Seven '60s Bands Who Are Still Relevant

What really interests me as far as popular music goes isn't what's popular at any particular time but what remains popular over the long haul. I think that's what separates truly great music from the rest. Great music continues to be relevant long past when it was first recorded.

It's with that mindset that I approach this article on seven bands from the 1960s whose music lives on. Using the listening statistics on online radio websites as a guide these are the bands from that time period that are still attracting new listeners.

I'm confident that most of the people listening to these bands on online radio stations now are not the original fans of these bands because most of those people are in their 50s and 60s (or older) and are not in the demographic of people who commonly use these. That's good because I don't want to know about what people are listening to for nostalgia reasons, I want to know what '60s music is still relevant enough to attract new listeners 40 years later.

#1 The Beatles: This is the most obvious choice of course. It's now been 45 years since they first "invaded" America with "I Want to Hold your Hand" and they still remain just as relevant today, if not more so.

#2 Pink Floyd: While it's true that Pink Floyd is most well known for their '70s work like Dark Side of the Moon, they released their debut album in 1967 and I find their early Syd Barrett era stuff absolutely fascinating.

#3 Led Zeppelin: Another band that was huge in the '70s too but again they got their start in the late '60s. Led Zeppelin's monstrous sound remains vital.

#4 The Rolling Stones: After all of these years the Stones are still going. In some ways that may have tarnished their image with younger people whose first perception of them is of the old dudes still on stage today. But despite that, their late '60s and early '70s albums like Beggar's Banquet and Exile on Main Street remain vital.

#5 The Doors: The Doors mystique and unique sound continues to attract new listeners even though it's been nearly 40 years since Jim Morrison died. While it's become cool among hipsters to dismiss The Doors I think that's nothing but a silly fad. They will remain a popular '60s band for quite some time.

#6 The Who: The best live band of the '60s, their studio albums probably aren't quite as good as the other bands on this list but Live at Leeds definitely kicks butt.

#7 The Beach Boys: I would bet that The Beach Boys 1966 classic Pet Sounds actually has more listeners today than it did back then (as it didn't chart that well in 1966.) Head Beach Boy Brian Wilson is probably more revered today than he was back in the mid '60s when he was writing his biggest hits.