Nope I get it. It's definitely a personal top 5. Just what I heard my older brother listening to growing up and liked them back in the day.

Elvis X5, that is all.

um...The Writ from Sabotage is NOT over-played.

Never Say Die is ****ing VASTLY UNDERRATED.

I would go so far as to say : War Pigs, Iron Man, Paranoid, Sweat Leaf, Changes...basically anything on We Sold Our Souls would be overplayed.

Anything else is amazing...no matter who the singer is, as long as Iommi's riffing it, I'm game.

Desert Island list?

Pink Floyd
The Beatles
Queen
Marilyn Manson
30 Seconds to Mars

I don't know if I could narrow it down to just 5...Some of my tops are:

Pantera
Grateful Dead (not really rock, but...)
Pink Floyd
Alice in Chains (WITH Layne Staley)
Led Zepplin
Mastodon
Tool
The Black Keys
Sublime (WITH Knowles)
Blues Traveler
The Deftones


Those are just a few of the ones that do it for me anyway...I could name several others. Being an artist/musician, I pull influence and inspiration from too many places to just name 5. My list would change all the time.

I am that way with the top 40s from Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and The Stones. However, I know they are truly a treat for the ears, because their underplayed stuff like "Let There be More Light" from Saucerful of Secrets and "Bron Y Aur Stomp" from Led Zeppelin III and "Far Away Eyes" from Some Girls just capture me to the point I had to purchase them electronically.

But as soon as "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2", "Sympathy for the Devil", and "The Immigrant Song" come on I will even turn to NPR Radio to get away from it.

I don't dislike The Beatles but I've never actually owned anything by them until last week when I picked up used copies of the remastered Revolver and Abbey Road.

The Rolling Stones are another major band that I've always kind of been "meh" about.

AC/DC
Zepplin
Metallica
Soungarden
Queen

Yeah, I liked 'em too...when I was 12.

The first 2 or 3 albums (On Through The Night, High N Dry, and Pyromania) were actually pretty rocking. After that...they became a caricature of themselves. And now they're caricatures of the caricatures.

Like, from that era I know Van Halen always killed it, Mötley was a great band (despite all Vince's vocal shortcomings - of which there are many) - hell, I even dug Cinderella.

But as far as 'Let's Get Rocked' etc.?? No way, they lost it after Steve Clark died.

My criteria: Technical skill, innovation, influence, commercial success (not in order)

1. The Beatles
2. The Who
3. The Rolling Stones
4. The Beach Boys
5. Led Zeppelin

This is of course extremely subjective, and many folks will say that the Beatles and the Beach Boys were not rock. They were extremely innovative and influential toward rock, though, so I'm including them.

My casual response to this question usually is "The Who," because for me they are a perfect synthesis of blues-based hard rock with artistic flourishes (concepts, instrumentation, etc.), as well as being one of THE best live acts in their prime.

That opinion also puts me at odds with the legions of Stones fans. It's a debate that's been raging for more than 40 years, and I'm in a sizable minority. But I keep fighting the good fight, and will to my death.

Honorable mentions (in no order): Pink Floyd, Yes, The Kinks, The Eagles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, U2, Queen, Van Halen, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Nirvana, the Doors, the Grateful Dead.

While I agree with most of that, Iommi's riffing is definitively BETTER on "Heaven and Hell" and "Mob Rules" than it is on any other studio album, before or after.

I wonder if your top 5 songs would come from your top 5 bands or if stuff would be randomly mixed in.

My honorable mention list is much more American...

CCR, The Doors, Tom Petty, Rick James (not sure if that counts), Nirvana, Van Halen, Skynyrd, SRV

Great post.

KoRn
NIN
Tool
Sublime
Red Hot Chili Peppers