Top 5 greatest American bands of all time

[RunDownHouse]

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It's Stipe, and I can name three great bands saying that:

Radiohead
The Decemberists
Elf Power

Thom Yorke will tell you he owes everything to Stipe and REM -- both musically and psychologically.

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Like I said, I don't know if they're a big influence, but I really doubt citing bands like Decemberists and Elfs is helping your case. I had to look up both of them to even know who they are, and Decemberists didn't release their first album until 2002. Let's hold off on annointing them as The Next Great Thing.

Also, both of those band's bios on artistdirect.com mention Neutral Milk Hotel, as did you. 99.9% of the world has never heard a single thing by them, and in a "Greatest Bands Ever" discussion, popularity is definitely a top criteria. We know you love indie, ok? No need to list hopeless suggestions just to remind us.