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    |  | Top 50 Classic Rock Bands (1-25)Selections are determined by a combination of album sales, radio airplay, touring history, and degree of continuous popularity.
  | N | Artist | Essential Album | Note |  
  | 1 | The Beatles | Revolver | With record sales estimated at more than a billion worldwide, no other band had a greater influence on the course of rock music. |  
  | 2 | Pink Floyd | Wish You Were Here | At the vanguard of the Progressive Rock movement, they have sold more than 200-million albums since 1967. One of the first bands to use light shows and fireworks in their live performances. |  
  | 3 | The Who | Who's Next | One of the first, most successful, and longest lasting power trios, The Who were innovative both musically and technically. |  
  | 4 | Rolling Stones | Sticky Fingers | The original "bad boys" of rock, the Stones are among the most durable bands, recording and touring with few breaks since they began in 1961. |  
  | 5 | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV | Their "Stairway To Heaven" is believed to have received more radio airplay than any other song in history, even though it was never released as a single. |  
  | 6 | Eagles | Their Greatest Hits | Another of rock's longest-lasting acts, their 1976 greatest hits album is the biggest selling album of all time. |  
  | 7 | Grateful Dead | Anthem Of The Sun | One of San Francisco's first "flower power" bands, their fan following is nearly as strong today as it was when the group disbanded in 1995. |  
  | 8 | Jefferson Airplane | After Bathing At Baxter's | Pioneers of the Psychedelic Rock genre, they were in the vanguard of the counter-culture of the '60s and '70s. |  
  | 9 | The Doors | The Doors | In spite of a short life and limited discography, they became one of rock's most popular and influential groups. |  
  | 10 | Moody Blues | Days Of Future Passed | With the exception of a few years in the mid-70s, this Progressive/Psychedelic group has toured and recorded since 1964. |  
  | 11 | Fleetwood Mac | Rumours | After numerous personnel and musical style changes, their 1977 Rumours album is still among the top ten best selling albums ever. |  
  | 12 | AC/DC | Back In Black | This pioneering Hard Rock/Heavy Metal group has sold an estimated 100-million albums worldwide. |  
  | 13 | Boston | Boston | When their first album was released in 1976, it was the highest grossing debut album ever seen up until that time. |  
  | 14 | Cream | Wheels Of Fire | The group existed for less than three years but staked its place as one of the first and most enduringly popular of rock's power trios. |  
  | 15 | Def Leppard | Hysteria | Futuristic instrumentation and vocal harmonies have kept them near the top of the all-time best selling album lists for a quarter of a century. |  
  | 16 | The Byrds | The Byrds' Greatest Hits | Among the pioneers of Folk Rock, their popularity in the mid-60s rivaled that of the Beatles |  
  | 17 | Aerosmith | Toys In The Attic | Originally written off as Rolling Stones imitators, the group has consistently produced multi-million-selling albums for 30+ years |  
  | 18 | Carlos Santana | Abraxas | This groundbreaking Latin Rock group timed the release of its first album to coincide with a highly successful performance at Woodstock in 1969. |  
  | 19 | Blood Sweat & Tears | Blood Sweat & Tears | Virtually a small orchestra, this group established a milestone in rock history with its large horn section and jazz-blues orientation. |  
  | 20 | Van Halen | MCMLXXXIV | One of the most innovative and influential Heavy Metal groups of the late '70s, the group continues to perform some 30+ years after its inception |  
  | 21 | ZZ Top | The Best Of ZZ Top | The self-proclaimed "little ol' band from Texas" was one of the earliest influences in Southern Rock, and continues so, three decades later. |  
  | 22 | Genesis | Platinum Collection | With worldwide albums sales of about 150-million since 1969, Genesis was instrumental in keeping Progressive Rock in the mainstream |  
  | 23 | Allman Brothers | Eat A Peach | The success of their unique fusion of Hard Rock, Blues, Jazz, and Classical music has secured this group's immortality |  
  | 24 | Journey | Greatest Hits | Journey's jazz-flavored sound has been a fixture in the rock scene since 1973. |  
  | 25 | Traffic | John Barleycorn Must Die | Traffic had far greater success with albums than with singles, and thrived in spite of numerous personnel changes and long breaks. | 
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