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"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Dr. Hunter S. Thompson  "It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it." David Stanowski To find older articles; use Search or Site Map |
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Wednesday 23 March 2005 What Is Classic Rock? By Patti Williams There are some that will argue that Classic Rock is a sound, a style, from no particular time period. I've heard references to bands being "new Classic Rock." Sorry bud, not on MY site. The term "Classic Rock," by its very nature, describes something from the past; a classic, as in vintage, rare, priceless, unforgettable, hard to duplicate. As in a classic car. Or "that movie is a classic!" Calling a song "new Classic Rock" is like saying a piece of recently-produced furniture is a "new antique." The terms are contradictory. I don't care how many shows the Black Crowes play with Jimmy Page, or how great the Dave Matthews Band might be. Give 'em twenty-five more years and we'll talk. Until then, they're simply NOT Classic Rock. No, if you want to give us true Classic Rock variety, dig up some long-forgotten artists; the ones that the number-crunchers and charted demographics have unforgivably neglected. Play us some Traffic, Yardbirds, James Gang, Blind Faith, Badfinger, Jo Jo Gunne, the Move, Small Faces, Uriah Heep, ELP, Spirit, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Todd Rundgren, Hot Tuna, Mahogany Rush, Velvet Underground, Ten Years After, King Crimson and Frank Zappa, to name a few. And add more variety to the standard bands -- play "Stairway to Heaven" once a month, if you must --but how about "When the Levee Breaks," "Dancing Days" and "Trampled Under Foot" now and then? Trust me, the Moody Blues had other songs besides "Nights In White Satin" and "Question." How about spinning "Legend of a Mind," "Gypsy" or "One More Time To Live" instead of the "hits"? Ever heard of "Well Respected Man" or "Living On A Thin Line"? Yes, the Kinks actually had songs other than "Lola" and "You Really Got Me." Give me a holler and I'll tell you what albums they're on. If you want a successful Classic Rock station, I mean REAL Classic Rock, it's quite simple: Ditch the hair bands. They were barely tolerable in the 80s. They're downright obnoxious now. Grouping Cinderella and Motley Crue into a block with the Doors, Led Zeppelin and the Stones isn't only sacrilege, but will make us flip the station faster than you can say hairspray. Don't play anything that was recorded past 1979 (unless it's a new recording from a classic artist). We're not thankful that you're enlightening us with a wonderful new discovery. There's a reason why many of us tune in to Classic Rock as opposed to Alternative or New Rock radio -- we LIKE the old bands and think most new music is crap. Rummage through the basement and find all the old albums, especially from the 60s. By virtue of their founding years, Journey, REO Speedwagon and Foreigner may fall under the Classic Rock umbrella. Barely. But there's a hell of a lot more to true Classic Rock, and you seem to forget that. We really don't want to hear Styx four times a day, when you only play Janis once a month. Play album cuts. Next time you pull out the Stones' "Sticky Fingers" and you're tempted to play "Brown Sugar," do us all a favor and play "Bitch," "Sister Morphine" or "Dead Flowers" instead. Play lost classics. Lots and lots. Blow our minds. The more often you make us say "Wow, I haven't heard that song in years!" the more faithful we'll become as listeners. That's all there is to it, really. |
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