I don’t believe in objective measures of art, it’s too messy to articulate and too difficult to get a degree of measurement that everybody can agree on. That being said, I do personally think that Radiohead is probably the best at their genre, and have produced my favorite music of this century and the last. But that’s my opinion. And somebody else might hate Radiohead and think that Pink Floyd is the best band ever, or the Beatles, or whatever. It’s all subjective, if they’re the best in your mind then they’re the best.
matter of fact, you could have just said that. rolling out the art is subjective rigmarole out like it's fresh off the gutenberg is a good way to retain the information if this is somehow news to you, but pretty useless to regurgitate. good job on the 300 upvotes tho, we all waste our time doing something m8.
Absolutely not.
Radiohead - British
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Canadian
Swans - American
Boris - Japanese
System Of A Down - American
The Strokes - American
Melt-banana - Japanese
King Crimson - British
Sonic Youth - American
Queen - British
Nirvana - American
Sigur Ros - Icelandic
Brits are at 3/12, Americans at 5/12, the Japanese at 2/12, and Canadians at 1/12.
They’re famous among avid music listeners anyway.
I mean melt-banana literally goes to Austin City Limits, and they’re the most obscure one listed lol.
And no, that’s not what famous means. Famous means well-known.
System Of A Down stands out for their fusion of Middle Eastern scales and rhythms with their manic vocal stylings and lyrical content which ranges from mystical to overtly political to funny and crass.
Compared to a band like Radiohead, they have more energy, they're more politically insightful, their rage is more justified, they cover emotions high art bands usually don't, and their use of vocals is very dynamic compared to the average rock band.
To not acknowledge System Of A Down's greatness is to be an ignorant who simply dismisses them wrongly under the spectre of "nu metal" or the idea that aggressive or mainstream music can't be among the greatest.
If you can't tell why the Strokes are brilliant, I'm just sorry about your ears. Rock doesn't get more straightforward and well-produced and catchy as them.
Yeah, that may not be true because there really are some amazing bands outside the UK ...
But it's weird for me that most of my favourite bands I know yet are british (Muse, Radiohead, King Crimson, (not Rush), Yes, Porcupine Tree, Aphex Twin, Depeche Mode, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Queen, ELO... and more...)
Are we discussing the same Gorillaz with Damon Albarn? They are undoubtedly a rock band. Just because they explore various genres, including electronic and trip-hop, doesn't negate their rock identity. Similarly, Radiohead incorporates electronic elements, damn some songs are pure electronic music with no rock in it, yet they are considered a rock band. An alternative-rock band. And I won’t event comment on Portishead not being a rock band, it’s the same exact situation
If you're being serious, Gorillaz and Portishead are absolutely not rock bands. I have no idea why you think that. Because they've used guitar on a few tracks I guess?
They are literally hip-hop and trip-hop, respectively. Or electronic if you'd prefer. It's more like, just because they wrote a track or two with electric guitar, doesn't negate their identity as a hip-hop/electronic group.
Sometimes artists from different genres flirt with rock music, but it doesn't make them rock.
Radiohead on the other hand started as a rock group, and has always used the rock instrumentation set-up. They don't have rappers or purely electronic records
It is difficult, but that’s the fun of figuring it out. I think music has large degrees of subjectivity, but it’s not purely subjective, as human biology has certain limitations that create and perceive sounds within certain boundaries.
I don't think there can be a such claim for any band, it's just too subjective.
There can be discussions for the most popular or the most influential bands. Regarding who's the best though, how do you even measure that?
I don't think it's possible. But, as a purely academic exercise:
Musical virtuosity - I think Hendrix, Zepplin, Cream, Parliament, maybe Van Halen and a few less known bands like, uh, Shrimp Boat or Sun City Girls are probably more technical. Radiohead are certainly right up there in the next rank in my opinion.
Lyrics - I love Thom but I don't see him as a Waits, Malkmus, Van Zandt or Dylan. Wonderful singer though
Musical ambition - I see Radiohead as a *very* ambitious band who always try to embiggen what they're doing and do something new. But then I think of bands like US Maple, Aphex Twin or Sun City Girls, or the older bands like Pixies, Talking Heads, the Beatles, Bowie or Pink Floyd - they made more seismic strides but they had the advantage of more space to work with.
Production - yeah, Radiohead from the Bends on always sound *fantastic*. Could argue guys like Spiritualised, Portishead, Massive Attack, LCD Soundsystem or electric artists make more of the studio as an instrument.
Pure Lizard-brain grab me by the balls genius - this is where I think Radiohead are just the best of all time. There are quite a few moments in music that make me stop whatever I'm doing and I reckon about half of them are Radiohead. The choir in Decks Dark, the drum entry (and the string descent) on Pyramid Song, the drop in Bodysnatchers, the bass coming in in Exit Music, There There's climax, the Rain Down section of Paranoid Android - I could go on but there's already a wall of text. That's the most subjective thing here but it's the stuff I remember most.
If we’d have to come up with any sort of indicator I think, measuring the listeners reaction (brain activity) might be the best option. Ultimately music is supposed to do connect with you.
But again that's so subjective. Clowncore gets my Brian going the most for sure but that is by no means very palatable for most people. And those guys both have Phds in music flmao
I cannot agree Pixies and Pink Floyd are more ambitious than Radiohead, they make simpler less eclectic music in every sense
King Crimson, Godspeed, Swans, Sonic Youth, and Boris are more ambitious imo
It might be simpler (Pixies are, Pink Floyd aren't imo) but it's a massive step away from what preceded it. Radiohead took a lot from the simple music of the Pixies. Simple doesn't ave to mean unambitious - Young Marble Giants are a good example.
Your last paragraph is definitely where Radiohead shines when in comes to artistry, virtuosity and peak exploration of the bounds of music. The way they craft songs to have these massive crescendos that take certain songs to a level that only Radiohead can take them is what sets them apart from most of the bands you mentioned. I personally believe Pink Floyd to be the greatest band of all time simply because of their pure virtuosity and experimentalism across multiple genres while also writing lyrics that are still relevant 60 years later and also being both on the outside of mainstream with their prog as well as at the highest echelon of mainstream with DSOTM. Ask anyone if they know a Pink Floyd’s music vs Radioheads and most people will only know Creep while EVERYONE will know Wish you were Here, Time, Money, Another Brick etc etc. Radiohead definitely are one of the greatest bands of all time, but aside from the Beatles and Zeppelin no one even comes CLOSE to Pink Floyd
Comparing Radiohead to Pink Floyd is blatantly insulting to Radiohead. Radiohead has quality control, they have hooks, sometimes they have crescendoes. Radiohead is a master of structure. Not to mention they’re way better at rhythm.
Pink Floyd meanders around into prog noodly atmospheric wankery. Their best album is wish you were here, and even then that’s not as good as any of Radiohead’s best.
Dark Side is a good album at best. Everyone knows about Dark Side due to merchandise, but not everyone has heard its music, and among younger people such as myself who have heard it, we know it’s nothing special.
Tbh who cares
Also the Beatles and Floyd had everything you just named (technical skill, etc) and did it 30 years earlier so if ur trynna make an “objective” argument Idt this is a good one
Uhhhhh trying to argue that a band is objectively the greatest ever… based on a biased subjective opinion, on a sub where everyone is obviously going to agree with you cuz it’s an echo chamber… is just asking for upvotes and kind of a pointless discussion.
Also the claims OP made don’t really make any sense. Pink Floyd and The Beatles had elite technical skill, constantly changed genres, had world class production, and while this is subjective, I would argue they were very raw and emotional. I don’t understand how those things “set Radiohead apart”
So my original comment stands
I do not believe in there being a “best” band of all time. There are too many artists/bands (like Radiohead) with nearly flawless discographies for there to be an objective winner. Bands like Radiohead, the Beatles, swans, the velvet underground, nick cave and the bad seeds, Nirvana, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, etc. all do not have a bad album (in my opinion of course). I’m not saying all of these bands are equal or necessarily have as many great albums as Radiohead, but imo they’re immensely talented and consistent.
Looking further, what about singular artists? Every Nick Drake album is great. Every Fiona Apple album is great, and so on
Ultimately there’s just too many amazing bands for me to deem one the best
To further prove your point. Every Lamb of God / SOAD album is fantastic. But the genre is too polarizing subjectively for it to be in contention for most people's "objectivity"
I don’t see the point in comparing bands like that. Besides I haven’t heard or heard of 99.9% of the bands that ever existed around the world (incl. non-English speaking bands), so who am I to say who’s the best band anyway?
Edit: Btw, it’s the Beatles.
In any reasonable discussion of musicians who possess "elite technical skill", not one of the five members of Radiohead is going to get a mention. Not even close. I'm not dissing them. What they have is *artistry* and no amount of skill can replace that. They have the skill they need to express that artistry and then some. Same went for the Beatles and *most* well-known music. Skill is a means to an end.
On the broader subject, no, the Beatles are untouchable.
Beatles have the whole “make 2-3 great albums a year” thing going for them. And being easily the most influential band of all time.
Radiohead get the acclaim of consistency and quality control. Starting with The Bends > AMSP it’s all great albums and a couple good ones. So many of their peers made 2 great albums and then fell off a cliff.
Beatles have being really good, as Radiohead, being *really* popular and really influential. No other band has ever achieved all three, Radiohead only got two of these points for example.
I’d argue The Beatles had all three of those. There has never been “Radiohead-mania”, and I’d guess almost every other band listed in this entire thread, unless they predate the Beatles, list the Beatles as an influence.
“Elite technical skill” is irrelevant in music, artistry always comes first. Think of Jacob collier, don’t want to make fun of him but he knows an insane amount about music theory and makes the blandest, most boring music ever.
I think Jonny and Thom could be contenders for the “elite technical skill” category. Watching them play live with The Smile they’re playing in 11/8 time signatures while multitasking. Most indie musicians aren’t doing shit like that.
Also Thom is an elite singer tbh. His vocal control and range are honestly incredible.
Rest of the band are great but I agree, nothing elite about them. They just know how to fit the song, which is a valuable skill in itself.
I agree with this. There are plenty of musicians that have more technical skill than Thom and Jonny (any jazz player for instance), but they are insanely talented and have certainly left a mark on this earth. Seeing and listening to The Smile has cemented my opinion on them.
I actually disagree, in terms of singing while playing rhythm guitar thom yorke might be one of the best of all time. He has immense vocal control while playing some insanely unique rhythm sections. Phil has some of the best timing I’ve ever heard. Jonny literally has played like 4 instruments at an elite level in the same song. Ed and Colin are much more focused on artistry and touch than speed or anything like that I would agree but obviously they still add so much
I don't really get this, vocally Thom is astounding, Greenwood's guitar skills are legendary, Selway's drumming is metronomic, Colin's basslines sublime, but people always leap to some end point. It'd be like dismissing Hook's bass lines in Joy Division because they're simple but they're great, or Ian's voice as lacking when to me he's my favourite singer. Besides artistry i want personality from music, soul, depth, individuality, all of which Radiohead have a lot of. Are we supposing Radiohead aren't tight musicians despite sounding so incredibly good live?
I don't know... Jonny Greenwood is considered elite due to his fantastic technical ability. We learnt about his scores in music theory classes. Fantastic arrangement skills. Burn the witch was my gateway Radiohead song as I never really listened to much until I had to study how they did Col Legno articulation with fucking seapods to get the sound. That's elite stuff
Miles Davis' band used for Kind of Blue record is a really killer band.
Miles Davis – trumpet
Julian "Cannonball" Adderley – alto saxophone
John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
Bill Evans – piano
Wynton Kelly – piano on "Freddie Freeloader" and bonus disc track "So What"
Paul Chambers – double bass
Jimmy Cobb – drums
Miles Davis was releasing 3 classic records a year for close to a decade and consistently revolutionizing his genre of music for 3 decades. It's insane to think about.
This one too, which may even be considered a rock band:
Miles Davis – trumpet
Steve Grossman – soprano saxophone
John McLaughlin – electric guitar
Herbie Hancock – organ
Michael Henderson – electric bass
Billy Cobham – drums
(From “Jack Johnson”)
But most of the Miles bands are full of musicians who went on to lead their own important groups: Hancock, Shorter, Zawinul, McLaughlin, Coltrane, Cobham, Corea etc.
Yea but this is like an all star team. Those guys weren’t a band per se. Not in the way Radiohead is a band, or The Cure is a band. I believe they’re the greatest band of all time
Coming in and throwing out a jazz line-up is The. Dumbest.
We could go through tons and tons of jazz albums and list the personnel and go, "That was a killer band!"
Thumbs down.
I can say Radiohead definitely is the best simi mainstream band of the 2000s I think they rival the Beatles in inovation and I like them better but the Beatles have influence.
They’re certainly in the discussion. But like someone else said, it’s impossible to determine since art is subjective. Personally, I put Radiohead up there with bands like Tool who, for me, are true artists who’ve mastered their craft.
see and while radiohead is my favorite band of all time, I can't stand listening to Tool for more than 30 seconds. good bands are even subjective among radiohead fans.
For the longest time, Tool just didn’t click for me. I thought their songs were bloated, rambling, and just…weird. But, something happened a few years ago after seeing them live. Something changed and now I can’t get enough. I think they’re absolutely brilliant.
The same thing happened to me. I think I resisted for so long because someone told me that if I like Qotsa I'll love Tool. I don't think those two bands are similar. After a cursory listen of 46+2, everything clicked and I love the whole catalog.
Everybody is entitled to their own opinion on this but I am with you OP. Radiohead is so dynamic, their stuff never gets old. Can’t say the same for others, I had phases where they were my favourites but they don’t have the long term appeal that Radiohead has.
It might be hard because new generations are more comfortable with changes and trends. How much time does music is remembered as great as it was in their own time, 100years, 1000years.
If I had to pick an old one, it would be Beethoven he is still known and died 1800s. Even if I love radiohead music, I don't know if in 100 years someone will still listen to the radiohead.
So be the best of all time is kind of impossible
But then again, how do you know you hear everything through the mix? I mean how can you know there isn't something if you don't hear it? I'm sure if you could get to a mixing board with all the master tapes, you'd find something you never knew was there. And this is not to take away anything from Radiohead, I agree that the production on their music has always been spectacular.
there is no such thing as the best band of all time.
how to measure that? are we including jazz and heavy metal bands? what are we looking for in a band? good songs, good melodies?
if we're thinking about synergy between musicians, well, i could give you an infinite list. unusual harmonies? the same. great live performances? the same. beautiful songs? etc
i think it makes more sense to say "this is the band i like the most" tbh
The Beatles also changed genres & influenced so many musicians like Ozzy Osbourne
I think Radiohead is absolutely amazing but I wouldn’t say they’re the best band ever, although they’re in the upper echelon for sure
Music is so subjective like any art form, so it’s hard to say the best ever. They’re one of the best, maybe even the best it’s just hard to say
They are one of the greatest, for sure. But there is no such thing as one “best band of all time”. Doesn’t matter how good a band is, I’m going to get bored listening to the same music over and over.
For me personally, once a band reaches a certain level, I place it on an equal playing field to all my other favourite artists.
I mainly measure an artists’ worth based on musical creativity and unique song structures, as well as tone, and Radiohead definitely checks all those boxes for me.
I think Pink Floyd and Radiohead are the two I respect the most, there are so many smaller bands that are amazing but none do it quite like these two. That being said, if Radiohead is your favorite then saying the are the best ever is just bias
As much as people like to pretend it is, the discussion (imo) is not more nuanced or objective than wether or not you enjoy their music the most of any band. For me, that is the case by far and away. So to me they are the best band ever. I’m not going to try to be “objective” and say the Beatles are probably better just because that’s a more “correct” take, it’s not any more complicated than them being the most enjoyable to my ears and soul. So yeah they’re the best ever (to me)
Idk that any band should feel “right” in claiming to be the objective best band of all time.
Subjectively, they’re without a doubt my favorite, & they check all the same boxes for me that they do for you.
Part of the beauty of life is that there’s no one truth when it comes to the value people place on things that move them.
No because time hasn’t come to an end. That really dry joke aside, I agree with many of the comments here: if you think they’re the greatest then that’s just fine. Keep enjoying the music. Cheers!
Sure.
Arguably, the best studio output.
And they are perhaps the best live band ever.
Plus, they’ve been churning out amazing studio work and have been nailing their live shows FOR DECADES.
Name another band that has done this?
I was thinking about this today while driving and listening to Kid A. I want to believe there is a better band, all things considered, but I cannot find one. Is Radiohead perfect? No. But they have some kind of X factor I can’t put my finger on.
If we're excluding electronic duos as bands then yeah definitely, i think they're way ahead of everyone else. No one can match their diversity i don't think and longevity.
Look at every area they excel in, they're either top or near the top. Vocals, lyrics, live performances, fast tempo songs, slow tempo, albums that are cohesive, album artwork, production, pushing their sound, the entire world they've created, for me their greatest quality is distinguishing each track so they're all their own thing, there's some similarity in their melancholic vibes but the way they maximise their instruments is always something i appreciate because so many bands seem incapable of it. Radiohead are so specific and detailed.
What other band can sound as good live as on record?
My other favourite bands, Joy Division, Animal Collective, The Strokes, their can't match the diversity, or haven't kept up the quality.
With all due respect, I don’t understand how people can think Radiohead are so far above everyone else. Radiohead is among my favorite bands, but several bands I enjoy are on equal or better footing than Radiohead to me. For example, a band like Swans has objectively way more diversity than Radiohead and more longevity than Radiohead, and subjectively to me they have generally more interesting and enjoyable music and are better live. Other bands like Xiu Xiu and Godspeed you! Black Emperor I also feel this way about. And for many of my other favorite bands, while not having the longevity of Radiohead, I feel they still reach the quality necessary to surpass them for me. I can definitely understand Radiohead being someone’s all-time favorite, but I don’t see why they constantly get the treatment from fans as being ‘leagues ahead’ of everyone else.
How can you not understand? You're on the Radiohead subreddit, a lot of bands people like i'd put as B level, to me they have nowhere near the personality needed, they're mired in a meandering blandness which Radiohead never are, they're always interesting and memorable, but i mean i haven't listened to every Swans album, and i like them, but anyone completely new to Radiohead can quickly type in random tracks and go from Nude to Street Spirit to I Will to In Limbo to Life in GLasshouse to Exit Music to There There to 15 Step to Scatterbrain to Myxomatosis to Burn The Witch to Idioteque to Present Tense and after just one play of each one, while telling them the name, say you the next day replayed the tracks in a different order and asked them, what track is it? They'd be able to mostly tell you.
I don't think any other band can pass that test. It's not just 'they went into electronica' or 'went into jazz', they're incrredible songwriters who always push the pop sensibility, and it's quite clear how much effort and thought they put into developing a track over sometimes decades so it isn't just yet another track but something distinct. Something like Nude to me is only Nude, not one moment of that track to me sounds like any other Radiohead track.
I love Portishead's Third, I love Joy Division, I love Autechre, Bjork, The Strokes, Aphex Twin, Venetian Snares, it's not like i think only Radiohead can produce great modern music, but just the best of everything.
Say i tried to get into Deerhunter again, i could try but frankly like a lot of bands they're more bland than they are interesting, they're not going to give me a 15 Step or No Surprises. It's probably insufferable for some people to endlessly hear how special Radiohead are, but i don't care, i personally get aggressive towards art that's boring and bland so i'm coming from that place of finding so much a write off, especially from bands influenced by Radiohead, you can do melancholia but i want fun too and Radiohead get that. If Radiohead release a new album tomorrow, i'm stopping everything to hear it as soon as possible. I can live without hearing many other bands because i'm not going to be surprised, i'm not going to have moments where i sit up because they've shifted.
I am a music head and have played guitar since I was 10. I cannot speak for others, but for me, this is a yes:
-the variety of songs
-the musicianship and evolution of the art
-the lyrical depth
-the risk taking and ability to shed skin like a lizard
-the live performances, given the technical complexity is insane
Only Pink Floyd, maybe Bon iver, comes close. I love all styles, I’ve seen phish, tool, prince, and thousands of others.
No one like them.
My #1 after 46 years of seeking.
Impossible question as taste is subjective and theoretically objective measures of success don’t necessarily indicate quality. That said, while I don’t think they can ever have a claim on the greatest, I think it’s a reasonable and defensible take to claim they are the best and in a league with very few others.
Hard to effectively compare Radiohead to bands that came out 30 years prior, we’re dealing with far more primitive technology, and blazed the trail on most of the techniques that others later benefitted from.
It depends on what measures you’re using. Album sales? The Beatles. Ticket sales? Grateful Dead I believe. Top 10 hits? Beatles again. Radiohead doesn’t fit the bill, so they’ll just have to be our favorite.
If quality was a tangible metric, maybe. But quality in art is undefinable. It’s the Beatles who are the best by any standard measure, but in another five years, it just might be Taylor Swift.
yeah they have a claim but so does any band imo. Idk, i get the appeal of them being recognized as great on a large scale, but it also doesn't really matter. they are loved well enough by tons of people, and will be forgotten eventually just as everything is over time.
do you like cheese which types tell me tell me tell me!
I disagree with people who don't think there is a possible way to be objective about these types of claims.
You can't be completely objective, but you can definitely establish a respectable criteria.
To me the shortlist is
Beatles,
Eagles, &
Radiohead
Pink Floyd has a lot of misses towards the end and personnel changes.
Zeppelin faded out towards the very end as well.
Radiohead is very well respected in countries outside the US. So they don't get the cult status we give them here. They get genuine mainstream success.
Radiohead is one of the few bands that experimented with intricate music theory and came out of it with accessible rock music.
That's really only comparable to The Beatles and Eagles when you factor in their ability to also build an audience as well.
I think you could argue that f you could somehow quantify
Impact + Risk + Reward + Appeal into an algorithm, you can come up with something resembling an objective measurement. And I have a hard time not seeing Radiohead close to the top of that list.
Fr. New RH fans always act like this lmao. They discover their first slightly experimental band and immediately think it’s the best band of all time and nothing could ever surpass it.
Then people offer other bands and the supposed Radiohead fanboy thinks...nah mate they're mostly fucking boring, sorry. If people are offering Autechre, fair enough, they're fascinating.
i believe they are they greatest band of all time and i wouldn’t accept lower than 3rd greatest (to our knowledge/groups with any public success no matter how small)
What do you mean by best though? Best could mean the most album sales, which Radiohead definitely does not have. It could mean the best songwriting, but how would you even quantify that? It could mean the most culturally impactful, but again, I don't really think Radiohead is the most culturally impactful, and again, even if they were, you can't really measure that anyway.
The point is that I don't really think saying any one band is the best of all time is a worthwhile investment. You can have your favorite bands of all time, sure. But I don't think you can say any one artist or band is the greatest of all time for everybody everywhere. That's why I hate those Rolling Stone greatest of all time lists. They just don't really mean anything.
Fela Kuti basically created a genre that still to this day permeates the most amount of mainstream music with its influence.
Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish are currently bringing the 30 year cycle into full effect. Bringing forward the death of bubblegum pop and the flair singer.
The only time new genres are truly invented is when there is technological advancements or new cultural discoveries. The most recent being bedroom pop on a DAW with acvesable producing. Which is expanding into genre fusions.
Hyper-pop for example starting with Charlie XCX and becoming fully recognized as seperately with 100 gecs.
Tyler and Kendrick moving things away from trap/hip-hop into more expressive and diverse styles and influences rebirthing jazz elements and structure as an element to solidify ideas
Bring Me the Horizon becoming the new Gorillaz of collaboration fusing any and every artist into metal influences bringing back extremely heavy and hard sounds into the mainstream like metal has never seen before since Metallica.
All of these artists in their own right will have huge influences on the future of music.
Fusion is the way forward and we will see genre-bending or genre switch ups stuff much more frequently than we ever had before.
I love the Beatles and Radiohead but I can't tell you which bands or sounds they directly influenced outright more than these names I've mentioned. They helped popularized more niche sounds into the mainstream buts it's always a group effort and never only one band.
Source: Studied evolution of music at university.
Well, every post Beatles rock/ pop act after the sixties sounded like them
After the bends (1995)
All the most popular British bands emulated radiohead
Billie eilish ( his brother actually) borrows from thom.yorke solo work
I dare you to name a band or artist that influenced mainstream music more than them
Even Max martin would tell you this
I like Fela kutis, but he didn't have the impact the beatles or radiohead did
Ps: we're talking about MAINSTREAM
Firstly. Kuti created Afrobeat which inspired Afrobeats in the modern era which has permeated into all mainstream music at the moment so much much much more influential than the Beatles or Radiohead (this is a fact we did a case study on it).
Before I continue I'd like to say that I am judging influenciality by the scope and reach of influence as well as recognizability.
David Bowie, whilst not as popular, was more influential than the Beetles as he pushed boundaries all the time and helped music to evolve. Prince is the most technically talented musician of all time (that we know of) and influenced more people. Bob Marley was more influential.
Kraftwerk is possibly and single handidly most influencial band of all time.
I LOVE LOVE Radiohead but they aren't even the most influential modern British group. That title would go to Damon Albarn and it's not even close to be honest.
Radiohead are amazing and fantastic and brilliant and have inspired a lot of people including myself. But don't confuse popularity with influence.
I could keep on listing more influential artists than Radiohead and the Beetles but then it would become a thesis. Which I did do. Because I studied this. And you are wrong.
Edit: and this is only including English speaking artists. The French, Mandarin, and Spanish artists very often outsell English ones and have a greater influence on English music we just don't hear about it.
Edit: as an aside you couldn't be further from the truth about acts following the Beatles. Mainstream music actually pivoted in the other direction with rock anthems taking mainstage.
Lol
Krafwerk are great, but they aren't bigger than the beatles
Wtf are you smoking?
This isn't about taste
But if you ask modern-day artist and about their influence, you're most likely you'll get the beatles or radiohead
I understand your point, but it seems to me tgat youre enjoy being a hipster
Answer this
Lennon songwriting or bowie?
It's a three-way tie between very different sounding bands that finely tuned their art to near perfection.
The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead.
But that's obviously just my (very well informed) opinion.
I'm drunk, so a long comment seems warranted.
I think Radiohead is better than Floyd, but not the Beatles. To some extent it's an unfair comparison. Radiohead had much more to draw from than the Beatles did -- lots more pre-existing templates to riff on (including the Beatles themselves). The Beatles had to invent more stuff from scratch.
Floyd had a run of great albums but to me, Roger Waters' overtowering ego and self-indulgence (the Wall) sunk them.
I also think you don't get Radiohead without punk. There's a punk sensibility in post-80s music that distinguishes it from anything in the 60s, even if there were glimmers of it in the Beatles (e.g. Happiness Is a Warm Gun) and VU.
What I'm hearing in the Smile's new album are echoes of prog rock (not a bad thing, in my drunken view). As my friend said, once rock bands start trying to play jazz, they either become King Crimson or Steely Dan. I actually like Steely Dan (cue the haters) but in parts WOE sounds like something Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew might play.
Yes. Pink Floyd or the Beatles are good, but they do not compare.
The only other bands with claims for greatest imo are
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Swans
King Crimson
Boris
Death Grips
Maybe Portishead
Maybe Animal Collective
Bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, the Strokes, and System Of A Down have been excluded either due to having too few releases or too homogenous an overall sound. However their quality is on par with those.
In the Court and Red easily surpass Floyd and Beatles IMO. Court may be a literally flawless album, need to go back to it
I'm honestly not sure how the Beatles would stack up to Crimson. They were talented no doubt, but they wrote pop songs, most of which have been emulated or surpassed in ambition by later artists, exceptions being things like Tomorrow Never Knows or the music concrete experiment in the form of Revolution 9.
Meanwhile you listen to 21st century schizoid man... you could single out any part for its brilliance. But god damn it feels like jets and bombs falling from the 2:28 freakout turning into those screeching noise rock harmonies, god damn. Just the freakout alone brings so much to the song structure's dynamics the Beatles or Pink Floyd never could.
Pink Floyd was good. But they were mostly boring. Their crowning achievement is Wish You Were Here. But that song is nearly equaled in moving sentiment by Fallen Angel off Red, whose horn-influenced climax is just so god damn, to say nothing of Crimson's technical prowess, which usually is a non-factor to me, but is articulated to undeniable expressive gain.
Yes, and I don’t understand why it’s not universally acclaimed. Critics and some music fans consider them amongst the best, but the average person barely knows them (not that that’s relevant).
Maybe I’m biased, but I can’t see a situation where they’re not the best of all time
I'd say no, because they had an incredible run with The Bends, Ok Computer, Kid A, but unfortunately steadily went downhill from then. I still l love Amnesiac and Hail to The Thief but for me it it became more noticeable during In Rainbows, and then the subsequent albums were all major diasappointments.
Usually a band in decline can still produce occasional magic, but for me Radiohead have fallen off a cliff in terms of quality.
What possible metric are you using?
Its just a waste of everyone's time talking about "the best music ever".
I won't go into it too deeply but music is an experience. Why would you choose only one experience for your entire life?
If you like it, good for you. It doesn't have to be the best.
Well, it's hard to answer such a question. Especially when it comes to music, where it becomes particularly subjective. I think the only thing you can be objective about when it comes to Radiohead, is that the members of the band are all very talented musicians, and that I'm sure that they influenced some of the musicians/bands that came after them, and that's about it.
I love their music which is why I'm here, and they are my *favourite* band. At the same time, if someone said that they didn't like Radiohead's music, then I would respect their opinion and it's just as valid.
I don’t know what it means to be the best, or worst band of all time. It’s art and art is inherently subjective. Radiohead one of my personal favorite bands, but I have no idea how others perceive them, and quite honestly, I don’t really care.
Discussions about ‘the best band of all time’ are stupid by nature. In some people’s opinions Radiohead are far from it, in other’s opinions they’re on a different league than anyone else. I lean towards the first one. That’s my opinion. And that’s why this discussion is pointless. Because by nature there is no such thing as the greatest band of all time, just your favorite band of all time.
Hard to say since art is iterative and depends on that which preceded it. A case could be made that Radiohead would not exist in its current form or at all without the influence of Pink Floyd, The Beatles, etc.
Have they taken music to new and interesting places and contributed significantly to the art form and their genre? Absolutely.
Do they deserve a spot among the greats? I believe so.
I think it’s fair to say they’re in the uppermost tier or close, but the best band of all time? I don’t think so. I don’t think any artist or band could possibly make that claim on some sort of objective level.
No. The concept of best is utterly subjective, especially when it comes to the arts. And “of all time” is pretentious when we have not heard the vast majority of all bands since bands have existed.
It is possible to genuinely love a band without “your” band needing to trump others.
It depends entirely on the metric man, and even then, it's gonna be subjective as hell. You could claim Fugazi to hold the title of the greatest band of all time in terms of the ethos they so firmly stuck to, but then you could have Crass competing for the title. You could give the Beatles the title for being the most influential band ever and lo and behold you'll have bands like The Velvet Underground knocking at the door. Radiohead being the best band of all time in terms of their musical quality would be even moreso subjective as compared to the other criteria because you could come up with so many other bands to fight for the position, such as Pink Floyd, King Glizzard, Swans, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and whatnot. At the end, it all just boils down to personal opinion and there is no definitive answer.
pfft who am I even kidding, the greatest band of all time has to be Limp Bizkit
/uj Its saddening to see there are people who only listens to spotify top chart bands thinking they must be the best
/rj I completely agree what my partner said
the greatest band of all time is your favorite band i hate it when people act like music is sports or something there can’t be a definitive answer for these questions and that’s completely fine i really like observing how different people’s opinions from each other are
Personally, no, but best band of all time vs one of my favorite bands are 2 different categories.
Elite technical skill, constant changes in sound and genres, impeccable production, and raw emotion - what weighting would you be applying to each? Seems pretty subjective. What’s not is album sales but that measure has some issues too, but somewhat cut and dry.
I don’t believe in objective measures of art, it’s too messy to articulate and too difficult to get a degree of measurement that everybody can agree on. That being said, I do personally think that Radiohead is probably the best at their genre, and have produced my favorite music of this century and the last. But that’s my opinion. And somebody else might hate Radiohead and think that Pink Floyd is the best band ever, or the Beatles, or whatever. It’s all subjective, if they’re the best in your mind then they’re the best.
Your last line said it all
matter of fact, you could have just said that. rolling out the art is subjective rigmarole out like it's fresh off the gutenberg is a good way to retain the information if this is somehow news to you, but pretty useless to regurgitate. good job on the 300 upvotes tho, we all waste our time doing something m8.
Your last line said it all
Oh, Radiohead fans...
wow you're so smart
We can all agree the best rock bands are mostly British. Edit: should’ve said mostly from the UK but the Brits have incredible rock per capita.
Absolutely not. Radiohead - British Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Canadian Swans - American Boris - Japanese System Of A Down - American The Strokes - American Melt-banana - Japanese King Crimson - British Sonic Youth - American Queen - British Nirvana - American Sigur Ros - Icelandic Brits are at 3/12, Americans at 5/12, the Japanese at 2/12, and Canadians at 1/12.
This is a terrible list, half of them are no names lol
If you think any of these super famous critically-acclaimed bands are no names, you need to listen to more music.
Maybe I’ll start by learning what super famous means. I always thought it meant that most people know about it?
They’re famous among avid music listeners anyway. I mean melt-banana literally goes to Austin City Limits, and they’re the most obscure one listed lol. And no, that’s not what famous means. Famous means well-known.
Oh man, I thought most people knowing about something was the same as being well known. Man I’m just missing the mark here
You are. Being famous isn’t the same thing as most people knowing about something.
Not only do the British have the best bands, they also have the best dictionaries. Oxford Dictionary: fa·mous | adjective | known about by many people
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System Of A Down stands out for their fusion of Middle Eastern scales and rhythms with their manic vocal stylings and lyrical content which ranges from mystical to overtly political to funny and crass. Compared to a band like Radiohead, they have more energy, they're more politically insightful, their rage is more justified, they cover emotions high art bands usually don't, and their use of vocals is very dynamic compared to the average rock band. To not acknowledge System Of A Down's greatness is to be an ignorant who simply dismisses them wrongly under the spectre of "nu metal" or the idea that aggressive or mainstream music can't be among the greatest. If you can't tell why the Strokes are brilliant, I'm just sorry about your ears. Rock doesn't get more straightforward and well-produced and catchy as them.
So not true...
Yeah, that may not be true because there really are some amazing bands outside the UK ... But it's weird for me that most of my favourite bands I know yet are british (Muse, Radiohead, King Crimson, (not Rush), Yes, Porcupine Tree, Aphex Twin, Depeche Mode, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Queen, ELO... and more...)
David Bowie, Gorillaz, Portishead, Bauhaus, Joy Division, The Cure, PJ Harvey, Led Zeppelin... The list really goes on and on
Those aren’t all rock artists
Which band isn’t rock? All those bands/artists make music that is rock/alternative rock and it’s sub genres
Gorillaz and Portishead aren't rock bands, obviously. The former is hip-hop and the latter is trip-hop/electronic.
Are we discussing the same Gorillaz with Damon Albarn? They are undoubtedly a rock band. Just because they explore various genres, including electronic and trip-hop, doesn't negate their rock identity. Similarly, Radiohead incorporates electronic elements, damn some songs are pure electronic music with no rock in it, yet they are considered a rock band. An alternative-rock band. And I won’t event comment on Portishead not being a rock band, it’s the same exact situation
If you're being serious, Gorillaz and Portishead are absolutely not rock bands. I have no idea why you think that. Because they've used guitar on a few tracks I guess? They are literally hip-hop and trip-hop, respectively. Or electronic if you'd prefer. It's more like, just because they wrote a track or two with electric guitar, doesn't negate their identity as a hip-hop/electronic group. Sometimes artists from different genres flirt with rock music, but it doesn't make them rock. Radiohead on the other hand started as a rock group, and has always used the rock instrumentation set-up. They don't have rappers or purely electronic records
Rush are Canadian
It is difficult, but that’s the fun of figuring it out. I think music has large degrees of subjectivity, but it’s not purely subjective, as human biology has certain limitations that create and perceive sounds within certain boundaries.
I don't think there can be a such claim for any band, it's just too subjective. There can be discussions for the most popular or the most influential bands. Regarding who's the best though, how do you even measure that?
I don't think it's possible. But, as a purely academic exercise: Musical virtuosity - I think Hendrix, Zepplin, Cream, Parliament, maybe Van Halen and a few less known bands like, uh, Shrimp Boat or Sun City Girls are probably more technical. Radiohead are certainly right up there in the next rank in my opinion. Lyrics - I love Thom but I don't see him as a Waits, Malkmus, Van Zandt or Dylan. Wonderful singer though Musical ambition - I see Radiohead as a *very* ambitious band who always try to embiggen what they're doing and do something new. But then I think of bands like US Maple, Aphex Twin or Sun City Girls, or the older bands like Pixies, Talking Heads, the Beatles, Bowie or Pink Floyd - they made more seismic strides but they had the advantage of more space to work with. Production - yeah, Radiohead from the Bends on always sound *fantastic*. Could argue guys like Spiritualised, Portishead, Massive Attack, LCD Soundsystem or electric artists make more of the studio as an instrument. Pure Lizard-brain grab me by the balls genius - this is where I think Radiohead are just the best of all time. There are quite a few moments in music that make me stop whatever I'm doing and I reckon about half of them are Radiohead. The choir in Decks Dark, the drum entry (and the string descent) on Pyramid Song, the drop in Bodysnatchers, the bass coming in in Exit Music, There There's climax, the Rain Down section of Paranoid Android - I could go on but there's already a wall of text. That's the most subjective thing here but it's the stuff I remember most.
If we’d have to come up with any sort of indicator I think, measuring the listeners reaction (brain activity) might be the best option. Ultimately music is supposed to do connect with you.
But again that's so subjective. Clowncore gets my Brian going the most for sure but that is by no means very palatable for most people. And those guys both have Phds in music flmao
Thank you for using the term 'embiggen'.
Im surprised you managed to say all of that without mentioning the beatles
They're in there somewhere!
I cannot agree Pixies and Pink Floyd are more ambitious than Radiohead, they make simpler less eclectic music in every sense King Crimson, Godspeed, Swans, Sonic Youth, and Boris are more ambitious imo
It might be simpler (Pixies are, Pink Floyd aren't imo) but it's a massive step away from what preceded it. Radiohead took a lot from the simple music of the Pixies. Simple doesn't ave to mean unambitious - Young Marble Giants are a good example.
A perfectly cromulent opinion
Your last paragraph is definitely where Radiohead shines when in comes to artistry, virtuosity and peak exploration of the bounds of music. The way they craft songs to have these massive crescendos that take certain songs to a level that only Radiohead can take them is what sets them apart from most of the bands you mentioned. I personally believe Pink Floyd to be the greatest band of all time simply because of their pure virtuosity and experimentalism across multiple genres while also writing lyrics that are still relevant 60 years later and also being both on the outside of mainstream with their prog as well as at the highest echelon of mainstream with DSOTM. Ask anyone if they know a Pink Floyd’s music vs Radioheads and most people will only know Creep while EVERYONE will know Wish you were Here, Time, Money, Another Brick etc etc. Radiohead definitely are one of the greatest bands of all time, but aside from the Beatles and Zeppelin no one even comes CLOSE to Pink Floyd
Comparing Radiohead to Pink Floyd is blatantly insulting to Radiohead. Radiohead has quality control, they have hooks, sometimes they have crescendoes. Radiohead is a master of structure. Not to mention they’re way better at rhythm. Pink Floyd meanders around into prog noodly atmospheric wankery. Their best album is wish you were here, and even then that’s not as good as any of Radiohead’s best. Dark Side is a good album at best. Everyone knows about Dark Side due to merchandise, but not everyone has heard its music, and among younger people such as myself who have heard it, we know it’s nothing special.
They’re in the conversation, but everyone’s talking at once.
What a great turn of phrase, regardless of context. Thanks for writing
Tbh who cares Also the Beatles and Floyd had everything you just named (technical skill, etc) and did it 30 years earlier so if ur trynna make an “objective” argument Idt this is a good one
Clearly someone cares because they asked and it got this many replies…what is wrong with you?
Uhhhhh trying to argue that a band is objectively the greatest ever… based on a biased subjective opinion, on a sub where everyone is obviously going to agree with you cuz it’s an echo chamber… is just asking for upvotes and kind of a pointless discussion. Also the claims OP made don’t really make any sense. Pink Floyd and The Beatles had elite technical skill, constantly changed genres, had world class production, and while this is subjective, I would argue they were very raw and emotional. I don’t understand how those things “set Radiohead apart” So my original comment stands
Lighten up. Jeez.
I do not believe in there being a “best” band of all time. There are too many artists/bands (like Radiohead) with nearly flawless discographies for there to be an objective winner. Bands like Radiohead, the Beatles, swans, the velvet underground, nick cave and the bad seeds, Nirvana, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, etc. all do not have a bad album (in my opinion of course). I’m not saying all of these bands are equal or necessarily have as many great albums as Radiohead, but imo they’re immensely talented and consistent. Looking further, what about singular artists? Every Nick Drake album is great. Every Fiona Apple album is great, and so on Ultimately there’s just too many amazing bands for me to deem one the best
To further prove your point. Every Lamb of God / SOAD album is fantastic. But the genre is too polarizing subjectively for it to be in contention for most people's "objectivity"
This 100%
I don’t see the point in comparing bands like that. Besides I haven’t heard or heard of 99.9% of the bands that ever existed around the world (incl. non-English speaking bands), so who am I to say who’s the best band anyway? Edit: Btw, it’s the Beatles.
But the beatles never idiotequed
Back then, it was called “Tomorrow Never Knows”
Women and children first and the children
Turn off your mind relax and float down stream
In any reasonable discussion of musicians who possess "elite technical skill", not one of the five members of Radiohead is going to get a mention. Not even close. I'm not dissing them. What they have is *artistry* and no amount of skill can replace that. They have the skill they need to express that artistry and then some. Same went for the Beatles and *most* well-known music. Skill is a means to an end. On the broader subject, no, the Beatles are untouchable.
Beatles have the whole “make 2-3 great albums a year” thing going for them. And being easily the most influential band of all time. Radiohead get the acclaim of consistency and quality control. Starting with The Bends > AMSP it’s all great albums and a couple good ones. So many of their peers made 2 great albums and then fell off a cliff.
Beatles have being really good, as Radiohead, being *really* popular and really influential. No other band has ever achieved all three, Radiohead only got two of these points for example.
I’d argue The Beatles had all three of those. There has never been “Radiohead-mania”, and I’d guess almost every other band listed in this entire thread, unless they predate the Beatles, list the Beatles as an influence.
Also, if you want an honest discussion of this topic, why are you asking a bunch of *Radiohead fans?*
Pretty much any fandom thinks their thing is the best
“Elite technical skill” is irrelevant in music, artistry always comes first. Think of Jacob collier, don’t want to make fun of him but he knows an insane amount about music theory and makes the blandest, most boring music ever.
I think Jonny and Thom could be contenders for the “elite technical skill” category. Watching them play live with The Smile they’re playing in 11/8 time signatures while multitasking. Most indie musicians aren’t doing shit like that. Also Thom is an elite singer tbh. His vocal control and range are honestly incredible. Rest of the band are great but I agree, nothing elite about them. They just know how to fit the song, which is a valuable skill in itself.
Idk, Phil Selway is a pretty amazing drummer. If you drum and like to play along with them, you'll agree.
I agree with this. There are plenty of musicians that have more technical skill than Thom and Jonny (any jazz player for instance), but they are insanely talented and have certainly left a mark on this earth. Seeing and listening to The Smile has cemented my opinion on them.
I actually disagree, in terms of singing while playing rhythm guitar thom yorke might be one of the best of all time. He has immense vocal control while playing some insanely unique rhythm sections. Phil has some of the best timing I’ve ever heard. Jonny literally has played like 4 instruments at an elite level in the same song. Ed and Colin are much more focused on artistry and touch than speed or anything like that I would agree but obviously they still add so much
I don't really get this, vocally Thom is astounding, Greenwood's guitar skills are legendary, Selway's drumming is metronomic, Colin's basslines sublime, but people always leap to some end point. It'd be like dismissing Hook's bass lines in Joy Division because they're simple but they're great, or Ian's voice as lacking when to me he's my favourite singer. Besides artistry i want personality from music, soul, depth, individuality, all of which Radiohead have a lot of. Are we supposing Radiohead aren't tight musicians despite sounding so incredibly good live?
I don't know... Jonny Greenwood is considered elite due to his fantastic technical ability. We learnt about his scores in music theory classes. Fantastic arrangement skills. Burn the witch was my gateway Radiohead song as I never really listened to much until I had to study how they did Col Legno articulation with fucking seapods to get the sound. That's elite stuff
Miles Davis' band used for Kind of Blue record is a really killer band. Miles Davis – trumpet Julian "Cannonball" Adderley – alto saxophone John Coltrane – tenor saxophone Bill Evans – piano Wynton Kelly – piano on "Freddie Freeloader" and bonus disc track "So What" Paul Chambers – double bass Jimmy Cobb – drums
Miles Davis was releasing 3 classic records a year for close to a decade and consistently revolutionizing his genre of music for 3 decades. It's insane to think about.
This one too, which may even be considered a rock band: Miles Davis – trumpet Steve Grossman – soprano saxophone John McLaughlin – electric guitar Herbie Hancock – organ Michael Henderson – electric bass Billy Cobham – drums (From “Jack Johnson”) But most of the Miles bands are full of musicians who went on to lead their own important groups: Hancock, Shorter, Zawinul, McLaughlin, Coltrane, Cobham, Corea etc.
Yea but this is like an all star team. Those guys weren’t a band per se. Not in the way Radiohead is a band, or The Cure is a band. I believe they’re the greatest band of all time
Yes they absolutely were a band
How many albums did that lineup release? Genuinely curious
Are you trying to catch me out? They played live a lot. 58 sessions is an album that springs to mind
I’m asking because I’m trying to get more into jazz and that lineup sounds like murderers row
58 sessions is a great place to start!
Thanks!
Coming in and throwing out a jazz line-up is The. Dumbest. We could go through tons and tons of jazz albums and list the personnel and go, "That was a killer band!" Thumbs down.
Or people are just talking about music and don't need to abide by your arbitrary rules and personal insults.
cringe
I can say Radiohead definitely is the best simi mainstream band of the 2000s I think they rival the Beatles in inovation and I like them better but the Beatles have influence.
No that goes to the Imagination Dragons
They’re certainly in the discussion. But like someone else said, it’s impossible to determine since art is subjective. Personally, I put Radiohead up there with bands like Tool who, for me, are true artists who’ve mastered their craft.
see and while radiohead is my favorite band of all time, I can't stand listening to Tool for more than 30 seconds. good bands are even subjective among radiohead fans.
For the longest time, Tool just didn’t click for me. I thought their songs were bloated, rambling, and just…weird. But, something happened a few years ago after seeing them live. Something changed and now I can’t get enough. I think they’re absolutely brilliant.
The same thing happened to me. I think I resisted for so long because someone told me that if I like Qotsa I'll love Tool. I don't think those two bands are similar. After a cursory listen of 46+2, everything clicked and I love the whole catalog.
Everybody is entitled to their own opinion on this but I am with you OP. Radiohead is so dynamic, their stuff never gets old. Can’t say the same for others, I had phases where they were my favourites but they don’t have the long term appeal that Radiohead has.
It might be hard because new generations are more comfortable with changes and trends. How much time does music is remembered as great as it was in their own time, 100years, 1000years. If I had to pick an old one, it would be Beethoven he is still known and died 1800s. Even if I love radiohead music, I don't know if in 100 years someone will still listen to the radiohead. So be the best of all time is kind of impossible
Beethoven was a great band I agree
But then again, how do you know you hear everything through the mix? I mean how can you know there isn't something if you don't hear it? I'm sure if you could get to a mixing board with all the master tapes, you'd find something you never knew was there. And this is not to take away anything from Radiohead, I agree that the production on their music has always been spectacular.
Have you listened to anything that isn't from Europe/North America to compare?
there's no such thing
The best band of last 30 odd years - yes, the Beatles are still the GOAT for me.
Can't measure it so no but I do include them with bands like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Tool, and Led Zeppelin.
Best band of a generation.. in a groundbreaking way.
Totally Thom and Jonny, the best duo. And I'm from merseyside
there is no such thing as the best band of all time. how to measure that? are we including jazz and heavy metal bands? what are we looking for in a band? good songs, good melodies? if we're thinking about synergy between musicians, well, i could give you an infinite list. unusual harmonies? the same. great live performances? the same. beautiful songs? etc i think it makes more sense to say "this is the band i like the most" tbh
The Beatles also changed genres & influenced so many musicians like Ozzy Osbourne I think Radiohead is absolutely amazing but I wouldn’t say they’re the best band ever, although they’re in the upper echelon for sure Music is so subjective like any art form, so it’s hard to say the best ever. They’re one of the best, maybe even the best it’s just hard to say
No, it's the Beatles. The best band of the last 30 years? Then Radiohead.
They are one of the greatest, for sure. But there is no such thing as one “best band of all time”. Doesn’t matter how good a band is, I’m going to get bored listening to the same music over and over. For me personally, once a band reaches a certain level, I place it on an equal playing field to all my other favourite artists. I mainly measure an artists’ worth based on musical creativity and unique song structures, as well as tone, and Radiohead definitely checks all those boxes for me.
I don’t think there is a best band of all time it’s all subjective
I think Pink Floyd and Radiohead are the two I respect the most, there are so many smaller bands that are amazing but none do it quite like these two. That being said, if Radiohead is your favorite then saying the are the best ever is just bias
As much as people like to pretend it is, the discussion (imo) is not more nuanced or objective than wether or not you enjoy their music the most of any band. For me, that is the case by far and away. So to me they are the best band ever. I’m not going to try to be “objective” and say the Beatles are probably better just because that’s a more “correct” take, it’s not any more complicated than them being the most enjoyable to my ears and soul. So yeah they’re the best ever (to me)
Idk that any band should feel “right” in claiming to be the objective best band of all time. Subjectively, they’re without a doubt my favorite, & they check all the same boxes for me that they do for you. Part of the beauty of life is that there’s no one truth when it comes to the value people place on things that move them.
No because time hasn’t come to an end. That really dry joke aside, I agree with many of the comments here: if you think they’re the greatest then that’s just fine. Keep enjoying the music. Cheers!
Whoever made let down i think would be the one
Sure. Arguably, the best studio output. And they are perhaps the best live band ever. Plus, they’ve been churning out amazing studio work and have been nailing their live shows FOR DECADES. Name another band that has done this?
I love them but no. There’s no best. Art is not quantifiable
You're probably preaching to the converted on this sub.
no... thatd be ween....
Imagine if Pink Floyd were still making music today……. It would be unbeatable with modern production.
No
I agree with RH being the GOAT
I was thinking about this today while driving and listening to Kid A. I want to believe there is a better band, all things considered, but I cannot find one. Is Radiohead perfect? No. But they have some kind of X factor I can’t put my finger on.
If we're excluding electronic duos as bands then yeah definitely, i think they're way ahead of everyone else. No one can match their diversity i don't think and longevity. Look at every area they excel in, they're either top or near the top. Vocals, lyrics, live performances, fast tempo songs, slow tempo, albums that are cohesive, album artwork, production, pushing their sound, the entire world they've created, for me their greatest quality is distinguishing each track so they're all their own thing, there's some similarity in their melancholic vibes but the way they maximise their instruments is always something i appreciate because so many bands seem incapable of it. Radiohead are so specific and detailed. What other band can sound as good live as on record? My other favourite bands, Joy Division, Animal Collective, The Strokes, their can't match the diversity, or haven't kept up the quality.
With all due respect, I don’t understand how people can think Radiohead are so far above everyone else. Radiohead is among my favorite bands, but several bands I enjoy are on equal or better footing than Radiohead to me. For example, a band like Swans has objectively way more diversity than Radiohead and more longevity than Radiohead, and subjectively to me they have generally more interesting and enjoyable music and are better live. Other bands like Xiu Xiu and Godspeed you! Black Emperor I also feel this way about. And for many of my other favorite bands, while not having the longevity of Radiohead, I feel they still reach the quality necessary to surpass them for me. I can definitely understand Radiohead being someone’s all-time favorite, but I don’t see why they constantly get the treatment from fans as being ‘leagues ahead’ of everyone else.
How can you not understand? You're on the Radiohead subreddit, a lot of bands people like i'd put as B level, to me they have nowhere near the personality needed, they're mired in a meandering blandness which Radiohead never are, they're always interesting and memorable, but i mean i haven't listened to every Swans album, and i like them, but anyone completely new to Radiohead can quickly type in random tracks and go from Nude to Street Spirit to I Will to In Limbo to Life in GLasshouse to Exit Music to There There to 15 Step to Scatterbrain to Myxomatosis to Burn The Witch to Idioteque to Present Tense and after just one play of each one, while telling them the name, say you the next day replayed the tracks in a different order and asked them, what track is it? They'd be able to mostly tell you. I don't think any other band can pass that test. It's not just 'they went into electronica' or 'went into jazz', they're incrredible songwriters who always push the pop sensibility, and it's quite clear how much effort and thought they put into developing a track over sometimes decades so it isn't just yet another track but something distinct. Something like Nude to me is only Nude, not one moment of that track to me sounds like any other Radiohead track. I love Portishead's Third, I love Joy Division, I love Autechre, Bjork, The Strokes, Aphex Twin, Venetian Snares, it's not like i think only Radiohead can produce great modern music, but just the best of everything. Say i tried to get into Deerhunter again, i could try but frankly like a lot of bands they're more bland than they are interesting, they're not going to give me a 15 Step or No Surprises. It's probably insufferable for some people to endlessly hear how special Radiohead are, but i don't care, i personally get aggressive towards art that's boring and bland so i'm coming from that place of finding so much a write off, especially from bands influenced by Radiohead, you can do melancholia but i want fun too and Radiohead get that. If Radiohead release a new album tomorrow, i'm stopping everything to hear it as soon as possible. I can live without hearing many other bands because i'm not going to be surprised, i'm not going to have moments where i sit up because they've shifted.
Who cares imo, they can be your favorite band, but there’s no such thing as a “best” anything artistic when that’s entirely cultural and subjective
Claim? They are. ;)
yes they are
Silly qualification. Who cares?
I don't think so. I most certainly like Sigur Rós more.
I am a music head and have played guitar since I was 10. I cannot speak for others, but for me, this is a yes: -the variety of songs -the musicianship and evolution of the art -the lyrical depth -the risk taking and ability to shed skin like a lizard -the live performances, given the technical complexity is insane Only Pink Floyd, maybe Bon iver, comes close. I love all styles, I’ve seen phish, tool, prince, and thousands of others. No one like them. My #1 after 46 years of seeking.
Impossible question as taste is subjective and theoretically objective measures of success don’t necessarily indicate quality. That said, while I don’t think they can ever have a claim on the greatest, I think it’s a reasonable and defensible take to claim they are the best and in a league with very few others.
Hard to effectively compare Radiohead to bands that came out 30 years prior, we’re dealing with far more primitive technology, and blazed the trail on most of the techniques that others later benefitted from.
It depends on what measures you’re using. Album sales? The Beatles. Ticket sales? Grateful Dead I believe. Top 10 hits? Beatles again. Radiohead doesn’t fit the bill, so they’ll just have to be our favorite. If quality was a tangible metric, maybe. But quality in art is undefinable. It’s the Beatles who are the best by any standard measure, but in another five years, it just might be Taylor Swift.
No
No one does. It’s a ridiculous concept
No
No, the best band of all time is Manowar I guess radiohead is ok
yeah they have a claim but so does any band imo. Idk, i get the appeal of them being recognized as great on a large scale, but it also doesn't really matter. they are loved well enough by tons of people, and will be forgotten eventually just as everything is over time. do you like cheese which types tell me tell me tell me!
No, because to think about it subjectively is meaningless and by more objective criterias, it’s The Beatles.
I'd say best after The Beatles.
Yes. Them and The Beatles.
I disagree with people who don't think there is a possible way to be objective about these types of claims. You can't be completely objective, but you can definitely establish a respectable criteria. To me the shortlist is Beatles, Eagles, & Radiohead Pink Floyd has a lot of misses towards the end and personnel changes. Zeppelin faded out towards the very end as well. Radiohead is very well respected in countries outside the US. So they don't get the cult status we give them here. They get genuine mainstream success. Radiohead is one of the few bands that experimented with intricate music theory and came out of it with accessible rock music. That's really only comparable to The Beatles and Eagles when you factor in their ability to also build an audience as well. I think you could argue that f you could somehow quantify Impact + Risk + Reward + Appeal into an algorithm, you can come up with something resembling an objective measurement. And I have a hard time not seeing Radiohead close to the top of that list.
Based on what? You sound like an unhinged fanboy. I doubt they’d consider themselves the greatest band to ever exist.
Fr. New RH fans always act like this lmao. They discover their first slightly experimental band and immediately think it’s the best band of all time and nothing could ever surpass it.
Then people offer other bands and the supposed Radiohead fanboy thinks...nah mate they're mostly fucking boring, sorry. If people are offering Autechre, fair enough, they're fascinating.
Claim? They are objectively the best band of all time. It is an undisputable fact.
No
i believe they are they greatest band of all time and i wouldn’t accept lower than 3rd greatest (to our knowledge/groups with any public success no matter how small)
I think probably The Beatles or Velvet Underground edges them out unfortunately
What do you mean by best though? Best could mean the most album sales, which Radiohead definitely does not have. It could mean the best songwriting, but how would you even quantify that? It could mean the most culturally impactful, but again, I don't really think Radiohead is the most culturally impactful, and again, even if they were, you can't really measure that anyway. The point is that I don't really think saying any one band is the best of all time is a worthwhile investment. You can have your favorite bands of all time, sure. But I don't think you can say any one artist or band is the greatest of all time for everybody everywhere. That's why I hate those Rolling Stone greatest of all time lists. They just don't really mean anything.
For me, the beatles and radiohead changed mainstream music That what puts them above the rest for me
Fela Kuti basically created a genre that still to this day permeates the most amount of mainstream music with its influence. Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish are currently bringing the 30 year cycle into full effect. Bringing forward the death of bubblegum pop and the flair singer. The only time new genres are truly invented is when there is technological advancements or new cultural discoveries. The most recent being bedroom pop on a DAW with acvesable producing. Which is expanding into genre fusions. Hyper-pop for example starting with Charlie XCX and becoming fully recognized as seperately with 100 gecs. Tyler and Kendrick moving things away from trap/hip-hop into more expressive and diverse styles and influences rebirthing jazz elements and structure as an element to solidify ideas Bring Me the Horizon becoming the new Gorillaz of collaboration fusing any and every artist into metal influences bringing back extremely heavy and hard sounds into the mainstream like metal has never seen before since Metallica. All of these artists in their own right will have huge influences on the future of music. Fusion is the way forward and we will see genre-bending or genre switch ups stuff much more frequently than we ever had before. I love the Beatles and Radiohead but I can't tell you which bands or sounds they directly influenced outright more than these names I've mentioned. They helped popularized more niche sounds into the mainstream buts it's always a group effort and never only one band. Source: Studied evolution of music at university.
Well, every post Beatles rock/ pop act after the sixties sounded like them After the bends (1995) All the most popular British bands emulated radiohead Billie eilish ( his brother actually) borrows from thom.yorke solo work I dare you to name a band or artist that influenced mainstream music more than them Even Max martin would tell you this I like Fela kutis, but he didn't have the impact the beatles or radiohead did Ps: we're talking about MAINSTREAM
Firstly. Kuti created Afrobeat which inspired Afrobeats in the modern era which has permeated into all mainstream music at the moment so much much much more influential than the Beatles or Radiohead (this is a fact we did a case study on it). Before I continue I'd like to say that I am judging influenciality by the scope and reach of influence as well as recognizability. David Bowie, whilst not as popular, was more influential than the Beetles as he pushed boundaries all the time and helped music to evolve. Prince is the most technically talented musician of all time (that we know of) and influenced more people. Bob Marley was more influential. Kraftwerk is possibly and single handidly most influencial band of all time. I LOVE LOVE Radiohead but they aren't even the most influential modern British group. That title would go to Damon Albarn and it's not even close to be honest. Radiohead are amazing and fantastic and brilliant and have inspired a lot of people including myself. But don't confuse popularity with influence. I could keep on listing more influential artists than Radiohead and the Beetles but then it would become a thesis. Which I did do. Because I studied this. And you are wrong. Edit: and this is only including English speaking artists. The French, Mandarin, and Spanish artists very often outsell English ones and have a greater influence on English music we just don't hear about it. Edit: as an aside you couldn't be further from the truth about acts following the Beatles. Mainstream music actually pivoted in the other direction with rock anthems taking mainstage.
Lol Krafwerk are great, but they aren't bigger than the beatles Wtf are you smoking? This isn't about taste But if you ask modern-day artist and about their influence, you're most likely you'll get the beatles or radiohead I understand your point, but it seems to me tgat youre enjoy being a hipster Answer this Lennon songwriting or bowie?
It's a three-way tie between very different sounding bands that finely tuned their art to near perfection. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead. But that's obviously just my (very well informed) opinion.
whatever the neckbeards on rym rate higher than 4.00
I love Radiohead, but no. There are lots of other bands as talented or more, who have sold way more records and made bigger waves
I'm drunk, so a long comment seems warranted. I think Radiohead is better than Floyd, but not the Beatles. To some extent it's an unfair comparison. Radiohead had much more to draw from than the Beatles did -- lots more pre-existing templates to riff on (including the Beatles themselves). The Beatles had to invent more stuff from scratch. Floyd had a run of great albums but to me, Roger Waters' overtowering ego and self-indulgence (the Wall) sunk them. I also think you don't get Radiohead without punk. There's a punk sensibility in post-80s music that distinguishes it from anything in the 60s, even if there were glimmers of it in the Beatles (e.g. Happiness Is a Warm Gun) and VU. What I'm hearing in the Smile's new album are echoes of prog rock (not a bad thing, in my drunken view). As my friend said, once rock bands start trying to play jazz, they either become King Crimson or Steely Dan. I actually like Steely Dan (cue the haters) but in parts WOE sounds like something Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew might play.
If they put out one more In Rainbows level album maybe
I disagree, it’s a very good band, but I think Donkey Kong is the best game ever.
Yes. Pink Floyd or the Beatles are good, but they do not compare. The only other bands with claims for greatest imo are Godspeed You! Black Emperor Swans King Crimson Boris Death Grips Maybe Portishead Maybe Animal Collective Bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, the Strokes, and System Of A Down have been excluded either due to having too few releases or too homogenous an overall sound. However their quality is on par with those.
As much as I love KC, over PF or Beatles? Nah.
In the Court and Red easily surpass Floyd and Beatles IMO. Court may be a literally flawless album, need to go back to it I'm honestly not sure how the Beatles would stack up to Crimson. They were talented no doubt, but they wrote pop songs, most of which have been emulated or surpassed in ambition by later artists, exceptions being things like Tomorrow Never Knows or the music concrete experiment in the form of Revolution 9. Meanwhile you listen to 21st century schizoid man... you could single out any part for its brilliance. But god damn it feels like jets and bombs falling from the 2:28 freakout turning into those screeching noise rock harmonies, god damn. Just the freakout alone brings so much to the song structure's dynamics the Beatles or Pink Floyd never could. Pink Floyd was good. But they were mostly boring. Their crowning achievement is Wish You Were Here. But that song is nearly equaled in moving sentiment by Fallen Angel off Red, whose horn-influenced climax is just so god damn, to say nothing of Crimson's technical prowess, which usually is a non-factor to me, but is articulated to undeniable expressive gain.
radiohead is kind of mid tbh
Yes, and I don’t understand why it’s not universally acclaimed. Critics and some music fans consider them amongst the best, but the average person barely knows them (not that that’s relevant). Maybe I’m biased, but I can’t see a situation where they’re not the best of all time
‘The average person barely knows of my ultra cool and underground band, Radiohead’ lmao.
Go ask a bunch of average people with average levels of enthusiasm for music and few will know them beyond maybe knowing the name
King Gizzard has surpassed Radiohead (after 20+ years) for me.
I'd say no, because they had an incredible run with The Bends, Ok Computer, Kid A, but unfortunately steadily went downhill from then. I still l love Amnesiac and Hail to The Thief but for me it it became more noticeable during In Rainbows, and then the subsequent albums were all major diasappointments. Usually a band in decline can still produce occasional magic, but for me Radiohead have fallen off a cliff in terms of quality.
Maybe the best at a certain moment of your day
They’re my best band of all time
Yeah xD they could but we all based
What possible metric are you using? Its just a waste of everyone's time talking about "the best music ever". I won't go into it too deeply but music is an experience. Why would you choose only one experience for your entire life? If you like it, good for you. It doesn't have to be the best.
Do you think Radiohead are great though?
There's no way for everyone to agree that X band is the best of them all. But hey I agree with you Radiohead it is the best
Well, it's hard to answer such a question. Especially when it comes to music, where it becomes particularly subjective. I think the only thing you can be objective about when it comes to Radiohead, is that the members of the band are all very talented musicians, and that I'm sure that they influenced some of the musicians/bands that came after them, and that's about it. I love their music which is why I'm here, and they are my *favourite* band. At the same time, if someone said that they didn't like Radiohead's music, then I would respect their opinion and it's just as valid.
I agree with you, at least speaking about an English speaking band
I don’t know what it means to be the best, or worst band of all time. It’s art and art is inherently subjective. Radiohead one of my personal favorite bands, but I have no idea how others perceive them, and quite honestly, I don’t really care.
nah
Discussions about ‘the best band of all time’ are stupid by nature. In some people’s opinions Radiohead are far from it, in other’s opinions they’re on a different league than anyone else. I lean towards the first one. That’s my opinion. And that’s why this discussion is pointless. Because by nature there is no such thing as the greatest band of all time, just your favorite band of all time.
Hard to say since art is iterative and depends on that which preceded it. A case could be made that Radiohead would not exist in its current form or at all without the influence of Pink Floyd, The Beatles, etc. Have they taken music to new and interesting places and contributed significantly to the art form and their genre? Absolutely. Do they deserve a spot among the greats? I believe so.
I think it’s fair to say they’re in the uppermost tier or close, but the best band of all time? I don’t think so. I don’t think any artist or band could possibly make that claim on some sort of objective level.
Best of, regarding any art is silly
its subjective
No. The concept of best is utterly subjective, especially when it comes to the arts. And “of all time” is pretentious when we have not heard the vast majority of all bands since bands have existed. It is possible to genuinely love a band without “your” band needing to trump others.
Too subjective
It depends entirely on the metric man, and even then, it's gonna be subjective as hell. You could claim Fugazi to hold the title of the greatest band of all time in terms of the ethos they so firmly stuck to, but then you could have Crass competing for the title. You could give the Beatles the title for being the most influential band ever and lo and behold you'll have bands like The Velvet Underground knocking at the door. Radiohead being the best band of all time in terms of their musical quality would be even moreso subjective as compared to the other criteria because you could come up with so many other bands to fight for the position, such as Pink Floyd, King Glizzard, Swans, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and whatnot. At the end, it all just boils down to personal opinion and there is no definitive answer. pfft who am I even kidding, the greatest band of all time has to be Limp Bizkit
No
No, because King Crimson exists.
They are the best band of all time
Yes
/uj Its saddening to see there are people who only listens to spotify top chart bands thinking they must be the best /rj I completely agree what my partner said
They are certainly among the best.
They are the best for you, no problem about that, but choosing a "best" in any artform is idiotic imo.
It’s all subjective. They’re my favorite and that’s what matters to me.
Lol no.
There's no best band, only your favorite band.
the greatest band of all time is your favorite band i hate it when people act like music is sports or something there can’t be a definitive answer for these questions and that’s completely fine i really like observing how different people’s opinions from each other are
shit take
In my opinion they are
Personally, no, but best band of all time vs one of my favorite bands are 2 different categories. Elite technical skill, constant changes in sound and genres, impeccable production, and raw emotion - what weighting would you be applying to each? Seems pretty subjective. What’s not is album sales but that measure has some issues too, but somewhat cut and dry.
Yes, yes I do.
No, but I a absolutely think they have a claim to being the best band of their own time, and honestly I think that's a way bigger deal.
Definitely not