In the eighties, the Sonic Youth leader emerged as indie ­rock's premier guitar radical, mixing strange drone tunings, jamming screwdrivers or drumsticks under his strings, and blasting out feedback-swirled punk jams. Thurston Moore influenced a generation of noise­heads, from grunge rockers to shoegazers. Neil Young once said that if Sonic Youth wanted to record with him, "Hell, I'd be there."

Key Tracks: "Expressway to Yr. Skull," "Silver Rocket"

Related
• The Rolling Stone Interview: Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore
• Thurston Moore: The Six-Pack Q&A