By Chris Hunt

Last week, USA Today ran an article asking who is the greatest American rock band in history. The columnist, Whitney Matheson, said the debate started at a barbecue and has since caused so much disagreement that she had to bring it to the national public. The emails began pouring in, and much like every vote in America, the results brought some head scratching.

But before we get to the winner, let's discuss the question. It seems the only thing people agree about here is that when it comes to legendary rock bands, the US is lagging behind the Brits big time. In fact, the list isn't as easy to fill as you might think. For starters, take out all of the foreign bands: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Clash, The Kinks, U2, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, The Police and any band Clapton ever had. Take out all of the solo artists: Bruce, Dylan, Billy Joel, Neil Young, JT and Petty, among others. Then, take out soul music, rap music, country and Motown, and your list continues to shrink.

There's a variety of criteria that needs to be taken into consideration, but most importantly, popularity and quality. Obviously, a band can't be considered great unless their music was transcendent. Other important factors include longevity, influence and originality.

The bands that come to top of mind are REM, The Dead, The Allman Brothers, G N' R or Creedence. Other current bands that could one day be part of the conversation include Green Day, Counting Crows or the Chili Peppers. But how would the American public vote? USA Today definitely has a very diverse readership and probably a pretty decent sample size. However, the people who take the time to send in emails about their favorite bands generally share one characteristic: they have strong feelings about music and or a band (meaning I am definitely concerned about the many people who emailed in votes for Journey).

But only one band could mean so much to the most amount of people. And I have to admit, when Pearl Jam came back as the Best American Rock Band in history, I was surprised. The Allmans and The Dead lost to Van Halen. REM garnered little interest. The Beach Boys were long forgotten. And Queensryche somehow made the list. But rising to the top was the alternative rock quintet from Seattle.

After reading the reasoning given by the voters, the choice becomes a little clearer. Pearl Jam, along with Nirvana, launched an entire culture back in 1991 with the advent of Grunge. The band hit astronomical levels of success at the time with huge hits, memorable videos and lively performances. Pearl Jam's debut album Ten and the follow-up Vs. still rank as two of the greatest rock albums of all time, sparking countless copy cat bands (Creed, ugh). And they are still selling out shows and making relevant music. Furthermore, they've always stayed true to themselves. Almost to a fault, Pearl Jam never tried to write hits. They always tried to make great music and nothing more. Still, the greatest American rock band of all time?

Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge Pearl Jam fan. Back in '91, I was stuck in the past and still obsessed with classic rock. I tried hard not to like them, but their songs were so damn good, that it became inevitable. Pearl Jam gave my music fandom a complete makeover. Fast forward to 2005, and it's a different story. Pearl Jam's albums don't sell as much anymore. Their twelve best songs were all written prior to 1995 (If you're curious: Yellow Ledbetter, Dissident, Daughter, Release, Elderly Woman, Animal, Immortality, Porch, Alive, Jeremy, Corduroy and Black - in my humble opinion). Not to mention, I think Pearl Jam could still write a song just as good as these, but they seem to shy away from it. It's like Eddie Vedder feels as if he writes another song like "Better Man" then he and his band mates will be thrust back in the limelight they shunned ten years ago. They love flying under the radar. There isn't anything wrong with that, but I think it's hurt their legacy.

On the flip side, Pearl Jam has never much cared about having hits. The one thing they did care about was their fans. Starting with their valiant (yet failed) fight against the anti-customer service company, Ticketmaster, Pearl Jam began a never-ending crusade to keep concert tickets affordable. Next, they released live bootlegs of all of their shows in stores to make them readily available, as well as inexpensive. They have one of the most active fan clubs in music that even includes an annual Christmas gift. And for what's it's worth, they've never "sold out," (once they crashed an MTV awards show by continuing to play an unplanned set long after their allotted time was up - and they haven't really returned since).

In 2000, nine of their fans were trampled to death at a concert in Denmark. They were so devastated they considered breaking up the band. The lost lives shook them greatly, but in the end drew the band closer together. Since then, they have maintained their focus and have now added concert safety to their priority list.

Pearl Jam is clearly a group of great musicians and songwriters with an impressive resume that even includes looking out for the little guy. All of these factors combine to paint the picture of a truly great act. Here is the predicament. Is Pearl Jam (one of the) greatest American Rock Bands of all time because they play great music with such devotion to their fans that they may never completely live up to their potential? Or do they not deserve the distinction for the very same reason?

It's a debate that can go on forever. But let the record show, that I would cast a vote for Pearl Jam in this ballot. There's something refreshing about Eddie and Co. I know it's a little naive, but I've always sort of felt that these guys care about me just because I dig their music. Plus, dropping a meager $30, knowing almost every song, seeing the throngs of die-hard fans and feeling the energy of one of the best live shows still out there may be enough testimony in itself.

Is Pearl Jam the greatest American rock band of all time? Probably not. But they are truly a unique story in the annals of rock history, even deserving of their own chapter. But what do I know? The people have spoken. And Pearl Jam is king.

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