The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time: Rolling Stone Magazine vs. VH1

Recently, I was cruising through the channels and I saw that VH1 had a five hour long special of it's 100 greatest artists of all time, voted on by a panel of many varied old and modern day artists.  Interested and not really having much else to do that day, I started watching two hours into the program, somewhere around number sixty.  First, I have to say that I liked the set up of the show.  Each band/single artist that was featured was focused on for about three or four minutes, as clips of their songs/performances played while mainly modern day artists shared their thoughts and how they were influenced.  This also reminded me of the Rolling Stone Magazine article (100 Greatest Artists of All Time) that I had looked through countless times.  I couldn't help but notice the differences throughout the program, and here's how the top ten played out:

First things first, The Beatles feature at number one on Rolling Stone and number one on VH1 (the article and video can be viewed in the links).  In my opinion, this makes complete sense.  Though many consider the band to be highly overrated, think about it.  Simply put, the Beatles revolutionized the music world and without them, many great bands we have come to love would not exist. As one of the artists states in the video, "If the Beatles don't come in at number one, there is something wrong with this show and this entire network".  And as Elvis Costello writes in Rolling Stone, "Perhaps I understood in that moment why the Beatles had to stop performing. The songs weren't theirs anymore.  They were everyone's".  The Beatles are so deep in our culture and our music that putting them at the top of the list is a decision no one even has to think about.

The Beatles take both the number one spots

The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix also come in at the same spots at both lists, numbers four and six respectively.   Both spots are well deserved. The Stones are one of the best and earliest rock and roll bands around.  While at first they were bent on bettering/matching the Beatles, once they took their own path they transformed themselves.  Songs like Gimme Shelter, Beast of Burden, and Satisfaction are classics that no one will ever forget.  Jimi Hendrix can arguably be considered as the best guitarist of all time.  In his breakthrough album Are You Experienced?, he created one of the most innovative guitar records of all time.  

The second place slots are where you can really tell the difference of direction between the two lists.  Going with Michael Jackson, VH1 took the approach of pop-culture and influence on modern day artists.  While Michael Jackson might be the single greatest entertainer of all time paired with an amazing voice, there are better artists.  I personally love Michael Jackson, but number two is a little too high.  In Rolling Stone, he is given the thirty-fifth place, which I feel is too low.  Putting him in the top twenty seems reasonable. Bob Dylan comes in at number two in Rolling Stone, as the magazine took the approach of considering the musicianship of the artists and the influence of their music in the past and today.  Although I prefer some other artists over Bob Dylan, I can understand what a big influence he had.  Without him, the Beatles would not have been the Beatles like we remember them today.  He also heavily influenced Jimi Hendrix and many others, and the beauty and messages of his songs are still strong to this day. 

The number two spots, Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan

  

Led Zeppelin comes in at number three on VH1, while it holds fourteenth at Rolling Stone.  Siding with VH1 here, I have to say the fourteenth is a little too low for this legendary band.  Without them, heavy metal and the blues rock movement would basically be non-existent, and they weren't, they would be no where near as good.  Led Zeppelin IV clocks in as number sixty-nine on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and it's a timeless classic.  Black Dog showcases just how much the band could rock, and Stairway to Heaven is, in my opinion, one of the most well put together songs of all time.  It is impossible to overstate the importance and talent of Led Zeppelin.

Elvis has always been a tough subject for me to explain.  Coming in at number three on the Rolling Stone list and number seven on the VH1 list, I'd definitely have to side with VH1 on this.  While I absolutely love Elvis' voice, the fact that he did not write his own music always gets to me.  I have no doubt that he is still of the biggest influences on rock and roll.  The way he sang and the different styles he created had such a big impact on the music of the day.  No one had heard anything like that.  John Lennon once recalled hearing Heartbreak Hotel, and for months afterwards he worked on mimicking the exact style that Elvis sang it in.  And his stage presence was insane, along with his outrageousness and sex appeal.  One of the artists on VH1 states, "He was the one who invented the whole idea of women fainting for rock stars".  But the fact that he did not write his own music has always been a huge pet peeve of mine, and while he deserves a spot, it shouldn't be number three.

Elvis took spots 3 and 7

The Rolling Stone top ten features many of the musicians who created the rock and roll movement- Chuck Berry, James Brown, Little Richard and Ray Charles.  Again, because the magazine takes more of an approach to focus on the influence that these artists had for the other present day artists, this makes sense.  The rock movement in the sixties is all thanks to these guys. Ask any of the big bands from that time, and they'll all say that these four were some of their biggest musical influences.  Aretha Franklin also features at the number nine spot, while on VH1 she holds the 27th. An amazing artist with one of the most unforgettable voices, I think she should be in at least the top twenty.

The rest of the VH1 top ten makes sense- except for Prince.  I may be a little biased here, because I never really enjoyed his music.  Of course, I've heard the album Purple Rain, and who doesn't like When Doves Cry? But to list him as number seven before The Who, Pink Floyd, Little Richard, Ray Charles and a long list of others doesn't make sense to me.  

Other artists and how they ranked:

• The Who: 13 (VH1), 29 (RS)
• Bob Marley: 11 (VH1), 11 (RS)
• David Bowie: 12 (VH1), 39 (RS)
• Pink Floyd: 18 (VH1),  Not on the list (RS) (I have a problem with this)
• Queen: 17 (VH1),  Not on the list (RS) (I also have a problem with this)
• Marvin Gaye: 20 (VH1),  18 (RS)
• Guns n Roses: 33 (VH1),  92 (RS)
• The Doors: 65 (VH1),  41 (RS)
• U2: 19 (VH1), 22 (RS)
• Cream: 61 (VH1), 66 (RS)
• Buddy Holly: Not on the list (VH1), 13 (RS)
• John Lennon (solo): 31 (VH1),  38 (RS)

Of course, any time any one composes lists like this, there is always going to be a huge argument.  In my opinion, I like and dislike things from both of the lists.  What do you think?

If you want to check out the full lists, here's the Rolling Stone list and here's the VH1 list.

Also, follow the blog by pressing the 'Join This Site' button on the right sidebar!