00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for artists whose influence
00:16has largely permeated music culture, despite perhaps not being all that well-known to today's
00:21international public.
00:22We're saving solo acts like Nick Drake or Fella Cootie for another time.
00:30Number 10, Echo and the Bunnymen You've got to hand it to the English group
00:54Echo and the Bunnymen for choosing a unique, instantly recognizable moniker.
00:58Of course, there's actually no one named Echo in the band, nor are there any Bunnymen
01:04to be seen.
01:05But Ian McCulloch's haunting, emotive vocals are a true standout for a band that's gone
01:10on to inspire hordes of other acts in their wake.
01:13Modern alternative rock bands like Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, and The Killers have name-checked
01:28Echo and the Bunnymen as an influence, particularly for melding goth and post-punk with a sound
01:33drenched in erotic darkness.
01:35And you know what?
01:37Songs like The Killing Moon and Lips Like Sugar just get better with age.
01:42Songs like Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Sugar.
01:49Songs like Sugar Kisses.
01:51Number 9.
01:53Badfinger.
01:53I remember finding out about you.
02:02For every musician's story of greatness, there are many others concerning bands that
02:07never quite achieved the heights for which they seemed to be destined.
02:11Badfinger was one of those groups, a successful band that was known for their association
02:16with the Beatles and their record label Applecore.
02:28Despite their initial sales and critical praise, band management and legal issues ultimately
02:33caused Badfinger to implode.
02:36This is a shame, because the band legitimately possessed songwriting and musical chops.
02:41Their power-pop sound can be heard today in bands as diverse as Oasis, and even Mariah
02:46Carey, who covered the band's hits without you.
02:49Number 8 Melvins
03:02The grunge movement of the 1990s wasn't created in a vacuum, it was influenced by earlier
03:19bands that eschewed the traditional metal sounds of the day in favor of something different.
03:24Melvins was one such band, an intentionally unglamorous and idiosyncratic group that wasn't
03:31thrash, certainly wasn't glam, and possessed a devastating sound all their own.
03:35This sarcastic and self-aware attitude would prove hugely influential to Kurt Cobain and Nirvana,
03:49to the point where Kurt was given a production credit on Melvins' major label debut, Houdini.
03:54Today, Melvins' Black Sabbath and Kiss-influenced attack has itself majorly inspired heavy bands
04:01from all walks of life, to give respect to one of the most uncompromising bands of an era.
04:08Number 7 Bauhaus
04:19Sometimes, you can easily see which genre was influenced by the work of a particular artist.
04:37Other times, there's a wide array of musicians who see the work of one group and take a major
04:43amount of inspiration.
04:44Bauhaus was a trailblazing goth rock outfit that actually experimented with many different
04:49sounds throughout their career.
05:00This, perhaps, explains why heavy metal bands like Celtic Frost, Doomy punk rockers, amoebics,
05:07and industrial artists like Nine Inch Nails and Skinny Puppy have all looked to Bauhaus.
05:13Singer Peter Murphy, in particular, was a blueprint for some of their ideas.
05:18Meanwhile, Bauhaus delved into everything from psychedelic funk to glam during their own history,
05:24refusing to stand creatively still for even a minute.
05:37Number 6 Soft Machine
05:42The musical collective Soft Machine exists at the nexus of jazz fusion, progressive rock,
06:01and exploratory improvisation.
06:04The eternally evolving group influenced a wide variety of artists.
06:08Producers in the hip-hop community sought out the band's 1970s recordings as a sampling source.
06:13While Soft Machine's early work featured challenging psychedelia that was leagues beyond many 12-bar blues bands of the day,
06:34there's an intelligence to their work, too, and eagerness to push the boundaries of instrumentation,
06:40as well as the group's dynamic.
06:43Musicians ebbed and flowed throughout the band's revolving door lineup,
06:46all leaving their mark on Soft Machine's legacy.
06:49Number 5 Banny
07:01There are a number of groups that are often singled out as trailblazers when it comes to showcasing women in rock and roll.
07:18The runaways immediately come to mind, but equally deserving is Fanny, who actually emerged much earlier.
07:24We're at all the end, 17, then we started a band.
07:30Their self-titled debut, released in 1970, is bluesy, gnarly, and chock full of headbanging riffs.
07:36The arrangements and songwriting are also top-notch, while guitarist June Millington kicks out fiery licks that are nothing short of electric.
07:57The album was the first from an all-female rock band to be released on a major label, while big-name artists like David Bowie,
08:04the Go-Go's, and of course the Runaways all expressed admiration for Fanny's work.
08:094. Bad Brains
08:14Did you ever question any of the things they taught you while you were at school?
08:24Washington, D.C.'s Bad Brains refused to be classified throughout their massively influential career.
08:30And why should they be?
08:32The band seemed to move effortlessly from some of the most blistering hardcore punk rock
08:38into jazz fusion-tinged heavy metal, straight funk, and laid-back reggae jams.
08:53Their kitchen-sync approach to genre resulted in an equally diverse array of bands being inspired by Bad Brains' work.
09:00The Beastie Boys, Guns N' Roses, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and No Doubt have come out as Bad Brains fans.
09:07It's easy to see why, especially if you check out the band's feral live gigs from the early 80s.
09:223. My Bloody Valentine
09:25Loud, soft, heavy, and fragile.
09:40This is somehow the sound of My Bloody Valentine, a cult rock band from the late 1980s that fit the bill in offering a true alternative to pop radio.
09:50The band's sound is often described as one of the first in shoegames, a subgenre that's heavily dependent on pedals and tone to create atmospheres of noisy discordance and melancholy glamour.
10:11There's an artistry to what band leader Kevin Shields and company created that was devastatingly unique for the time, while still sounding fresh today.
10:20Meanwhile, experimental rock acts like Radiohead, Deftones, and the Smashing Pumpkins all owe My Bloody Valentine a debt of gratitude.
10:292. The Zombies
10:38As a part of the British invasion of the 1960s, The Zombies made their mark in the rock world with their first hit single, She's Not There.
10:57But their name rarely comes up alongside bands like The Beatles, The Who, or The Rolling Stones, despite their beautifully melodic Baroque pop.
11:18Their unique sound is an early predecessor of the indie and alternative rock movements that began to take form in the 70s and 80s.
11:25Artists such as Tom Petty, Dave Grohl, and Bell and Sebastian have credited The Zombies for their impact on their own music.
11:33If you've never listened to The Zombies, be sure to check out their album Odyssey and Oracle.
11:39Oh, and you're welcome.
11:41Before we name our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions.
11:58Television, Proto Punk Trailblazers.
12:05I spoke to a man down at the tracks.
12:12Blue Cheer, the early sound of heavy metal starts here.
12:17A battle working on summer just to try to earn a dollar.
12:24But Lord, I tried to call my baby.
12:26I tried to get a date.
12:32The Raincoats.
12:33Female.
12:34Feminist.
12:35Ferocious.
12:36Those buildings that saw the airplanes.
12:39That kissed the air in vain.
12:42Fantasy.
12:43Only loved at night.
12:47Wire.
12:49Art Punk experimentalism.
12:51The plastic greasing.
12:53Looting.
12:55Burning.
12:57Wind.
12:58Wind.
13:00The Meters.
13:05Laying down nasty funk in the late 60s.
13:12Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
13:25about our latest videos.
13:26You have the option to be notified for occasional videos, or all of them.
13:30If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
13:341.
13:35Sparks.
13:36When I'm with you, I never have a problem when I'm with you.
13:51You know a band has achieved true cult status when a filmmaker like Edgar Wright directs a
13:56documentary about them.
13:57But many music bands still don't know they exist.
14:02Sparks were an indescribably weird band with an irresistible and lovable aura.
14:07This was despite keyboardist Ronald Mail sporting one defiantly quirky choice of mustache, a visual focal point for a band that certainly wasn't solely relying on image to sell their music.
14:20No, Sparks could play and write some great songs to boot.
14:37These were tunes that took power pop, disco, new wave, and hard rock and placed them into an idiosyncratic blender.
14:45The result was a career that would influence similar stylistically defiant bands like Faith No More and Franz Ferdinand.
14:53Are you a raving fan of any of these groups?
15:06Are there any that pique your interest?
15:08Let us know in the comments!
Comments