Can Mainstream Rock Music Survive

[jayceee]

Climbing the pop charts means that a lot of 14 year olds think liking a band will make them fit in that they all asked their parents for the money to buy their music. The people who spend the most money on music care far more how the lead singer is dressed than what the music sounds like.

I would disagree with this statement.

The people I knew growing up, who spent the most money on music were individuals who were hardcore into stuff like less popular heavy metal bands. For such individuals I knew back in the day, how the music sounded was everything. They were the ones who listened to stuff like the first few albums from then-unknown bands like Metallica, Slayer, etc ... before anybody else knew who these bands were. (The lead singers of such bands were largely uncharismatic and went on stage in their everyday street clothes).

 

[Solariabsg25]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR7U1HIhxfA

The thing about rock is it endures. It may not seem to be "mainstream", and to be honest I'm not sure if it ever truly was, but many other music trends tend to come and go. For example, how many New Romantic groups are still going today after the 1980's?

 

[Roshi]

You can't kill the Metal. The Metal will live on.

 

[Spot's Meow]

I think the view of rock you have is just too narrow. By the way, I love all of those 90s bands you mentioned, that was basically my teenage years. I'm still obsessed with the Foo Fighters.

I think that what happened was that bubblegum pop (Britney Spears, boy bands) became popular for a while, and then we moved into hip hop and rap. I would say that within the past two years or so we are trending towards rock again. I was just thinking this the other day as I was listening to some popular radio stations on a long drive and noticed that, since the last time I spent a lot of time listening to the radio, there was a lot less hip hop and a lot more "rock." I use the term rock fluidly. I think the new rock is the more indie and "leaning towards alternative" stuff, like Mumford and Sons, Imagine Dragons, Young the Giant, Neon Trees, fun., Grouplove, AWOLNATION, One Republic, etc. I hear these bands more and more on mainstream radio and see them on the charts. If you take a more narrow view of rock, then you may not count bands like these, but I do. I think they just tend to be more the "alternative" or "folk" type of rock, but that's still rock to me.

So to answer your question, I think rock is becoming mainstream again right now. But like all music, it has evolved into something new.

 

[Mojochi]

Elvis Presley wrote some great songs

No he didn't. Almost nothing he sang was written by him, though sometimes he'd be credited as a writer so he could get royalties, and occasionally he'd make alterations to a song before recording it

 

[Nerys Myk]

There was great rock music that was also popular in the 60s and 70s, but it was not popular because it was great. The Beatles wrote some great songs, and they were popular because they were given cute personalities and ran from one limo to the next. Elvis Presley wrote some great songs, and he was popular because he shook his ass around.

Gotta disagree. Elvis is one of the founding fathers of Rock and Roll. The Beatles are the founding fathers of Rock. Many, if not all, of the Rock acts that followed probably wouldn't be here with out them. The Beatles might have started as teen heart throbs with "cute personalities" but they rapidly evolved beyond that.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

Some of the Crap "So Called" Rock Stations are playing is revolting, thank Christ for my "Hair nation and Ozzy's Bone Yard etc."
I just think of that Steel Panther song "Death to all But Metal"(Explicit Language)
When I hear that annoying Fun song in the Mall.

 

[Pingfah]

Steel Panther are hilarious, but hey need to do a movie or TV show or something though. I only have so much tolerance for novelty music.

The music is actually strong, and they are fantastic players, but the jokeyness of it wears thin after a while. I tend to listen to music to be moved, rather than amused.

 

[Australis]

You can't kill the Metal. The Metal will live on.

Ahhh, but what is Metal?

When we were kids, that was your beloved AC/DC, my beloved Purple, and bands of that ilk, Zep, Sabs so on. Now Metal is bands with screaming /cookie monster vocals and hitting their instruments so hard it's amazing there's anything left. So the definition has shifted, and that may need to be further defined.

-- Australis, sounding like an old man

 

[Roshi]

You can't kill the Metal. The Metal will live on.

Ahhh, but what is Metal?

When we were kids, that was your beloved AC/DC, my beloved Purple, and bands of that ilk, Zep, Sabs so on. Now Metal is bands with screaming /cookie monster vocals and hitting their instruments so hard it's amazing there's anything left. So the definition has shifted, and that may need to be further defined.

-- Australis, sounding like an old man

EDIT:
for a broader view:

 

[Pingfah]

I would say what you are talking about (Sabbath, Zeppelin) is Heavy Metal. Metal is a broad term, encompassing Heavy Metal and lots of other types of Metal.

 

[gblews]

Rock music is good enough not to be on the mainstream charts.

There was great rock music that was also popular in the 60s and 70s, but it was not popular because it was great. The Beatles wrote some great songs, and they were popular because they were given cute personalities and ran from one limo to the next.

That is a cynical way of looking at things.

I think 'ignorant' is more accurate. Others have already pointed out the fallacy in what Jirin wrote about Elvis so I won't belabor that point.

The Beatles were popular because they wrote great songs and also did great covers. The fact that they had a great look and pleasing personalities only enhanced their popularity. Eventually the mainstream caught on to the fact that Lennon/McCartney were one of best pop/rock writing duos ever, which is the reason the Beatles are held in such high esteem to this day both artistically as well as commecially.

Someone else can straighten him out baout the 70's.

 

[EmoBorg]

When we were kids, that was your beloved AC/DC, my beloved Purple, and bands of that ilk, Zep, Sabs so on. Now Metal is bands with screaming /cookie monster vocals and hitting their instruments so hard it's amazing there's anything left. So the definition has shifted, and that may need to be further defined.

I agree that rock has changed alot especially Metal. 70's metal is so different from 90s metal.

Music changes and evolve and as a result we have a wide range of rock music sub genres.

70's Paul McCartney's Wings music, 80's Hall & Oates music and 90's Gin Blossoms music are all rock music.

Rock music falls under a huge umbrella, from Death Metal to Alternative Rock to Pop Rock. That is why i Love Rock. It is so diverse and awesome.

 

[Australis]

^ And for that reason it will survive.

You've answered your own question.

 

[Nerys Myk]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maD5k-vUI4o[/yt]

 

[Davros]

Forget mainstream rock and embrace Norwegian Mariachi Surf Punk
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3Mj79dJvOw[/yt]

 

[Chuck Finley]

I've always been a rock n roller and I've hoped that the newest big thing would come around since Kurt Cobain died. It always seems like each decade has its one big band that sort of defines the genre. We had Elvis, The Beatles, Zeppelin, Guns N' Roses, Nirvana. Then in the 2000s, we sort of had big bands; Foo Fighters, Creed, Linkin Park. We also had Jack Johnson, OAR, and other acoustic rock bands. Now we have acoustic/folk/bluegrass bands. I think they are great bands and I hope they keep up the good work, but I do want to see that good old rock N' roll. The Band that I'm really happy with is the Alabama Shakes. I think they could be a big deal. I'm happy to see bands from the 90s make comebacks like Alice in Chains, the Offspring, Sublime, and Soundgarden. I do think there needs to be a huge overhaul in the music business. I hope the bands just get back to touring and maybe put out short albums or something. I hope to see rock come back, long live rock.

 

[the G-man]

Forget mainstream rock and embrace Norwegian Mariachi Surf Punk
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3Mj79dJvOw[/yt]

I'll see your Norwegian Mariachi Surf Punk and raise you Nashville-based lucha libre surf punks who play superhero theme songs:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQObcBNYCdE[/yt]

 

[Davros]

I'll see your Norwegian Mariachi Surf Punk and raise you Nashville-based lucha libre surf punks who play superhero theme songs:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQObcBNYCdE[/yt]

I saw them last year.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YtHolJMgI0[/yt]

 

[the G-man]

They're on tour this fall with Southern Culture on the Skids and the Fleshtones for the Mondo Zombie Boogaloo tour. I am so there.