Ireland has given the world an extraordinary number of hugely influential bands, but which one deserves to stand above all the others?
BBC Music Magazine has weighed in.
The publication recently ranked the 21 greatest Irish bands of all time, considering artists from across the island of Ireland and genres ranging from folk and punk to pop and stadium rock. Taking the No. 1 spot is U2.
BBC Music Magazine put Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. ahead of some formidable competition, including Thin Lizzy at No. 2, The Pogues at No. 3, My Bloody Valentine at No. 4 and The Cranberries at No. 5.
“There is no overstating the global impact of U2,” the publication wrote of its choice.
The magazine pointed to the band’s evolution from the post-punk sound of 1980’s Boy through its reinvention with 1991’s Achtung Baby, as well as U2’s extraordinary longevity and global reach.
“Love them or hate them, their staggering longevity, humanitarian influence, and sheer scale make them the definitive Irish band,” the magazine declared.
U2 formed in Dublin in 1976 after drummer Mullen posted a notice seeking musicians while still a teenager. The group went on to become one of the world’s biggest rock acts, with albums including The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, All That You Can’t Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
But U2’s victory is hardly the only part of BBC Music Magazine’s ranking likely to inspire debate.
Thin Lizzy narrowly missed the top spot at No. 2. Led by Phil Lynott, the band was praised for its influential twin-guitar sound and its combination of hard rock with Lynott’s poetic songwriting.
The Pogues came in at No. 3, followed by My Bloody Valentine and The Cranberries to complete the top five.The rest of the top 10 included The Undertones at No. 6, Horslips at No. 7, The Dubliners at No. 8, The Saw Doctors at No. 9 and Stiff Little Fingers at No. 10.
There are some surprises further down the 21-band ranking as well.
The Corrs landed at No. 18 despite becoming one of Ireland’s biggest international exports with hits including “Runaway” and “Breathless.” Snow Patrol came in even lower at No. 19, despite the enormous global success of songs such as “Chasing Cars.” Boyzone was ranked No. 20, while the final spot went to a group that technically began as fiction.
The Commitments, created for Roddy Doyle’s novel and brought to the screen in director Alan Parker’s 1991 movie of the same name, landed at No. 21. BBC Music Magazine argued that the fictional soul group ultimately became a cultural phenomenon in its own right.
Other acts making the list include Fontaines D.C., Boomtown Rats, Clannad, The Divine Comedy and Therapy.
But at the very top, BBC Music Magazine ultimately gave the crown to four Dublin musicians who first came together as teenagers 50 years ago.
“They didn’t just play the game; they built the arena,” the publication concluded of U2, putting the band at No. 1 among Ireland’s greatest.
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