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The 10 best boy bands of all time according to Rolling Stone

Boy bands have always been an institution in music. Over the decades, the definition of a boy band has changed and evolved from a real youth band to a simple vocal group. 

The well-known Rolling Stone magazine asked its readers to vote for their top ten favourite boy bands and then compiled and published their ranking, based on this poll. 

Here, according to Rolling Stone, are the 10 best boy bands of all time, always bearing in mind that there is nothing more subjective than music and everyone has, inevitably and rightly, their own personal Top 10.

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The 10 best boy bands of all time according to Rolling Stone
Boy bands have always been an institution in music. Over the decades, the definition of a boy band has changed and evolved. The well-known Rolling Stone magazine asked its readers to vote for the ten best boy bands of all time and subsequently published the ranking. Here, according to Rolling Stone, are the 10 best boy bands of all time, always bearing in mind that there is nothing more subjective than music and everyone inevitably and rightly has their own personal Top 10.
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10. New Edition
Opening the Top Ten are New Edition, an R&B group that experienced its peak of popularity in the 1980s. Originally from Boston, the boy band broke up in 1997 and reunited in 2003.
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9. Take That
Take That's heyday was the first half of the 1990s, before Robbie Williams' farewell. In recent years, Take That have reunited on several occasions, officially reforming in 2005 without Williams, who however briefly rejoined the historic British boy band in 2010-2011.
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8. The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys: one of the most influential bands in music history, a group that has been extraordinarily successful in terms of sales and acclaim since its foundation in 1961. One of the most popular albums of the last century is their 'Pet Sounds', which helped define the famous 'surf music' genre.
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7. The Jonas Brothers
The trio consisting of brothers Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas became extremely popular starting in 2004, thanks to their participation in many TV series and thematic films on the Disney Channel. After disbanding in 2013, the trio returned to activity in 2019, receiving a star on the Walk of Fame in 2023.
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6. The Monkees
Founded in 1965 in Los Angeles on the idea of record producer Don Kirshner, this boy band made a name for itself with its second album 'More of the Monkees', released in 1967. Among the group's most famous songs was 'I'm a Believer', composed by Neil Diamond, which reached the top of the Billboard 100 and stayed there for seven weeks.
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5. NSYNC
With a combined sale of more than 70 million copies, NSYNC are among the biggest selling boy bands in music history. The historic group, of which Justin Timberlake was also a member, had a short life span of only seven years, but on more than one occasion NSYNC reunited live on special occasions, even in recent times.
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4. The Jackson 5
Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Michael and Marlon Jackson (later joined by Randy): it is impossible to forget this legendary group. The Jackson 5 was the first band in music history to place its first four singles at number one on the Billboard charts, subsequently selling over 100 million records worldwide.
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3. New Kids on the Block
Starting in the second half of the 1980s, the New Kids on the Block were instrumental in defining the modern boy band concept, later inspiring managers in the 1990s to form similar groups. During their career, from 1984 to 1994 and from 2008 to the present, the group has seen over 80 million records worldwide.
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2. The Beatles
The Fab Four marked an era in music, costume, fashion and the pop world. That is why, despite the fact that their music ranged from pop and beat to rock and roll and psychedelic rock, the four boys from Liverpool can rightfully enter the list of the best boy bands of all time, helping to define the 'pop' world of the 20th century.
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1. Backstreet Boys
At the top are the Backstreet Boys, the pop music icons par excellence and the most iconic boy band of the second half of the 20th century. According to data, no modern boy band has achieved the numbers of the Backstreet Boys: more than 130 million records sold worldwide, as well as being the only boy band to boast 10 albums in the Top 10 of the US Billboard 200 chart.
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