Thread: VH-1 100 Greatest Artists of All Time

I was watching this on T.V. last evening. Lots of really good music here but I must confess to taking issue with some of their picks. Honestly, Justin Timberlake ahead of both Lynrd Skynrd, Van Morrison and Otis Redding!? The fact that the likes of KISS, and Fleetwood Mac even appear on the list is an automatic credibility buster in my book.
VH1 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time - Stereogum

A lot of the list I agree with. Some of it just baffles me. IMO, Cream should at least be in the top twenty.

Got something against Fleetwood Mac???

While I agree with their #1 I could take issue with pretty much the entire list, mostly the rankings. What is their criteria anyway?

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Got something against Fleetwood Mac???

While I agree with their #1 I could take issue with pretty much the entire list, mostly the rankings. What is their criteria anyway?

There are bands that I can appreciate, even though I've never been a big fan of (i.e. The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Metallica, U2) and there are bands that I've never appreciated and never been a big fan of (i.e. Fleetwood Mac, and KISS). I think the big problem with a list like this is that "Greatest" is extremely subjective. This particular list was based on votes from something like 200 musicians. Clearly very few were codgers like yours truly who were around before music was more complicated than simple marketing. Don't get me wrong there are some great musicians on this list but there are others that (IMHO) have less than zero business appearing on a list of 100 Greatest Artists of all time. Justin Timberlake, Eminem, and Madonna appear but not Jackson Browne, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bob Seiger, John Hoosier Mellencamp. I think "Greatest Artists" was probably just too broad and non-specific to be accurate in anyone's book. What about the great classical musicians? Few unbiased music fans would argue that the likes of Andres Segovia or Luciano Pavoratti legitimately belong on a true list of the 100 greatest musicians of all time. And what about the Jazz greats, Etta James, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Count Basey? Guitar greats such as John Lee Hooker, BB King, Chet Atkins, etc? Just saying, the subjective nature of the beast and the limited and biased input on which the list was based makes it pretty cheesey at best and seriously flawed at worst. Although not a Canook, I was very pleased to see Neil Young on the list however I probably would have rated him higher.

Definitely a bogus list, the Guess Who weren't even on it.

Bob

GI,

I totally agree, the list is entirely subjective. At first I thought maybe it had something to do with sales, but then realized it was all just opinion from people whose opinions we both could care less about.

Originally Posted by BobH

Definitely a bogus list, the Guess Who weren't even on it.

Bob

Ah, the Guess Who - the best Canadian Rock & Roll band, at least in my opinion lol. A bogus list, indeed. I've seen TGW twice and both Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman (individually) many times, they never cease to amaze and entertain.

Cheers for that one, Bob.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Ah, the Guess Who - the best Canadian Rock & Roll band, at least in my opinion lol. A bogus list, indeed. I've seen TGW twice and both Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman (individually) many times, they never cease to amaze and entertain.

Cheers for that one, Bob.

No love for Rush? They're my pesonal favorites out of Canada.

Originally Posted by Theseus

No love for Rush? They're my pesonal favorites out of Canada.

Yeah, Rush is great but I was never one of those fanatical Canadian Rush fans.

For me the Guess Who was THE original Canadian rock 'n roll act, paving the way for other acts like Rush, Trooper, April Wine etc.

These lists change every time they do one. For the most part, the same artist are on it but in different rankings. total bs. I think Michael Jackson beat the Beatles one year. If I remember correctly Nirvana may have been higher at one time. How did Coldplay get on the list?