What band is conspicuously absent from conversations about the all-time greats?

It’s probably controversial, right? We can all accept Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Prince, The Rolling Stones, and many more into the debate, but you have a band in mind right now that is an all-time great in your mind that would make other people’s faces contort with the unspoken “Huh?” in a discussion of rock and roll royalty.

Who is it? Why has that band achieved such lofty status in your mind?

When I started trying to identify the band that’s never gotten its due, it didn’t take long to wonder what it means to be great and not be recognized for it. Is it how well their albums sold? Is it the amount of critical acclaim a band receives? 

I decided to simplify it for the purpose of this blog and say it comes down to how well they have stood the test of time. When you’re scrolling through your playlists looking for something great to listen to, do you stumble across this band and say, “Oh yeah!”?

We’ve probably all forgotten more bands than we will ever remember, and sometimes bands we truly love can slip into the abyss of today’s never-ending music libraries.

What Makes A Memorable Band?

Of course, great music makes a memorable band. But maybe there’s more to it when it comes to a band’s place in history.

You could argue that if a band doesn’t stand the test of time, they aren’t suited for inclusion in the conversation of best bands ever, but let’s be honest, there’s a lot of timing, marketing, legend, and lore that factor into where a band settles in our rock and roll hierarchy.

Not to ruffle any feathers, but the tragic loss of Queen’s Freddie Mercury and Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham added a layer of nostalgia, what-if, and emotion to the conversation of those legendary bands. The breakup of the Beatles and the decades-long feud between David Gilmour and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd inserted drama that isn’t breathed into the legend of every band. 

Maybe it’s a poor example because these four are always in the conversation when discussing the all-time best, but could it be that some of that is based on more than the music itself?

Think about Oasis and the public sibling rivalry of Liam and Noel Gallagher, twisted around their generally unlikable public persona. The band has some kind of mysterious pull on fans, and while I won’t say they’re not talented, I would hardly agree they were the biggest band of the 90s. But still, today they make the conversation when discussing that era. I don’t buy it.

Today I don’t want to debate the Beatles versus The Rolling Stones, or try to order the bands we all know belong at the top. I want to talk about those bands that would crash that party in an uncomfortable drunk uncle kind of way. You love him, so you invite him to the family reunion, then everyone else gets mad at you for messing up something good.

I went through dozens as I tried to come up with the ultimate underdog of greatness.

Drowned Out in the New Wave Pool?

The poster band for this discussion to me is a guilty pleasure from the early 80s that is basically a time capsule of the punk-to-new wave transition for many bands. Platinum Blonde is everything that any new wave band has ever been and more. I love the music, but the band is practically a caricature of its genre. 

Vocalist Mark Holmes apprenticed as a hairdresser as he searched for musical stardom, thus the name. As Wikipedia shares, “In 1984, they were one of the top-selling Canadian bands in Canada.” That line just gives me a chuckle. But the band had success, and truly captured the new wave vibe in a brilliant way.

I can’t inject Platinum Blonde into the discussion of the greatest ever, but the band will never get the credit for what it was when it peaked. Is it underrated and unknown to many? Absolutely, and that’s a shame. But it’s not the band we’re looking for here.

Classics We Forget?

Think about Deep Purple, Steppenwolf, Grand Funk Railroad, and Boston. 

I know, you’re saying, “Come on, Mike, there’s no way you can say people don’t recognize the greatness of these bands.” That’s true, if they are in the conversation of greatness. But if someone says, “Tell me 10 great rock and roll bands,” do these come to mind? 

I don’t think they do in most cases. But I also know there are die-hard Boston fans who would fight you to make you understand the band’s debut album is second to none. And when you stop to listen to it, you still wouldn’t compare it to Led Zeppelin IV or the Stones’ Sticky Fingers, but you might wonder, “why not?” The album was certified 17 times platinum. 

There are dozens of bands in this category that put out incredible work and had great runs that don’t ever make it into the all-time great debate unless one of those debate participants is a diehard fan.

Deep Purple is known as one of the most influential bands ever. Grand Funk is probably the greatest arena band of all time. 

Steppenwolf could be a contender because songs like “Born to Be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride” are unquestionable rock standards. The band has seven gold and one platinum album, and six top-40 hits. No one but an Easy Rider loyalist would interject Steppenwolf into this conversation.

What about a Cult Following?

As I combed my music library for the one, it turned out that it wasn’t that complicated at all. When I saw it, I knew it. 

The Cult is everything you want in a rock and roll band. And from the release of Electric in 1987, through Sonic Temple in 1989, and Ceremony in 1991, The Cult produced three stellar albums in a row, which few under-the-radar bands ever do. Electric sucked you in, then Sonic Temple convinced you the band was destined for superstardom. Four legitimate hits, “Fire Woman,” “Sun King,” “Sweet Soul Sister,” and “Edie,” kept the cassette on a loop in your Walkman.

Many say that was the pinnacle of The Cult’s success, but for me, Ceremony is one of the best albums around, from the first track to the last, and kicking it off with “Ceremony” and “Wild Hearted Son” set the tone. 

The Cult is a great band that, for some reason, is easy not to think about often. They navigated the post-punk world of 80s rock and roll as well as any band, but they don’t fit the classic rock mold, and were not a top-selling or top-40 band in the 80s and 90s, so there was not a lot of radio traction.

Are they a better band than those mentioned above? Not necessarily. But for me, they lack that comfortable place of recognition that many great rock and roll bands enjoy for decades.