American Stars vs. British Bands

by Will

What are the greatest American rock bands ever?

I ask because of this: at my birthday party last night, someone (Erik Tanouye?) pointed out that when British music mags list the greatest British albums of all times, that Oasis’ What’s the Story Morning Glory is usually way up there, and often the number one. Several of us — myself, at least — was appalled at this notion. Not that WTSMG is a bad album — it’s a great one, but GREATEST BRITISH ALBUM ever? I spouted out the obvious: The BEATLES are from Britain — their best stuff should win over everyone, right? Then someone else pointed out that even if someone thought the Beatles were overrated (ridiculous, really, but okay) you could point to the Stones or The Who or Radiohead as having had greater albums that WTSMG. Then without thinking too much more, we remembered The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, or maybe even Elvis Costello’s Attractions. DeCoster, of course, hilariously rebutted several of these, but the point was clear: if you put an Oasis album as the number one British rock album you are either being willfully contrary or you are Noel Gallagher.

But then someone (Charlie Sanders?) raised an even more interesting questions: what are the greatest American bands of all time? And I’ll be damned if we had trouble coming up with 10 contenders at all, much less a list we all felt good about. We could name INDIVIDUALS up and down the charts: Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix (maybe should be counted as British anyway, of course), Joni Mitchell (Canadian, I suppose). But bands? What are the great American bands?

You could make very very good arguments for many bands: R.E.M., Pearl Jam, The Grateful Dead, Nirvana, The Allman Brothers, Aerosmith, Talking Heads, The Ramones, The Supremes and even The Pixies. And yes, Eliza, even Journey. But for each of these, we were quick the find arguments AGAINST them. Aerosmith just copied the Stones! The Grateful Dead were a social phenomenon, not a collection of great music! Nirvana had only three albums! The Supremes: can you really count that as a band, as opposed to a brilliantly-assembled product?

That’s very different from the British list, where almost anyone would put on The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, The Kinks, Radiohead without much argument.

Is there something about American culture that promotes the individual, and something about British culture that promotes collectives? As a long-form improviser who believes in the power of group mind, I wanna know.

I put it to you, friends of mine: what are the greatest American rock bands ever? We said no rap or hip-hop to keep it simpler and because I don’t know as much about it.

Mine, after having thought about it. These aren’t my favorites, but what I think is representative: Nirvana, Talking Heads, R.E.M., Allman Brothers, Metallica, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, The Ramones, The Velvet Underground and, and… shit, I don’t know… Fleetwood Mac?

[edited to add:] It’s pointed out in the comments that Fleetwood Mac is not an American band. Ok, so they’re out.