What Bands in the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s best carried the Beatles' Legacy?
Im going to propose 3 criteria for what I mean by the Beatles' legacy:
C1. Creating a new unmistakeable signature sound that defines the Band.
C2. Delivering multiple stellar albums that move the art form forward.
C3.Evolving their Sound with new successful experiments that expand their range with each release taking their fans on a musical journey.
I'm going to pick the Bands i think best qualify for each decade and rate them against these criteria. An "A" means they fully meet the criteria. "B" means somewhat meet it and "C" means they modestly meet it. Lets get to it:
70s
Led Zepellin. They are strong on signature sound and several stellar albums over the decade although the evolution of their sound is less compelling than the Beatles: AAB
Queen. strongest on signature sound and decent but not fully met on albums and evolving experimentation over time (they got poppier and less avant garde the longer they went on) : ABB
80s
The Cure: also strongest on signature sound and while they released great material throughout I think they only modestly showed consistent progression in their albums and further evolution. Their sound feels more static and set than others on this list: ACC.
U2. Again very strong on signature sound and their range on evolving albums is decent but less compelling on evolving their sound with successful experimentation:ABC.
90s
- Radiohead. Very unique own sound and lots of experimentation and evolving musically through albums although some later songs would fit easily in earlier albums- closest to meeting all of the criteria for me. : AA-A/B
00s
- Coldplay. Strong again on signature sound. Albums do evolve and there is some experimentation though only decent not fully. Again later songs could fit in much earlier albums: ABB
What do you think of my list and my assessment? What would be yours?