10 Legendary Bands That Changed Music (But You Don’t Know Them)

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Welcome to WatchMojo.World 🌍 – In this countdown, we’re uncovering the Top 10 most influential bands you’ve never heard of.  These groups may not have topped the charts, but their sound, style, and creativity shaped entire genres and inspired countless famous artists. From underground rock legends to forgotten pioneers, these bands left a massive mark on music history.  👉 Which of these hidden gems surprised you the most? Tell us in the comments!  For more music countdowns, rock history, and band breakdowns, make sure to follow WatchMojo.World.

Transcript

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. Bad Finger

01:53For every musician's story of greatness, there are many others concerning bands that

02:07never quite achieved the heights for which they seem to be destined. Bad Finger was one of those

02:13groups, a successful band that was known for their association with The Beatles and their record

02:18label Apple Corps. Despite their initial sales and critical praise, band management and legal issues

02:33ultimately caused Bad Finger to implode. This is a shame because the band legitimately possessed

02:39songwriting and musical chops. Their power-pop sound can be heard today in bands as diverse as Oasis,

02:45and even Mariah Carey, who covered the band's hits without you.

02:498. Melvins

03:13The 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.

03:25Melvins was one such band, an intentionally unglamorous and idiosyncratic group that

03:31wasn't thrash, certainly wasn't glam, and possessed a devastating sound all their own.

03:43This sarcastic and self-aware attitude would prove

03:46hugely influential to Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, to the point where Kurt was given a production

03:52credit on Melvins' major label debut, Houdini. Today, Melvins' Black Sabbath and Kiss-influenced

03:58attack has itself majorly inspired heavy bands from all walks of life, to give respect to one of the

04:05most uncompromising bands of an era.

04:087. Bauhaus

04:19Sometimes, you can easily see which genre was influenced by the work of a particular artist.

04:38Other times, there's a wide array of musicians who see the work of one group and take a major

04:44amount of inspiration. Bauhaus was a trailblazing goth rock outfit that actually experimented with

04:49many different sounds throughout their career.

05:01This, perhaps, explains why heavy metal bands like Celtic Frost, Doomy punk rockers, Amoebics,

05:08and industrial artists like Nine Inch Nails and Skinny Puppy have all looked to Bauhaus. Singer

05:14Peter Murphy, in particular, was the blueprint for some of their ideas. Meanwhile, Bauhaus delved into

05:21everything from psychedelic funk to glam during their own history, refusing to stand creatively still

05:28for even a minute. 6. Soft Machine

05:48The 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.

06:09Producers in the hip-hop community sought out the band's 1970s recordings as a sampling source.

06:27While Soft Machine's early work featured challenging psychedelia that was leagues beyond many 12-bar

06:34blues bands of the day. There's an intelligence to their work, too, and eagerness to push

06:39the boundaries of instrumentation as well as the group's dynamic. Musicians ebbed and flowed

06:45throughout the band's revolving-door lineup, all leaving their mark on Soft Machine's legacy.

06:505. Fanny

07:02There are a number of groups that are often singled out as trailblazers when it comes to showcasing women

07:17in rock and roll. The runaways immediately come to mind, but equally deserving is Fanny,

07:22who actually emerged much earlier. Their self-titled debut, released in 1970, is bluesy,

07:34gnarly, gnarly, and chock-full of headbanging riffs.

07:41The arrangements and songwriting are also top-notch, while guitarist June Millington kicks out fiery

07:56licks that are nothing short of electric. The album was the first from an all-female rock band to be

08:02released on a major label, while big-name artists like David Bowie, the Go-Go's, and of course,

08:07the Runaways all expressed admiration for Fanny's work. 4. Bad Brains

08:15Washington, D.C.'s Bad Brains refused to be classified throughout their massively influential

08:30career. And why should they be? The band seemed to move effortlessly from some of the most blistering,

08:37hardcore punk rock into jazz fusion-tinged heavy metal, straight funk, and laid-back reggae jams.

08:54Their kitchen sink approach to genre resulted in an equally diverse array of bands being inspired by

09:00Bad Brains' work. The Beastie Boys, Guns N' Roses, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and No Doubt have come

09:06out as Bad Brains fans. It's easy to see why, especially if you check out the band's feral live gigs

09:14from the early 80s. 3. My Bloody Valentine

09:25Loud, soft, heavy, and fragile. This is somehow the sound of My Bloody Valentine,

09:44a cult rock band from the late 1980s that fit the bill in offering a true alternative to pop radio.

09:55The band's sound is often described as one of the first in shoegames, a subgenre that's heavily

10:06dependent 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

10:18unique for the time, while still sounding fresh today. Meanwhile, experimental rock acts like Radiohead

10:25Deftones and the Smashing Pumpkins all owe My Bloody Valentine a debt of gratitude.

10:382. The Zombies

10:40As a part of the British invasion of the 1960s, the Zombies made their mark in the rock world with

10:56their first hit single, She's Not There.

10:593. Please don't bother trying to find her

11:023. She's not there

11:054. Well let me tell you about the way she looked

11:084. The way she acted

11:094. The color of my hair

11:11But their name rarely comes up alongside bands like The Beatles, The Who, or The Rolling Stones,

11:16despite their beautifully melodic Baroque pop. Their unique sound is an early predecessor of the

11:22Indian alternative rock movements that began to take form in the 70s and 80s. Artists such as Tom

11:28Petty, Dave Grohl, and Bell & Sebastian have credited The Zombies for their impact on their own music.

11:34If you've never listened to The Zombies, be sure to check out their album, Odyssey and Oracle. Oh,

11:41And you're welcome.

11:42It's the time of the season for

11:48Love Me!

11:55Before we name our number one pin, here are some honorable mentions.

11:59Television, Proto-Punk Trailblazers.

12:06I spoke to a man down at the track

12:11Blue Cheer. The 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

12:32The Raincoats. Female. Feminist. Ferocious.

12:36Those buildings that saw the aeroplanes. That kissed the air in vain fantasy. Only loved at night.

12:48Wire. Art punk experimentalism.

12:51The fast increasing. Looting. Burning.

12:58The meters. Laying down nasty funk in the late 60s.

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13:341. Sparks

13:51You know a band has achieved true cult status when a filmmaker like Edgar Wright directs a documentary

13:58about them. But many music bands still don't know they exist. Sparks were an indescribably

14:05weird band with an irresistible and lovable aura.

14:22This was despite keyboardist Ronald Mayle sporting one defiantly quirky choice of mustache. A visual

14:28focal point for a band that certainly wasn't solely relying on image to sell their music.

14:34No, Sparks could play and write some great songs to boot. These were tunes that took power pop,

14:40disco, new wave, and hard rock and placed them into an idiosyncratic blender. The result was a career

14:47that would influence similar stylistically defiant bands like Faith No More and Franz Ferdinand.

15:02Are you a raving fan of any of these groups? Are there any that pique your interest?

15:08Are you a raving fan of any of these groups? Let us know in the comments!

15:17What is this information!

15:22Oh, I don't know in the comments!

15:24What is this!

15:26Universidad de Kesey,

15:27Will you own your arms?

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