http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3570869.stmBeatles top musicians' rock list
Elvis Costello said The Beatles sounded "like nothing else"
A panel of acclaimed musicians has named The Beatles as the greatest rock and roll stars of the last 50 years.
Bruce Springsteen, U2's The Edge, Chrissie Hynde and Moby were on the 55-strong panel to vote for the 50 most influential musicians.
The Beatles were followed by Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley in the Rolling Stone magazine poll.
In ninth place, Aretha Franklin - who turned 62 on Thursday - was the only woman in the top 10.
The poll marked the first half-century of rock and roll, said to have started on 5 July 1954 - the day Elvis Presley recorded That's All Right at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Who's Pete Townshend, Art Garfunkel and ex-Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash also took part in the vote, while other music figures wrote in praise of their chosen rock "immortals".
Elvis Costello said The Beatles sounded "like nothing else" when he first heard them in 1962.
"They had already absorbed Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers and Chuck Berry, but they were also writing their own songs," he wrote.
"They made writing your own material expected, rather than exceptional."
And Britney Spears wrote of Madonna: "I would definitely not be here, doing what I'm doing, if it wasn't for Madonna."
ROCK IMMORTALS POLL
1. The Beatles
2. Bob Dylan
3. Elvis Presley
4. The Rolling Stones
5. Chuck Berry
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. James Brown
8. Little Richard
9. Aretha Franklin
10. Ray Charles
Source: Rolling Stone magazine
― Dav, Friday, 26 March 2004 12:39 (twenty years ago) link
I just skimmed through the list, and I don't really have a lot of criticism. In fact, it just added another dozen albums to my shopping list. I wouldn't say these artists / bands necessarily put out the best work of all time, but I can't question their importance.
― subgenius (subgenius), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 05:32 (twenty years ago) link
Rolling Stone...if yer gonna do a list...do it right...
The REAL ROCK Immortals
1. Bob Dylan
2. Velvet Underground
3. James Brown
4. Led Zeppelin
5. Parliament-Funakdelic
6. The Rolling Stones
7. David Bowie
8. Elvis Presley
9. Jimi Hendrix
10. Aretha Franklin
11. Black Sabbath
12. Bruce Springsteen
Note that the overrated liverpudlians are nowhere on my list, because they aren't better than the 12 I already put on the list.
― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 19:05 (twenty years ago) link
Little Richard's piece on Little Richard (that's right) is funny and extremely sad (sad in how it highlights exactly how RIPPED THE FUCK OFF he got over the years - I'm not talking artistically either, I'm talking $$$$$).
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 19:09 (twenty years ago) link