The Top 40 British Artists Of All Time Revealed Ahead of Brits 2017

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The Beatles have been named the best British recording artists in history, in a new poll.

The Fab Four pipped Queen to the number-one spot, with David Bowie taking third place on the list.

Elton John – and the Rolling Stones completed the top five.

The survey of 1000 Brits was conducted through OnePoll by streaming music service Deezer, whose Music Editor Dom Wallace said: “Even though the British music industry is in rude health – as proven by Adele’s presence at sixth on the list – most of the top 10 best artists in history have come from decades gone by.

“In fact, you have to look further down the top 40 to find more artists who started recording this millennium, like Amy Winehouse and Ed Sheeran.

“This shows that the British appetite for the classics is as strong as ever, and the enduring appeal of the Beatles in particular, who have been topping these kinds of polls for close to five decades.”

Adele, whose album 25 became the fastest-selling of all-time on its release in 2015, finished in sixth place – one ahead of George Michael, who died on Christmas Day 2016.

Elsewhere in the list, it was bad news for fans of classic rock – Led Zeppelin could only manage 18^th place, below Status Quo, Phil Collins and Coldplay.

And Paul McCartney also placed in 20^th, on the strength of his solo output – making him one of two artists to appear twice in the top 40.

The second was Robbie Williams, whose history with boyband Take That followed by stratospheric success in his own right landed him at both 23^rd and 24^th.

Singer songwriter James Blunt managed to overhaul The Kinks, Travis and Keane to place 35^th, though his famously hilarious Twitter feed may have helped his recent popularity.

Deezer also revealed its most-streamed albums that have also won the coveted BRIT award for “British Album of the Year,” since the company started streaming in 2007.

Top of the pops was Ed Sheeran’s mega-smash X, which won the gong in 2015.

And second went to Arctic Monkeys’ AM, the British Album of the Year winner in 2014.

Surprisingly, the third place went to Adele – but for her 2012 breakthrough album 21, which yielded the singles Rolling in the Deep and Someone Like You.

Wallace continued: “Ed Sheeran is one of the most influential pop stars of the modern age, so it’s no surprise to find he’s hitting a chord with music fans.

“Huge-selling, critically respected artists like Sheeran and Adele are bound to go from strength to strength as they continue their careers, and we’d expect them to feature in many ‘favourite artist’ polls in the coming decades.”

THE TOP 40 BRITISH ARTISTS OF ALL TIME

1. The Beatles
2. Queen
3. David Bowie
4. Elton John
5. Rolling Stones
6. Adele
7. George Michael
8. The Who
9. Pink Floyd
10. Eric Clapton
11. The Bee Gees
12. Status Quo
13. Rod Stewart
14. Phil Collins
15. Oasis
16. Amy Winehouse
17. Coldplay
18. Led Zeppelin
19. Cliff Richard
20. Paul McCartney
21. Dire Straits
22. Ed Sheeran
23. Take That
24. Robbie Williams
25. Black Sabbath
26. The Police
27. Coldplay
28. Eurythmics
29. T-Rex
30. Spice Girls
31. Duran Duran
32. Radiohead
33. Blur
34. The Verve
35. James Blunt
36. Dido
37. Travis
38. Keane
39. Leona Lewis
40. The Kinks

DEEZER’S TOP 20 MOST-STREAMED “BRITISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR” BRIT AWARD WINNERS

YEAR WON    TITLE                                                                               ARTIST

1. 2015       X                                                                            Ed Sheeran
2. 2014       AM                                                                         Arctic Monkeys
3. 2012       21                                                                           Adele
4. 2013       Our Version of Events                                            Emeli Sande
5. 2007       Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not   Arctic Monkeys
6. 1996       (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?                       Oasis
7. 2011       Sigh No More                                                         Mumford & Sons
8. 2003       A Rush of Blood to the Head                                  Coldplay
9. 2008       Favourite Worst Nightmare                                    Arctic Monkeys
10. 1998      Urban Hymns                                                          The Verve
11. 2001      Parachutes                                                             Coldplay
12. 2006      X&Y                                                                        Coldplay
13. 2005      Hopes and Fears                                                   Keane
14. 2010      Lungs                                                                    Florence & The Machine
15. 1987      Brothers in Arms                                                    Diare Straits
16. 2016      25                                                                           Adele
17. 2009      Rockferry                                                               Duffy
18. 2002      No Angel                                                                Dido
19. 2004      Permission To Land                                               The Darkness
20. 1977      Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band                 The Beatles

ENDS