Where does Fleetwood Mac rank among the greatest bands?

[RockawayBlind]

Originally Posted by chiliD

If you don't think so, it is obvious you don't know squat about The Who.

LOL, I have no problem admitting that!

Originally Posted by chiliD

We might be seeing this from opposite sides of a Generation Gap. To me, The Clash & most of the punk movement was just derivative from The Who, The Kinks, The MC5, etc. Talk about your "not evolving"...in fact, from my view, (like that weird band from Indiana) the punk movement was a DE-volving. I'll admit that I was (and except for a scant few exceptions of bands that went from a "punk" beginning to taking a quick u-turn back to the corner of "Mainstream Blvd" & "Commercial St") quite dismissive of the whole punk phenomenon. The Clash, Blondie, Patti Smith, The Ramones...and their "New Wave" counterparts Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, etc., all drank the Mainstream Kool-Aid quite early in their careers...which is one reason we know who they are these days and WHY they're still relevant, but still not near being "Mt Rushmore" in stature of The Beatles, The Stones, Led Zep, The Who, Pink Floyd, U2, Clapton, Dylan, & Neil Young.

It's true the bands you mention aren't on the same plain with the Stones, the Beatles, Clapton and others in terms of influence. But you sneakily added U2 to that list while dismissing punk. Also, I think history will look back and see The Clash as a very influential band. I would throw the Ramones in there too, but I will concede the band -- unfairly, in my opinion -- doesn't get the same level of respect.

I'm not a huge punk fan really, but I wouldn't dismiss the movement so easily. You wouldn't have Green Day and a whole host of other bands without it. Also, FM's history would have been very different without it. Sit back and think about whether FM would have the widespread respect it has today if so many artists in the 1990s hadn't rediscovered it and cited it as an influence. Could that have happened if FM had gone the way of Bread or America, which is what likely would have happened if Lindsey hadn't gotten bitten by the punk bug?

Also, it occurs to me your list doesn't include Springsteen. And you completely dismiss Nirvana and Pearl Jam -- again not favorites of mine but hard to dismiss as unimportant in terms of influence.

Of course, you can put whomever you want on your list, but as long as we're having fun arguing this stuff...