<P> The Who are one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century . Their appearances at Monterey and Woodstock helped give them a reputation as one of the greatest live rock acts and they have been credited with originating the "rock opera". The band has sold over 100 million records worldwide . </P> <P> The group's contributions to rock include the power chord, windmill strum and the use of non-musical instrument noise such as feedback . The band influenced fashion from their earliest days with their embrace of pop art and the use of the Union Jack for clothing . The guitar - smashing incident at the Railway Hotel in 1964 is one of Rolling Stone magazine's "50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock' n' Roll". </P> <P> Pink Floyd began to use feedback from their early shows in 1966, inspired by the Who, whom they considered a formative influence . Shortly after arriving in London in 1966, Hendrix visited Marshall's music shop demanding an amp setup like Townshend's and manipulated electronic noises in ways that Townshend had pioneered . The Beatles were fans and socialised with Moon in particular during the mid-1960s . In 1965, Paul McCartney said the Who "are the most exciting thing around" and was inspired to write "Helter Skelter" in the group's "heavy" style; John Lennon borrowed the acoustic guitar style in "Pinball Wizard" for "Polythene Pam". </P> <P> The loud volume of the band's live show influenced the approach of hard rock and heavy metal . Proto punk and punk rock bands such as the MC5, the Stooges, the Ramones the Sex Pistols, the Clash and Green Day cite the Who as an influence . The Who inspired mod revival bands, particularly the Jam, which helped other groups influenced by the Who become popular . The Who influenced hard rock bands such as Guns N' Roses . In the mid-1990s, Britpop bands such as Blur and Oasis were influenced by the Who . The Who have also influenced pop punk band Panic! at the Disco . </P>

Who became a major influence and inspiration for the beatles during a 1958 concert tour of britain