The Most Influential & Innovative Artists/Bands of 1965-70. NOT A DEBATE. NOT A POLL!
 

So basically, I don't want this to become some sort of bashathon-of-bands-X-Y and Z my-favourite-band's-better-than-yours ordeal. Rather, I'm really interested in coming up with a more or less definitive shortlist of the most important, innovative, creative and/or influential artists and bands that were sufficiently ACTIVE over the specific period of 1965 to 1970 (so I'm excluding bands that only emerged in 1970 for example, or very late 1969).

I'm very interested to see who are considered to be the most revolutionary and cutting edge acts, other than the usual obvious choices - Beatles, Floyd etc.

Sonics
Kinks
Beach Boys
Velvet Underground

I think Zappa would have to count.

In fact could somebody for the sake of it mention the obvious ones too? I'm not sure who they all might be.

The Velvet Underground

Zappa, the Beatles, Velvets, are the ones that immediately come to mind. Just the scope of influence they have had. Probably say the Kinks for kicking off the whole garage thing aswell.

I wouldn't know what to choose for the jazz and avant garde/experimental genres - you had Miles Davis first doing the fusion thing (or did Zappa beat him to it?) and I'm sure Stockhausen/Cage etc were pushing boundaries but I'm not sure about that particular era. Where's cardboard adolescent when ya need him?

edit: maybe the Stones, also the Yardbirds for pushing guitar solos to the fore? Must be forgetting so many....

Velvet Underground
Incredible String Band
Love
Fairport Convention
Pentangle
Tim Buckley
Miles Davis
Soft Machine
Don Ellis

Pink Floyd, Linda Perhacs, The Stooges, Vashti Bunyan, Syd Barrett.

The Velvet Underground
The Beatles
Bob Dylan
Hendrix
Ravi Shankar(sh*t yes, I just went there)

Bob Dylan, The Who, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, The Doors, Beach Boys.

B. B. King
Aretha Franklin