Will "classic" rock ever come back?

[nki]

Simple question, will it? Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, The Who, The Doors, Allman Brothers and the list goes on and on. Now I know you can't bring these people or places or time back, but I'm wondering if my generation will ever get to experience anything like it. I feel like I've been born in the wrong decade all the time and I find 95% of music that I'm supposed to like boring. Sure you might find a good band here and there like The Black Keys or even The White Stripes, but other than that you really have to dig in and search for anything that resembles quality these days.

Thankfully I was "saved" by my father giving me some initial directions. I still remember hearing Whole Lotta Love for the first time and I knew as soon as Jimmy played his opening riff that this was it. Two things went through my head: this is awesome and I need to buy me a guitar. I guess Jimmy had a similar moment listening to Baby Let's Play house. Later I would start discovering other bands and music all the way to the roots and Robert Johnson. What a great journey through generations of music.

Which brings me back to my generation (and no, I'm not talking about the song ). I'm secretly hoping that kids will eventually get sick of the stuff that comes out of radios and MTV and one day (maybe as an old grandpa hehe) I'll be going to concerts of our very own Led Zeppelins. I know, not bloody likely, but one can hope.

P.S. I know there's a question mark in the topic title and there ain't much to answer, I just needed this to get off my chest.

[Wolfman]

Well we kind of had it in the 90's with the "grunge" era. There was a ton of great bands from Seattle and other bands/artists starting popping up (Lenny Kravitz, Jane's Addiction,etc.). What killed it was drugs. Record companies saw this and didn't want to invest in artists they couldn't control or even worse, died. That's why the bubblegum era kicked in with Britney, etc. The record companies had total control in everything. It's a shame because for awhile there in the 90's, it felt like the late 60's/early 70's again. There was so much great new music and you had great artists from the past (Neil Young/Page &Plant,etc.) contributing too. I really miss the early 90's. Good times!

[Aquamarine]

It's simple--in 20, 30 years, people will look back at today's music and THAT will be classic rock.

Since the start of the rock era, there's always been bubblegum, there's always been hard rock, there's always been pop, etc. For some reason, folks seem to think that the previous generation's was by definition better than theirs. It's like the same way children were always well-behaved back in the day, and people always looked out for their neighbors, etc. etc.

[Virginia]

I sure hope so; with some exceptions, there has definitely been a void for a long time At least around here, they aren't playing the newer better bands on local classic rock FM radio, and those they do play are also being played on stations that play Rihanna and Taylor Swift (i.e. Nickelback).

I'm not interested in heavy metal stuff either; the classic rock groups included an element of fun/irreverance and improv imperfection that people related to and was part of their appeal.

I have teenagers and a lot of their friends are turning back to the classics too.

[danelectro]

There's a bunch of classic rock sounding bands now. Keep in mind classic rock encompasses everything from the Beatles to Sabbath and Yes to the Eagles with some Dolls and Bowie sprinkled in.

Maybe it's just me but I hear a lot of classic rock in newer bands like Drive-By Truckers, distinct southern rock influence, and Wilco, obvious Beatles influences as well as others. We've had loads of recent bands who owe a debt to Sabbath. Black Crowes anyone? Shit even Marilyn Manson takes his cues from Kiss and Alice Cooper. IMO the trick is to not sound like a classic rock band, it's pretty tough to get away from it.

[Jarlaxle 56]

It's called underground music, and no not the "Indie" bullshit that people like, TRUE underground music and labels.

You kinda have to do a lot of research to find this music.

Also, there are no real blues rock bands anymore.

Sa'll about underground metal and experimental music for me.

Here's a good band to check out,

[nki]

I guess I should have avoided the term "classic". Even if we look at the newer bands that DO sound good, there is something missing there for me, something you can't quite put your finger on. It's like they are afraid of making mistakes, letting loose. They play perfectly but that basic primal emotion is missing, the very same emotion that you hear in some of the bands I mentioned and old blues records. A great example I think is Boogie Chillen by John Lee Hooker, it's a simple song, but it's there. I think Led Zeppelin were the masters of that emotion, you can't describe it, you can't explain it, it's just there, it works. And there are plenty of other artists who have that "it". And that is something I think that is sorely lacking in today's music. It's hard to describe what that "it" is though because music is so personal, hopefully everyone will be able to understand what I'm getting at. Heck, everyone probably has their own "it", I found mine in blues and some of the rock bands I mentioned and I just can't seem to find it anymore in new music. I found it with The Black Keys but that was it. I'll find something here and there but it seems like it's MUCH harder to come by these days.

Edited February 24, 2009 by nki

[ninelives]

I for one embrace new music. I love what the poster defined as classic rock immensely but I also like to discover new stuff just as much. I personally gravitate towards musicians that aren't trying to rehash a style but more reinvent it - take the influence let's say of classic rock but interpret it their own way and add other styles to it. It'd be a bit boring if music stayed stagnant and we only had that sound IMO.

[danelectro]

Also, there are no real blues rock bands anymore.

Really? Then what do you call the Black Crowes, Black Keys, North Mississippi Allstars? All of those sound like real blues rock to me, the knock against the Crowes was and is that they are too derivative.

[ninelives]

I guess I should have avoided the term "classic". Even if we look at the newer bands that DO sound good, there is something missing there for me, something you can't quite put your finger on. It's like they are afraid of making mistakes, letting loose. They play perfectly but that basic primal emotion is missing, the very same emotion that you hear in some of the bands I mentioned and old blues records. A great example I think is Boogie Chillen by John Lee Hooker, it's a simple song, but it's there. I think Led Zeppelin were the masters of that emotion, you can't describe it, you can't explain it, it's just there, it works. And there are plenty of other artists who have that "it". And that is something I think that is sorely lacking in today's music. It's hard to describe what that "it" is though because music is so personal, hopefully everyone will be able to understand what I'm getting at. Heck, everyone probably has their own "it", I found mine in blues and some of the rock bands I mentioned and I just can't seem to find it anymore in new music. I found it with The Black Keys but that was it. I'll find something here and there but it seems like it's MUCH harder to come by these days.

Black Keys are great btw! The thing that you are wishing for in today's music - that letting loose feel, well I totally understand being drawn to it, as am I. But it's just not where music is at anymore. I'm not sure it's so much they're afraid to as that isn't what's been a "style" so to speak in a lot of modern music. It's there most definitely, but not as prevalent as it was back in the 60s and 70s.

[danelectro]

I guess I should have avoided the term "classic". Even if we look at the newer bands that DO sound good, there is something missing there for me, something you can't quite put your finger on. It's like they are afraid of making mistakes, letting loose. They play perfectly but that basic primal emotion is missing, the very same emotion that you hear in some of the bands I mentioned and old blues records. A great example I think is Boogie Chillen by John Lee Hooker, it's a simple song, but it's there. I think Led Zeppelin were the masters of that emotion, you can't describe it, you can't explain it, it's just there, it works. And there are plenty of other artists who have that "it". And that is something I think that is sorely lacking in today's music. It's hard to describe what that "it" is though because music is so personal, hopefully everyone will be able to understand what I'm getting at. Heck, everyone probably has their own "it", I found mine in blues and some of the rock bands I mentioned and I just can't seem to find it anymore in new music. I found it with The Black Keys but that was it. I'll find something here and there but it seems like it's MUCH harder to come by these days.

Honestly what you've described has nothing to do with the current state of music and everything to do with your personal preference. I listen to a lot of music new and old and I don't and can't put it into neat little boxes catagorized by when and who made it, if I like it I like it and that's all that matters to me. For example I appreciate Son House and Guy Forsyth equally, there was more than 60 years between them and in that 60 yrs and after there is lots of stuff I like too.

Edited February 24, 2009 by danelectro

[Jarlaxle 56]

Really? Then what do you call the Black Crowes, Black Keys, North Mississippi Allstars? All of those sound like real blues rock to me, the knock against the Crowes was and is that they are too derivative.

I should be a little more clear, there are bands who copy older blues rock artists, but when you think about it they aren't really taking blues and doing what the originators of blues rock did, which was creating a new genre.

Kind of un-original if you ask me, they should rethink things and try and come up with something a little more inspired by their own time.

[ninelives]

I should be a little more clear, there are bands who copy older blues rock artists, but when you think about it they aren't really taking blues and doing what the originators of blues rock did, which was creating a new genre.

Kind of un-original if you ask me, they should rethink things and try and come up with something a little more inspired by their own time.

I think the Black Keys add their own twist to the blues.

[nki]

I should be a little more clear, there are bands who copy older blues rock artists, but when you think about it they aren't really taking blues and doing what the originators of blues rock did, which was creating a new genre.

Kind of un-original if you ask me, they should rethink things and try and come up with something a little more inspired by their own time.

Another thing with blues is that it's a very structured genre. If you go too far, you'll have the blues purists telling you that it isn't blues. Obviously, everyone should do whatever they think it's right and what they enjoy. I don't like to get stuck in these genre boxes anyway and try to avoid them as much as possible. And copying (although that is quite a strong word) is a very big tradition, everyone does it in blues.

[PlanetPage]

I for one embrace new music. I love what the poster defined as classic rock immensely but I also like to discover new stuff just as much. I personally gravitate towards musicians that aren't trying to rehash a style but more reinvent it - take the influence let's say of classic rock but interpret it their own way and add other styles to it. It'd be a bit boring if music stayed stagnant and we only had that sound IMO.

.Hmmm.........No chance for Classic Rock to live 9 Lives, 10...11,...............

agreed, only thing constant is change..........

Edited February 24, 2009 by PlanetPage

[Dzldoc]

Will "classic" rock ever come back?

In my house it never left! I do however listen to many different types of music.

With the exception of say gangsta' Rap, I can even tolerate some hip-hop if done tastefully

[Aquamarine]

I think, one of the reasons it is called Classic Rock is because many of its performers have continued performing. Also because it is very credible music. Otherwise it may have been thrown in the oldies but goodies bin.

Hip-hop is Classic Rocks' worst enemy.

What does credible mean in this context? Is it the same as relevant?

To be honest, I think all these terms have become meaningless, including classic rock. Listen to just a handful of bands, and they have NOTHING in common that identifies them as a category. Similarly, blues rock as a genre wasn't any more original than what today's performers are doing, in that it was building on what went before, just as today's artists do. Whether people like it is a different issue, of course, but I honestly feel that a lot of bands get idolized these days just because they were around in the 60s and 70s (many of those who continued performing are pretending to be themselves as they were 30 years ago), whereas a lot of contemporary bands are much more interesting.

And hip-hop, I'd say personally, arose from exactly the same place and energy as the early 60s bands did, so I don't see them as natural "enemies" at all.

JMHO.

[danelectro]

I should be a little more clear, there are bands who copy older blues rock artists, but when you think about it they aren't really taking blues and doing what the originators of blues rock did, which was creating a new genre.

Kind of un-original if you ask me, they should rethink things and try and come up with something a little more inspired by their own time.

Not trying to be contrary, ok maybe I am . But how is that different from what happened with the "original" blues rock bands? In fact that was the knock against them in the beginning and now, people who knew better were saying it wasn't new at all, many went as far to say it was stolen and it some cases it was. Honestly the more I listen to blues the less I appreciate blues based classic rock era bands.

[longdistancewinner]

I personally don't believe Classic Rock will come back because I don't believe it was ever really there to begin with.

For me, Classic Rock is a term applied towards a specific genre that, to many, would seem outdated - even if still popular. The bands and sounds that encompass the genre are associated with age. And even if you still have bands trying to emulate that sound (and there are), they'll sound 'retro' and 'nostalgic' at best and 'dated' at worst. When the Darkness came on the scene they were pretty popular in Britain, if only because their 'new' sound was like the 'old' sound. It wasn't that they were new and unlike anything we'd heard before, but rather, new and bringing us a sound we hadn't heard for a long time. They wore catsuits, swaggered with Les Paul's, rocked long hair - we'd seen it all before. And now they've disbanded. I think they bought too much into the whole Classic Rock cliche and it all went belly up when they became more successful. To be concise - they tried to emulate a time period, instead of living in the present. And it grew old.

When these so-called CR bands broke out, they weren't defined by the term. They were the contemporary sound and if any such phrase applied to them it was Heavy Metal. And when that phrase no longer applied (because I believe it is contemporary phrase, not a nostalgic one) CR became the name of choice for an otherwise known 'old music' genre.

Now, if you ask me whether Hard Rock will come back, I might be more inclined to say yes. Hard Rock, for me, is what Classic Rock is, only it's not just confined to the '60's/70's time period. Hard Rock followed through into the '80's and '90's - subgenres like punk, grunge, indie, flowing through - and, if you know what you're lookin for, it's still rocking the 00's.

That's just my opinion. Even if it sounded a bit jumbled.

[danelectro]

I personally don't believe Classic Rock will come back because I don't believe it was ever really there to begin with.

For me, Classic Rock is a term applied towards a specific genre that, to many, would seem outdated - even if still popular. The bands and sounds that encompass the genre are associated with age. And even if you still have bands trying to emulate that sound (and there are), they'll sound 'retro' and 'nostalgic' at best and 'dated' at worst. When the Darkness came on the scene they were pretty popular in Britain, if only because their 'new' sound was like the 'old' sound. It wasn't that they were new and unlike anything we'd heard before, but rather, new and bringing us a sound we hadn't heard for a long time. They wore catsuits, swaggered with Les Paul's, rocked long hair - we'd seen it all before. And now they've disbanded. I think they bought too much into the whole Classic Rock cliche and it all went belly up when they became more successful. To be concise - they tried to emulate a time period, instead of living in the present. And it grew old.

When these so-called CR bands broke out, they weren't defined by the term. They were the contemporary sound and if any such phrase applied to them it was Heavy Metal. And when that phrase no longer applied (because I believe it is contemporary phrase, not a nostalgic one) CR became the name of choice for an otherwise known 'old music' genre.

Now, if you ask me whether Hard Rock will come back, I might be more inclined to say yes. Hard Rock, for me, is what Classic Rock is, only it's not just confined to the '60's/70's time period. Hard Rock followed through into the '80's and '90's - subgenres like punk, grunge, indie, flowing through - and, if you know what you're lookin for, it's still rocking the 00's.

That's just my opinion. Even if it sounded a bit jumbled.

Good post but I don't think what's called classic rock was limited to hard rock. I suppose it depends who you ask but if the local radio station that plays what they call "classic rock" is an indication the label "classic rock" is applied to bands like America and Elton John as well as harder rock.

But yeah you're right, I doubt bands who are now considered to be classic rock were calling themselves that then because it implied being an oldies act. To a certain extent it still does. However classic rock is being added to daily, these days I hear Guns and Roses being played on the classic rock stations and some of the older classic rock era bands like The Byrds have been banished to the oldies station dungeon.

Edited February 25, 2009 by danelectro

[danelectro59]

The thing that bothers me about most of today's generation of performers is that it seems that

they're all trying to find the easy road to success. There's too much American Idol competition bullshit on the tube, or You Tube sensations getting a million views a month. I know I sound old fashioned, but it's like no one wants to pay their dues anymore. Back before the net and satellite tv, a group or individual would have to gig continuously, beg borrow or steal to get noticed and then hope some coked out A&R guy would sign them to a recording contract. Nowadays, you have home recording studios (which isn't a bad thing, mind you) and places like MySpace where you can set up and market your own recordings. I'm mostly jealous because this wasn't available when I had aspirations of becoming a successful recording artist. But beside that, I think it makes it much too easy for one to lose focus of what it really takes to be a bonafide artist in this business. Back in the 80's the saying was "there's a band on every corner" when talking about how hard it was to get noticed. Nowadays, there's a band in every house. Hell, grandma's got a band together that's working on their new CD. It's always been tough out there.

To answer the question, Classic Rock as defined by the last 20 years or so has never or will ever go away. Groups like LZ, Cream, Doors, Sabbath are cemented in history forever. Kids 100 hundred years from now will be amazed over Jimmy's guitar work. You can bank on that.

[longdistancewinner]

Good post but I don't think what's called classic rock was limited to hard rock. I suppose it depends who you ask but if the local radio station that plays what they call "classic rock" is an indication the label "classic rock" is applied to bands like America and Elton John as well as harder rock.

But yeah you're right, I doubt bands who are now considered to be classic rock were calling themselves that then because it implied being an oldies act. To a certain extent it still does. However classic rock is being added to daily, these days I hear Guns and Roses being played on the classic rock stations and some of the older classic rock era bands like The Byrds have been banished to the oldies station dungeon.

Thanks.

Yeah, I get what you're saying. I suppose Classic is a rather more general term, especially if it's for something like radio, though I probably would still consider America as Hard Rock. The problem with CR is that it's now too much of a blanket term for 'old' music, and defines everything from that era, even when it shouldn't. I probably would define Elton John as CR if only because I can't think of an appropriate genre for him to be lumped in with - is he pop or rock? I'll be safe and stick with Classic. So, I guess, CR is a 'safer' term, but I don't consider it a 'valid' term when thinking of the bands that encompass it. It wasn't used when Zeppelin were knocking out STH or Kashmir, so I don't use it now. It was a creation for radio, rather than a specific sound.

[Jarlaxle 56]

Not trying to be contrary, ok maybe I am . But how is that different from what happened with the "original" blues rock bands? In fact that was the knock against them in the beginning and now, people who knew better were saying it wasn't new at all, many went as far to say it was stolen and it some cases it was. Honestly the more I listen to blues the less I appreciate blues based classic rock era bands.

My point exactly, originality is one of the most important aspects in music. We can't have a return to good music without a revolution of new music, imo.

[Virginia]

Just wanted to clarify that I do listen to a little bit of almost everything (country, hip hop, R&B, and more) but when I listen to rock, it's mostly classic or southern (Zeppelin, Eagles, Doors, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd, CS&N). Or DMB.

[bigstickbonzo]

"Classic rock" is a media term used to easily identify a time period of specific rock and roll.

Actually classic rock is historic in being the time frame when the "roll" mysteriously disappeared and it has forever since been referred to as "rock." Enough said.