Thought it might be interesting to discuss / define the various genres of music, as I'm confused sometimes by what types of music fall under various genres. What makes 'thrash metal' different from 'metal,' what makes 'prog rock' not 'hair rock,' and is "hair rock' similar to 'hair metal'? When does a blues song segue into R&B, or into blues rock? Which bands are good examples of each genre (with the acknowledgement that quite a few bands cover two or more genres, perhaps even cite specific songs? Yeah, I know that many of the genres bleed over into each other at the edges, too.
I'm hoping this won't degenerate into arguments about which genre is better than others - such arguments are, as far as I'm concerned, pointless. I just want to get a better feel for the various genres and sub-genres of music, so when the next person says something like "I'm in a heavy metal band, but would prefer to be in a thrash metal band," I won't be the one saying, "Isn't metal music all the same?"
