Some bands never reached mainstream fame — yet their sound, style, and innovation changed music forever. In this countdown, we reveal the Top 10 Influential Bands You’ve Never Heard Of, from underground pioneers to hidden legends that inspired some of the biggest names in the industry.
If you’ve never heard of them before, now’s the time to discover the music that shaped entire genres.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo! And today, we're counting down our picks for artists whose influence has
00:16largely permeated music culture, despite perhaps not being all that well-known to
00:21today's international public. We're saving solo acts like Nick Drake or Fella Cootie for another
00:27time. 10. Echo and the Bunnymen
00:52You've got to hand it to the English group Echo and the Bunnymen for choosing a unique,
00:56instantly-recognizable moniker. Of course, there's actually no one named Echo
01:01in the band, nor are there any Bunnymen to be seen. But Ian McCulloch's haunting,
01:07emotive vocals are a true standout for a band that's gone on to inspire
01:11hordes of other acts in their wake.
01:21Modern 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. And you know what? Songs like The Killing Moon and
01:38Lips Like Sugar just get better with age.
01:499. Badfinger
01:53For every musician's story of greatness, there are many others concerning bands that never
02:07quite achieved the heights for which they seemed to be destined. Badfinger was one of
02:12those groups, a successful band that was known for their association with the Beatles and
02:17their record label Apple Core. Despite their initial sales and critical praise, band management
02:32and legal issues ultimately caused Badfinger to implode. This is a shame because the band
02:38legitimately possessed songwriting and musical chops. Their power-pop sound can be heard today
02:43in bands as diverse as Oasis, and even Mariah Carey, who covered the band's hits without
02:49a few.
03:008. Melvins
03:13The grunge movement of the 1990s wasn't created in a vacuum. It was influenced by
03:19earlier bands that eschewed the traditional metal sounds of the day in favor of something
03:24different. Melvins 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.
03:43This 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. Today,
03:55Melvins' Black Sabbath and Kiss-influenced attack has itself majorly inspired heavy bands from all walks
04:01of life to give respect to one of the most uncompromising bands of an era.
04:077. Bauhaus
04:19Sometimes, you can easily see which genre was influenced by the work of a particular artist. Other times,
04:38there's a wide array of musicians who see the work of one group and take a major amount of inspiration.
04:44Bauhaus was a trailblazing goth rock outfit that actually experimented with many different sounds
04:50throughout their career.
05:01This, 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.
05:14Singer Peter Murphy, in particular, was the blueprint for some of their ideas. Meanwhile,
05:19Bauhaus delved into everything from psychedelic funk to glam during their own history, refusing
05:25to stand creatively still for even a minute.
05:376. Soft Machine
05:44The musical collective Soft Machine exists at the nexus of jazz fusion, progressive rock,
06:02and exploratory improvisation. The 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.
06:14Producers in the hip-hop community
06:27While Soft Machine's early work featured challenging psychedelia
06:31that was leagues beyond many 12-bar blues bands of the day,
06:35there's an intelligence to their work, too, an eagerness to push the boundaries of instrumentation,
06:40as well as the group's dynamic. Musicians ebbed and flowed throughout the band's revolving door lineup,
06:46all leaving their mark on Soft Machine's legacy.
07:005. Fanny
07:02There 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.
07:24Where it all began 17, then we started a band.
07:30Their self-titled debut, released in 1970, is bluesy, gnarly, and chock-full of head-banging 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,
08:02while big-name artists like David Bowie, the Go-Go's, and of course, the Runaways all expressed admiration for Fanny's work.
08:094. Bad Brains
08:15Did 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.
09:14Number 3. My Bloody Valentine
09:24Loud, soft, heavy, and fragile. This is somehow the sound of My Bloody Valentine.
09:43A cult rock band from the late 1980s that fit the bill in offering a true alternative to pop radio.
10:00The 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.
10:12There's an artistry to what band leader Kevin Shields and company created that was devastatingly unique for the time, while still sounding fresh today.
10:21Meanwhile, experimental rock acts like Radiohead, Deftones, and the Smashing Pumpkins all owe My Bloody Valentine a debt of gratitude.
10:29Number 2. The Zombies
10:38It's the time of the season when love runs high.
10:48As 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 Indian 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.
11:40Oh, and you're welcome.
11:42It's the time of the season for loving.
11:55Before we name our number one pin, here are some honorable mentions.
11:59Television.
12:00Proto-punk trailblazers.
12:02I spoke to a man down at the tracks.
12:13Blue cheer.
12:14The early sound of heavy metal starts here.
12:17A bottle working on summer just to try to earn a dollar.
12:24But Lord, I tried to call my baby, I tried to get a date.
12:31The Raincoats.
12:33Female.
12:34Feminist.
12:35Ferocious.
12:36Those buildings that saw the airplanes.
12:40That kissed the air in vain fantasy.
12:44Only loved at night.
12:48Wire.
12:49Art-punk experimentalism.
12:51The Flash is increasing.
12:52Looting.
12:53Burning.
12:54Rain.
12:55Rain.
12:56The Meters.
12:57Laying down nasty funk in the late 60s.
12:58The Meters.
13:00Laying down nasty funk in the late 60s.
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13:161.
13:17Sparks
13:18When I'm with you, I'll never try to break the informants.
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13:37You know a band has achieved true cult status when a filmmaker like Edgar Wright directs
13:57a documentary about them.
13:59But many music bands still don't know they exist.
14:03These were an indescribably weird band with an irresistible and lovable aura.
14:22This was despite keyboardist Ronald Mayle sporting one defiantly quirky choice of mustache,
14:28a visual focal point for a band that certainly wasn't solely relying on Image to sell their
14:33music.
14:34No, Sparks could play and write some great songs to boot.
14:38These were tunes that took power pop, disco, new wave, and hard rock and placed them into
14:44an idiosyncratic blender.
14:46The result was a career that would influence similar stylistically defiant bands like Faith
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