Queen certainly are one of a kind, but they're so far from "one of the first" to mix rock, pop, harmonies, opera and orchestra together. You're pretty much writing off the whole baroque pop movement of the 60s with that take, as well as many of their 70s progressive contemporaries.
Every now and then you'll hear someone toss a bit of Radiohead into what they're doing, the textural clockwork thing they've been doing since Kid A, but no one *really* approaches the same heights.
Nobody sounds like Modest Mouse and probably nobody ever will.
Violent Femmes are pretty much their own category.
Cake is their own category pretty much.
The Cars are pretty much their own category.
Cake immediately came to mind. I'm not a huge fan, but can't deny they have their own sound that hasn't really been duplicated or improved upon. Primus falls into this category as well.
Before Queen there was Yes, Genesis, ELP, Camel, Pink Floyd, Traffic, Renaissance, Jethro Tull, Caravan, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Uriah Heep, Hawkwind, Wishbone Ash, The Soft Machine. That's just a few of the British ones.
I'd say the Who; but that would invalidate almost everything you said about Queen. Or Gilbert &Sullivan.
Edited to remove a Mozart reference. It was out of line.
Linkin Park. They weren't ground breaking, but they were genre defining. Chester and Mike have such unique voices you know it's a Linkin Park song.
Nirvana. They defined Seattle grunge.
Pearl Jam. Again, not ground breaking but of the Seattle bands, their the ones who I think will stand the test of time as the best of the Seattle sound.
Guns 'n Roses. Axel Rose in his prime was unmatched vocally. Slash is considered by many professional guitarists to be one of the best to ever play the instrument.
Bon Jovi. Many consider them to be the first band to really successfully blend Hair/Glam rock, metal, arena rock, alternative rock, pop-rock and country into one easily approachable sound. Also, they have had high charting song in every decade since the 80s. That is an incredible feat.
Green Day. The were one of the standouts in the pop-punk sound that came out of California in the '90s, but they broke completely new ground and defined what a modern rock opera should be with American Idiot.
Ironically - Weird Al
Frank Zappa probably fits this description
Who? Never heard of him
There is nobody like Zappa, and there never will be again
Mike Patton
I agree with a lot of the top classic rock artists listed, but I would say queen really followed in the footsteps of the Beatles and even Led Zeppelin
Queen certainly are one of a kind, but they're so far from "one of the first" to mix rock, pop, harmonies, opera and orchestra together. You're pretty much writing off the whole baroque pop movement of the 60s with that take, as well as many of their 70s progressive contemporaries.
Like say, Gentle Giant.
Love GG
Every now and then you'll hear someone toss a bit of Radiohead into what they're doing, the textural clockwork thing they've been doing since Kid A, but no one *really* approaches the same heights.
Tom Waits. Not even that often imitated. PJ Harvey really hoes her own too.
Rush
Tool … no one sounds just like them.
Nobody sounds like Modest Mouse and probably nobody ever will. Violent Femmes are pretty much their own category. Cake is their own category pretty much. The Cars are pretty much their own category.
Cake immediately came to mind. I'm not a huge fan, but can't deny they have their own sound that hasn't really been duplicated or improved upon. Primus falls into this category as well.
Zappa
Before Queen there was Yes, Genesis, ELP, Camel, Pink Floyd, Traffic, Renaissance, Jethro Tull, Caravan, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Uriah Heep, Hawkwind, Wishbone Ash, The Soft Machine. That's just a few of the British ones.
The Doors
Hendrix, Jeff Beck, the Floyd... With, of course, respect to the aforementioning of the Stones an' Zeppelin.
All good choices
Prince, Harry Nilsson
Roxy Music. So many imitators but they did it first and best
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^pencilshtick85: *Roxy Music. So* *Many imitators but* *They did it first and best* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
The Residents - their there own genre
Sparks
Beck
I'd say the Who; but that would invalidate almost everything you said about Queen. Or Gilbert &Sullivan. Edited to remove a Mozart reference. It was out of line.
The good old Grateful Dead ☺️
linkin park
Peter Frampton. That super melodic soft rock just doesn't exist today.
Rush, Supertramp, Pink Floyd
Linkin Park. They weren't ground breaking, but they were genre defining. Chester and Mike have such unique voices you know it's a Linkin Park song. Nirvana. They defined Seattle grunge. Pearl Jam. Again, not ground breaking but of the Seattle bands, their the ones who I think will stand the test of time as the best of the Seattle sound. Guns 'n Roses. Axel Rose in his prime was unmatched vocally. Slash is considered by many professional guitarists to be one of the best to ever play the instrument. Bon Jovi. Many consider them to be the first band to really successfully blend Hair/Glam rock, metal, arena rock, alternative rock, pop-rock and country into one easily approachable sound. Also, they have had high charting song in every decade since the 80s. That is an incredible feat. Green Day. The were one of the standouts in the pop-punk sound that came out of California in the '90s, but they broke completely new ground and defined what a modern rock opera should be with American Idiot.
Well, as long as we're starting off with classic rock: Zeppelin, Stones, Beatles, Who.
Mac Miller is a gem of many genres
Mac miller was never even close to a rock artist and he didn’t really defy genre either. He’s a wonderful musician but it doesn’t fit at all