Tim L
New Member
I'd have to strongly disagree there. Chic contained Nile Rodgers, one of the best producers to ever twist a knob; they had the best selling single in the history of Atlantic Records ("Le Freak"); they were one of the few groups who actually put out quality music with a unique sound during the disco era. They also had Tony Thompson, one of the best drummers ever who played on many a rock record as a studio musician, and of course Bernard Edwards on bass, who contributed some of the funkiest bass lines ever put to wax.
LL Cool J -- well, he's not my cup of tea at all, but he is one of the most well known rap artists and laid the foundation for a myriad of other artists who came after him. He was also one of the first rappers to cross over into another facet of the entertainment business (acting) thus paving the way for others to follow that path too. Respect him or not, he was a groundbreaker. Whether you like rap or not, it IS a driving force in rock music today, has been responsible for hundreds of millions of record sales, and has been embraced by lots of rock bands. (Linkin Park, anyone?)
None of this is intended to diminish the Carpenters' talent, or their contributions to pop music. It's just that if I was making a list of rock and roll artists, they're one of the last names I would consider because their music just doesn't seem like rock and roll to me. That's just my 2 cents.