When did classic rock become "classic rock"?
- Thread starter jlindsey86
- Start date
Intrepid
Free Your Mind
Here's my 2.
The "classic rock" station in South Florida, Big 106, had a slogan for awhile, "It doesn't have to be old to be a classic". Interesting concept, but I think most of us can probably agree that in general, music produced after 1979 has pretty much sucked, except for a few examples.
On the other hand, if so called classic rock stations were true to the genre, they'd play Elvis, Chuck Berry and Little Richard as well as Led Zep. Most of the classic rock stations are just trying to appeal to baby boomers ($$$$$), and the sounds of their childhood and teen years, bottom line!
Get ready, pretty soon you'll hear Greenday and Blink 182 on "classic rock" stations. God help us all!
The "classic rock" station in South Florida, Big 106, had a slogan for awhile, "It doesn't have to be old to be a classic". Interesting concept, but I think most of us can probably agree that in general, music produced after 1979 has pretty much sucked, except for a few examples.
On the other hand, if so called classic rock stations were true to the genre, they'd play Elvis, Chuck Berry and Little Richard as well as Led Zep. Most of the classic rock stations are just trying to appeal to baby boomers ($$$$$), and the sounds of their childhood and teen years, bottom line!
Get ready, pretty soon you'll hear Greenday and Blink 182 on "classic rock" stations. God help us all!
Tubejunke
Super Member
Toasted Almond said:
This quote sums up the answer to the original question. When did classic rock become "classic rock"?
I never heard the term until the late 80's and I feel as if it was the result of a sudden interest amoung rockers to hear music that had balls and performed by some cheesy, bisexual, poser band. We had lived through glitter, disco, punk, techno, glam (hair+lipstick), and all we had left was to rediscover the great sounds that mostly presceeded all the bullshit. So like myself a lot of folks started digging in their older brothers album collection, or maybe even their fathers to find a whole world of great tunes that at that time were sort of just older songs that you didnt hear much anymore. Rock And Roll gave us two whole decades packed full of wonderfull sounds. Kind of a pioneering era of sorts. I am 37 years old but my music collection could just as easily or more likely be someone who is 50 or more.
I came home from Germany in 1989 and was amazed that there was this great new station that played "classic rock". Yep, I came home and they were playing Ten Years After, Mountain, The Band, The Byrds, Crosby Stills & Nash, Neil Young, ZZ Top, Canned Heat, and of course Zep, Purple, Sabbath, THE BIG THREE. Those were the days!! Unfortunately that morphed into the redundant, hard drive DJ, FM sickness that we have today.
My local rock station is 96.3 WROV. Its the same station that played the cool stuff I mentioned previously all day long. Now the only time you get to hear something cool is when they actually go LIVE from 12 till 1 for "The Liquid Lunch"...
I'm like why can't you guys have lunch all day??????????
Dusty Chalk
Born-again Nihilist
Somewhere around '85-'86, maybe as early as '84. That's when radio stations dedicated to the "genre" sprung up like mushrooms on a moist lawn. Before then, classic rock didn't have the connotation it did -- it usually meant "moldy oldies" from the '50's and '60's.
Delshadowrio
Active Member
I always thought that classic rock was established when MTV started.
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Tubejunke
Super Member
Dusty Chalk said:
This may be different in different areas of the country. I agree with the first sentence, but the second seems to say theat the term was used before that. If it was I don't remember ever hearing it. There has been an audience for older Rock And Roll since it had time to get a few years under its belt. So I always remember "oldies" AM stations or FM spots like "Cruisin' Saturday Night" but never "classic rock".
Now it seems that about 10 of 15 years earns the "classic rock" badge. Its OK I guess. Only it certainly reminds one sometimes all to well how much time is passing, and how QUICKLY!!
Also, Delshadoreo's statement about MTV works. MTV was the knock out blow behind Disco for Rock. I aint sayin its dead but it has sure took a beating. The 90's had its moments of hope. I think we are in a dry spell now. Really music in general as far as new releases seems so boring, sterile, and for Rock especially Rock, whiney, depressing, and redundant. Oh and if you watch CMT for an hour you'll find that most country bands playing live put on a KISS show with cowboy hats. I mean mega stage lighting and effects. Yep, smoke, fire bombs, the works. The guitar players are plugged into Marshall amps and have hotter licks than Ace Freiley can remember. I guess the trusty, crying pedal steel sound is now Classic Country.
Then theres Johnny Cash. He was everything music should be........
Dusty Chalk
Born-again Nihilist
No, sorry, didn't mean to imply that it had been used -- at least not in the current "buzzword phrase" sense that it's used these days. They might have used the words classic and rock in the same sentences, though.
I.E. before '85 or so, it was "here's a rock classic from 1969"; once the radio stations sprung up, it was "here's some Classic Rock from 1973".
I.E. before '85 or so, it was "here's a rock classic from 1969"; once the radio stations sprung up, it was "here's some Classic Rock from 1973".
Possum_Dog
Member
They became classic songs the day the notes were burned into the grooves.
It's still being done every day. Someone has a melody and lyrics floating around in their head that is so damn good that when they finally record it in the studio and release it to the world it becomes an instant classic.
It's still being done every day. Someone has a melody and lyrics floating around in their head that is so damn good that when they finally record it in the studio and release it to the world it becomes an instant classic.
