Hey, I thought I'd find out what everyones favorite "Classic" bands were. (anything from at least 10+ years ago)
Like what is your inspiration for the music that you write, record, and put up on the amp?

My favorites (and inspirations) definitely have to be:
Pink Floyd
Rush
and

Oingo Boingo

Yanni

Shaun Cassidy


OK ok   seriously....

 The Cars

 Doobie Brothers

 John Fogerty

 Oh And DEVO... Just to name a few.... There are too many to list here..

Oh man. The Cars are awesome.
Me and my friends are working on a Just What I Needed cover

Lately I've been getting into G Love and Special Sauce... THey rock.. no doubt...

  Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9i97T9cpfY

 And The Gourds, which I have always been a fan of... Here is a crappy video made by some dude, using their cover of Snoop Dogg's Gin and Juice.. Love this version!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCAM3C3dpIA&feature=related

I won't list them cause are sooooo many, and I don't want to leave some of them out.
I'll just say that my inspiration starts with The Beatles, so then from that point there are loads and loads of bands that really changed my life.

         > Iszil

Its true there are TONS and it is really hard to choose but everyones music really roots down somewhere.
The beatles are great.

I've thought about this a few times.  It's tough to say who influenced my musical tastes the most, but I've narrowed it down to a seemingly bizarre selection of:
(in the "early" years)
 - Moody Blues
 - Queen
 - Hall & Oates
 - Jethro Tull
 - Yes
 - Steely Dan
 - Deep Purple

(the "middle" years add the following)
 - Aerosmith
 - Rolling Stones  (I was a late starter on their music!)
 - Pink Floyd       (another late starter, although I owned a few Floyd albums since my early teens it was only when I started playing
                          guitar again that I really started to appreciate their music and the guitar skills of Gilmour)
 - Todd Rungren / Utopia

(and in the "recent" years, add)
 - Evanescence
 - Pink
 - Walter Trout

While I'm deeply impressed with the ability of Vai, Satriani, Petrucci etc, I can't really say that they've influenced my musical style in any way.

There are others that I regularly listen to and enjoy - but I guess those above have made the biggest impression on me.

Dire Straits
Floyd
Zeppelin
Allman Brothers
Bob Segar
Moody Blues
Hall and Oats
The Police
Many Many More!

jiminuk I liked that idea so I will use that idea also . Hope you don't mind..

Early years.
Eric Clapton
Robin Trower
T Rex
Led Zep
Deep Purple
Bad Company
Lynard Skynard
Emerson Lake & Palmer
Yes
Black Sabbath
Beatles
CCR

Middle Years

Van Halen
Blue Murder
Ozzy (all guitar players)
Steve Morse band
Kansas
Yngwie and Rising Force
Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble
Steve Via /Whitesnake/John Sykes
Alice in Chains
Testament
lots more can't think of all of them though

Jeez... I'll just mention an arbitrary 5, weeding out all duplicate/overlapping style bands.... Not entirely fair but else I'd have to produce quite a list.

The Kinks
Dire Straits
Joy Division
Nirvana
Ministry


yey I did it!

Oh yeah man Vai and Satriani are awesome guitarists. I just got back from a Joe Satriani concert Sunday night.
It was so amazing!

But I guess stuff like that can't realy influence you unless you can play guitar at Mach 1.

I really like Dire Straits and that stuff too.

Keep em coming guys this is great!

I can't believe I forgot to put up
 Jimi Hendrix & band,
Yes.
Bob Segar & Silver Bullet Band

Not in any particular order:
Zappa
Dregs
U.K.
Thin Lizzy
Moore
Pantera
Tool
Zep
Floyd
Gamma
MSG
Primus
Dream Theater
Hendrix
Trower
Deep purple
Kansas
Tull
Opeth
King
Collins
Vai
Satriani
Eric Johnson
Timmons
The police
Roy Brown
Silvio Roriguez
Ruben Blades
Charlie Garcia
Boston
Black Sabath
Camel

OMG I can't keep going there way to many...............

Ratt
Twisted Sister
The Specials

And a lot of what Marino said : P

Here are some of the Musicians and bands I listened to that have had a influence on me.
I know that I'm leaving out so many. The list is very long indeed



Springsteen
Steve miller
Ray Charles
Janis Joplin
Jimi Hendrix
The Door's
Eagles
Simon & Garfunkel
Jefferson Airplane_Starship
Fleetwood Mac
Peter, Paul & Mary
Beatles
Van Halen
Jethro Tull
The Supreme's
The Hollies
The Animals
Niel Young
Allman Brothers
Neil diamond
Pink Floyd
Elvis
John Lennon
Doobie Brothers
Rollin Stones
John Fogerty
CCR
George Strait
Hank Williams JR
Hank Williams Sr
Eric Clapton
Lynrd Skynrd
Mamma's & The Poppa's
Led Zepp
Niel Sadaka
Bob Segar
Bobby Vinton
Bad company
J. Giel's Band
Elton John
Alvin Lee
Ted Nugent
Golden Earring
James Taylor
Loretta Lynn
Patsy Cline
Toasted Goat