Sometimes the very things you are known for and essentially made you famous could be the very thing that breaks you down and brings you back to near anonymity. The Happy Mondays rose to prominence fueled by the drug fueled rave scene which propelled those same addictions that led to their dismantling.

Often when a band breaks up, a breakthrough star will emerge leaving the others in his/her wake. In the case of the Wailers, Bob Marley was the artist that broke through leaving the others far behind. Had Marley not broke through to the stratosphere, could it have been possible that the solo career of Peter Tosh may have gotten more attention?

Just where do you rank a band that went against every traditional Rock platform, whether it was in the mainstream or underground? Where do you place a band that had no real hits, but an incalculable influence? We are not sure ourselves.

Obviously, the acts on this list had the bulk of their essential recording decades ago. Some of those songs sound as fresh today as they did then. Iron Butterfly however may not be one of those bands.