The Clash just barely stole my vote here, and I'm quite frankly shocked that they are winning so handily right now against legends like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. We're talking about THE rock and roll supergroup.
Take the lead guitarists & singers from Buffalo Springfield, add the genius behind The Hollies, and throw in one of the main guitarists & songwriters from the Byrds and you've got this legendary folk-rock outfit. Simpy put, their first two albums were about as genius as rock and roll and folk comes. Songs like "Suite: Judy Blue Eye" have even the Beach Boys beat in terms of vocal melody, "Almost Cut My Hair" is one of the fiercest rockers of the entire 60s, "Wooden Ships" is a folk-rock classic that has been covered by every high school garage band in America. So many classics I can't even begin to name them all. You simply need to own their first two albums in your collection.
But they face the Clash here. THE CLASH. Genius is an understatement. Nobody sounded like the Clash and no matter how many imitators tried, nobody has since. The first to ever mix punk rock and reggae, they were so ahead of the music curve it was scary. Whether it's the classic punk wallop of the original self titled, the Greatest Album of the 70s (IMO) in London Calling, or the almost Two-Tone styled Combat Rock, they are in a league of their own.
But please Shadow, avoid Cut the Crap. It's terrible.