Fifteen artists who changed rock but that hardly anyone remembers, according to Bbc Classical Music

There are bands who changed the course of music history without ever truly tasting success. They kickstarted new movements, defined aesthetics and left a deep mark on entire genres, yet over time they were nearly forgotten by the wider public. British magazine Bbc Classical Music has dedicated a special feature to them titled "Bands everyone copied… but no one remembers". "From the mid-Sixties onward," Steve Wright notes in the introduction, "dozens of bands rewrote the rules of rock while others reaped the fame and recognition. They are the cult heroes, the pioneers who anticipated everything, artists whose influence proved far greater than their fame. In some cases a solo artist appears too, because influence doesn't depend on the number of people in a band. Here are fifteen artists everyone took as a model, yet almost no one remembers today".

Below is Bbc Classical Music's list, with a brief explanation for each chosen name (full feature here)

1. The Pretty Things
   Influenzarono The Who, David Bowie, Ramones, Aerosmith e l’intera scena garage revival.
   With their wild rock sound they anticipated garage punk, proto-punk and even the rock opera with "S.F. Sorrow", but success ended up rewarding others.
2. Neu!
   They influenced David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Joy Division, Radiohead and Stereolab.
   They invented the famous "motorik" beat, fundamental to post-punk and alternative rock, but scant commercial interest and internal conflicts limited their career.
3. Silver Apples
   They influenced Kraftwerk, Suicide, Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem and krautrock.
   They were pioneers of electronic rock thanks to their self-built synthesizers, but a legal dispute brought their adventure to a premature end.
4. Wipers
   They influenced Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mudhoney and the Seattle grunge scene.
   Greg Sage developed a dark, powerful sound that Kurt Cobain admitted trying to emulate, though he chose to stay far away from the music industry.
5. The Monks
   They influenced The Fall, The White Stripes, Beastie Boys and the most extreme strains of garage-punk.
   Five American servicemen crafted an abrasive, minimalist sound that was too far ahead of its time for 1965, and were rejected by audiences.
6. The United States of America
   They influenced Portishead, Broadcast, Stereolab and indietronica.
   They ditched guitars to build a psychedelic rock dominated by electronics, a language that would only be reappraised decades later.
7. Television Personalities
   They influenced The Smiths, Pavement, MGMT and the C86 movement.
   With their lo-fi indie-pop they proved that brilliant ideas and limited means were enough, but Dan Treacy's personal problems prevented any lasting success.
8. Sir Lord Baltimore
   They influenced Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, Monster Magnet and stoner rock.
   Among the first to push hard rock toward heavy metal, they were savaged by critics and split up before audiences were ready for that sound.
9. The Comsat Angels
   They influenced Interpol, Editors, The Killers and the post-punk revival.
   They crafted an intense, atmospheric post-punk, but bad luck and poor promotion kept them from getting the recognition they deserved.
10. Arthur Russell
    It influenced Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem, Blood Orange and Hot Chip.
    An unconventional cellist and composer who fused experimental music, folk and dance, anticipating much of modern indie-dance sound.
11. A.R. Kane
    They influenced My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Cocteau Twins and M83.
    They coined the term "dream pop" and developed an innovative blend of feedback, dub and electronics, but their importance was overshadowed by shoegaze.
12. Judee Sill
    He influenced Fleet Foxes, Weyes Blood, Joanna Newsom and many contemporary indie artists.
    His refined blend of folk, spirituality and Bach-like harmonies was little understood at the time, yet it became a touchstone for later generations.
13. Chrome
    They influenced Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Marilyn Manson and industrial metal.
    They mixed psychedelia, industrial noise and electronics in a radical way, laying the groundwork for Nineties industrial rock.
14. Badfinger
    Influenzarono Cheap Trick, The Knack, Weezer e l’intero power pop.
    Blending Beatlesque melodies with driving guitars, they defined the language of power pop, only to be destroyed by financial fraud and one of the most tragic sagas in music industry history.
15. Mission of Burma
    They influenced R.E.M., Pixies, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and much of American indie rock.
    The Boston band defined the blueprint for American underground rock in the Eighties, merging post-hardcore, pop melodies and sonic experimentation. They broke up at the height of their creative powers when the deafening volume of their live shows caused the singer permanent hearing damage, leaving it to others to bring that sound to a wider audience.

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