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Trends of rock

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous [BG]' started by Albino_Ryno, Sep 5, 2001.

  1. Sep 5, 2001 #1
    Albino_Ryno

    Albino_Ryno Guest

    Sep 17, 2000
    Knoxville TN
    Is it just me or does rock seem to follow a cycle? I'll try to be as brief as possible. In the beggining it was Elvis and the Beatles, great music but relatively simple to play. Then along came Cream, Hendrix, Eagles and later Zeppelin, all more complex. Then in the later 70's you had Bob Seager and others who had great songs but they were more simplified. In the 80's Van Halen and the initial hair bands came along with songs containing some pretty complicated riffs and lengthy solos, but by the late 80's most hair bands played simple drawn out chords and slacked off on the soloing. Then came Guns n' Roses and Metallica who played more complex stuff, but then not too soon afterward Kirk Cobain and Nirvana and a slew of other "alternative" bands took over the scene with their extremely simple songs. Then rock shifted slightly back to the more complex side with The Black Crowes and Blues Traveler but still had a majority of the bands playing simpler stuff. I personally think rock (if that's what you call it anymore) has been in a slump that started in the early to mid 90's and has been ever so slowly trying to get back to the more complex stuff. If you look at the bands putting out records and getting radio play in 2000 and 2001 you'll notice that at least bands are starting to put guitar solos back into songs and *gasp* :eek: are even throwing in a rare bass solo every now and then! Now everything I just said is based on "popular" music. I know that there have always been complex "underground" rock bands and there's always exceptions to the rule (such as the chili pepers) who have played complex throughout, but I'm talking about the music you hear on the radio and see on Mtv everyday. I mean, even metal bands are affected. Metallica and Pantera played very complex stuff, but now Slipknot and Stained play stuff that is so simple and unorganized it doesn't even compare. Just tell me what you guys think.
     
  2. Sep 5, 2001 #2
    the-lizard-king

    the-lizard-king Guest

    Apr 27, 2001
    The Dark Side Of the Moon
    I think you are right, music trends do tend to follow cycles. Think at the moment the idea of prog rock and experimentalism from the seventies seems like it might be coming back with bands like Radiohead and Tool.
    Agree totally about rock being in a slump! When you take away the heavier rock like Slipknot etc., and then take away that crap rock like Matchbox 20 and take away from that the Pearl Jam rip-off bands like Creed, you are left with nothing. There is no good straight out rock and rollers like there has been in every other decade.
    Jim
     
  3. Sep 5, 2001 #3
    barroso

    barroso

    Aug 16, 2000
    Italia
    sure?
    i suggest you to take a look to a lot of indie and european bands like
    turbonegro
    backyard babies
    the hellacopters
    flaming sideburns
    madrugada (if you like doors and radiohead i highly suggest this band)
    ufomammut (psychedelick gods)

    or well known act like
    king's X
    monstermagnet
    unida
    QOTSA

    just to name a few
     
  4. Sep 5, 2001 #4
    CS

    CS

    Dec 11, 1999
    UK
    I agree with the original post to a certain degree but... try looking globally (as barroso suggested).
    For starters you missed out Punk/New Wave/Indie/Brit Pop. If you want to see complicated mainstream stuff look to Muse.

    Theres nothing wrong with simple. Also some stuff looks/sounds simple but isnt.
     
  5. Sep 5, 2001 #5
    dancehallclasher

    dancehallclasher

    Jul 21, 2000
    San Ramon, CA
    it's just that over the years the media have progressed such that we find out what the target audience wants very quickly and we give it to them. apparently, most people like simpler music, and that's fine. there always will be good music, you just have to dig a little. this has all been said before.

    by the way, simple does not = bad. case in point: the pixies.
     
  6. Sep 5, 2001 #6
    luisnovelo

    luisnovelo

    Apr 3, 2001
    Guadalajara, México
    I ´woulnd´t be sure if rock music tends to follow a cycle, but I can tell that nowadays, all the comercial music (not a category in specific, just comercial music of all types) focuses a lot in the image of their product.. These days you can notice that more than ever..

    I think that the years from mid 90´s till today, the music scene has taken a shape similar to the 80´s.. Tons of bands and "artists" showing up with mediocre copies of their influences, but investing much more in their image.
     
  7. Sep 5, 2001 #7
    purple_haze

    purple_haze Guest

    Jun 29, 2001
    London Town
    It's simply because rock rebels against itself once in a while. As soon as rock music gets so over-complicated and techinical that the fun and feeling is gone, simplicity and focussing on MUSIC and not VIRTUOSITY take hold.

    When music gets bland and requires no skill or contains individuality, someone who can do something special on an instrument comes along.
     
  8. Sep 5, 2001 #8
    Albino_Ryno

    Albino_Ryno Guest

    Sep 17, 2000
    Knoxville TN
    I just hope that the next wave of new bands to get discovered in the upcoming year contain some truly awe-inspiring musicians. It's hard for me to think of a musician that's in any of these popular modern rock bands that really impress me with thier playing ability. I'm not saying we should have songs that are full of nothing but solos or that every band member should be extreme show-offs but I mean, let's take a little focus off of the lead singer for a few seconds and put more emphasis on the actual music for a change!
     
  9. Sep 5, 2001 #9
    MJB

    MJB Guest

    Mar 17, 2000
    Unfortunately these days, I think music takes a back seat to how good you look and how good you can dance, jump, twirl and shake various body parts.

    Video killed the radio star. :(
     
  10. Sep 5, 2001 #10
    Bass Guitar

    Bass Guitar Supporting Member

    Aug 13, 2001
    That's so true. In the early part of the century jazz music was considered radical. Then swing music. Then rock and roll/ Elvis Presley was considered rebellious music. Even the Beatles initially were considered different. Now we look back at different genres and we are used to it. Wait till we have grandchildren who look back to the music of our generation and laugh at how boring it was!
     
  11. Sep 6, 2001 #11
    RAM

    RAM Guest

    May 10, 2000
    Chicago, IL
    What I've noticed is that most of the "complex" music doesn't make it. The rare occasion that it does become mainstream, it's usually a fluke. Case- in-point is Yes or Rush. Both have enjoyed some mainstream success, but continue to make "complex" music regardless of how much or how little air-play the band is likely to get.

    Music seems to go in waves. Every time a sound gets "tired", teeny-bopper bubble gum pop seems to come out of nowhere. I think that's what's going on now. It happened in the late '80's when rock became a parody of itself with bands like Poison hitting it huge. Then came along Nirvana with a hellish attitude of pure energy and the Seattle scene went from underground to hugely popular in no time.

    An interesting observation, by the way, is that music cycles seem to be somewhat related to the economy somehow. Back when Nirvana became huge was around the same time the US experienced its last recession. In the late '70's, disco became huge, right around the time of the gas crisis and another recession. In the mid-to-late '80's, heavy metal became hugely successful as "posers" seemed to be on the cover of every magazine.

    It's just hard to tell where it'll go next, but I think we're almost due. It'll also be interesting to see if there's a large wave of "producer's concoctions" like Brittany Spears or The Back Street Boys or In Sync right before the next recession;)