I have to say I don't quite get all the love for Johnny Cash. Song for song, he cannot match Merle Haggard, let alone Hank Williams, Sr. But thanks to Rick Rubin, Cash has become something of a kitsch figure for the indie rock set. If he never made those Rubin records, early standouts like "Folsom Prison Blues" and "I Walk the Line" would still rank high in AM, but Cash himself would not come close to making the top 100 of this poll. I mean, damn, look at the placements for other '50s icons: Jerry Lee Lewis (#494), Little Richard (#155), Ray Charles (#142), and Buddy Holly (#137). The Everly Brothers did not even make the top 500!

I for one find Cash's 50s and 60s material to be much more listenable than that of all the artists you listed except Ray Charles, who should definitely be higher. For some reason his music doesn't sound as dated as Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, or Buddy Holly, at least to me.

But also, he produced some legitimately great songs in the 90s and 00s, which should give him a boost over artists that didn't make anything after the 50s or 60s.

Jackson:

I find the notion of "dated" to be problematic. Of course, "Peggy Sue" sounds like it was recorded in the late 1950s. So does "I Walk the Line." Music is always of its time. How does music transcend that time? Through influence, partially. But the direct musical influence of the '50s, while once predominant, is fairly slight now. There is also the matter of artistic merit. We might assume that great music should remain great decades down the road. But as you suggest, such evaluations are highly subjective. To me, Little Richard's top singles remain among the most vital and thrilling records ever cut. They don't speak to you, which is fine, opinions vary.

By the way, if anyone is interested, below is a good discussion of Johnny Cash in the Rubin Era; this piece has some interesting things to say about authenticity as a performative act.

http://www.slate.com/id/2147591

My favorite discussion of artifice and authenticity is in Jim Miller's cynical Flowers in the Dustbin, which devotes a chapter to comparing Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" persona to Bruce Springsteen's "Bruce Springsteen" persona.

Great job, Moonbeam. I've been utterly out of circulation, but enjoy seeing the results unveiled. What a lot of great music there is to listen to.

Oh, and, I thought you'd like to know: I saw Prince play the Roskilde Festival in Denmark this summer, and it was quite awesome!

40. Van Morrison



AM Rank: 27

2008 Poll Rank: 55

Votes: 19

Points: 430.06

Nominated by:

Miguel (2)
Stephan (18)
Gillingham (21)
Mindrocker (22)
Frank (24)
Kinch (29)
BillAdama (40)
Honorio (40)
nicolas (42)
Henry (44)
Sven (48)
Stone (49)
Nick (61)
listyguy (62)
Daniel (64)
Slick (71)
Brose (74)
SR (84)
Georgie (95)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Astral Weeks (35)
Moondance (68)
Veedon Fleece (186)
It's Too Late To Stop Now (429)
Into the Music (538)
Saint Dominic's Preview (543)
Common One (763)
Hard Nose the Highway (844)
Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart (997)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Brown Eyed Girl (65)
Into the Mystic (261)
Madame George (295)
Moondance (331)
Sweet Thing (502)
Astral Weeks (567)
Tupelo Honey (573)

39. Elliott Smith



AM Rank: 187

2008 Poll Rank: 36

Votes: 12

Points: 437.14

Nominated by:

Nassim (1)
John (2)
Jackson (9)
Penguin (12)
Brad (14)
Toni (30)
Michel (31)
Kinch (46)
Honorio (81)
Romain (82)
Stephan (92)
Miguel (96)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Either/Or (106)
XO (137)
Elliott Smith (503)
From a Basement on the Hill (677)
New Moon (1618)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Waltz #2 (XO) (139)
Between the Bars (559)
King's Crossing (1099)
Ballad of Big Nothing (1241)
Alameda (1340)

38. Marvin Gaye



AM Rank: 14

2008 Poll Rank: 46

Votes: 18

Points: 448.12

Nominated by:

Henry (12)
Stone (12)
Slick (13)
Brose (20)
Henrik (28)
Honorio (29)
nicolas (33)
Sven (33)
Nick (34)
SR (36)
Romain (40)
Stephan (40)
Gillingham (41)
Daniel (43)
Georgie (54)
Miguel (59)
Frank (71)
listyguy (86)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

What's Going On (18)
Let's Get It On (388)
Here, my dear (717)
I want you (2027)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

What's Going On (15)
I Heard it Through the Grapevine (26)
Let's Get It On (136)
Ain't No Mountain High Enough (170)
Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) (181)
Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) (455)
Sexual Healing (776)

37. Elvis Presley



AM Rank: 9

2008 Poll Rank: 47

Votes: 17

Points: 458.29

Nominated by:

Larry (14)
nicolas (15)
Stone (15)
Daniel (19)
listyguy (19)
Honorio (20)
Henry (21)
Stephan (27)
Frank (29)
Nick (33)
Kinch (37)
SR (38)
Midaso (40)
BillAdama (52)
Miguel (60)
Brad (65)
Henrik (97)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

From Elvis In Memphis (416)
Elvis Presley (437)
Elvis (2720)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Suspicious Minds (122)
Hound Dog (265)
Heartbreak Hotel (274)
In the Ghetto (343)
That's All Right (368)
Don't Be Cruel (379)
Jailhouse Rock (673)
Can't Help Falling in Love (915)
Mystery Train (927)

36. Creedence Clearwater Revival



AM Rank: 40

2008 Poll Rank: 70

Votes: 18

Points: 461.9

Nominated by:

Gillingham (4)
listyguy (10)
Kinch (13)
nicolas (13)
Stephan (19)
Frank (23)
Sven (30)
Nick (42)
Brose (45)
Henry (48)
Stone (48)
Daniel (54)
Michel (56)
Beef Supreme (59)
SR (71)
Henrik (73)
Larry (88)
Honorio (94)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Cosmo's Factory (151)
Green river (372)
Willy & the poor boys (461)
Bayou Country (1284)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Fortunate Son (197)
Proud Mary (317)
Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (491)
Lookin’ Out My Back Door (892)
Down on the Corner (1403)

Glad you saw Prince! Was it your first time? He's an amazing live performer, and I haven't seen him since 2006. At least the last time I saw him, I got on stage!

That was a great run right there. It's good to see Elliott Smith stay in the top 40.

As far as Johnny Cash goes, saying his music was less dated than his contemporaries probably wasn't the best way of putting things. His songs definitely sound like they were recorded in the 50s, I just find them much more listenable than Buddy Holly/Little Richard records for whatever reason.

It was my first time seeing him, and it was an impressive show which certainly added something to the songs!

Glad to see Creedence so high, by the way. I feel they're drifting into the "forgotten 60es acts" category for most people ...

I guess Prince is making himself seen a lot in Minneapolis these days. I don't really go out much to music clubs anymore but he's been showing up with his bodyguards to shows. He still throws parties at Paisley Park which isn't too far from my place but I've never gone. The Prince "mystique" has never been a reason why I've liked his music. I would like to check out Paisley Park though.

35. Pavement



AM Rank: 89

2008 Poll Rank: 54

Votes: 13

Points: 473.63

Nominated by:

Brad (1)
Beef Supreme (3)
John (10)
SR (14)
Michel (17)
Zorg (17)
Jackson (21)
Brose (27)
Romain (57)
Nick (67)
Frank (73)
BillAdama (78)
Schleuse (88)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (73)
Slanted and Enchanted (81)
Wowee Zowee (302)
Brighten The Corners (411)
Terror Twilight (872)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Cut Your Hair (190)
Range Life (272)
Gold Soundz (298)
Summer Babe (Winter Version) (480)
Fillmore Jive (497)
Here (516)
Frontwards (910)
Jackals, False Grails; The Lonesome Era (970)

34. Oasis



AM Rank: 54

2008 Poll Rank: 43

Votes: 13

Points: 481.67

Nominated by:

Depeche Mode (3)
Toni (6)
Frank (14)
Kinch (14)
Slick (15)
Nick (21)
Penguin (22)
Daniel (27)
Tim E (27)
Midaso (37)
Stephan (37)
Brose (38)
Henry (76)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

(What's the Story) Morning Glory? (86)
Definitely Maybe (145)
Don't Believe the Truth (1843)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Wonderwall (81)
Live Forever (87)
Don't Look Back in Anger (623)
Champagne Supernova (666)
Supersonic (923)

33. Joy Division



AM Rank: 51

2008 Poll Rank: 44

Votes: 16

Points: 483.8

Nominated by:

Michel (2)
Brose (12)
Midaso (16)
Zorg (16)
Jackson (17)
SR (20)
BillAdama (26)
Nick (27)
Romain (30)
Slick (39)
Frank (40)
Mindrocker (40)
Moonbeam (48)
Stephan (69)
Petri (74)
Henrik (87)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Closer (57)
Unknown Pleasures (98)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Love Will Tear Us Apart (9)
Atmosphere (416)
She's Lost Control (451)
Disorder (482)
Decades (548)
Transmission (711)

32. The Doors



AM Rank: 30

2008 Poll Rank: 69

Votes: 20

Points: 499.51

Nominated by:

long5 (4)
Nick (10)
Michel (20)
Henrik (21)
Romain (21)
Gillingham (23)
Moonbeam (28)
Depeche Mode (32)
Henry (33)
Slick (37)
listyguy (38)
Beef Supreme (42)
Kinch (42)
Frank (43)
BillAdama (56)
Stephan (63)
nicolas (65)
Georgie (71)
Brad (91)
Petri (96)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

The Doors (71)
L.A. Woman (641)
Strange Days (740)
Morrison Hotel (1126)
The Soft Parade (2233)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Light My Fire (128)
The End (203)
Riders on the Storm (386)
L.A. Woman (1316)
Roadhouse Blues (1637)

31. Beck



AM Rank: 44

2008 Poll Rank: 23

Votes: 21

Points: 502.41

Nominated by:

John (4)
Toni (15)
Frank (20)
Zorg (20)
Beef Supreme (21)
BillAdama (22)
Nick (26)
Kinch (28)
SR (29)
Romain (32)
Petri (34)
Michel (42)
Daniel (49)
Depeche Mode (55)
Brad (62)
Mindrocker (66)
Henrik (68)
Stone (78)
Henry (79)
Slick (82)
nicolas (88)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Odelay (58)
Sea Change (85)
Mutations (348)
Mellow Gold (452)
Midnite Vultures (848)
Modern Guilt (903)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Loser (89)
Hotwax (585)
Beercan (714)
Lord Only Knows (1174)
The New Pollution (1244)

Every Paisley show I've ever been to has really been amazing- loose shows where he plays rare material and really goes berzerk!

30. Arcade Fire



AM Rank: 114

2008 Poll Rank: 33

Votes: 21

Points: 517.23

Nominated by:

Penguin (8)
Petri (15)
Zorg (15)
Brose (16)
Nassim (19)
Schleuse (21)
Daniel (23)
Depeche Mode (26)
Octopus (31)
SR (32)
Jackson (39)
Moonbeam (45)
John (46)
Kinch (48)
Nick (48)
Romain (50)
Slick (56)
BillAdama (58)
Henry (82)
Frank (93)
Miguel (99)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Funeral (16)
Neon Bible (187)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Wake Up (68)
Rebellion (Lies) (78)
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (121)
In the Backseat (684)
Keep The Car Running (774)
Intervention (980)
Neighborhood #2 (Laika) (984)

29. Bob Marley



AM Rank: 22

2008 Poll Rank: 51

Votes: 18

Points: 520.71

Nominated by:

Henrik (4)
Slick (10)
Beef Supreme (12)
long5 (12)
Larry (19)
Stephan (20)
nicolas (23)
Gillingham (28)
SR (31)
listyguy (33)
Honorio (46)
Henry (51)
Sven (51)
BillAdama (55)
Daniel (58)
Brose (62)
Nick (63)
Romain (66)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Exodus (177)
Natty Dread (250)
Catch a Fire (272)
Live! (405)
Burnin’ (483)
Soul Revolution (709)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

No Woman, No Cry (63)
Is This Love? (216)
Get Up, Stand Up (520)
Waiting in Vain (683)
Three Little Birds (814)

28. Simon and Garfunkel



AM Rank: 55

2008 Poll Rank: 39

Votes: 20

Points: 546.75

Nominated by:

John (5)
Henry (7)
Miguel (8)
Daniel (15)
Henrik (15)
Stephan (17)
Larry (23)
BillAdama (35)
Honorio (35)
Gillingham (39)
Midaso (39)
listyguy (40)
Petri (49)
Michel (50)
nicolas (56)
SR (65)
Stone (75)
Nick (76)
Georgie (84)
Sven (99)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Bridge Over Troubled Water (96)
Parsley, Sage, Rosmary And Thyme (305)
Bookends (314)
Sound of silence (1221)
Live from New York City, 1967 (1292)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

The Sound of Silence (64)
The Boxer (82)
Bridge Over Troubled Water (86)
America (182)
The Only Living Boy In New York (226)
Mrs. Robinson (322)
Cecilia (975)

27. The Cure



AM Rank: 70

2008 Poll Rank: 29

Votes: 17

Points: 560.08

Nominated by:

Slick (1)
Henrik (2)
Moonbeam (3)
Honorio (18)
Depeche Mode (24)
Petri (26)
long5 (27)
Michel (30)
Nassim (30)
Midaso (33)
Romain (53)
BillAdama (54)
Frank (55)
Henry (62)
Miguel (63)
nicolas (78)
Nick (81)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Disintegration (111)
Seventeen Seconds (191)
Pornography (331)
The Head On The Door (546)
BloodFlowers (867)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Lullaby (172)
In Between Days (213)
A Forest (241)
Just Like Heaven (387)
Close To Me (510)
Lovesong (695)
Boys Don't Cry (724)

26. Michael Jackson



AM Rank: 35

2008 Poll Rank: 57

Votes: 24

Points: 567.44

Nominated by:

Daniel (12)
Stephan (16)
Henry (17)
listyguy (17)
long5 (19)
Brose (23)
Moonbeam (23)
Stone (23)
Romain (24)
Frank (27)
Kinch (30)
Toni (33)
Nick (38)
Georgie (42)
BillAdama (43)
Depeche Mode (45)
SR (50)
Larry (60)
Honorio (61)
Nassim (66)
Miguel (74)
Henrik (78)
Petri (84)
Beef Supreme (98)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Thriller (62)
Off The Wall (160)
Bad (913)
Dangerous (2843)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Billie Jean (10)
Beat It (212)
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (247)
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (818)
Human Nature (852)

Good work, Moonbeam.

Everyone in my top ten is still alive.

I think the last 25 will be:

Beach Boys
Beatles
Blur
Bowie
Clash
Costello
Dylan
Hendrix
Kinks
Led Zeppelin
Nirvana
Pink Floyd
Pixies
Prince
Radiohead
R.E.M.
Rolling Stones
Smiths
Springsteen
Talking Heads
U2
Velvet Undeground
Who
Wonder
Young, Neil

Well since the top 25 is no secret by any means, let me be the first to place a guess for the order.

25. The Kinks
24. Blur
23. Elvis Costello
22. The Smiths
21. Stevie Wonder
20. Pixies
19. U2
18. Neil Young
17. Talking Heads
16. Pink Floyd
15. Nirvana
14. The Who
13. The Beach Boys
12. R.E.M.
11. The Velvet Underground
10. Prince
9. Jimi Hendrix
8. Bruce Springsteen
7. The Clash
6. Led Zeppelin
5. David Bowie
4. Radiohead
3. The Rolling Stones
2. Bob Dylan
1. The Beatles

My prediction:

1. The Beatles
2. Radiohead
3. Bob Dylan
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. The Rolling Stones
6. Prince
7. Bruce Springsteen
8. David Bowie
9. Led Zeppelin
10. The Velvet Underground
11. The Beach Boys
12. Stevie Wonder
13. The Who
14. The Clash
15. Pixies
16. The Smiths
17. R.E.M.
18. Nirvana
19. Talking Heads
20. Neil Young
21. U2
22. Elvis Costello
23. Pink Floyd
24. The Kinks
25. Blur

Can't we put those predictions in another topic?

25. Elvis Costello



AM Rank: 23

2008 Poll Rank: 19

Votes: 19

Points: 591.41

Nominated by:

Toni (3)
Brad (7)
Stone (8)
Sven (12)
Honorio (15)
Frank (18)
BillAdama (20)
Schleuse (22)
Henry (24)
Stephan (25)
Nick (31)
Slick (33)
Romain (34)
Kinch (47)
Henrik (71)
Moonbeam (79)
Daniel (88)
Miguel (98)
Brose (100)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

This Year's Model (72)
My Aim Is True (99)
Armed Forces (190)
Imperial Bedroom (353)
King Of America (580)
Get Happy! (663)
Blood and chocolate (736)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Alison (290)
Beyond Belief (378)
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding (411)
Radio Radio (490)
Accidents Will Happen (603)
Oliver's Army (738)
This Year's Girl (851)
(The Angels Wanna Wear) My Red Shoes (913)

24. Blur



AM Rank: 50

2008 Poll Rank: 24

Votes: 18

Points: 595.89

Nominated by:

Toni (1)
Depeche Mode (2)
Nick (9)
Romain (13)
Penguin (14)
Schleuse (14)
Kinch (15)
SR (17)
Midaso (31)
long5 (35)
Slick (42)
Beef Supreme (51)
Honorio (52)
Henrik (83)
Nassim (88)
Daniel (89)
Petri (91)
Mindrocker (98)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Parklife (120)
13 (327)
Modern Life Is Rubbish (592)
Blur (746)
Think Tank (1177)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Song 2 (162)
Coffee & TV (447)
Parklife (535)
Tender (664)
The Universal (842)
For Tomorrow (855)
Out Of Time (948)
Country House (972)
Stereotypes (998)

23. Pixies



AM Rank: 43

2008 Poll Rank: 16

Votes: 17

Points: 662.82

Nominated by:

Schleuse (6)
BillAdama (8)
Zorg (8)
SR (10)
Michel (11)
Jackson (13)
Toni (14)
Brad (17)
Brose (17)
Honorio (19)
Tim E (20)
Nick (23)
Slick (25)
Beef Supreme (34)
Stephan (48)
Henrik (54)
Romain (80)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Doolittle (12)
Surfer Rosa (55)
Bossanova (513)
Trompe Le Monde (3125)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Debaser (46)
Monkey Gone to Heaven (91)
Where is My Mind? (97)
Here Comes Your Man (174)
Gigantic (253)
Hey (689)
No. 13 Baby (898)

22. Talking Heads



AM Rank: 26

2008 Poll Rank: 21

Votes: 21

Points: 702.36

Nominated by:

Zorg (5)
Michel (6)
Miguel (6)
Schleuse (7)
Toni (7)
Nick (13)
Romain (15)
John (20)
SR (22)
Honorio (24)
BillAdama (27)
Jackson (28)
Brose (31)
Octopus (37)
Moonbeam (39)
Daniel (42)
Henrik (77)
Frank (83)
Stone (87)
Petri (88)
Henry (99)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Remain In Light (37)
Fear of Music (153)
More Songs About Buildings and Food (319)
Talking Heads 77 (337)
Stop Making Sense (378)
The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads (773)
Speaking in Tongues (892)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Once in a Lifetime (51)
Psycho Killer (291)
And She Was (415)
The Great Curve (653)
This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody) (822)

21. Nirvana



AM Rank: 19

2008 Poll Rank: 22

Votes: 27

Points: 724.51

Nominated by:

Beef Supreme (4)
BillAdama (6)
Depeche Mode (10)
Kinch (12)
SR (13)
Jackson (18)
Frank (19)
Michel (22)
Nick (24)
Stone (26)
John (32)
Romain (36)
Gillingham (37)
Schleuse (38)
Honorio (39)
long5 (41)
Henry (42)
Midaso (42)
Brose (44)
Miguel (45)
listyguy (50)
Slick (75)
Moonbeam (80)
Daniel (85)
Brad (88)
Henrik (90)
Nassim (90)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Nevermind (17)
In Utero (116)
MTV Unplugged in New York (246)
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1558)
Incesticide (2238)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Smells Like Teen Spirit (12)
Lithium (246)
All Apologies (300)
Come As You Are (392)
Heart Shaped Box (401)
Dumb (643)

Wow, I completely forgot to include Talking Heads in my top 100. They would have been at #77, so not that much help, but still. The surprises are gone from the list now, but I think it's only getting more exciting to see who gets to fill in the top 5.

As far as the predictions go, I think you guys are overestimating Jimi Hendix, he was #32 last time we did this, so I expect him to be among the next 5.

@Stone

Hank Williams and Merle Haggard are great, but they are accessible to a far more specific audience than Johnny Cash, and that audience has a higher median age than the general age range of this forum.

I should have included Talking Heads as well. Fortunately, they are ranked well after all.

Excellent run there (as you'd expect at this stage in the game). Comments to come.

Cool pictures, Moonbeam!

True. On this page I like the ones of Joy Division, Michael Jackson and Talking Heads in particular.

Led Zeppelin, U2, and Pink Floyd are ahead of Nirvana, Talking Heads, and Pixies? No justice. Here's hoping none of those dinosaurs finish ahead of The Clash. A man can dream can't he?

I can't believe Oasis, Simon & Garfunkel, and Bob Marley ranked as high as they did. Blur in the top 25 was a surprise for me as well (I didn't realize they had the same placement in `08).

there's nothing like a poll's result thread on AMF...
THANKS MOONBEAM, that's great, I'm just back from vacation with the whole house to clean so I didn't have much time to read all the comments, but the results are GREAT.

Talking Heads: I'm as surprised as anyone that I put this 5th. The reason is that their first 4 albums are all really excellent. David Byrne's voice, which doesn't please many, is constantly brilliant and he is flanked by excellent twangy guitars, and good drums.
Fav album: Remain In Light/77
Fav song: The Book I Read

Pixies: One of the great heroes of eighties indie rock, Pixies are eighth on my list for one main reason and that one reason came out in 1989.
Thoughful, funny, a bit mad, inspirational, Doolittle is just one of the great albums ever. I'm not even really talking about the established gems like "Monkey Gone To Heaven", "Here Comes Your Man"
or "Wave Of Mutilation", I'm talking about the songs which are just modest ones - "Debaser", "La La Love You", and my two personal favourites, "No. 13 Baby" and "Hey".
Fav album - Doolittle
Fav song - No. 13 Baby

@Jackson - while I too was surprised at Blur's high placing, at least we have done them justice and put them ahead of Oasis

1. The Beatles
2. Bob Dylan
3. Radiohead
4. The Stones
5. Bowie
6. Prince
7. Springsteen
8. Hendrix
9. Velvet Underground
10. Stevie
11. Smiths
12. Led Zep
13. The Who
14. R.E.M.
16. Beach Boys
17. The Clash
18. Neil Young
19. U2
20. Pink Floyd

2. Elliott Smith- Can’t believe I never got to see him play live.

10. Pavement- Slanted and Enchanted might be the favorite, but everything after was the best indie pop ever had to offer.

4. Beck- His peak output reminds me a lot of the Beatles at their best. He took every style and made it his own. He got away from that trying to recreate his own past work.

46. Arcade Fire- Why do the best bands of this generation refuse to release albums? Along with Radiohead it’s disappointing how calculated releasing an album is these days. Negativity aside, they’re great.

5. Simon and Garfunkel- Simon didn’t necessarily need Garfunkel but they sure sounded great together.

20. Talking Heads- The music was great but they stick with me because of Stop Making Sense. All of the copies in the world of that film could be burned but it will never escape my mind.

32. Nirvana- What they spawned will always taint their legacy but it’s not Cobain’s fault that imitators could never come close to what he was able to accomplish. What they don’t get is that it’s the songs, not the sound.

If we see Prince mysteriously at number 1, we all know why.
1. The Beatles
2. Bob Dylan
3. The Stones
4. Bowie
5. Radiohead
6. Prince
7. Velvet Underground
8. Hendrix
9. The Boss
10. Smiths
11. Stevie Wonder
12. Led Zep
13. Beach Boys
14. R.E.M.
16. The Who
17. The Clash
18. Neil Young
19. U2
20. Pink Floyd

U2 is younger than the Clash, so I guess they're a "Dinosaur" too?

Number 15 anyone?

As you just gave away, I copied sorg's list and rearranged them. I forgot the Kinks, but they'll probably be about 18.

I am not too keen on the term "dinosaur." But as listguy suggests, if you are going to rail against dinosaurs, perhaps it is best not to champion artists who peaked 20 to 30 years ago. Or is "dinosaur" just a state of mind or a permanent place on AOR-playlists?

20. Pink Floyd



AM Rank: 21

2008 Poll Rank: 20

Votes: 22

Points: 765.46

Nominated by:

Daniel (6)
Gillingham (6)
Henry (6)
Henrik (7)
John (8)
long5 (11)
Nick (14)
Stephan (14)
Romain (17)
Michel (21)
listyguy (25)
Honorio (26)
Midaso (28)
Brad (29)
Tim E (33)
Georgie (34)
nicolas (48)
Slick (54)
Brose (75)
Schleuse (81)
Sven (87)
Miguel (88)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

The Dark Side of the Moon (25)
Wish You Were Here (63)
The Wall (131)
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (168)
Animals (525)
Meddle (991)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Wish You Were Here (146)
Comfortably Numb (337)
Shine on You Crazy Diamond (458)
Time (669)
See Emily Play (1012)

19. The Smiths



AM Rank: 24

2008 Poll Rank: 17

Votes: 21

Points: 821.48

Nominated by:

Midaso (1)
Michel (5)
Penguin (5)
Nick (8)
Octopus (8)
Honorio (9)
Zorg (9)
Moonbeam (17)
Slick (18)
BillAdama (21)
Jackson (23)
Henrik (26)
Henry (30)
SR (30)
Tim E (31)
Brose (32)
Stephan (41)
Frank (49)
Petri (59)
Brad (76)
Schleuse (76)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

The Queen Is Dead (14)
The Smiths (171)
Hatful of Hollow (221)
Strangeways, Here We Come (355)
Meat Is Murder (1160)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

There is a Light That Never Goes Out (13)
This Charming Man (107)
How Soon Is Now? (108)
Bigmouth Strikes Again (327)
I Know It's Over (519)
The Boy With the Thorn in His Side (560)
Girlfriend in a Coma (639)
Cemetry Gates (675)
What Difference Does it Make? (761)
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (844)

18. The Kinks



AM Rank: 31

2008 Poll Rank: 18

Votes: 25

Points: 840.51

Nominated by:

Jackson (1)
Midaso (4)
Miguel (9)
Sven (9)
Daniel (10)
John (15)
Frank (16)
Brad (18)
Romain (20)
Zorg (22)
Honorio (23)
Stephan (23)
Depeche Mode (25)
SR (28)
Brose (29)
listyguy (31)
nicolas (34)
Stone (40)
Georgie (41)
Nick (41)
Mindrocker (47)
Henry (58)
Nassim (82)
Slick (94)
BillAdama (97)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (51)
Something Else By The Kinks (156)
Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire) (357)
Face To Face (470)
Muswell Hillbillies (1121)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Waterloo Sunset (8)
You Really Got Me (69)
Sunny Afternoon (302)
Shangri-La (313)
Lola (391)
The Village Green Preservation Society (888)
Picture Book (974)

17. Neil Young



AM Rank: 18

2008 Poll Rank: 7

Votes: 25

Points: 847.53

Nominated by:

nicolas (4)
Miguel (5)
Stephan (6)
Honorio (8)
Kinch (8)
BillAdama (11)
Frank (12)
Mindrocker (15)
Slick (20)
Henrik (22)
Henry (22)
Schleuse (25)
SR (25)
Gillingham (26)
Sven (26)
Midaso (32)
Brose (39)
Daniel (46)
Jackson (47)
John (48)
Stone (60)
Romain (62)
Beef Supreme (69)
Nick (76)
Petri (98)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

After The Gold Rush (28)
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (94)
Rust Never Sleeps (97)
Harvest (130)
Tonight's The Night (163)
On The Beach (214)
Ragged glory (335)
Freedom (697)
Live At Massey Hall 1971 (888)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Heart of Gold (444)
After the Goldrush (493)
Cinnamon Girl (509)
Only Love Can Break Your Heart (788)
Southern Man (839)
Cortez the Killer (845)

16. The Who



AM Rank: 8

2008 Poll Rank: 11

Votes: 23

Points: 883.85

Nominated by:

Frank (4)
Henry (4)
Stephan (4)
Penguin (6)
Stone (9)
Nick (12)
Midaso (13)
listyguy (15)
BillAdama (16)
Miguel (17)
Kinch (18)
Daniel (20)
Romain (22)
nicolas (24)
Sven (25)
Honorio (28)
Schleuse (28)
Brose (34)
Mindrocker (45)
Brad (61)
Nassim (63)
Slick (69)
Michel (92)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Who's Next (27)
Tommy (162)
Quadrophenia (206)
The Who Sell Out (228)
Live At Leeds (487)
The Who by Numbers (785)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Baba O'Riley (31)
Won't Get Fooled Again (85)
My Generation (129)
I Can See For Miles (315)
Behind Blue Eyes (347)
I Can't Explain (414)
Pinball Wizard (665)
We're Not Gonna Take It (671)

To me a 'Dinosaur' is a group whose appeal is tied inextricably to the culture of a bygone era. A band that peaked in 1970 but has timeless appeal isn't a dinosaur. A band that peaked in 1970 and has no accessibility to audiences in any other era is a 'Dinosaur'.

I think this is a great way to define the term. For example The Modern Lovers self titled album came out in 1972, but sounds fresh and relevant to me. Meanwhile for example, the hair metal bands that reached prominence in the late 80's may have come nearly 20 years after The Modern Lovers album, but their music sounds much more dated and hard to separate from their era. Are these hair metal bands "dinosaurs" quite yet? Maybe, maybe not. But I guarantee in 15 years they will be, while bands like The Modern Lovers and Big Star remain relevant as ever.

Glad to see The Kinks in the top 20, though I'm a little disappointed they didn't place any higher than last time, especially with my #1 vote that wasn't around in `08. Maybe next time they'll take their rightful place ahead of The Who.

Nick and Bill Adama,

But who determines "relevance?" You? Me? The AM forum? Certainly, if you polled the 18-25 demographic here in the states, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd would best the Modern Lovers, Big Star, the Talking Heads, and, to a lesser extent, the Clash.

If we are talking about relevance to today's music scene, a group like Big Star is certainly a seminal influence for indie pop. But indie pop is not where it's at in terms of the broader culture. Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Kanye West do not betray many traces of Alex Chilton! You could make a stronger argument that Prince, Madonna, and Michael Jackson have been the defining influences of pop music during the last 15 years.

To be clear, I am not slagging off on the "cool" bands mentioned above. I like them all and would rank London Calling in my all-time top 20.

And you'd be absolutely right!

Sorry, should have made that clearer. When speaking in terms of relevance, I meant relevant to my life. Though I am of still of the opinion that a band such as Big Star sounds much less dated than say, Def Leppard, no matter how little of Alex Chilton's work is reflected in the mainstream pop scene.

8. Pink Floyd- The Barrett years were amazing and most everything after that was pretty special as well.

15. Kinks- For a band as big as they are, they should have been much, much bigger.

That's very true, but I guess times have changed. Other bands like The White Stripes, The National, LCD Soundsystem, The Flaming Lips, TV on the Radio and Wilco do a little better, but it's still different from great bands in the 60's and 70's.

Radiohead was actually doing quite fine up until Hail to the Thief. But that's partly caused by the one-man projects by the likes of Yorke, Greenwood and Selway.

I am wondering if this 'trend' will stay or not. I think it will.

The Pixies and Smiths were huge influences on Indie.

Madonna, Prince and MJ are certainly not 'Dinosaurs' and never will be.

But, I have a hard time imagining anyone listening to the Backstreet Boys 20 years from now. New Kids On The Block and Vanilla Ice probably sold more records than Prince in 1990. But Prince is, without a doubt, selling more records now, and will continue to do so.

It isn't just a question of influence, or the size of your audience. It's the answer to the question 'Can new audiences still connect to this music long after it's popular?'

Yeah, that's probably one of the big reasons there's such a higher density of great music from the 60s and 70s than there is today. The Beatles and the Stones, in their peaks, released a new album every year. Now with a few exceptions like Mountain Goats we're lucky to get a single new album every three years. And what the hell has Fiona Apple been up to?! Why can't she release more than one album every five or six years? By that pace she's about due, come on Fiona!

Which, of course, is true now, but all music has an expiration date. If that weren't the case we'd all still be listening to Beethoven.

I think that every artist or group becomes a "dinosaur" eventually. When that happens is more difficult to define. New Kids on the Block, for example, didn't get old right away. They influenced a whole flock of boy-bands in the mid- to late-90s, of which they were the first (by about 8 years). A good working definition would be when an artist's music is no longer emulated but instead completely reacted against by later artists that they're "dinosaurs".

So take a band like, for example, Motley Crue. Not many aspire to be Motley Crue. But there are still artists that do. (The worst band I can think of, Hinder, comes to mind.) Even they aren't completely worthless yet. They're just a little garish at the moment. Obviously, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd, even the Eagles ("I hate the fuckin Eagles, man!") aren't close to this point yet, so they aren't "dinosaurs" either.

But, with the passage of time, they'll get there. Hardly anyone really aspires to make music like, say, Vanilla Ice. He entered "dinosaur" stage pretty quickly. But anyone who showed up on this list probably isn't there yet.

I think BillAdama had the best point, and that it was elaborated on by a few people nicely.

To go back to the thing about Big Star, it's far more important that they're a seminal influence on acclaimed indie-pop than modern radio pop. This is an acclaimed music forum, and that type of music is simply far more important to critical conversation. If I call Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd dinosaurs I mean they aren't particularly relevant to the current acclaimed music that's being made. This is opposed to The Clash, who despite being from a close time period, remains relevant as the seminal punk band. My personal opinion about those two bands also probably has something to do with my comment.

I really am digging the results of this poll though, much more varied compared to last time. Also, Hendrix in T15!

Let's hope Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga become dinosaurs soon!

And the fact the Led Zeppelin and Pink floyd are ranked this highly in the poll shows that they are still current.

With the current horrible state of popular music, one can only hope for a change in musical direction. Problem is, this generations "Smells Like Teen Spirit" which could change the musical direction could be as much a blessing as a curse. Does anyone really want to see Indie artists become mainstream pop artists??? It just seems inevitable at this point that something like that could happen, we'll see. For now I'll ignore the LadyGaga/Kesha/Beiber top 40 BS and yes, they can become dinosaurs anytime...

****WARNING: The Following comment contains an extremely bad joke. Reader discretion is advised.****

The only "Dinosaur" in music is T. Rex.

How about Dinosaur Jr.? Or are junior dinosaurs on the way to being dinosaurs?

COME BACK FIONA! Like Lucinda Williams before Apple back in her 90s-80s days, she just takes a lot of time to release something! But i can't argue about the final product, "So Sleepy" is one of my favorite tracks this year and i wish she would receive the acclaim she deserves for When The Pawn and Extraordinary Machine, amazing, beyond terrific albums that were ahead of its time (a LOT of female singer/songwriters wanna sound like Apple these days, yeah i'm looking at you Regina Spektor, though i do like some of your material). To me Fiona and Joanna Newsom are in a class of their own when it comes to contemporary singer/songwriters (although Laura Marling and Bat For Lashes have also been releasing great albums since 2007).

But then, i remember an interview that Fiona said that when she doesn't write is because she is happy and not in the mood of recording, so i'm glad that her life is doing great since EMI and all that shit back in 2003. Come back Fiona, you proved this year that you can sing a song written by little kids and produced by Jon Brion like no one else in the game (Suck it Kanye and Aimee Mann, i do like them though), your witty/dark sense of humor, intimacy, unique eye for details in relatioships, unique production and sound (is the original extraordinary machine tom waits gone pop?) so just release something. She's not prolific, but hell she's awesome.

And then i remember how stupid some people were to dismiss her as another tori amos and an alanis wannabe, an angry girl with nothing to say (her debut was WAAY beyond her years) look where they are now, recycling and releasing materia beyond mediocre and apple breaking boundaries when it comes to her music, being an original, a definitive cult artist, i just love the girl! If only teens coming of age singers these days were as full of attitude, creativity and sincere as Cobain, Apple and Stuart of Belle and Sebastian to name a few, the radio would be a better place... but then, we got the "peacocks" wanting to make money, while everyone is taking something off and living their really lame teenage dream. Does Katy Perry really thinks she's breaking boundaries kissing girls and Kesha talking about sex... well they need to meet a little friend of mine called Liz Phair and her 90's records, she did all that they do now and more. Plus there's the honesty, sincerity, all stuff wrote by herself, and why not, beyond terrific songwriting and production. These days mainstream is all about money, there were days where it was about money and artistic integrity, and days when only the latter used to count (Joni Mitchell, Bowie and Fleetwood Mac playing on the radio... people singing Laura Nyro and Carole King down the streets... i miss the 60s/70s mainstream, even though i didn't live it).

Or that people are giving in to history, and putting them high because they think they ought to be this high.

Don't worry. Justin Bieber can't look both 16 and 12 at the same time forever.

But honestly, I don't get why Bieber gets it worse than the other teeange girl-marketed bands. I find his stuff far more listenable than, say, Hannah Montana. It pisses me off that I have to see his f***ing cutout every time I walk into a Newbury Comics, of course.

Lady Gaga I think has a better chance of career longevity. She, unlike Bieber, has a lot of legitimate fans who don't just like her for her gimmicks, and she also has the 'Good for mainstream' distinction working for her.

---

Beethoven is still finding a lot of new fans today though. He probably gets a lot more spins per hour worldwide than a lot of the stuff we talk about that's current.

That's not what I meant. What I was responding to is the point that they are the artists that are the biggest influences on pop music over the past 30 years, and their influence still looms large today- hence making them anything but dinosaurs by the definitions that are being tossed around.

Hey, what's wrong with being a dinosaur? I think dinos are utterly cool!

Nothing! This is my personal favorite- the parasaurolophus.

For Wilco, check out summerteeth. It's very pet soundsy with dashes of elvis costello, lou reed and neil young.

I know I'll get hanged for saying this, but I think it's better than The Soft Bulletin.

Well, aren't we?

I know I am.

Newbury Comics is awesome.

Excellent choice; a true prehistoric taste-maker.

Oh, my god, Moonbeam...SO overrated. Just because all the critics started to take notice of dinosaurs in the Upper Cretaceous, every damn herbivorous species in the hadrosaurid family is way overrepresented on the critics' lists.

And seriously, everything from that era is just ripping off better dinosaurs from the Triassic and Jurassic periods.

Gotta defend this one - "Summerteeth" is in fact better than "The Soft Bulletin"! And I will fight anyone who disagrees

Well, parasaurolophus and its brethren took all of the greatness of plateosaurus and isanosaurus and expanded upon it! That's what evolution's all about. I find Triassic and Jurassic dinosaurs much more dated and primitive. I mean, have you heard that brass section on Parasaurolophus VI? I'd like to see the non-horned sauropods try that shit. I think God ended the dinosaur reign after the Cretaceous because He saw that they had reached an insurmountable peak.

Yeah, I mean The Meteor is obviously a critical darling, and they were very 'influential' for whatever that's worth, but I just can't connect to their fatalism. And I can't get into Mammal at all. Dinosaur rock was fresh and raw, with a certain power and aggression. Mammal tries too hard to be clever, and they overthink everything. Sure, they've got all these modern tools, but Dinosaur could express twice the raw emotion with only their teeth and claws.

And then you have freaks like Diatryma with their cunning, predatory assault on the senses!

15. Stevie Wonder



AM Rank: 20

2008 Poll Rank: 14

Votes: 24

Points: 896.42

Nominated by:

Henry (5)
Toni (5)
Stone (7)
John (9)
nicolas (9)
SR (9)
Brose (10)
Henrik (12)
Honorio (12)
Moonbeam (18)
Romain (18)
BillAdama (19)
listyguy (20)
Georgie (26)
Midaso (26)
Schleuse (30)
Stephan (33)
Slick (35)
Nick (36)
Sven (41)
Miguel (64)
Daniel (68)
Petri (70)
Nassim (72)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Innervisions (21)
Songs in the Key of Life (56)
Talking Book (115)
Music of My Mind (742)
Fulfillingness' First Finale (1185)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Superstition (28)
Living for the City (209)
As (465)
Uptight (Everything's Alright) (471)
Higher Ground (496)
Sir Duke (539)
I Wish (545)
Too High (558)
He's Misstra Know-It-All (685)
Golden Lady (870)

14. Led Zeppelin



AM Rank: 5

2008 Poll Rank: 26

Votes: 24

Points: 956.59

Nominated by:

Henry (3)
listyguy (3)
Slick (3)
Frank (6)
Mindrocker (6)
Nick (6)
BillAdama (9)
Brad (11)
Daniel (14)
Georgie (14)
Brose (22)
nicolas (22)
Romain (23)
Kinch (25)
Stephan (30)
Nassim (31)
Honorio (36)
Stone (45)
Gillingham (46)
long5 (48)
Petri (52)
Larry (53)
Miguel (71)
Henrik (79)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

IV (38)
II (107)
Physical Graffiti (132)
Led Zeppelin (157)
Houses of the Holy (233)
III (583)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Stairway to Heaven (20)
Whole Lotta Love (175)
Since I've Been Loving You (258)
Dazed and Confused (448)
Black Dog (460)
Kashmir (478)
Heartbreaker (584)
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (719)
When the Levee Breaks (841)

13. U2



AM Rank: 17

2008 Poll Rank: 13

Votes: 25

Points: 984.35

Nominated by:

long5 (1)
Penguin (2)
Daniel (3)
Depeche Mode (4)
Stephan (5)
Kinch (6)
listyguy (8)
Midaso (9)
Stone (13)
Toni (16)
Gillingham (17)
Slick (21)
Nick (29)
Michel (32)
Henrik (34)
Henry (37)
Honorio (42)
Schleuse (42)
BillAdama (44)
Frank (48)
Moonbeam (57)
Petri (73)
Larry (80)
Brose (91)
Romain (99)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

The Joshua Tree (36)
Achtung Baby (52)
War (360)
Boy (453)
Zooropa (541)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

With or Without You (80)
One (98)
Sunday Bloody Sunday (164)
Where the Streets Have No Name (338)
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (463)
New Year's Day (500)
Pride (In the Name of Love) (721)
Bad (869)

12. Jimi Hendrix



AM Rank: 11

2008 Poll Rank: 32

Votes: 27

Points: 985.46

Nominated by:

SR (2)
BillAdama (5)
Kinch (5)
Frank (7)
listyguy (7)
Henry (11)
Midaso (14)
Gillingham (15)
Romain (16)
nicolas (17)
Slick (19)
Beef Supreme (20)
Nick (20)
Henrik (23)
Schleuse (27)
Georgie (28)
Mindrocker (29)
Daniel (30)
Honorio (33)
Jackson (37)
Nassim (37)
Brad (40)
Stone (42)
long5 (44)
Petri (56)
Stephan (78)
Brose (90)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Are You Experienced? (20)
Electric Ladyland (31)
Axis: Bold as Love (237)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

All Along the Watchtower (17)
Purple Haze (138)
Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (154)
Hey Joe (195)
Little Wing (657)

11. The Clash



AM Rank: 16

2008 Poll Rank: 15

Votes: 25

Points: 1023.39

Nominated by:

Schleuse (4)
Slick (6)
Michel (7)
Nick (7)
SR (7)
Brad (8)
Frank (8)
Beef Supreme (9)
Honorio (10)
Brose (11)
BillAdama (13)
Jackson (14)
Zorg (14)
Penguin (21)
Kinch (22)
Stone (25)
Henry (29)
Daniel (33)
Midaso (34)
nicolas (35)
Romain (39)
Stephan (53)
listyguy (55)
Sven (61)
Tim E (78)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

London Calling (3)
The Clash (91)
Sandinista! (450)
Combat Rock (642)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

London Calling (14)
Train in Vain (92)
Spanish Bombs (222)
The Guns of Brixton (409)
(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais (441)
Rock the Casbah (524)
Lost in the Supermarket (612)
The Magnificent Seven (658)
Complete Control (931)

"Nothing! This is my personal favorite- the parasaurolophus"

Man, that's some old dinosaurs there. And here I thought it all started with the Troggs...

Never mind the dinosurs, why isn't Jimi Hendrix in the top 10!?!?!

Really? Sad! I always held this high regard for Newbury because I've bought a lot of records from them online for a cheap price. I thought they were just a really hip store. Not that I'm going to quit buying from them, but that's really disappointing!

Never fear guys!

I'm a British schoolboy whose interest in critics dinosaur lists started in 1994, when I read New Dinosaur Express's list of the 100 best dinosaurs in the world. I started to rank dinosaurs based on lists in British magazines. Soon thereafter I discovered Julian's dinolists with lists from all over the world. Full of enthusiasm I continued to compile "ultimate" lists, but it was hard to find a method that gave a fair result. For example, I didn't want the UK dinos to overtake dinos from other parts of the world just because I included a new list from a UK magazine, and how would I compare Cretaceous era dinos (with no chance to be included in older lists) with older ones like the Jurassic era?

As my programming skills increased in the late 1990s, I began working on a program that would adjust for all the factors I had in mind. In year 2000 I started working on this website, and in September 2001 it was up and running.

I don't like any dinosaurs. I think that says as much as anything else about my dinosaur taste.

I'm also very interested in film, and I practise the tough and lazy sport Snooker, which is very popular in Britain.

Welcome to acclaimeddinosaurs.net, THE authoritative list on the most recommended dinosaurs of all time.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Also, .

Hendrix at 12? Come on! He's top 10 material!

PS So who will hold the favorite dinosaur poll of '10?

Well, at least in part because you didn't vote. Any of us who didn't join in the fun don't get to complain.

Which presents the perfect opportunity for me to apologize for not getting my votes in. And thanks Moonbeam for the great presentation, great pictures, and great thread. The discussion has been enlightening, particularly what shall be hereinafter known on the board as the great dinowars of 2010.

Great list everyone!

Jimi Hendrix was a lowly 32 the last time the poll was ran, so I'm happy my high vote was able to help elevate him to just outside the T10. We've got a nice group in our top 10 this year; while it's the same 9 but with Bruce over Neil, I don't think we'll see at all the same order.

Guitar rock is more popular on this board than it was a year ago.

SPOILER ALERT

Top ten predictions?

10. R.E.M.
9. Beach Boys
8. VU
7. Prince
6. Springsteen
5. Bowie
4. Radiohead
3. Dylan
2. Stones
1. Beatles

10. Bruce Springsteen



AM Rank: 7

2008 Poll Rank: 12

Votes: 23

Points: 1054.49

Nominated by:

nicolas (1)
Midaso (2)
Stephan (2)
Zorg (2)
Stone (4)
Brose (7)
Henry (9)
Penguin (9)
Honorio (11)
Gillingham (14)
Nick (16)
Slick (16)
SR (19)
Toni (21)
Kinch (26)
listyguy (28)
Brad (31)
Henrik (32)
BillAdama (42)
Miguel (47)
Daniel (48)
Tim E (76)
Sven (92)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Born to Run (13)
Darkness on the Edge of Town (74)
Born in the U.S.A. (147)
Nebraska (166)
The River (231)
The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Suffle (285)
Tunnel of Love (400)
Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. (779)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Born to Run (4)
Thunder Road (58)
The River (114)
Jungleland (187)
Atlantic City (252)
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (518)
Born in the U.S.A. (546)
Dancing in the Dark (783)
Adam Raised a Cain (863)
Brilliant Disguise (864)

9. The Beach Boys



AM Rank: 12

2008 Poll Rank: 9

Votes: 23

Points: 1138.13

Nominated by:

Sven (1)
Midaso (3)
Miguel (3)
Jackson (4)
Georgie (5)
SR (5)
Stone (5)
Brose (6)
Honorio (6)
Daniel (11)
John (11)
Nick (11)
Henry (13)
Stephan (13)
Schleuse (17)
Toni (25)
Penguin (26)
nicolas (30)
listyguy (39)
Henrik (45)
Petri (71)
Slick (81)
Tim E (89)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Pet Sounds (2)
Surf's Up (212)
Sunflower (267)
Smiley smile (473)
Today! (792)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

God Only Knows (2)
Good Vibrations (5)
Wouldn't It Be Nice (70)
Surf's Up (88)
Don't Worry Baby (106)
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times (236)
California Girls (251)
I Get Around (266)
Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) (321)
Sloop John B (324)

Bruce in the top 10. That's great !!
and Greg didn't vote (hey you f...er, where were you ?? )

I can't believe R.E.M. is going to rank above the Beach Boys and Bruce, especially considering the way this forum typically votes. I don't remember them being ranked in so many lists.

My guess about the remainder:

8. VU
7. Prince
6. R.E.M.
5. Bowie
4. Stones
3. Dylan
2. Radiohead
1. Beatles

This is a fantastic top 8, whatever the order.

8. VU
7. REM
6. Prince
5. Radiohead
4. Bowie
3. Stones
2. Dylan
1. Justin Bieber!

Well, I know they got at least one first place vote.

Since we're posting predictions

8. R.E.M
7. The Velvet Underground
6. Prince
5. David Bowie
4. The Rolling Stones
3. Radiohead
2. Bob Dylan
1. The Beatles

The only thnigs I'm not sure of is that maybe REM beats the VU and maybe Radiohead beats Dylan. But Dylan's got strong support here, and I remember to of the big R.E.M fans didn't vote in the poll this time around, leaving them with just one #1 vote. Not sure if that's enough to take the VU, which should have gotten votes from a large amount of the voters.

I'm surprised I didn't vote for the Beach Boys. I wouldn't have had them that high I the list, but I thought I would have ranked them somewhere. Maybe it was an oversight.

sorry nic (and other boss fans)!

In the 2008 poll, R.E.M. placed #5.

By the way, of the eight artists we still expect to see, all of them were in my top 20—#1, #2, #3, #5, #8, #10, #12 and #20. So even if I’m the only voter who picked a certain band #1, my ballot wouldn’t have separated them from the pack that much.

(And what a frontrunner I’m turning into in my old age!…although my top 20 did also include X, the Stooges, the Pretenders and Wire).

Is it me or does Bruce look like a dwarf in that picture?

yeah, moonbeam hasn't been kind to him

Why not this one ?

I chose that picture of Bruce because of the intensity on his face! I failed to notice it made him look as if he didn't have a neck.

8. R.E.M.



AM Rank: 15

2008 Poll Rank: 5

Votes: 31

Points: 1267.32

Nominated by:

Schleuse (1)
Octopus (3)
Brad (4)
Toni (4)
Beef Supreme (7)
Stephan (7)
Michel (8)
Slick (9)
Kinch (10)
Stone (10)
Frank (13)
John (13)
BillAdama (14)
Honorio (17)
Nick (17)
Penguin (17)
Brose (19)
Midaso (22)
Miguel (22)
Romain (27)
Henry (32)
SR (34)
Gillingham (35)
Mindrocker (35)
Depeche Mode (39)
Petri (43)
Daniel (51)
Larry (64)
Henrik (74)
nicolas (76)
listyguy (89)

Top Albums (2010 Poll):

Automatic for the People (26)
Murmur (47)
Reckoning (217)
Life’s Rich Pageant (243)
Document (260)
Out of Time (334)
Green (352)
Up (553)
Fables of the Reconstruction (718)

Top Songs (2010 Poll):

Losing My Religion (29)
It's The End of the World as We Know It (230)
Man on the Moon (326)
Everybody Hurts (330)
Radio Free Europe (351)
Nightswimming (354)
The One I Love (554)
Stand (605)
Find the River (678)
Gardening at Night (909)

I like R.E.M., but I'm glad they didn't finish any higher. Seeing them above the VU, Radiohead, or David Bowie (I assume they beat at least two of those in `08) would be just weird. On a side note, I just ate at the restaurant whose "automatic for the people" slogan inspired the name of the R.E.M. album. It's called Weaver D's, and if anyone's ever in Athens, they need to check it out.

With 31 votes, they've taken it to another level though - the Beach Boys only had 23...

Talking about references, this is one from Dragon Quest, the game, and it makes me crack up every time.

Yeah, on the long list of reasons why I love R.E.M., one is that they made a soul food restaurant in their hometown famous (yes, I've eaten there).

I can't complain about a #8 ranking. But I can complain about the photo you chose, Moonbeam--it should have included Bill Berry. Ha.

I tend to avoid terms like "never' unless I place a limiting adjective such as "probably" or "almost" before "never."

I would have to guess that the folks in this poll generally no longer favor any of the following acts. Because according to my understanding, despite being ranked as in the top 200 AM acts of all time, these acts failed to place in the top 500 of our poll results. It wouldn't surprise me if one or more of these acts is actually on the list and my "find" diligence was less than perfect:

Beefheart, Captain and His Magic Band 82
Steward, Rod 131
Grandmaster Flash 137
De La Soul 146
Chic 150
Dr. Dre 155
Derek and the Dominos 156
Coleman, Ornette 165
Rollins, Sonny 168
Browne, Jackson 172
Eric B. & Rakim 175
Streets 181
Happy Mondays 186
Cliff, Jimmy 191
Nico 197
Cale, John 199

I actually placed Derek and the Dominos at 64 and Jackson Browne at 69 - but they still failed to make the top 500 in the poll as far as I can tell.

It will be interesting to see whether the placement of these acts decreased substantially in the next update that affects the AM artist rankings.

I had a few of those artists in my list and I generally like all of them.