The Old Grey Whistle Test Bob Marley and the Wailers as well as then little-known acts of whom any early footage is now considered precious, such as Billy Joel, Judas Priest (with a long-haired Rob Halford), Wishbone Ash, Judee Sill, Heart, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. "Whistle Test" was also the British television debut of the American glam punk band New York Dolls. Although host Bob Harris derided the group as "mock rock," comparing them unfavourably to The Rolling Stones, their performance influenced the following punk rock scene such as the Sex Pistols and The Clash as well as alternative bands like R.E.M. and The Smiths and
The Old Grey Whistle Test the glam metal scene of the 1980s. The show became the template for many successive "serious" British music programmes, such as the BBC's "Later... with Jools Holland" and "From the Basement" as well as OGWT's independent television rivals Alright Now", "Revolver" and "The Tube". In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, "The Old Grey Whistle Test" was placed 33rd. The Arctic Monkeys referenced the show in the track Four Out of Five, from their 2018 release "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino". A parody