Most Influential Rock Band of the 70's

I'm not a fan of Jacko so I'm hoping no, but I could live with it being Pink Floyd. I know that Dark Side of the Moon as an album is way up there, but as far as individual songs, I think Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" ranks up there.

Time for a little "Google It" reseach - I'll be back

 

Yeah, I meant Dark Side of the Moon, not The Wall.

 

Based on US Sales Only, the top selling artist of all time:

Group/Artist (Sales in millions)
BEATLES, THE 168.5

PRESLEY, ELVIS 116.5

LED ZEPPELIN 107.5

BROOKS, GARTH 105.0

EAGLES 89.0

JOEL, BILLY 78.5

PINK FLOYD 73.5

STREISAND, BARBRA 70.5

JOHN, ELTON 69.0

AC/DC 66.0

 

Just found this.

8 Million Albums Sold

* Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 - Eagles (Elektra)

26 Million Albums Sold

* Thriller - Michael Jackson (Epic)


23 Million Albums Sold

* The Wall- Pink Floyd (Columbia)

22 Million Albums Sold

* Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin (Swan Song)

21 Million Albums Sold

* Greatest Hits Volumes I & II - Billy Joel (Columbia)

19 Million Albums Sold

* Rumours - Fleetwood Mac (Warner Bros.)
* Back in Black - AC/DC (Elektra)
* The Beatles - The Beatles (Capitol)
* Come On Over - Shania Twain (Mercury Nashville)

17 Million Albums Sold

* Boston - Boston (Epic)
* The Bodyguard (Soundtrack) - Whitney Houston (Arista)

 

Yes, but how many times still requested and played seems to have more "umph" than what was marketed and bought .... kids in the 80's, and since, had more disposable cash and the age of MTV propelled those sales no doubt.

Good information, but Led Zeppelin still kicks ass in plays I think.

Every year radio stations around the US do these massive top 500 songs of all-time type count-downs around New Years - I can't remember one where "Stairway to Heaven" wasn't in the top three.

"Stairway" is still played 4,203 times a year by the country's sixty-seven largest AOR (album-oriented rock) radio stations, according to trade magazine MONDAY MORNING REPLAY. How many times has it been played since it was released? ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, refuses to release exact figures, but here's a rough guess:

Figure that on each AOR station in America, the song was played five times a day during its first three months of existence; twice a day for the next nine months; once a day for the next four years; and two to three times a week for the next fifteen years. There are roughly six hundred AOR and "classic" rock stations in the U.S., which means that "Stairway" has been broadcast a minimum of 2,874 times. At eight minutes per spin, roughly 23 million minutes -- almost forty-four solid years -- have been devoted to the song. So far.

 

I just heard on the radio that the EAGLES are adding a 2nd date out here in the desert.

I guess I will be on the phone Monday morning. (tickets go on sale then)

 

I love all those bands, but most influential?

The Eagles, hands down. You hear the influence, the covers, the samples in everything... rock, rap, country, alternative, etc...

 

Well I am not a stinky hippy and not yet a 45 year old woman but my vote goes with the Eagles. Hope you get to see them smindsrt.

 

Ok, we have ONE exception!

 

When creating this poll I was sure that most people would have chosen Led Zeppelin because of their blues/hard rock sound. A sound that is very distinct and probably one of the most influential groups for Heavy Metal.

I chose Led Zeppelin for this reason. They actually helped create a whole new type of music.

 

Come on, Dark Side of the Moon takes all.

 

I love Dark Side of the Moon but my favorite album from them is Animals.

 

Anyone here like The Orb?

 

I've never heard of them. Are they a rock band?

 

They are apparently a techno band.

Taken from http://www.mp3.com/albums/149255/summary.html :

... something tells me Crazy_Rob was making more of a reference of them regarding the Pink Floyd jokes than the band themselves ... a subliminal parody maybe?

 

Ahh, I didn't catch that one.

 

Don't fret over it chabbs - CrazyRob isn't easy to "read"

 

The most influential band of the seventies was the Sex Pistols.

 

That's true. They probably were one of the most "influential" groups. Definitely the most influential British band.

 

You, come to think of it, I haven't seen Molly Hatchet mentioned anywhere here ...