It Was 40 Years Ago Today...

BDP24 wrote: No? Name one!

Okay... what about

1. The Velvet Underground

2. Aerosmith (not a favorite, but highly influential among the Heavy Metal crowd)

3. Van Halen (see #2 above)

4. Blondie (For a number of reason. Also and technically, RAP-Ture was the first rap song to go to #1 on the Billboard chart - which is not necessarily a good thing. Wretched song but showed that rap could cross-over)

5. Led Zeppelin (see #2 above)

The Ramones were, and continue to be influential, but there are others, some more so than others...

I listen to "Born in the USA" last night. As you may know "Glory Days" is on it. You think your are listen to a greatest hits album. Could listen to the album over and over. "Glory days well they'll pass you by". Guess they already did some of you.
I'm just say'in ✌️

Courant---Okay, you got me! I had a momentary loss of reasoning, not noticing that my nomination of The Ramones as the number one influence since The Beatles applies only to my taste, not to R & R history. I have long thought that Led Zeppelin has had the deepest and longest lasting effect upon the music of anyone since Elvis, including even, yes, The Beatles. Seriously. Whether that's for better or worse is a separate question. I've always found them to sound just as Sonny Boy Williamson described all the white boys that were provided him as backing bands when he toured England in the Summer of '66, telling The Band guitarist Robbie Robertson later that year (The Band had met up with Williamson in Arkansas, and he and they were planning to work together): "They want to play the Blues so bad. Unfortunately, that's how they play it---bad". I think that's the greatest put-down I've ever heard, and one with which I am in general agreement. There are exceptions, however; B.B. King has said that Peter Green was so good he made B.B. sweat.

The Velvets influence stayed mostly amongst similar-minded musicians and music lovers, a very small circle of friends. Van Halen you are certainly correct about---hugely influential, maybe second only to LZ. What was I thinking?! Aerosmith? Eh, I don't know. Doesn't seem like it to me, but I could easily be wrong. Blondie? PU, they're so lame I don't even want to think about that! And it's not just because when I was playing around L.A. with John Wicks (of The Records) he gave his higher-paying gigs to Clem Burke and the crap ones to me ;-(.

Whatthe, those of us who do not care for the music of the E-Street Band are not necessarily missing out on an absolute truth. It's a relative thing. You like what you like, you don't like what you don't like. I wish I liked everything, life would be a little easier. I wouldn't have to push the "skip" button on the remote so often. Still, not a big problem. I've still got healthy thumbs.

Dear Whatthe, I find your arguments for raising Bruce to rock-and-roll sainthood rather ... meh.