Remember when MTV used to actually play good music? Unlike today’s era of extreme marketing where talentless people make it big-time because of their connections or good looks. Now, the gritty riffs of Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Angus Young and Peter Townshend belong to VH1 Classic. They won’t be seen anymore on your regular VH1 or MTV. It seems that hip-hop, rap and other bad music have been mainstreaming America for quite some time now. Rock ‘n’ roll is dead. There, I said it. Well, almost.
If you were to ask 20 people what rock ‘n’ roll is you would probably get 20 different answers. To me, rock ‘n’ roll, musically, is part blues, part R & B with a driving rhythm that you can hear very distinctively; it is not a blurry noise of music. It’s not afraid to take chances like playing a 10-minute song. It doesn’t sell out even if its records do.
I suppose some punk and alternative music should be included for the sake of rock ‘n’ roll. That means the good punk/alternative rock music out there today that carries rock ‘n’ roll traditions are bands like Green Day and The White Stripes and some others, but they were formed a while ago.
The bands of today are faceless as their music goes through one ear and out the other into obscurity, to be forgotten forever. Good rock ‘n’ roll consists of songs that have great guitar riffs, a chorus you’ll remember forever, guitars spinning off incredible solos and meaningful lyrics of life, love, rebellion and happiness, things we encounter in our everyday lives. It’s music you remember forever. It’s timeless.
Since rock ‘n’ roll was invented in the mid-’50s by Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and others, it has evolved like everything else. The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Stooges, Velvet Underground and many others carried the tradition in the ’60s and ’70s. Bands like Guns N’ Roses and Van Halen carried the tradition in the ’80s. And bands like The Black Crowes, Oasis and Soundgarden carried the tradition in the ’90s. But who’s carrying the tradition now?
Is there really no talent out there anymore? I don’t think so. I think that the market is so saturated with hip-hop and rap that peoples’ minds are obsessed with it, and there’s no room for rock ‘n’ roll. I guess today’s generation loves the lyrics of riding on 18s, getting that bling-bling and just being plain egotistical. Lyrics should return to their roots.
There shouldn’t be a shortage of lyrical content with the crazy world today and a war that seems strangely similar to Vietnam. The big problem in today’s rock ‘n’ roll is that there’s so few good guitar riffs and solos like there used to be; today, distortion is filled up to fill the sound and it’s just a blurry noise that only the whiny vocals can make into a pathetic, forgettable song. Guitarists should be evolving in guitar, not devolving.
At least we have the past for a prime example of good rock music. But what’s sad is that many of these new generations
of college students don’t even know who Deep Purple or Alice Cooper are. Yes, I know, we live in the 21st century now, time to get with the times, but not even to know these legendary bands from the past is really depressing and upsetting. The good music of today is all influenced by music of yesterday.
So who is going to carry on the torch? The Rolling Stones, The Who and others will not be around forever. Many rock bands have already broken up, and many rock stars have died. Many legendary rock bands are around 60 now, way past their prime. Has rock ‘n’ roll phased out? No. There is hope: rock ‘n’ roll is not totally dead, not yet.
New bands like Jet and Wolfmother are carrying the tradition. The Black Crowes, believe it or not, still play like they used to 15 years ago and are the truest rock ‘n’ roll band out there today. But the amount of good rock bands still needs to increase to gain recognition again.
For those who are not into any type of rock ‘n’ roll, I would really give it a listen. And for those who are listening to these so called “rock bands” of today, give some true rock ‘n’ roll a chance. Trust me, it’ll grow on you. Or just listen to albums like Led Zeppelin’s “IV,” Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street,” AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” The Who’s “Tommy, ” The Black Crowes’ “Southern Harmony,” Van Halen’s “Women and Children First” or Soundgarden’s “Bad-motorfinger” and you’ll be hooked.
Daniel Macri is a junior film major and a weekly columnist for the Daily Forty-Niner.
