Britain's greatest ever rock band

[NMH]

Massive who fan but its got to be the stones really, more hits over a longer period.

Not to refute your choice, but temper it with a couple of things - it took two years from their inception, some 7 singles and about 5 albums under their belts, before The Stones began to write most of their material.

Jimmy Page and Led Zep almost exclusively recycled songs written by American blues artists

The WHO's material was only half written by Townshend on their first LP, but practically all composed by him and the other bandmembers thereafter. All the WHO singles - aside from one to support Jagger and Richard for getting jailed (The Last Time/Under My Thumb) and Eddie Cochran's 'Summertime Blues' in 1970 - were Townshend originals. A landmark was reached when John Entwistle shared a 45 'double A-side' with 'Who Are You/Had Enough' - up to then John had penned several 'B' sides.

 

[Questions]

Not to refute your choice, but temper it with a couple of things - it took two years from their inception, some 7 singles and about 5 albums under their belts, before The Stones began to write most of their material.

Jimmy Page and Led Zep almost exclusively recycled songs written by American blues artists

The WHO's material was only half written by Townshend on their first LP, but practically all composed by him and the other bandmembers thereafter. All the WHO singles - aside from one to support Jagger and Richard for getting jailed (The Last Time/Under My Thumb) and Eddie Cochran's 'Summertime Blues' in 1970 - were Townshend originals. A landmark was reached when John Entwistle shared a 45 'double A-side' with 'Who Are You/Had Enough' - up to then John had penned several 'B' sides.

At the end of the day its a crazy arguement and it really comes down to who you prefer. I saw the Who at the Centre in about 1980 and they were at best o.k. (mind you thats the centre for you)
To ally myself to the Stones though I would not worry so much about their start and recording covers - they and there management thought that best - abeit wrongly now with hindsight - they went on from that prety successfully and one would say that they only really took off when they started doing their own stuff.

From april 64 to april 66 they released 3 albums of covers (uk) but I think they can be forgiven that heinous crime considering their output in the following 6 years.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

led zepplin by a COUNTRY MILE are the best rock band

however pink floyd are rivaling for the best band in general....

 

[Icy Gull]

Not to refute your choice, but temper it with a couple of things - it took two years from their inception, some 7 singles and about 5 albums under their belts, before The Stones began to write most of their material.

Jimmy Page and Led Zep almost exclusively recycled songs written by American blues artists

The WHO's material was only half written by Townshend on their first LP, but practically all composed by him and the other bandmembers thereafter. All the WHO singles - aside from one to support Jagger and Richard for getting jailed (The Last Time/Under My Thumb) and Eddie Cochran's 'Summertime Blues' in 1970 - were Townshend originals. A landmark was reached when John Entwistle shared a 45 'double A-side' with 'Who Are You/Had Enough' - up to then John had penned several 'B' sides.

Without meaning to sound anti Who, they lack variety musically and in stage presence when compared to the Stones. Nutty (albeit excellent) drum solos, repetitive arm swinging guitar movements and gay jumps and a lead singer who swung the microphone round and then let it go, catching it on the way down. So what's changed apart from the most entertaining band member being dead.?

I can't be arsed to list the great songs of all 3 bands, but in my humble opinion, the quality and variety of the Stones songs wins.

I accept however that I have been outvoted as to the best of the three bands in this poll