Annnnnnnnnnd this list fails.

The 100 Greatest Canadian Rock Artists

http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/b ... adian.html

...no words, only the beauty of the moment.

54-40
Honeymoon Suite
Paul Janz

How the hell did I forget Anne Murray? I need to update my list!

The Canadian Music Hall of Fame: 1978-Present
http://canadianmusichalloffame.ca/

2012 Blue Rodeo
2011 Shania Twain
2010 April Wine
2009 Loverboy
2008 Triumph
2007 Bob Rock
2006 Bryan Adams
2005 The Tragically Hip
2004 Bob Ezrin
2003 Tom Cochrane
2002 Daniel Lanois
2001 Bruce Cockburn
2000 Bruce Fairbairn
1999 Luc Plamondon
1998 David Foster
1997 Lenny Breau
1997 Gil Evans
1997 Maynard Ferguson
1997 Moe Koffman
1997 Rob McConnell
1996 David Clayton-Thomas
1996 Denny Doherty
1996 John Kay
1996 Domenic Troiano
1996 Zal Yanovsky
1995 Buffy Sainte-Marie
1994 Rush
1993 Anne Murray
1992 Ian & Sylvia
1991 Leonard Cohen
1990 Maureen Forrester
1989 The Band
1988 No Inductees
1987 The Guess Who
1986 Gordon Lightfoot
1985 Wilf Carter
1984 The Crewcuts
1984 The Diamonds
1984 The Four Lads
1983 Glenn Gould
1982 Neil Young
1981 Joni Mitchell
1980 Paul Anka
1979 Hank Snow
1978 Guy Lombardo
1978 Oscar Peterson

Have I told you how much I love you yet? They're the perfect example of a band surviving on nothing but good marketing. They have no critical acclaim, have produced nothing original, have influenced no one, and still manage to sell out big venues. They're the kind of band Creed laughs at.

Also is Jeff Healey eligible for this?

I wouldn't say they influenced no one. We do have them to thank for Theory of a Dead Man, who we just could not live without.

Yes he is. He's on my list.

Yes, Nickelback are influential on a number of even more deluded strain of "post-grunge", each more generic and awful than the next (ie The Default, Shinedown, Three Days Grace, most of those post-grunge bands whose names are an entire sentence).

They have sales going for them, and they release at lest seven singles off of each of there albums, all of which are Top 40 hits more or less, but they have zero critical acclaim, and there's even a backlash against them from rock fans and rock radio. There has to be an active rock-format station out there somewhere promotes their playlist as "Nickelback-free" by now.

Not to mention the petition drive in Detroit to get the NFL to replace them at the Lions game this week with, well, pretty much anyone else. That was cool.

However, the fact that they suck does not mean they don't belong on the list.

It certainly does when you're ranking them above Steppenwolf, Barenaked Ladies, New Pornographers, Voivod, Robbie Robertson, Harmonium, BTO, Feist, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Pat Travers, Alexisonfire, Weakerthans, and Men Without Hats.

Every single other artist on this list is more qualified than them to be on here.

No, that's actually ridiculous.

It's not a ranking of the Canadian bands we like best. Or even an attempt to rank the Canadian bands that are the best, if that could even be determined. It's a ranking of the most important Canadian bands in terms of popularity, influence, and acclaim. To say that by those criteria Nickelback ranks below Men Without Hats is patently absurd.

Nickelback excels in ONE category, and it's popularity. They have virtually negative points on critical acclaim and no influence.

Men Without Hats have critical acclaim, decent amounts of popularity, and decent amounts of influence on New Wave. They touch upon two categories that Nickelback doesn't.

I don't agree that Nickelback has no influence; Piper has already named several bands they influenced.

But even if you were right, it doesn't matter than Nickelback's points all come from one category. They have a HUGE lead in that category over almost all of the artists you mentioned. Men Without Hats may have a little acclaim and a little influence, but it's not anywhere near enough to overcome the massive advantage Nickelback has in popularity.

I don't like it anymore than you do, but it's true.