Where it started, where it went and how the hell did it end up there
Jane’s Addiction was the very first alternative-rock band for whom the major record labels battled. They did it through great songs and through an extremist approach to presentation. The group’s end through a stage fight may have been said. But when all is said and done, Jane’s Addiction is one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
Toto’s band members were professional musicians who, in a studio environment, were able and willing to take on everyone. They played on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” They had numerous 1980s hits of their own. And, despite most critics’ complaints, Toto is one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
Björk has been a lifelong project and conquest campaign for Iceland’s Björk Guðmundsdóttir. Fiercely independent, daringly experimental, and always looking to achieve commercial success, she is one of the greatest musical artists of all time.
Tears for Fears was one of the most forward-thinking groups of the 1980s, but the two musicians were also synth-pop hitmakers. Highly influential and often misunderstood, Tears for Fears is one of the greatest bands of all time.
Mott the Hoople was a little too smart, a little too eclectic and had the good and bad fortune of their biggest hit, “All the Young Dudes,” being a little too big. Some people may only know this group from that one song. But they’re in for a treat! Mott the Hoople is, without doubt, one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
Janis Joplin sang the blues like no other. Her performances were burningly intense, and her flamboyance made her a hit with hippie audiences. Like Jimi Hendrix or Jim Morrison, she died too young. But by this point, she was rightfully regarded as one of the most legendary rock artists.
Joan Jett bet everything on a guitar and on the pure love of rock n’ roll. And it worked! Despite personal hardships and frequent fashion changes in the music world, the singer/guitarist’s reputation has always remained the same. The rebellious Joan Jett & The Blackhearts is one of the best groups in the history of rock music.
Uriah Heep was one of the many 1970s hard-rock bands that entertained dreams of becoming “The New Led Zeppelin” while playing their brand of heavy guitar music on stages across the world. But Uriah Heep was one of the few who made those dreams a reality. These mythology-obsessed Brits are one of the greatest rock bands of all-time.
Dinosaur Jr. is one of the most important bands in alternative-rock and indeed, one of the greatest bands of all-time. Why aren’t they household names though? Because of a reluctance to realign itself with mainstream expectations and a general stubbornness to remain independent.
Heart was a band inspired by mystical, larger-than-life rock n’ roll and determined to show how girls with guitars could fill out arenas on the strength of their original material. It was quite a mission that the Wilson sisters set up for themselves. What was the payoff? Heart is rightfully recognized, today, as one of the greatest bands in the history of rock n’ roll.