A Brief History of Rock by Chris Hogg
As we move rapidly to the end of the decade it is hard to imagine a world without Rock music. Indeed, we have lived with Rock, in all its guises, for over half a century and its popularity shows no signs of abating. As genres go, Rock music has taken one of the greatest journeys of all, one that would take forever to document in its entirety, but here lies a humble attempt at summarising the great epochs of its progression.
1950’s- Roots and Echoes, the Early Years
Today Rock music holds as common a place in our culture as the written word but back in the 1950’s the genre was only beginning to find a basic form. Rock and Roll music had emerged as a blend of more traditional types of music, such as Rockabilly, Blues and Country and Western, as the Jazz age started to fade. In many parts of the Western world, particularly in America, the 1950’s was a decade of increasing rebellion. It was not long since the end of the Second World War and a new generation was seeking to define itself independently, questioning the now seemingly outdated and irrelevant values of their parents. It was the decade that saw icon rebels dominating many aspects of culture perhaps most notably James Dean’s defining portrayal of James Stark, in the appropriately named film ‘Rebel Without a Cause’. Rebellion also filtered its way into Rock and Roll and alongside Ike Turner and Bill Hailey, Elvis Presley signalled the birth of a new type of music. In choosing a defining track for this early period it seems fitting to reference the late, great DJ and music enthusiast John Peel. Peel once described how his life changed, and his love for music started, when, as a teenager, he heard Elvis singing ‘Heartbreak Hotel’. It was like nothing he had ever heard before and though by today’s standards the song many sound tame and somewhat bare it is not hard to imagine the revelation it caused at the time. The evocative lyrics, the commanding vocal display, a well defined solo, it contains a whole host of elements that would later go on to define Rock Music.
1960’s- ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, Rock Music becomes the Medium
If the 1950’s had set the foundations of Rock Music then the 1960’s saw the genre begin to dominate. With the spirit of rebellion still continuing, Britain was leading the way with a new wave of bands that were crossing the Atlantic. It was, in some ways, a journey to their spiritual home; many of the British bands were inspired by American Rock and Roll and Blues music and a defining moment came in January 1964 when the biggest of the English bands, none other than the Beatles, had their first number one hit in the American Billboards with ‘I want to hold your hand’. Other British bands included the guitar driven The Rolling Stones, who provided Rock’s essential spirit of recklessness and rebellion and The Who, who epitomised the fashionable MOD image of the decade. The American’s were also playing their part. One of Rock’s greatest legends, Bob Dylan, had moved from his earlier folk beginnings into what many referred to as Folk Rock and his ever inventive style was managing to combine meaningful and often poetic lyrics with popular Rock music. Rock, then, was reaching a bigger audience and was starting to be seen as a legitimate medium for expressing ideas and beliefs. The growing phenomenon of counter-culture that was emerging in western countries identified itself heavily with the genre, seeing it as a perfect encapsulation of their beliefs in the importance of rebellion, free spirit and experimentation. It is little wonder, then, that by the end of the decade Rock was beginning to adopt a serious of guises. Not only was it a voice of protest against governments and establishments, there were also bands, like the Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Doors, drawing heavily on the growing psychedelic drugs culture. Musically, Rock was also becoming increasingly more complex and mature. Progressive Rock bands, such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin were experimenting with new recording techniques and instrumental arrangements and such activity within the genre ensured that Rock music was in better shape than ever. In selecting tracks for this period they’ll hopefully be a variety of styles that demonstrate the diversity that the increasingly respected medium of Rock Music was reaching at this time.
1970’s- ‘It’s only Rock and Roll but I like it’ Dominance, Experimentation and a New Birth
As the 60’s rolled into the 70’s rock was reaching even bigger audiences. Bands that had originated in the 60’s such as The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin were now selling out large arenas and Rock Music, though still largely associated with the image of counter-culture rebellion, had earned a place in mainstream culture. This didn’t mean the end of experimentation, however. Glam Rock, which had its roots in the late 1960’s was becoming more popular with artists such as Marc Bolan of TREX, David Bowie and Lou Reed all reinventing themselves in the Glam Rock, theatrical style . Other bands, such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/ DC and Judas Priest were experimenting with heavier Rock, usually based on sizable riffs and heavily amplified guitar sounds and these bands also achieved much corporate success. However, towards the end of the 1970’s there was a growing unease amongst some Rock fans regarding the new commercial face of the genre. For many, Rock had lost part of its essential thrill of rebellion and appealing gritty roughness. Stadium Rock was an oxymoron, and a new generation was seeking to gain its own independence of sound. This notion was extremely influential in the latter half of the decade and saw the new birth of Punk Rock. In America, bands such as the Ramones and Patti Smith led the way and in Britain the likes of the Clash and the Sex Pistols became a voice for an increasing amount of followers who felt let down and disenfranchised from the government and out of touch with the previous generation. These new bands, through there distinct choice of clothing, often simple bit appealing musical arrangements, and anti-authoritarian ideologies helped breath what many regarded to be a new life into Rock Music, and ensured its continuing status of rebellion. The tracks below show the many changes that defined this turbulent decade in Rock history.
1980’s- ‘My ever changing Moods’ Increased Diversification
The 1980’s saw the already diverse world of Rock music split to the point of segregation. The decade saw a new range of Heavy metal bands emerging, such as Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, alongside such glam metal outfits as Motley Crue and Alice Cooper, while at the other end of the spectrum acts like Tears for Fears were blending Rock elements with the growing interest in electronic pop. Continuing on from where Punk Rock had left off New Wave Rock and Alternative Rock was beginning to attract listeners, particularly amongst the young with acts that included The Pixies, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, R.E.M and the Cure. Perhaps one of the most famous bands of this Alternative Rock era is the Smiths. Fronted by the notoriously enigmatic Morrissey, the band excelled in intellectual song writing and their often witty approach to ennui in modern society served yet again to highlight Rock Music’s position as a legitimate means of social commentary. Though the influence of guitar Rock was not particularly prominent in the 1980’s the genre was far from on its way out and the selected songs are some of Rock music’s greatest treasures.
1990’s- ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, Rock regenerates with a little help from the past
As the 80’s became the 90’s a new movement was receiving much press. A whole host of new bands were beginning to play a type of Rock Music that expanded on the progress of both Punk Rock and Alternative Rock and was noted for its dirty and distorted sound. The movement, which became known as grunge, was seen to represent the perfect antidote to much of the over produced and image conscious music of the 1980’s and the most famous of the grunge bands, Nirvana, still enjoy a large following, years after the suicide of lead singer Kurt Kobain. Other bands such as Pearl Jam and The Pixies also experimented with this style of Rock and Grunge heralded the ever enduring spirit of guitar based rebellion. In Britain the 1990’s also saw the emergence of Britpop. Britpop was in many ways a nostalgic movement that looked back to the golden years of 60’s Rock, with bands like Oasis and Supergrass drawing much influence from The Beatles and the Kinks in particular. But Britpop was far from being an outdated and overly nostalgic affair. Other bands of the Britpop era were determined to show a deeper aspect to their art and reflect the issues of contemporary society. In 1997, the year that saw New Labour sweep to power upon a wave of optimism, Radiohead delivered the contrasting and unforgettable, ‘OK Computer.’ The album provides, alongside excellent Rock Musicianship, a bleak and haunting meditation upon a technological age that was already advancing at an unprecedented level and the tracks below show that instead of being an outdated genre, Rock Music was displaying, yet again, its unrivalled ability to re-invent itself into relevance.
2000’s- The future is...
As Britpop came to an end Alternative Rock and Indie Rock continued under its influence. At the start of the decade The Libertines gained much critical acclaim with their blend of post-punk, and Brit-pop influenced Rock and the popularity of such music was further secured by the popularity of American indie bands such as The Strokes, Kings of Leon and The Killers. However, in today’s diverse society Rock Music itself has also become more diverse than ever. Other recent genres include Emo Rock, which has emerged as a product of hardcore Punk, Nu Metal, which often combines elements of Rap with heavy guitar based music, and Electronic Rock, which celebrates a more synthesised approach in its output. In fact, it can be argued that the term ‘Rock music’ no longer has any defined notion. This is probably true but only serves as a testament to the long and expanding journey that Rock Music has undertaken. And what is more, it is a journey that is far from being over. At the end of this decade the future of rock may be uncertain but its ability to continue advancing is definitely not.