The Shifted Librarian has a link to NME's list of the most influential artists of the last 50 years. I thought it was pretty interesting. They based it on a number of factors that had to do with the artists various appearances and mentions in NME.
The top 10 is as follows:
- The Smiths
- The Beatles
- Stone Roses
- David Bowie
- Sex Pistols
- Oasis
- Radiohead
- Paul Weller/The Jam
- U2
- Public Enemy
The more I think about this, the more I think the list is pretty accurate, at least with who is on it. I think the ordering is debatable. I was quite happy to see Paul Weller/The Jam on there myself. I'd actually like to see 11-20 myself. I think the top 20 would give a more interesting view of things. There are lots of people I would expect to see there.