but his influence was stymied by his early death.

You also have to consider the longevity of an act's body of work in order to measure influence, although even that is sometimes unindicitive. Take Nirvana for example; they were by musical standards a flash in the pan, but they were at the forefront of a movement that changed music in the 90s. Then consider a group like The Who that have been around for years and in between farewell tours still appear to be going strong. Is The Who a better band than Nirvana? Maybe not, but I'll bet you more people have seen The Who in concert than ever saw Nirvana play. That has to count for something.

[Beldin]

Quote:

Originally posted by frogus Hendrix did not change music. Who has been influenced by him?

How about every ***ing single guitar player who stepped on a stage to play what's become known as "Rock" ?

You might not like Hendrix - or the music he played, but you can't discount his influence, frogus.

No worries,

Beldin

**turns up "Purple Haze" 2 notches on the amplifier and sits back**

[frogus]

now now!! Why are we all assuming that I dislike Hendrix because I think that he has had no (or very little) influence? I think we are violating our own beliefs. We did say that one may dislike but not discount the influence of Hendrix. It does not follow at all that anyone who discounts his influence dislikes him. So for the record, I am a massive Hendrix fan (or as massive as one can be without being alive in the 70s) but am able to say he hasn't had influence without tarnishing my respect for him.

Okay, sorry I forgot it was rock music only, Bambata, Herc and Perry are withdrawn...

[frogus]

ps Peace in Mississippi greatest Hendrix track ever.

[Mr Sleep]

Quote:

Originally posted by frogus now now!! Why are we all assuming that I dislike Hendrix because I think that he has had no (or very little) influence? I think we are violating our own beliefs. We did say that one may dislike but not discount the influence of Hendrix. It does not follow at all that anyone who discounts his influence dislikes him. So for the record, I am a massive Hendrix fan (or as massive as one can be without being alive in the 70s) but am able to say he hasn't had influence without tarnishing my respect for him.

He did effect the hedonistic phase of the 70's somewhat as did the Rolling Stones, they both added to a change in the activities and awareness of many of the people that lived during those years.

[Ned Flanders]

what about trixter???

[ThorinOakensfield]

What about Cream? They made base music good.