My forbears list

I'm sure this list is not very complete. But these are the artists the later artists tend to cite the most. I can't pick one song by the Velvet Underground, who seem to me to belong on this forbears list and on the best alternative list.

Anyway.

The Forbears List
David Bowie, “Changes,” “Heroes,” “Ashes to Ashes”
Iggy and the Stooges, “I Wanna Be Your Dog”
Patti Smith, “Gloria”
Peter Gabriel, "Games Without Frontiers"
The MC5, “Kick out the Jams”
Leonard Cohen, “Everybody Knows”
Badfinger, “Day after Day”
Big Star, “September Gurls”
13th Floor Elevators, “You’re Gonna Miss Me”

Yeah, that Cohen song is a later one, but it was still influential on alternative rock, more so I think than earlier greats that had an influence more like Dylan had (Suzanne, etc.). Same thing with Gabriel, who became popular when alternative was still reekingly unpopular and underground. Still, the sound of games is classic alternative.