Hello fine folks, and welcome to another edition of Music through the (p)ages. This week I’m going to focus on the unforgettable, and still growing, world of Rock and Roll. Rock music has a very distinct sound because it has a very distinct instrumental arrangement. All rock music is based upon the guitar and drum kit with a bass guitar and vocals being a common feature. However, even with this restricted instrumentation rock is still a large genre, having developed greatly over the years.
Rock and Roll
Originating from the blues style of jazz music, there was still a distinct residual bluesy feel to the first rock songs; however, the new instrumentation breathed new life into the music. Keeping an upbeat swing, rock music busted onto the scene in the 60’s. Stars like Elvis Presley helped rock come into the spotlight with songs such as Blue Suede Shoes. From this came many talented musicians, who focused on creating more involving guitar and vocal parts.
It was near the end of the 60’s that the electric guitar came into the spotlight and with it, a brand new sound for rock music. Now, what article about rock music would be complete without a mention to the guitar god himself, Jimmy Hendrix? Go listen to Voodoo Child. Now. Do it. You have not heard someone play guitar until you have heard Hendrix.
The Golden Age
It was at the beginning of the 70’s when the electric guitar became more mainstream and Rock developed a distinctive sound of its own. A more prominent bass line and heavier drum track also helped to create the flavor that we know and love as rock. It was through this that my personal favourite band of all time, the Beatles, came into the spotlight. I can’t do decency to them with just one song, because they performed so many great songs, bringing new sounds of rock forward. Listen to Hey Jude, Blackbird, and I Saw Her Standing There.
It was around this time that another musician came into the spotlight who changed rock forever. David Bowie. He dared to go where no musician had gone before and brought an entirely new idea to music (well, to rock music at least). He made his music tell a story. Nowadays, that seems so common but that’s only because of how successful such a style became. This opened the doors for rock opera’s and many new bands to come along, one of the most famous being Queen, and its Bohemian Rhapsody. It will say what I don’t have the word count to describe.
And now we progress slightly closer to modern day rock with the development of heavy rock, and with a transition, rock music started to become more performance oriented. I’m sure most people know the face of Kiss more than their music. This is what started off music as also being about how it’s presented. With the emergence of heavy rock, bands like Led Zeppelin came into the spotlight with songs like Black Dog.
And that brings us to the present. The rock of today is more blended with pop music, creating new pop rock and hip-hop rock styles that are as ever changing as modern music. But regardless of what age of rock the music comes from, it will stay as an eternal part of our musical history, distinct with both its sound and style.
Next issue, we move onto country music, and the unending creativity of some country musicians. Until then, keep your passion alive!
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