Are there any significant acts that immediately jump out?

Dunno. What is meant by important and significant now that rock music has long ceased to be any kind of cultural force?

Nirvana helped shift the direction of mainstream radio.

But, of course, without R.E.M., they would not have had the chance to do so.

And, any good, NME-reading Brit will tell you that it is, unequivocally, and far and away. The Smiths.
Or the Stone Roses.
Or My Bloody Valentine.
Or Blur.
Or Oasis.

I will have to go, as objectively as I can in matters like this, with R.E.M. (if you're going strictly by "importance").

huh?

Mainstream

Rock

Important

30 Years

U2

error error

retry/abort?

let's remember that important does not necessarily equal good

You can interpret this anyway you want. Over 30yrs it's managed to outlast MTV and remain relevant. I'm not saying it's the best music from the past 30yrs, just answering the question fittingly.

Actually U2 was good at one time, and they are pretty important.

I just, I dunno. If the answer is U2, the question probably shouldn't have been asked.

that, and not REM.

judging by what every record i have heard for the last almost 10 years wants to rip off, i'm going to say talking heads if they don't stretch out the time constraints too much.

This. If you were writing a term paper, I'd send you back, Bort, to tighten this up.

Its kind of a sliding scale isn't though? Are you talking about influential in terms of what band influenced today's crop of musicians or influential in what band has had the most cultural impact over the last 30 years?

You ask too much of poor bort.

I could've sworn I just posted:



but apparently that was some other thread.

For the sake of tightening up, let's say it's what band influenced today's crop of musicians. As far as cultural impact goes, I'm in that "everything is all splintered up" camp, anyway.

I didn't want to cause another shitstorm by bringing it up, but I agree.
I'd put U2 and Radiohead near the top of the list and then mention bands like The Smiths, REM, Talking Heads, etc that laid the ground work for the burgeoning indie rock/college radio scene. And Nirvana definitely makes the cut as well.
I'd also include Metallica and maybe GNR, but they have been non-existant during the 21st Century.

I think U2 is pretty clearly the only answer here despite people's personal feelings about the band and/or their music.

I'm going to stretch the rules a little bit and suggest that the most influential artist was already in the game....Neil Young

(think Pearl Jam and the Alternative movement, all of the "Sons of Neil Young" bands, etc.)

just sayin'

considering the current state of mainstream music, i'd say madonna.

you'd accept the "who cares?" answer though right?

e street's been the most important band in my lifetime (and prior)

Her and Michael Jackson but I'm personally a much bigger fan of the old REM and U2.

Absolutely.

Wait, there wasn't a fourth guy in the original Hootie, was there?