40 - T. Rex - The greatest band to achieve great success in England only to be complete ignored in America, T. Rex was the best glam rock artist of the 70's, though they're only known on this side of the pond for "Bang A Gong" and "20th Century Boy".
39 - Aerosmith - They were well on their way to becoming the greatest American band when everything went off the rails in the early 90's. During their prime, however, they released classic album after classic album, creating one of the best legacies in all of classic rock.
38 - Elton John - One of the biggest pop stars of the 70's, Elton John was also one of the biggest stars of classic rock as his music would frequently cross over and show great musical skill and brilliant lyrics.
37 - Bright Eyes - The best songwriter of his generation, Conor Oberst and his band Bright Eyes represent one of the few times in rock history where the term "the next Bob Dylan" actually applies. There isn't much chance for a pop crossover, but the band has a huge following and is one of the most highly respected bands in all of indie rock.
36 - Creedence Clearwater Revival - There are few classic rock bands better than CCR. They only had a few albums, but they maintained such a high level of consistency that they have almost as many greatest hits albums as albums themselves.
35 - The Red Hot Chili Peppers - RHCP has bounced from one genre to another over their 25+ year career, with albums that could easily qualify as funk, rap, rock, metal. The band is still immensly popular and they are the most successful band in the history of the modern rock charts.
34 - Metallica - A band that's vastly under-rated on this list and will skyrocket when I re-do my list, Metallica is the greatest straight-up metal band of all-time and while they had a lousy decade recently, their early albums and most recent album rank among the greatest in rock history.
33 - Guns N Roses - Although Axl is still performing under the name of Guns N Roses, the band really broke up a decade ago, leaving behind one of the most promising starts in rock history, even if the ending didn't live up to the expectations.
32 - The Replacements - An early alternative rock band that is often overlooked because they didn't achieve the crossover success of R.E.M. or U2, The Replacements churned out one brilliant album after another before "selling out" and breaking up shortly after the release of their major label debut, Tim.
31 - Sonic Youth - Another overlooked alt rock band from the 80's, Sonic Youth has become a household name on the strength of some of the best avant garde alt-rock since The Velvet Underground. "Teenage Riot" is one of the best songs of the 80's.
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