Top 10 'Rock Anthem' Bands
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I am not one to argue about stupid lists like this...but I thought this one was at least interesting enough to share. Spin listed their list of best 'Rock Anthem' bands ever...here it is...with some of my thoughts after:
1. U2 -- If the word anthemic disappeared, U2-ish would be a good replacement. Bono always sounds like he's singing mass, the Edge's guitar rings like the trumpets at Jericho, and Larry Mullen's rhythmic stiffness is a virtue. Adam Clayton? He, uh, always looks stylish.
Signature anthem: "Pride (In the Name of Love)"
2. The Clash -- Any band dubbed "the only band that matters" has got to have some serious anthemic power. Punk rock is often associated with a kind of nihilism, but the Clash sounded like their hearts might explode from caring so much.
Signature anthem: "Death Or Glory"
3. The Who -- I'm thinking of the Who's Next
Signature anthem: "Baba O' Riley" stadium rock version of the band more than the early modfathers. Pete Townshend's power chords and Keith Moon's roiling drum fills were, and are, key touchstones for any band wanting to sound bigger than life.
4. The Arcade Fire -- Win Butler and Co. are more dour than the other bands on this list, but even when these guys are singing about the apocalypse, their rag-tag widescreen epics make me hope they put out a few more albums before the end comes.
Signature anthem: "Wake Up"
5. Thin Lizzy -- Too often thought of as a one-, or maybe two-hit wonder (if you count "Jailbreak" along with "The Boys Are Back In Town"), Phil Lynott's band fused streetwise swagger with mythology-infused poetry and a saber-rattling twin guitar attack.
Signature anthem: "Roisin Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend"
6. The Hold Steady -- Craig Finn's finely wrought lyrics turn hardscrabble hardcore kids into heroes. Tad Kubler's soaring guitar solos and Franz Nikolay's baroque keyboard flourishes do the same for their band.
Signature anthem: "How A Resurrection Really Feels"
7. The Waterboys -- For a hot minute back in the '80s, the Waterboys were at the forefront of a wave of big sounding UK acts like Simple Minds and Big Country. But they were the best, and their densely detailed productions and stirring folkish melodies shouldn't be forgotten.
Signature anthem: "This Is The Sea"
8. The Killers -- Maybe the most self-conscious of all the bands here. They get a lot of grief for being so obvious about their influences (U2, Springsteen), but writing anthems ain't for the humble hearted.
Signature anthem: "All These Things That I've Done"
9. Oasis -- For a short time, Noel Gallagher's huge guitar sound and his brother Liam's sneering swagger had this band competing for the title of "world's biggest." They've since slipped, but their rip-roaring sound has never shrunk.
Signature anthem: "Live Forever"
10. Bruce Springsteen -- A no-brainer. The Boss has written a handful of songs that a lot of Americans--and everyone in New Jersey--would gladly adopt as a new national anthem.
Signature anthem: "Born To Run"
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No Queen?? Really? Is there a more anthemic band in the history of ROCK????? The Waterboys...and no Queen...ok.
Comments (12)
While I'm not a fan....doesn't Bon Jovi belong on this list?
I am a HUGE Hold Steady fan, and I would put Bon Jovie way ahead of them in this category....not even close...and the Killers?
Yes, Queen totally! Wouldn't Guns and Roses sorta be on there too? I mean I don't think they tried initially, but then - they sort of did, with all that Use Your Illusion bullshit.
Wasn't like every Journey album some sort of Anthem to Love, and the urgencey of said love?
When I think 'Anthem'...i think of a sports arena singing along to a song during a timeout or something...and as much as I love the HOld Steady, I don't think that have that sort of effect on people...but Journey,Bon Jovi, and GnR...most definitely...what a really bad job of compiling a list
this list is sooo out of left field? were they high when they put it together?
hahaha...i have no idea...but I am not sure what definition of 'Anthem' they were using
I seem to have disappeared.
Don't wanna forget AC/DC. "It's a Long Way to the Top," "Back in Black," "You Shook Me," etc.
Too many important omissions for this to be taken seriously.
And the fact that Killers are up there makes it ludicrous.
Let's translate this the reasoning for this list. :
"We had our interns compile our list to the best of their 21 year old abilities. We're sorry if their inexperience or ignorance of the past 60 years of popular music, but hey they work cheap, and we just filled the 5 pages of our magazine with a completely abitrary superlatives list, that you'll talk about, and we still made for free. Enjoy!"
sex pistols god save the queen is one of the greatest punk rock anthems of all time
no future rings out in my head on a loop for days when i get into that song
where are they on this ill advised list damn it!?
Oh yeah, of course!
"When the Kids are United"
"Blitzkreig Bop"
Shit, even Todd Rundgren's "Bang On A Drum All Day" is more of an anthem than most of these.