Rock'n Roll Is Dead, Long Live Rock! :)

[Huntn]

On February 15th, with the playing of Metallica's "Fade to Black", I pretty much stopped listening to radio. KNAC 105.5 which was a local rock/metal station for Los Angeles County. What a sad day in history for me. Listened to the last song, hoping it would never end.

Those where the days!

Did the station go off the air?

Classical > Opera > Oldies Rock > Show Tunes

Classical runs the gamut of emotions and only the BEST works of several centuries survived. It's both soothing (Mozart and Beethoven is very relaxing) and inspiring (Wagner gets the blood pumping). Being an evil mastermind, Opera is a must. I love operas for the same reason as Classical, and you can crank the volume up to drown out your enemy's tortured screams. Oldies Rock has good lyrics and good music. Show Tunes...well it's catchy. It's like junk food, nice if small doses.

I find dissonance of modern pop music frazzle my nerves. Country music has nice lyrics, but little else. Rap (what I call spitting music, because of the beat box stuff), I can say nothing good about that.

I love those previously mentioned, Classical, Jazz, New Age, Classic Rock. At home I listen to no radio, in the car, it's rock or classical.

 

[lowendlinux]

No issues with your comments. For reference, what is you preferred music?

Punk largely

 

[Huntn]

Punk largely

Do you think you'll be listening to this type of music in 10-20 years?

 

[lowendlinux]

Do you think you'll be listening to this type of music in 10-20 years?

Being that it's been around for 40 I'd imagine so.

**edit** I read that wrong ... Yes I do I've been listening to it since the 80's so I imagine it'll continue. As long as politics is in punk I'll be listening

 

[rhett7660]

Did the station go off the air?

Sorry, yes it went off the air. Sad day I tell you!

 

[Huntn]

Sorry, yes it went off the air. Sad day I tell you!

I'm waiting for it to die too, but I assume as long as there are enough listening it will continue in some markets. In my family, I have a group 30 somethings listening to classic Rock, but maybe they have become the old fogeys too! It could be the younger generation is just too far removed to relate.

 

[Peace]

There's a few Jam Bands out there that do pretty good rock and roll.
Derek Trucks ( dad was in Allman Brothers )
Just gotta poke around.

 

[rhett7660]

Do you think you'll be listening to this type of music in 10-20 years?

I know I will be, heck I have been listening to it for the past 25+ years and I have no signs of slowing down! Of course I also listen to metal (all flavors!)....

 

[ucfgrad93]

I love classic rock.

 

[Huntn]

Sorry, yes it went off the air. Sad day I tell you!

When we left the Twin Cities (Minneapolis, St. Paul) 4 years ago, they had one Classic Rock station. It's still there. Moving to a much larger market, Houston, there were two CRSs, but one recently closed down, so we are back to one. Frequently when traveling (driving) we travel through markets with "BOB FM" stations, automated stations with no DJs and not all CR, but I see this as the future. I admit I like having talking DJs, versus a prerecorded DJ that is piped to all stations that are part of the BOB network.

There's a few Jam Bands out there that do pretty good rock and roll.
Derek Trucks ( dad was in Allman Brothers )
Just gotta poke around.

That is awesome, I've always loved jazz.

Premo Rock #2 (number designates posting order only)​

 

[Peace]

When we left the Twin Cities (Minneapolis, St. Paul) 4 years ago, they had one Classic Rock station. It's still there. Moving to a much larger market, Houston, there were two CRSs, but one recently closed down, so we are back to one. Frequently when traveling (driving) we travel through markets with "BOB FM" stations, automated stations with no DJs and not all CR, but I see this as the future. I admit I like having talking DJs, versus a prerecorded DJ that is piped to all stations that are part of the BOB network.



That is awesome, I've always loved jazz.

Premo Rock #2 (number designates posting order only)​

Ya Derek Trucks is a very good guitarist. He's had a lot of good teachers with his Dad being Butch Trucks From Allman Bros. Plus he plays in ABB with Warren Haynes. His wife is Susan Tedeschi.

Here he is doing blues.

 

[Huntn]

For years I always thought of the Beetles as the band unsurpassed in creativity. I even had the nerve to call Abbey Road, the best album due to musical joy that flowed from one song right into the next, stariting with Come Together, progressing through a roller coaster of thrills and momentary eddies, before taking off again. And when it reached The End, I was asking Why Must It End!! An epic musical treat for my ears, but I'll acknowledge that it's not so much the individual songs but the overall compilation and my perceptions are molded by the time and place of my youth in the Golden Age of Rock and Roll, plus a little weed, which I believe unlocks the perspective.

My friends seemed to be divided liking the Beetles or The Rolling Stones, just like they either fell into the Chevy or Ford camp. It look me a while to acknowledge that The Stones represented gritty down to Earth ballads (Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Woman) while The Beetles were floating around in the sky on their spiritual, drug infused journey, not that The Stones did not partake, but this aspect made it into The Beetles music, and arguably contributed to some amazing work on their part. It also took me a long wile to acknowledge the sophistication of such Stones songs as You Can't Aways Get What You Want, Under My Thumb, and Sympathy For The Devil.

​

Ya Derek Trucks is a very good guitarist. He's had a lot of good teachers with his Dad being Butch Trucks From Allman Bros. Plus he plays in ABB with Warren Haynes. His wife is Susan Tedeschi.

Here he is doing blues.

I've always loved Blues! More awesomeness!

 

[Peace]

For years I always thought of the Beetles as the band unsurpassed in creativity. I even had the nerve to call Abbey Road, the best album due to musical joy that flowed from one song right into the next, stariting with Come Together, progressing through a roller coaster of thrills and momentary eddies, before taking off again. And when it reached The End, I was asking Why Must It End!! An epic musical treat for my ears, but I'll acknowledge that it's not so much the individual songs but the overall compilation and my perceptions are molded by the time and place of my youth in the Golden Age of Rock and Roll, plus a little weed, which I believe unlocks the perspective.

My friends seemed to be divided liking the Beetles or The Rolling Stones, just like they either fell into the Chevy or Ford camp. It look me a while to acknowledge that The Stones represented gritty down to Earth ballads (Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Woman) while The Beetles were floating around in the sky on their spiritual, drug infused journey, not that The Stones did not partake, but this aspect made it into The Beetles music, and arguably contributed to some amazing work on their part. It also took me a long wile to acknowledge the sophistication of such Stones songs as You Can't Aways Get What You Want, Under My Thumb, and Sympathy For The Devil.

​

I've always loved Blues! More awesomeness!

Let's see. you like Rock and roll,Jazz,The Blues.

You must like Grateful Dead.

This is a group called Playing For change. They gathered musicians from around the world in celebration of The Grateful Dead's last stand a couple months ago at Levi's stadium and soldier field.

Not strictly Rock and Roll but a song written by one of the best Acid Rock songwriters ever. Mr. Robert Hunter.

Very touching . And worth watching.

You will recognize some of the musicians.

The Dead did their final shows this summer at Levi's Stadium and Soldier field. No better way to go out than in front of 80,000 for $200 million over 5 shows. They had Trey Anastasio from Phish and Bruce Hornsby.


This is Throwing Stones.

 

[Tomorrow]

There's plenty of rock and roll still being made.

What the "older" crowd seems to be complaining about (I'm lumping myself into that group) is not that rock and roll like the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, etc. are all old and/or gone, but what's really happened is that rock and roll has evolved. It's still here, it just sounds different.

I can turn on the radio (Dallas area) and hear Foo Fighters, Muse, Black Keys, Avenged Sevenfold, Fall Out Boy, Five Finger Death Punch, Arctic Monkeys, etc. No, they don't sound like The Who or Aerosmith but come on, people, it's been 40 years. Stuff evolves.

I love classic rock as much as anybody. For me, nothing beats straight-up guitar-driven rock from decades ago. But the reality is that music today is different, just as what was called rock and roll in the '70's sounded very different from what was called rock and roll in the '50's. It's still here, and it's doing just fine - it's just different now.

 

[Huntn]

There's plenty of rock and roll still being made.

What the "older" crowd seems to be complaining about (I'm lumping myself into that group) is not that rock and roll like the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, etc. are all old and/or gone, but what's really happened is that rock and roll has evolved. It's still here, it just sounds different.

I can turn on the radio (Dallas area) and hear Foo Fighters, Muse, Black Keys, Avenged Sevenfold, Fall Out Boy, Five Finger Death Punch, Arctic Monkeys, etc. No, they don't sound like The Who or Aerosmith but come on, people, it's been 40 years. Stuff evolves.

I love classic rock as much as anybody. For me, nothing beats straight-up guitar-driven rock from decades ago. But the reality is that music today is different, just as what was called rock and roll in the '70's sounded very different from what was called rock and roll in the '50's. It's still here, and it's doing just fine - it's just different now.

Periodically I surf the radio channels sampling new music. Maybe my luck has been bad. I'll do it again today!

Btw, I've got pretty wide tastes, enjoyng a wide variety of music types from the 40"s (Big Band), though the 80's. Somewhere around the 90's I lost the connection. But I've listened to newer bands like Smash Mouth and have enjoyed them.

Update: On an errand, I drove for 30 min, my radio scanning found 6 CW, 5 Tejano, (comes with the region), 2 rapping, 2 pop/mix, 1 business, 1 classical, 1 spiritual. During that time, I heard nothing I'd call new Rock. I recognized Taylor Swift and Prince, Let's Go Crazy. I like Prince btw.

 

[Tomorrow]

Update: On an errand, I drove for 30 min, my radio scanning found 6 CW, 5 Tejano, (comes with the region), 2 rapping, 2 pop/mix, 1 business, 1 classical, 1 spiritual. During that time, I heard nothing I'd call new Rock. I recognized Taylor Swift and Prince, Let's Go Crazy. I like Prince btw.

How discouraging. I don't know how many of those we have here, but we at least have one classic rock, one modern rock, and one alternative station here.

 

[rhett7660]

Periodically I surf the radio channels sampling new music. Maybe my luck has been bad. I'll do it again today!

Btw, I've got pretty wide tastes, enjoyng a wide variety of music types from the 40"s (Big Band), though the 80's. Somewhere around the 90's I lost the connection. But I've listened to newer bands like Smash Mouth and have enjoyed them.

Update: On an errand, I drove for 30 min, my radio scanning found 6 CW, 5 Tejano, (comes with the region), 2 rapping, 2 pop/mix, 1 business, 1 classical, 1 spiritual. During that time, I heard nothing I'd call new Rock. I recognized Taylor Swift and Prince, Let's Go Crazy. I like Prince btw.

I am right there with yeah, I have big band stuff, jazz, classical, punk, piano, classic rock, 80's pop, 80's hair bands, metal, death metal, grindcore, industrial, movie scores and soundtracks, trance, and pretty much anything else that might come in between! If I think it sounds good, I buy it. Pretty simple really. But I tend to lean towards the heavy stuff.

I have some rap, not a lot, that seems to be the one style I have not really gotten into. I have a few songs that I have purchased off of iTunes or Amazon.

 

[Huntn]

How discouraging. I don't know how many of those we have here, but we at least have one classic rock, one modern rock, and one alternative station here.

I can't say I covered the spectrum. I'll keep looking. Can you tell me what the modern rock station in your area calls itself, if it does, other than its letters? For example there is the "sunny" stations who play lite pop/rock. There are the "mix" stations that play a variety of music.

 

[D.T.]

I don't know how many of those we have here, but we at least have one classic rock, one modern rock, and one alternative station here.

Yeah, this is our pretty solid local alt/rock/modern rock, you can listen live and also generate a [previously played] playlist, this is from the last couple of hours:

 

[Tomorrow]

I can't say I covered the spectrum. I'll keep looking. Can you tell me what the modern rock station in your area calls itself, if it does, other than its letters? For example there is the "sunny" stations who play lite pop/rock. There are the "mix" stations that play a variety of music.

They call themselves "The Eagle." They actually mix up some classics in with the modern stuff (think Hendrix, AC/DC, Boston, etc.). Lots of Linkin Park, Godsmack, Shinedown, Stone Sour, etc.

 

[Huntn]

They call themselves "The Eagle." They actually mix up some classics in with the modern stuff (think Hendrix, AC/DC, Boston, etc.). Lots of Linkin Park, Godsmack, Shinedown, Stone Sour, etc.

The Eagle is the surviving classic rock station in Houston. The Arrow was dumped 2 years ago, (now that I've looked it up) and replaced with a rap/R&B station owned by Clear Channel. The Arrow morning show had two really annoying guys in the morning who were focused on and continuously droning on about politics from a conservative perspective, so I had written them off for the mornings anyway. The Eagle morning show guys are mostly a-political (at least in what they talk about- Dean and Rog) and funny. I also have a Sirius subscription on one of my cars so we have the 50,60,70,80,90, and a smorgasbord of other music types, but my emphasis has been on local stations. Thanks!

 

[mscriv]

Living in DFW as well I listen to the Eagle from time to time. Like @Tomorrow already mentioned I think good rock and roll is still being made and I consider it to be a broad category. I enjoy bands like the Foo Fighters, The Weekend, Walk the Moon, Fall Out Boy, Maroon 5, Ed Sheeran, 5 Seconds of Summer, The Killers, Kelly Clarkson, AWOLNATION, Muse, KONGOS, The All American Rejects, Charli XCX, Neon Trees, Cher Lloyd, Grouplove, Imagine Dragons, Coldplay, Hot Chelle Rae, Of Monsters and Men, Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, Fun, Phillip Phillips, Train, Christina Perri, Modest Mouse, Foster the People, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, etc.....

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The Google Music Timeline (below) shows how the approximate popularity of the Rock genre and its sub-genres over time. The Rock era unfolded as more and more Baby Boomers entered adolescence.

View attachment 483932

Chapter 8 of the book, This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, unsurprising, concludes that the genres and styles of music heard in childhood tend to dictate what we listen to in later life, and musical preferences are heavily influenced by social factors such as what "our group" listens to.

For many, music preferences are sealed at an early age. If you don't make the effort learn to appreciate new and different types of music, then what you were raised on is what you'll keep listening to the rest of your life. Anything outside of that narrow and limited range sounds "wrong". You only recognize certain genres as being "good", because you're trained your brain to react in that way.

Remember how your parents complained that the music of your generation wasn't "real music"? Congratulations. You've turned into your parents.

Unless you have had the good fortune to have been exposed to a great many varieties of music (such as much happen in the homes of professional musicians) and have learned to develop an appreciative ear for all of them, in which case your capacity to accept new forms of music will stay with you throughout your life.

I was fortunate in that my father had very eclectic tastes in music, and had LPs featuring Big Band music, classic jazz, classical music, while my Mother liked the best of pop (such as Abba), classical music and was open to trad. Both liked the Beatles, so we grew up in a house where Beethoven was as welcome as the Beatles.

I love Rock music. But I avoid "Classic Rock" stations like the plague. Why?

Because I've heard pretty much every track on their daily playlists about a thousand times and, unless the mood or circumstances call for it, I don't need to hear them again.

Take a look at this list of the Top 15 Most played Classic Rock songs. They are all good songs - but I'm borderline sick of most of them.

The only time I listen to music on FM radio is if I happen to catch one of the curated shows presenting new music in genres I like. If you never listen to new music, or at least music thats new to you, then you end up fossilizing in your musical tastes. Frozen in time. And thats not a good place to be.

Don't be a dinosaur. Because "Classic Rock" radio stations are what killed Rock Music - not rap, country, or anything else.

I'd also argue that class differences - and the innate conservatism of the music industry itself, - have helped to 'kill' rock music. While there good bands exist today, they don't define a generations's sense of self the way music did 30 or 40 years ago.

These days, kids don't have the sort of intensely felt and indeed sometimes ardently agonised arguments about who has the better music, the sort of debates where what you claimed to like defined who you said you were (i.e. Stones versus Beatles, Blur versus Oasis and so on). They don't have these debates because music doesn't matter as much in terms of identity as it once did.

Moreover, rock music used to be one of the ways that bright, musically talented kids from backgrounds that were not especially well off used to be able to make a successful career; that is not quite the case anymore.

These days - from the 1990s - the labels wanted 'safe' music, controllable stars, and therefore, they created bands, and invented brands. This differed drastically from the older model which was to identify groups that already existed and had come up with something new and original. Actually, rather allowing groups that had organically come together - the sort of groups which emerged from a world where the kids in garages or cellars were banging away on their instruments and honing their craft - the sort that would be stroppy about their art, they preferred safety, predictability and control.

I would not say it is less popular as much as it doesn't sell as well. This is why stations don't play it as much. They can get more money out of the teens with the crap music. Advertisers are getting a bigger return out of top 40 and Pop.

Is that music better, no, but it is easier to sell. Keep pumping out cheap hits that the kids eat up vs a highly produced rock album.

Fair comment and I think that there is something in this argument.

You're right about that, but the classic rock stations play only the same songs from each band. You'd never hear "She Said She Said" by the Beatles on any classic rock station which is a shame since it's an awesome song.

In any case, the "classic" just comes from the fact that its old. Just as the Beatles were seen as "pop" from 1963-1964. It was just popular at the time. Katy Perry and Bieber are seen as pop now. It might be the same demographic, but the music is worlds apart.

'She Said She Said' is a terrific song; both 'Revolver' and 'Rubber Soul' are superb albums, but you are unlikely to hear them played on radio, I agree.

Today's popular music gives me a headache. But if you only take the best of the best, then it holds up well compared to the golden oldies. The main reason I like oldies music is because only the best lives on. I can't name 90% of the bands from 50's-80's. The crap music of that era has faded into obscurity.

Still like that old time rock 'n' roll
That kind of music just soothes the soul
I reminisce about the days of old
With that old time rock 'n' roll
-- Bob Seger (Old Time Rock and Roll)

Agreed.

Classical > Opera > Oldies Rock > Show Tunes

Classical runs the gamut of emotions and only the BEST works of several centuries survived. It's both soothing (Mozart and Beethoven is very relaxing) and inspiring (Wagner gets the blood pumping). Being an evil mastermind, Opera is a must. I love operas for the same reason as Classical, and you can crank the volume up to drown out your enemy's tortured screams. Oldies Rock has good lyrics and good music. Show Tunes...well it's catchy. It's like junk food, nice if small doses.

I find dissonance of modern pop music frazzle my nerves. Country music has nice lyrics, but little else. Rap (what I call spitting music, because of the beat box stuff), I can say nothing good about that.

Nice to see someone else reference classical music, and both Mozart and Beethoven are two of my favourites, as well.

 

[MacNut]

The problem I have with Classic Rock radio is they have such narrow playlists. Of all of the great songs of the past 30 years rock stations seem to gravitate towards those same 50 mega hits. I would love a deeper cuts classic rock station.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The problem I have with Classic Rock radio is they have such narrow playlists. Of all of the great songs of the past 30 years rock stations seem to gravitate towards those same 50 mega hits. I would love a deeper cuts classic rock station.

Oh, agreed.

But who are the radio stations employing to serve as DJs on such programmes? Are they employing genuine music specialists, those who have an encyclopaedic knowledge of music, and a passion for the subject (who are often also, the sort who might not be described as chiselled jawed clichéd handsome types)?

Or are they employing 'beautiful people' - kids out of journalism school, with a foot on a career rung - who simply do what they are told and play what is on the playlist, and don't know enough about the subject to challenge the playlist because they wouldn't have an idea of what to add to it?

I have known a few music specialist DJs on radio stations in my time. Some had come up through local radio, and others through pirate stations. All were absolutely passionate and insanely knowledgeable, and one heard lots of new and challenging stuff on their shows. They even gave new bands air time, on occasion. None of them would have been described as remotely good-looking, and they weren't schmoozers, either.

However, increasingly, you don't see this sort of specialist employed by radio stations, not even by the classical music stations.