Top 10 British Invasion Artists

10: THE YARDBIRDS

The Yardbirds proved to be Mount Olympus for British guitar gods, counting Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton among their alumni. With these geniuses in their lineup, it's no surprise that the band helped shape the '60s rock sound. They used fuzzed-out guitar and distortion to transform blues into psychedelia. In the process, they created some indelible radio hits like "For Your Love" and "Heart Full of Soul."

9: THE HOLLIES

The Hollies are the stalwarts of the British Invasion. Members may have come and gone - including Graham Nash, who left to form Crosby, Stills, and Nash - but they've never officially broken up since they formed in 1962. Starting with 1966's "Bus Stop," they boasted a fine run of U.S. hit singles, including 1972's Creedence Clearwater Revival-influenced "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress."

8: DONOVAN

Scottish-born Donovan Leitch was the leading singer-songwriter of 1960's Britain, leading many to bill him as "the British Bob Dylan." Donovan embraced the burgeoning "flower power" movement, and, like his friends The Beatles, he absorbed psychedelic and Eastern influences. His 1966 song, "Sunshine Superman," became a No. 1 hit in the U.S.

7: THE DAVE CLARK FIVE

Early during Beatlemania, The Dave Clark Five were considered serious rivals to the Fab Four. The DC5's percussive sound made them stand out from the other British Invaders. That clomping beat was prominently featured in the band's biggest hits, including 1964's "Glad All Over."

6: THE ANIMALS

While the Beatles and The Dave Clark Five drank in Chuck Berry and Little Richard's rock influences, The Rolling Stones and the Newcastle-based Animals preferred heavier, grittier R&B sounds. Lead singer Eric Burdon's baritone was used to powerful effect on songs like 1964's "House of the Rising Sun" and 1965's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

5: THE ZOMBIES

The Zombies were the unsung heroes of the British Invasion. They never had the hits of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, but they released an enviable succession of melodic singles featuring the hushed vocals of lead singer Colin Blunstone. A few of them were massive hits, including 1964's "She's Not There" and 1969's erotic "Time of the Season."

4: THE KINKS

The Kinks were the most fully British of all British Invasion bands. Songwriter, guitarist, and singer Ray Davies was a keen observer of his homeland and included English quirks and inside jokes in songs like "A Well Respected Man," "David Watts," and the melancholic "Waterloo Sunset." But the Kinks could also rock out: the band's U.S. hits "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" had fierce energy and anticipated the irreverence of punk.

3: THE WHO

The Who anticipated punk with their youthful belligerence and their predilection for smashing up their own instruments. Singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon charged up the U.S. charts with 1965's My Generation. That album's title cut featured the line "I hope I die before I get old," which exemplified the rock 'n roll ethos. Like the Stones and the Beatles, they kept experimenting and changing, dabbling in art rock and concept albums.

2: THE ROLLING STONES

If the Beatles were the dreamy boys in suits, perfect for bat mitzvahs and homecoming dances, the Rolling Stones were the high-school dropouts you made out with in the backseat of a Buick. Lead singer Mick Jagger, actually a good middle-class schoolboy, was an undeniable sexual presence onstage and on record; he and guitarist Keith Richards idolized African-American blues artists and mimicked their stule. Their first U.S. No. 1, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," menaced the airwaves in 1965, and a string of hits followed. When the Beatles broke up in 1970, the Stones kept rolling, achieving some of their biggest and most innovative hits in the '70s and '80s.

1: THE BEATLES

Those muppet-faced moptops from Liverpool burst onto the U.S. music scene with a very calculated PR machine behind them. They could have fizzled out like any forced fad - but this was a rare occasion in which the band had the goods to back up the hype. The Beatles' early singles - "Please Please Me," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "She Loves You" - were brilliant pop tunes, but John, Paul, George, and Ringo were dead-set on pushing the boundaries of pop music. And the American public stayed with them every step of the way, through the drug-fueled psychedelia of Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's, to the genre-shifting mix of the White Album.