SRV and DT number 19!!! lunacy!

Are you people on crack? What about Triumph???

CS&N is not really a trio, unless The Bee Gees are a Trio (and then should be in the top 10)Beastie Boys is pushing it too, they either had a DJ or Keyboard player (making them 4)otherwise REM is a Trio

Muse before ZZ Top or Double Trouble???

Wolfmother?!?

We’re your respondents on crack?!

the james gang didn’t make the list?

Sleater Kinney SUCKS!! Another band RS blows like Dylan and Radiohead.

you guys still missed Silverchair. And Blink 182?? come on…

okay, i think wolfmother is an excellent band, but come on! theyve released one album, hardly enough to earn a place on any sort of “best…” list

Grand Funk Railroad!!!

I just realized something. We forgot Tony Orlando and Dawn. LOL.

cream trounces Jimi Hendrix experience

better bassist better drummer great guitar player

jimi was their whole sound, but cream was three=one killer sound

Why not Love Sculpture?

MELVINS

MOTÖRHEAD

And what about ELP? Not even on the list! Poor Emerson & co..

SRV&DT at 19? After blink 182? and is someone on here dissing Dylan and crying over the abscence of Silverchair? Really? Strange world we live in.

MELVINS

Melvins!

ZZ Top should be #2.

C’mon man where’s the Bee Gees or Hanson on that list? Rolling Stone – I suggest you revise that list and put them in at # 1 and 2 respectively and then post a new article with the revised list just for me. Thanks,

First of all, where the hell is SUBLIME, you f-ing idiots??!! One of the most unique trios in the history of rock, spawning a multitude of copycats and an entire ’90’s sub-genre of dub-punk.
Secondly, Wolfmother is a complete joke, a Sabbath-meets-Zeppelin rip-off flash in the pan. They haven’t done anything for anybody, and no one will be talking about them even ten years from now. Wake up.
Oh, and Ivar, Motorhead IS on the list, you dumbass. #15. Learn to read.

No Robin Trower or James Gang?? Come on!!!

The top two selections had almost no business being on the list. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was about Jimi Hendrix as a ground-breaking guitarist, not so much about trio creativity, or playing telepathy. Nirvana was known for helping pioneer the grunge scene – not so much about trio creativity, or playing telepathy. However, they are both decidedly “cool”.

The next three, on the other hand (Cream, Police, and Rush) really ARE the big three trios in rock. Amongst them, the Police should have placed a distant third. Rush and Cream have proven to be far more influential (not necessarily more creative).

Cream produced 3-4 records, maybe, and disbanded 38 years ago. The Police made five studio albums and quit 25 years ago. Rush has recorded 25 albums, not counting numerous compilations, are selling out arenas to this day based on new material, and have probably been more influential than either Cream or the Police (great as they both are).

I would have expected this poll to be a toss-up between Cream and Rush. Fuck Nirvana. Give ma a break.

Good to see ZZ Top on the list. They have longevity and manage to do a lot as a three-piece. Acts like Ben Folds and Beastie Boys seemed to be stretching it somehow, especially the Beastie Boys. I love them, but the term “trio” should be reserved for a three-piece band.

Triumph were too much of a blue collar Rush-wannabe band to merit consideration.

Several “prog” acts were missing, such as ELP and late Genesis. However, this is Rolling Stone magazine.

meat puppets. and yeah, sublime.

MELVINS !!!!

MUSE SHOULD BE WAY HIGHER

What about Three Sides Now?

Hey!! What about The Three Tenors, you know… Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti?? What the hell! They ought to be # 1 on that list.

nirvana should be number 1

Thank god the really amazing trios like Melvins, Minutemen, Meat Puppets are not on this list. To not be on this kind of list only shows they truely were doing something right…

MELVINS!

Cream sucks. Over-rated pap. Melvins suck, too noisy. Motorhead, shyah right. Who did Rolling Stone allow to vote on this list, a bunch of retards? They should number it according the number of hit records.

Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Expierence was one of the best, and now it has come to my attention one of the most underrated drummers ever. To say Jimi was their whole sound is rediculous. I completely agree with them as #1. I actually really like the top 3, even though Cream was the original power trio and one of the pioneers of the hard rock sound.

From there I would probably switch Rush and the Police, not that I’m up in arms about it but the Police broke up after 4 or 5 records and Rush has made 25 albums of prog yumminess.

I agree with most the other gripes. Where is Sublime? Why is Wolfmother, while a band I like, ahead of Crosby Stills and Nash when they have released 1 album.

re: Jimi Dude-

To a certain extent I agree with you. Record sales should certainly factor into the rankings. However, one cannot overlook the historical and/or musical significance of each trio.

A question to ponder- does the highest record sales mean that a classical composer is superior to all others? Not necessarily- just more popular.

Something else to consider: most trailblazers are not always the biggest sellers. To the contrary, they usually have a small cult following. As word spreads, others become influenced and begin to write in that vein.

Generally speaking, once a new genre is assimilated into the mainstream (watered down for broader appeal?) its popularity gains momentum.

Examples: Stones’ Miss You and Rod Stewart’s Do Ya Think I’m Sexy were disco songs. Was it Disco’s Influence? A money making move? Either way, those records’ sales are not the sole gauge of what’s best.

If the trailblazers are lucky, the general public will seek out the origins of the genre. At that point, they may realize increased record sales. Even then, those sales may not be the most in that genre.

How about rampant piracy of music that goes unaccounted for? For all we know there could be a band out there with more distributed music than anyone else, only we wouldn’t know it. Possible, yes, but admittedly not probable. But you get the point.

In their beginnings, U2 never had a number one hit, yet they continually sold out arenas and The Edge’s guitar sound was groundbreaking. Was their importance diminshed by low record sales back then? Hardly.

But all in all, lists are all subjective, and at the least, they open up lively dialoge and discourse, such as this comments board.

P.S. Also remember this was a *reader* poll. There was probably no precise criteria, just “who’s best?” which leaves the question wide open for interpretation.

So there are as many answers to the question as there are reasons for arriving at the answer!

WTF?! Where’s Buddy Holly & The Crickets???????? THE FIRST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL OF ALL ROCK TRIOS!!!!!!!

MELVINS

no way jimi hendrix experiance caused the most excitment and who the hell put rush as 5 , they should be #2

This is Huw Gower once of the UK and currently abiding in NYC and I did NOT post a comment about the 3 Tenors. Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers are my nomination for best trio. Ever.

ELP-no.1

This list should have:
Thin Lizzy(early)
Grand Funk Railroad(early)
Budgie

Also Blue Cheer, James Gang, and Triumph.

What about Blue Cheer, Grand Funk, Atomic Rooster, Mountain, The James Gang, T2, Budgie, Robin Trower Band, Triumph, ELP, Clear Blue Sky, Egg, Rorry Gallagher