Since even the most educated Rock historians disagree on when and who started Rock and Roll, it is difficult to also pinpoint who originated various subgenres of Rock. Perhaps no other band receives credit (or partial credit depending on which Rock historian you listen to) for helping to create more Rock subgenres than the Soft Machine.

With all due respect to Metallica, it has been often stated that Pantera was the most important Metal band of the 1990’s. Looking back to that decade, it is easy to see why Pantera has that distinction as if any band broke Metal into new boundaries in the 90’s it surely was Pantera.

We severely doubt that there will be anytime soon where music fans will debate the validity of Rap music especially in terms of its placement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. To those who raise that vocal inquiry, we can only imagine the reaction should the Proto Rap pioneer, Gil Scott-Heron get in.

The term heir apparent is used far too often in Pop Culture. Lou Gehrig may have proved to be the rightful heir to Babe Ruth in the Yankees, but while Eric Lindros had a decent hockey career, his original nickname of the “Next One” (In reference to Wayne Gretzky’s moniker of the “The Great One”) was a title he couldn’t quite live up to. If Rock and Roll had a career equivalent it might be the band once thought to be the heir to the Beatles; Badfinger.