The 5 most Infulential Bands (to music)

So after yesterdays Blog of the most influential bands to me, Baby implosion brought up bands that were influential to music in general. Remember this is my opinion, so please tell me yours. With out further ado this is my top 5 most influential bands to music (in no order)

5. The Velvet Underground
"Only about 3000 people bought Velvet Underground albums but all of them started a band" as the old adage goes, and to be honest its true. Combining folk, psychedelic, and so much more, this band created numerous genres, inspired thousands, and created the New York art rock scene. These guys were an amazing band, and deserve their seat in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

4. The Ramones
These guys are the band that made punk popular, the first punk band everyone has heard and invented the following sub genres of punk: Melodic, Pop Punk, Street, and Swing punk. Without the Ramones there'd be no Green Day, no Offspring, no Bad Religion, no NOFX, and most certainly no Rancid. I even liked that abortion of a film Rock and Roll High School, because it had them in it.

These guys were considered by many to be the first US punk band(even though that's not quite true). They played fast not because they thought people would like it, but because they wanted to get shows over with and get paid. It was that attitude of not giving a damn about the audience, that would go on to inspire the hardcore, and gorecore punk scenes of the late 80s and early 90s.

Their music was all well written to, taking the surf sound of bands like the Trashmen and the Beach boys, and corrupting it with the gritty urban feel of leather jacks, cigarettes, and fast guitars, yet making it still commercially successful, shows just how amazing this band is.

3. Beatles
They are the Beatles, they are bigger then Jesus, need I say more?

2. Johnny Cash
Elvis may have created(stole from the black men) rock and roll, but Johnny Cash bridged the gap between the audience that liked country western and those that liked rock and roll. He played at a fast pace, wore all black, and nearly killed himself drinking and taking amphetamines. Johnny Cash was truly the first punk.

1. Pixies
I am not just saying this because they are one of my favorite bands, or because they influenced me. I am saying this because they have inflenced: The White Stripes, Nirvana, Weezer, Radiohead, and so many more. Pixies, much like the velvet underground, didnt sell a lot of records, but inspired many. Now they are not the most influential band of all time (that would probably be the Beatles) but they certainly influenced most of modern music forever.