Greatest American rock band

I'd say Aerosmith.

They were cool in the '70s, became uncool for a while, then one of their old songs brought them back to being cool. They also paved the way for many rock (and later rap) acts, and on the rare occasions when they'd write story songs (such as "Janie's Got A Gun") or perform someone else's schlock ("I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"), they do them with the kind of aplomb that suggests that they could do many more such songs and be successful.

I still think about the story from VH-1 Legends or Behind The Music when one of the band members said he thought "Angel" was too wimpy, but changed his mind when some tough biker dude came up to him and said, "way to play that 'Angel' song, man," when I think about how great Aerosmith is. They have the kind of cool that transcends generations.

 

My vote is for Aerosmith, but nobody has ever put on a show with some killer rock music like KISS. Three best concerts I've ever seen.

 

Pearl Jam

Grateful Dead

REM

Bruce and E Street

Van Halen*


* — What's more American than a band as dysfunctional as one?

 

Pearl Jam

Wilco

 

How can you say Nirvana is better than another of the three Seattle bands you listed there? Sure they made one breakthrough album with a major anthem song but they're over-hyped and overrated due to Kurt's suicide. Their three other albums were mediocre at best.

Pearl Jam is easily the greatest U.S. band of the last 30 years*. They are better than any current bands out right, better than any 90's band and far better than any 80's band.
The 60's and 70's were dominated by British acts, so therefore Pearl Jam is easily the greatest American band ever! (*if we don't include back bands)

Period end of discussion.

 

Well said (from a big pearl jam fan). I'm not positive I can say best American band of the last 30 years, but I definitely agree they're the top of that Seattle group, and the best in the last two decades. You know what? I'm gonna go with last 30 years, I like it.

Other vote:
Aersosmith, The Doors, REM

 

I like Nirvana as much as the next guy. I'm of that age of where I can still remember exactly I was the first time I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit." I was a goofy, pimpley-faced jock who listened, mostly, to a lot of bad country music until Nirvana and Dre and Snoop expanded my musical universe infinitely.

But I'd seriously like to hear someone make a credible argument as to why they're more important, or better, than Pearl Jam. They're not. Kirk Cobain wrote a handful of pretty awesome songs (I still think "Rape Me" is one of the most underrated songs of the 90s) but just because Vedder was able to deal with his demons and Cobain was not does not mean Nirvana's tiny catologue surpasses Pearl Jam's large one in any way.

But I await the person who can make the case.

 

How about in say, 25 years? Who's out there today who might be added to the list of great American bands?

 

Why wouldn't it qualify?

 

Yeah, not quite sure what I was thinking. Unfortunately, the E Street is just overlooked (as in people just thinking of Bruce and not his band).