Although rock is not popular in the world, there are a huge number of rock bands. Some of them are popular, others not so much. Today we will find out what most popular rock bands exist. Let's look at those groups that no longer exist, as well as those that still exist today.
Here is a list of the most popular rock bands in the world. This is not a top rating, because it is impossible to say which group is better or more popular than the other. Let's just see who left the biggest mark on the history of rock music.
- Nirvana(). American rock-group. Was founded in 1987. Founders - Kurt Cobain, who became truly a legend among rock musicians, as well as Chris Novoselic.
For all time group " Nirvana"released only 3 albums, which sold millions of copies. The group's most hit composition is " smells like Teen Spirit".
Unfortunately, the group's activities ceased due to the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994. But still Nirvana remains one of my favorite muses. groups among fans of rock music. - Queen. One of the rock bands that also left a big mark in the history of rock music.
The guys achieved success in the 1970s. It is worth noting that interest in the group continues to this day. Vocalist of the group - Freddie Mercury. After his death, the group practically ceased to exist, however, after some time, it continued its activities, but under a different name.
- Pink Floyd (Pink Floyd). British group, which began operations in 1965.
Known for her songs deep subtext, grand shows and acoustic experiments.
- The Rolling Stones ( Rolling Stones)
. Rock band from Britain, which was founded in 1962. Can rightfully be considered one of the most influential and popular rock groups.
For a long time, the Rolling Stones competed with the group in popularity.
- Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin). The group was born in 1968 in England.
The guys created their own unique sound. The group is recognized as one of the most influential rock bands in the world.
- The Beatles
()
. One of the most popular rock bands
world, which was able to bring changes to music.
"Fantastic Four", as the guys were also called, was born in 1960.
- Linkin Park ()
. American rock band playing alternative music.
The group began in 1996 under the name Xero. The group received the name "Linkin Park" only in 2000. Album entitled " Hybrid Theory", which sold more than 27 million copies, brought success to the boys. This was their debut album. The group also received a Grammy Award 2 times.
- U2 (Yu Tu). Rock band from Ireland, which was founded in 1976. Is one of the most popular groups rock culture.
U2 has received 22 Grammy Awards during its existence, which is more than any other rock group. And the albums sold more than 180 million copies.
- Metallica(). American metal band. "Born" in 1981.
There are more than 100 million copies of albums sold. This automatically makes Metallica one of the most successful commercial bands.
- Rammstein (Ramstein). Metal band from Germany (Berlin). Was founded in 1994.
"Ramstein" is famous for its brightest performances and grandiose shows, often using pyrotechnics.
The group's albums sold 35 million copies.
Conclusion
This list could go on and on, but I wanted to highlight only the brightest and most memorable rock bands. Other guys are also worthy of attention, but it is impossible to describe them all in one article, so we limited ourselves to ten.
It is impossible to single out just one musical group: they are all truly talented.
Which group do you think is the best among them? Write in the comments :)
A genre in music like Rock is a very broad concept, since there are a lot of subgenres and directions in it. And many people have left the classic sound long ago, inventing new tricks, effects and introducing new instruments: from heavy guitars and hysterical singing, to recitatives and samples.
A lot of time has passed since the first bands began to rock and roll, and a lot of styles have appeared with their own sound, attributes and fan base. Such as: Metal, Punk rock, SKA, Grunge, Alternative rock, Industrial, etc.
I decided to make my TOP about the most prominent representatives of each style, compile list of the best rock bands without comparing them with each other and without assigning numbers to them. Since each group is cool and unique in its own way.
So, let's begin!
Black Sabbath
And my top band opens with the great Ozzy Osbourne “Black Sabbath”, they are considered the pioneers of heavy metal, especially their debut studio album “Black Sabbath” with a new sound at that time and the inimitable style of playing guitarist Tony Iommi.
In his riffs for the band's song of the same name, Tony was the first to use "Triton". The so-called “devil's interval” is an interval of three tones, for which in the Middle Ages you could get burned at the stake if you played it on a lute.
Osbourne wrapped up the theme with dark lyrics, and the band's direction was set. And Ozzy’s shocking performance on stage played a huge role in the formation of the group’s image. “Black Sabbath” were considered a very scandalous rock group; they were credited with Satanism and devil worship. In the USSR they were banned.
Metallica
Metallica is a metal band that has metal in its music, in its name and in its blood. Metallica had a great influence on the development of metal and rock music in general. "Broom" is considered the best metal band of the last thirty years according to Kerrang magazine. The number of albums sold totals more than 110 million copies worldwide.
They are one of the “Big Four of Thrash Metal” along with Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth, and yet “Broom” surpassed them all in popularity. And the album “Master of Puppets” is considered the “standard of thrash”; at one time it reached both the underground and critics.
Hetfield and the guys can even throw together a slow ballad in the style of Nothing Else Matters, which will later become a hit. And drive away some action movie like Sanitarium. In honor of the 15th anniversary of the band Metallica, MTV aired a sour tribute in 2003, which included (Korn, Limp Bizkit, Avril Lavinge, Snoop Dog).
Nirvana
A cult grunge band based in Seattle, it was Nirvana who made this style so popular. Nirvana became part of the Seattle underground music scene in 1989 after recording their first album, Bleach, on the independent label Sub Pop.
When creating his second album, Kurt Cobain wanted to go beyond the Seattle grunge scene and bring something new to his music. Thanks to the Pixies, which he really liked, he brought their dynamics into the band's sound. And in 1991, they recorded their second studio album, Nevermind, on the DGC Records label, and it became commercially successful.
Largely thanks to the first single “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, which became the anthem of the “next generation” and one of. Cobain's soulful vocals and driving delivery did their job. Nirvana entered the mainstream and became the “voice of Generation X,” thereby popularizing the Seattle grunge sound.
Korn
KoYan is an American rock band that founded the nu metal or alternative metal style. Joel McIver called them the pioneers of nu metal in his book. “Korn” absorbed elements of many styles from hardcore punk with groove metal to funk with hip-hop and created a new huge layer of music.
After the death of Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain, the popularity of grunge began to decline and something new was needed, equally powerful and youthful. Nu-metal came at the right time, and KoYan made a real breakthrough. Moving away from the old canons of rock music, not only in terms of sound, but also in image: tracksuits, wide pants, dreadlocks and the unforgettable “kick” that they set on stage.
The group is the best in its style with the unique voice of Jonathan Davis, with its own atmosphere and style, recognizable from the first strokes of the strings, has gathered millions of fans around the world among young people and old school. They constantly experiment with sound from album to album.
After the release of their debut album in 1994, Korn became the best-selling heavy band of the decade with sales of 3 million copies. They deservedly go to my list of the best foreign rock groups.
Limp Bizkit
Here are another favorite of young people, an American rap-core, nu-metal group formed in 1994 by frontman Fred Durst and debuted in 1997 with the album “Tree Dollar Bill, Y'all$”. Although they are not the founders of rap core, they are rightfully considered the best in this direction.
They collected the best moments from alternative styles, seasoned it with Durst's aggressive delivery, cool arrangements and Wes Borland riffs. And by the beginning of the millennium they became the top alternative group that most teenagers looked up to.
Their third studio album, “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water,” takes them to the peak of fame and LB floods all the charts, music channels and CD shelves. Fred's charisma, shocking image of the guitarist, competent Dj Lethal on samples and experiments with sound bore fruit.
List of the best foreign rock bands
Part of my list of the best rock bands is behind us, so you can take a short break and continue to remember the top rock bands of the world scale.
Slipknot
The brightest band on Nu-metal, and indeed on the rock scene all over the world. It was formed in 1992 in the capital of Iowa by drummer Sean Crahan, which means Noose. The composition changed periodically and settled down to the recording of the debut album in 1999, as a result it turned out to be a gang of nine people.
One of important points The formation of the group was the arrival of Corey Taylor as the lead singer of the group. Which made Slipknot sound right. The band's success is a hellish mixture of powerful metal sound with various cool bells and whistles: percussion, samples, scratches. And also the unimaginable performance, the frantic shocking, trash and frenzy that they create on stage.
“Slips” perform in overalls of the same color and in different masks, plus installations that raise drums and percussion, in short, it turns out to be a cool show and a unique atmosphere. They have gathered a huge crowd of Maggot fans around the world and are among the list of the best rock bands.
Next on my list is Green Day, a punk rock band from sunny California founded by Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt in 1986. After the first concert tour, the drummer leaves them, he is replaced by the same Tre Cool and a legendary trio is formed.
Together with other groups of the Californian punk rock wave (Rancid and The Offspring), they raised a lot of excitement and people's interest in punk rock music not only in America, but also abroad. Green Day have been a role model and inspiration for many famous groups: Simple Plan, Good Charlotte, FOB.
GD won a Grammy in 1995 after releasing their hit singles "Basket case" and "When l come around." As a result of numerous Internet polls conducted by Rolling Stone magazine, Green Day were awarded the title of the best punk band in history.
Linkin Park
Another cult alternative rock band that started with melodic nu metal, on (Hybrid Theory and Meteora). But then she changed her style and direction, experimenting with sound. At first the team gathered under the name Xero, but with the arrival of Chester Bennington, the guys renamed themselves Linkin Park.
By numerous Internet According to polls, LP is the most famous and easily recognizable rock band in the whole world. With the release of their debut album Hybrid Theory, the guys immediately grabbed fame and applause; Chester’s unique voice, electronic inserts, and great riffs immediately won the hearts of listeners. The second full-length album Meteora was recorded in the same style, to the delight of fans, and significantly increased the popularity of the group.
In Minutes to Midnight and subsequent albums, the band began to experiment with sound and direction, which caused dissatisfaction among fans of hybrid-style records. The group was nominated for a Grammy 6 times, two of which they received. By the standards of many famous world publications, LP is included in the list of the best rock bands, and Chester Bennington is included in the list of the best rock vocalists.
Rammstein
And here is the pride of Germany - the group Rammstein. The industrial metal band comes from Berlin and there is no doubt about the cult status of these Germans. Brutal, healthy men playing driving industrial music in their own specific rhythm, shocking lyrics and grandiose stage performances using pyrotechnics.
The group was assembled by guitarist Richard Kruspe, who noticed that his friend Till Lindemann, who was a drummer in the band First Arsch, had good vocal abilities. Richard persuaded Till to try himself as the lead singer of Rammstein and hit the mark. Next, they win a competition for young bands and record their debut long play “Herzeleid” and it becomes popular.
Rammstein is noticed by Trent Reznor (frontman of N I N) and advises David Lynch to include a couple of Ramm songs in the soundtrack for his Lost Highway project, and things go uphill. They then went on a European tour opening for Clawfinger, followed by an appearance on MTV in 1996. And their third studio album “Mutter” brought them worldwide fame with such famous singles as “Feuer frei”, “Ich Will”, “Mutter”.
System of a Down
System of a Down is a rock band from Los Angeles with Armenian roots, founded by Serj Tankian along with Daran Malakian. The main direction of the group is nu metal, alternative rock with an admixture of Armenian folklore, which can be seen in Serge’s lyrics and gives the group an original flavor.
The last few decades the most popular Musical direction This is rock, whose fans can be found in the most remote corners of our planet. Dozens of rock bands appear every year, some of them even become popular, attracting tens of thousands of people to concerts and selling hundreds of thousands of albums. However, only a few rock bands become truly legendary with millions of loyal fans, and their songs become classics. Meet the ten best rock bands in the world.
Nirvana emerged on the rock music scene as a grunge band in the late 80s in Seattle. The debut album “Bleach” was released in 1989, and fame and fame came in 1991 after recording the album “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Nirvana is not just another rock band, but a symbol of Generation X, and the leader of the group, Kurt Cobain, is his voice. In 1993, the album In Utero was recorded with completely unprocessed recordings from a commercial point of view, but the singles from which rose to the top of the charts and were sold very successfully. In 1994, Kurt Cobain committed suicide and the group ceased to exist, but Nirvana's records continued to be wildly popular. A total of 3 were recorded studio albums, which sold 100 million copies.
9.Queen
The British rock band appeared in the mid-60s, experimenting a lot at first, constantly changing the line-up of performers. The band's finest hour came in the seventies, after recording their second album, Queen II, in 1974, songs from which entered the American and British charts. After its release in 1975, the album “A Night at the Opera” received cult status. In the 80s and 90s, Queen continued to experiment boldly, creating truly immortal songs, with the most iconic albums being “The Game” and “Innuendo”. In total, 16 studio albums were released, which sold 300 million copies.
American group The Doors appeared in 1965 in Los Angeles, became a symbol of the late 60s, producing songs with deep subtext. The heart of The Doors was the tandem of Morrison and Krieger, who together created all the group's iconic tracks. The Doors' first album immediately became a hit, considered one of the best in rock music. After the death of Jim Morrison in 971, the rock group virtually ceased to exist, although a couple more albums were released. A total of nine studio albums were released, which sold 100 million copies.
The American-British team appeared in 1966, the soul of which was Jimi Hendrix, who was able to create a whole direction in rock music, experimenting with the guitar and created a simply mind-blowing cocktail of blues, soul and rock and roll. In total, three studio albums were released, which have become classics and are still selling in huge quantities.
6. U2
U2 appeared in Ireland in 1976. At the beginning of their career, the group preferred live concerts, recording virtually no studio singles. U2's finest hour came during the Live Aid charity concert in 1985, where they and Queen literally tore the audience apart. The Irish album “The Joshua Tree” took them to the top of rock music, literally the British charts. U2 became the best rock band of the 80s. For many years, musicians have taken the best from industrial and alternative rock. Over the course of their history, U2 have released 12 studio albums that sold 130 million copies.
Pink Floyd appeared in Foggy Albion, or to be more precise, in London, in the mid-sixties. Their corporate style became bold musical experiments, lyrics with deep subtext and grand shows. Pink Floyd became the very embodiment of psychedelic art rock, where art rock motifs began to appear over time. The group's first leader, Syd Barrett, wrote all the songs while on LSD, leaving the team in 1968 due to mental illness. The group's landmark album was " The Dark Side Of The Moon" from 1973, which was in the top 200 for 15 years best albums America. A total of 14 studio albums were released, which sold 300 million copies.
4.Guns N'Roses
The legendary American group appeared in Los Angeles in 1985 and was able to return past glory real rock, pushing sugary dance music off the pedestal. Songs from their first studio album, Appetite for Destruction, immediately shot to the top of the charts, becoming the best-selling album in the United States. Guns N'Roses basked in the glory of fame until the mid-90s, selling albums in millions of copies, becoming involved in high-profile scandals and getting on the front pages of the newspaper. In 2012, the classic lineup of Guns N'Roses was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A total of 6 studio albums were released, which sold more than 100 million copies.
The British musical group The Rolling Stones appeared in London in 1962, which was called the greatest rock and roll group in the world during the induction ceremony into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “Thundering Stones” (this is how the name of the group is translated from English) in terms of the number of fans and polarity can compete with such monsters as The Beatles. The group has released 24 studio albums, with eight consecutive number one albums worldwide, starting with Sticky Fingers in 1971. The Rolling Stones became world stars after the single (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, which managed to stay at the top of the American charts for four weeks. The creative duo of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, and they wrote most of the Rolling songs The Stones became a true legend in the world of music.
The British rock band, originally called The New Yardbirds, appeared on the musical horizon in the late 60s, becoming the Beatles of the 70s, in fact, becoming the founders of such a movement as heavy metal. They took blues and folk motifs and diluted them with country, reggae, soul and rockabilly motifs in their own processing, producing simply fantastic songs full of drive, where the vocals were organically complemented by repeating rhythmic motifs. Led Zeppelin released ten studio albums, all of which went platinum. Their song Stairway to Heaven is probably one of the most popular music tracks in the world, after the performance of which all members of the group became world-class stars. Led Zeppelin managed to sell more than 300 million of their albums.
The legendary Fab Four were able to change the world of music forever in ten years. The musician managed to combine skiffle and ron'n'roll, adding ballads, psychedelic rock and punk rock. Their albums sold millions of copies around the world, becoming the best-selling group of all time. The names John, Paul, George and Ringo became household names.
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What distracts us from everyday life? For everyone, this is something different: someone reads books, and someone jumps with a parachute. But most often it is music and books. We invite you to expand your playlist and find out best rock bands with the best rock performers of all time, it is guaranteed to take you away from your routine and give you many pleasant moments!
Queen
Pop rock
Back in 1968, two fellow students, Tim Staffell and Brian May, formed a group. They took on Roger Taylor, who later became a drummer. The newly formed group took the name “Smile” (translated as smile), and actively began recording albums. At that time, Staffel introduced his classmate Freddie Mercury to the group's work. He became their passionate fan. But the group did not last long - Staffel left it. Then Freddie left his group and joined their team. The rest of the story is known to everyone - it arose Queen group, which has become a cult and object of worship among teenagers. It existed long enough and maybe would have continued to exist, but the death of Mercury stopped the group’s march around the world. The band members tried to revive the former group, but without Freddie, everything was not the same.
The Rolling Stones
Psychedelic rock
R'n'B used to be associated with the name of the Rolling Stones, but R'n'B used to be a shortening of rhythm and blues, and not what it has become now. Over the years, their music has progressed, changed and become rock classics. In their experiments, they started with reggae and ended with disco, but always had their own unique sound. Since 1962, the composition of the group has never changed and the “rolling stones” continue to amaze the public with their music and charisma, despite their advanced age. Vocalist Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards and drummer Charlie Watts make up the cult band. Their name is associated with a period when, after the Beatles, a series of groups with a more rich and complex sound began to appear, the brightest among them being the Rolling Stones. The trio were repeatedly sentenced to imprisonment due to drug possession, but they always got away with it. The Rollong Stones have already released more than 300 million copies of their songs worldwide, and the group also set a record for being on a concert tour for 14 months.
Messer Chups
Surf rock
The musical group of Oleg Fomchenkov, which he founded in 1998. A total of eleven albums were released on the Solnze Records label. Under a licensing agreement, it was released in the States, Germany and Australia. Also, a great many tracks have been released on various compilations all over the world. From the very beginning, the group was a duet between Fomchenkov and the German Annetta Schneider; Oleg played guitar, theremin and did mixing, and Annette played the synthesizer. Later the composition of the group changed, the members came to play for a while, but the basis always remained the same. They adhere to the direction of surf rock and rockabilly, having a unique sound that cannot be confused with anyone else. Their music transports you as if into some kind of horror movie or David Lynch film with an incomprehensible and mystical atmosphere. They also recorded a couple of film soundtracks. The most interesting thing is that abroad, the group is known much better than in their homeland.
John 5
Shock rock
Guitar virtuoso John William Lowry has his own project - John 5. This is both his pseudonym and the name of his band. When he played with Marilyn Manson, Manson gave him this nickname and in all his subsequent bands, he played under this name. And there were a lot of them: Garbage, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, Avril Lavigne, Rob Helford and many others. John collaborates with guitar brands and has released several personalized models of his guitars. The most interesting thing in his work is the unusual mix of bluegrass, country, rock, and all this can be present in one song!
Buckethead
Experimental rock
Brian Patrick Carroll, better known as Buckethead, is a guitar virtuoso and American musician. One of the most prolific musicians in the world. He has more than 40 studio albums and more than 50 releases. He recorded with many musicians in very different styles. The image of the rock performer is very remarkable - on his head is a bucket of chicken from KFC fast food, with the inscription Funeral. Face hidden by white theatrical mask. In his performance, he not only plays the guitar, but also shows techniques with nunchucks, performs a robot dance and gives his listeners toys right from the stage. The extraordinary image comes with a “legend” that he was raised by chickens, and therefore his mission is “to warn people about the ongoing chicken holocaust in fast foods around the world.” All his oddities are offset by his skill. In addition to guitar, Brian plays bass, ukulele, piano, synthesizer, mandolin, banjo, violin - all of these instruments are “entertainment” for Carroll. Also, I remember the soundtrack to the film - Mortal Combat 2.
Animals as leaders
Progressive rock, fusion rock
Animals as leaders is a progressive music group from the United States, founded in support of guitarist Tosin Abasi, a guitar virtuoso. Daniel Quinn's novella "Ishmael", written on the theme of anthropocentrism (the view that man is the center of the universe), inspired the band's name. Broken riffs, non-standard time signatures and many strategic decisions in terms of sound make the group innovators and pioneers in their genre, who, no matter what, do not stop and continue to develop.
The Stooges
Garage rock
The group was founded by the world famous Iggy Pop, who took over vocals, Dave Alexander was entrusted with bass, and the Ashton brothers, Ron and Scott, got guitar and drums. The first performance took place in 1967, in Halloween, at the University of Michigan. Original name: Psychedelic Stooges. The first album was produced by John Cale of the Velvet Underground. The group almost fell apart after that - the team became addicted to drugs. But, despite long proceedings and Iggy Pop’s protracted problems with drug addiction, the group nevertheless became a cult group and in 2010 it was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On June 22, 2016, the group ceased to exist, since over the previous ten years almost all members of the group had gone to the next world. Latest album released in 2013, under the title "Ready to Die".
Dream Theater
Progressive rock
The history of one of the most interesting groups modernity, originates back in 1985, when friends John Mayang and John Petrucci decided, with the support of drummer Mike Portnoy, to assemble their own band. Chris Collins was hired as vocalist, and Kevin Moore was hired to play keyboards. The newly formed team dropped out of Berkeley College to start their musical career. Their first compositions were similar to the group Rush, which did not stop them, since they always strived for complete originality of the composition. To date, many strong albums have been released, each member of the group is a master of the instrument, and their concerts are compared to going to the opera in terms of the complexity of playing the parts.
Tool
Art rock
The group was founded in the 1990s in Los Angeles, the original direction was grunge, and later became one of the most progressive groups of our time. They were awarded Grammys three times, they for a long time took leading positions on the world stage. Due to the technically complex and lengthy works, coupled with text messages about continuous personal development, the group has the reputation of a leading group and one of the pioneers of the genre of progressive groups. The band consists of Adam Jones, Paul D'Amour, Maynard James Keenan and Danny Carey. The group's lyrics are aggressive, politicized texts, with a touch of mysticism, this is due to the fact that the group members are trying to expose the ills of society and convey the failure of the system. Moreover, one of the team members was a member of the Masonic lodge, and the other was engaged in yoga and hypnosis.
Led Zeppelin
Hard rock
The creator of the legendary group was Jimmy Page, who worked as a session guitarist, but he got tired of it and decided to start his own group. He was soon joined by John Paul Jones (bass guitar), Robert Plant (vocals) and John Bonham (drums). The group was called the New Yardbirds. But soon, they changed their name to Led Zeppelin, reminiscent of the phraseology “to go down like a lead balloon,” which means to fail miserably. But the ironic mood of the group did not allow them to avoid success. The group classified their music as heavy blues with rock and roll elements. Fans always wanted a heavy and assertive sound from the group, but the musicians did not follow anyone’s lead and recorded many semi-acoustic compositions. For some period, the group was plagued by troubles - Plant's son died, and John Bonham died of an alcohol overdose. After Bonham's death, the group called it quits because they had always viewed themselves as a single entity. The members are now pursuing solo careers.
Pink Floyd
Psychedelic art rock
In the 70s, a global band appeared - Pink Floyd. Their main asset was pompous shows, acoustic inserts and topical texts that were etched in the memory for a long time. They have sold over 75 million records worldwide. Initially, the group included Roger Waters, Richard Wright and Nick Mason. Later, the main ideologist of the group, Syd Barrett, joined them. The group created many successful songs and recorded psychedelic videos. Syd Barrett, over time, became more and more withdrawn and then retired. The group dedicated the songs “Shine on your crazy diamond” and “We wish you were here” to him. After Barrett leaves, David Gilmore joins the group. Successfully functioning until 1994, the group breaks up due to disagreements. But in 2005, forgetting about feuds and disagreements, they united to play on the show “Live 8”, which fights the problem of poverty. The group is rightfully considered the fathers of psychedelic rock.
The Doors
Blues rock
The team takes its name from Aldous Huxley’s book “The Doors of Perception.” The group was founded in 1965 by Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison; after recruiting the rest of the lineup, they began recording songs. While performing at the club, in terms of music they were amateurs, and almost every time the club management said that it was theirs last performance, this was accompanied by Morrison’s behavior on stage - he was often under the influence of alcohol or drugs. But every “last time” was not the last, since the group had an army of fans who wanted to see “that long-haired guy who sang.” Morrison allowed himself everything, he went on stage and said - “I am the lizard king. I can do anything." Having gained some experience in clubs, the group recorded their first album, which became multi-platinum, then each of their albums became a masterpiece. The group broke up when Jim was found in a hotel bathtub, dead of a heart attack. The Doors' music sounds very unusual and fresh even now.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Acid rock
An American-British band famous for their guitar riffs and solos, innovative ideas and famous songs. The central figure of the group was Jimi Hendrix, the founder and ideologist of all the songs. He was assisted by Noel Redding (bass) and Mitch Mitchell (drums). The year the group was founded was 1966, the group broke up three years later, in 1969, after the bass guitarist left. The group was revived in 1970 with Billy Cox on bass. The fans of the group had an unofficial title The Cry of Love. Constant experiments with sound and Jimmy's constant development with the guitar brought the group to the top of the charts. In 1992, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The albums recorded by the group are often considered Hendrix's solo work, since he was a key figure in psychedelic music at the time. He rightfully ranks first on the list best guitarists throughout the history of music.
Alice in Chains
Hard rock
A band formed in Seattle, the heart of grunge, by Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell in the early nineties. The band ranks with Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam in the top four grunge bands of all time. In total, they released 5 full-length albums, 3 mini albums, 2 concert albums and 2 collections of videos about the group. 35 million copies of the albums have been sold around the world and this is only official. The style of the group is difficult to characterize, the sound changed from album to album: at first it was hard rock, with an admixture of glam rock, country and blues, but then they sounded heavier, approaching alternative metal. Cantrell's languid riffs and Steil's hypnotic voice blend into the songs as one. After the death of Lane Staley from a drug overdose (at the time of death, he was 180 cm tall and weighed 39 kilograms), the group suspended its activities for a long period. With the arrival of William Duvall in 2006, the group regained its creativity and now tours around the world.
Nobody in the world knows Soviet and Russian pop musicians. Especially in the West. Nevertheless, musicians from Russia entered the Western charts at different times.
All attempts to promote and impose our popular music on the Western public have failed. Russian pop music is very secondary and backward - both technologically and stylistically.
But it has already become good tradition telling the Russian public lies about the successes of certain performers in the West. It's getting really funny.
Kirkorov traveled to Monte Carlo for The World Music Awards are a show of the best-selling performers in their countries, but it is quite difficult to find a person in Russia who has Kirkorov’s album. Pugacheva, as you know, in 1997 took only 15 place out of 25 at the useless Eurovision.
For some reason, Sergei Lazarev sings in English, something the human brain simply cannot handle. Joseph Prigogine, who became an obsession with pushing Valeria to the West, once said in a paid article in a British newspaper that his wife had sold 100 million albums in Russia.
The rapper Timati had the biggest success when the Swiss DJ Antoine remixed Timati's song Welcome to St. Tropez. The song topped the charts all over the world, except for the UK and the US. In Switzerland, the song took sixth place at the end of the year. This is our peak pop singers recently.
Which of our musicians actually achieved high places in the Western (and this, in a musical sense, primarily the USA and Great Britain) charts and is generally more or less known in the West.
1. Composer Aram Khachaturian - 1972
One of the recordings of the music from his ballet “Spartacus,” called Spartacus, which Khachaturian made together with the London Symphony Orchestra, entered the British album chart in 1972, reached number 16 and stayed there for 15 weeks.
By the way, his music is so popular in the world that it was even used in such famous films like Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, James Cameron's Aliens and Tinto Brass's Caligula.
2. Boris Grebenshchikov - 1989
His album Radio Silence, released in England and the USA, took 198th place on the Billboard200, despite the fact that it was recorded with the then super-popular group Eurythmics. The video shows BG's performance on David Letterman's popular TV show.
3. Gorky Park-1990
The success of Gorky Park in the USA cannot be exaggerated. They did not conquer America. Just look at their achievements on the charts. On the Billboard Hot 100 they only scored with the single Try To Find Me (81st place and 6 weeks on the chart), and on the Billboard 200 with the album Gorky Park (80th place and 21 weeks on the chart).
But Gorky Park generally sold well - 300 thousand copies sold in America alone - this is a very good result. Much more success the group achieved success in Scandinavia. Gorky Park in Norway reached 9th place, and the single Bang - 5th. In Denmark, the album Moscow Calling It even went platinum.
4. Alsou-2000
With the song Before You Love Me "under Britney Spears" got to 27th place for only a week, during the period when they were trying to promote it in Europe after 2nd place at Eurovision.
5. PPK-2001
The Rostov trance project PPK, with the release of a separate single ResuRection (Eduard Artemyev’s melody from the film “Sibiriyada” by Andrei Konchalovsky with the voice of Yuri Gagarin), debuted in the UK immediately in third place!
The song became the first track from Russia to be in hot rotation on BBC Radio One. ResuRection was then released in other countries, where it also charted successfully - number 5 in the Netherlands, number 9 in Belgium, and number 15 in France and number 36 in Australia.
6. Tattoo-2003
In 2002, the English version of their album “200 in the opposite direction” was released and “Tatu” generally became the most popular Russian group in the world. The girls did not become stars of the first magnitude, and their success was not that long, but they sold about 10 million of their records abroad. This is an unattainable result for Russian performers.
The English-language album now has gold status in four countries and platinum in Europe as a whole, the song “All the Things She Said” occupied the first line of the British chart for several weeks, and a cover of The Smiths was performed in the TV series “Gossip Girl” in 2009.
7. Leonid Agutin - 2007
The author of “Barefoot Boy” and husband of Angelica Varum graduated from the Moscow Jazz School and from his youth was fond of not only pop music, but also a variety of acoustic guitar music- from jazz to flamenco. In the early 2000s, Agutin began playing concerts, and then recorded the album “Cosmopolitan Life” together with Al di Meola, an American virtuoso of the genre. In Germany the album had more than good sales.
8. Eduard Khil - 2009
A well-known, sad and beautiful story, due to which the great pop singer is known in the world as “Mr. Trololo”. On November 26, 2009, user RealPapaPit posted on YouTube the vocalization “I’m very happy, because I’m finally returning home” - today this video has 19 million 700 thousand views.
They say that the singer was even offered an international tour - but he refused. Both Gawker and The New York Times wrote about Gil's death.
9. Pussy Riot-2012
This is the only group here that has not been on the Western charts, but it cannot be ignored. From a musical point of view, this is a comical story. A group whose songs no one had really heard anywhere became the most famous musical group from Russia recently. Suffice it to say that in the West the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is known as Pussy Riot Church.
Soon after the arrest of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Ekaterina Samutsevich, musicians around the world began to carry out actions in their support - ranging from Madonna and Paul McCartney to Mike Patton and The Knife and Die Antwoord.
10. Anna Netrebko - 2007 - present
The opera singer was able to achieve real world fame, including the United States. She enjoys particular success in Austria, where she received citizenship. Also lives in New York. Her records are constantly on the charts classical music, but in some countries they also appear on general music charts. Especially in Austria and Germany. Thus, 15 of Netrebko’s albums entered the Austrian chart .
Bonus: The most famous Russian music video in the world
The bloody viral hit “Bad Motherfucker” from the Russian group Biting Elbows, filmed in first person and therefore more reminiscent of an action video game than a music video. The clip was publicly celebrated by Samuel L. Jackson and Darren Aronofsky. 24.6 million views on Youtube.
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