Classic Rock History

&nbsp So what is Classic Rock? In terms of time period, Classic rock took place between the early/mid 60’s, into the 80’s. Or in other words, right after Elvis and just before Travolta. CR has roots in genres such as Blues, and Rock n’ Roll. The centerpiece of CR is the electric guitar. CR guitarists had a “pure” sound, before distortion effects were used in significant influences. The largest distinction between rock music in general and other genres like hip-hop, pop, and rap, is the stress for talent and musicianship, pop music stresses showmanship. Included in this article, will be a list of the 20 top classic rock bands as well as detailed history. The three highlighted bands will be the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

History: The British Invasion
In 1963, Beatlemania came to the United States, and created a surge of British musical influence. The Beatles are considered to be the first, and most successful of any classic rock band. In fact if truth is to be told, most of the best CR artists came from England. The British Invasion was a coin termed in retrospect, by Americans to describe the incredible influence of English artists on the American public. Every teenage kid in the US learned how to play the electric guitar and started a garage band. The Beatles changed the music industry forever, and paved the way for countless other musical artists. Personally I don’t think that you can talk about the history                                                      of  Classic Rock without giving substantial credit to the Beatles.

Another notable CR band, Led Zeppelin is what many consider the epitome of classic rock. Led Zeppelin in truth sounds nothing like the Beatles, in fact many think that it is injustice to consider them in the same genre. Frankly though CR is not necessarily a genre that represents a single style. Within it there are many sub-genres, like soft-rock, hard-rock, folk-rock, blues-rock, and psychedelic-rock. Led Zeppelin is probably a mix between hard-rock and blues-rock, or funk. Zeppelin’s first album, Zeppelin I, hit the US in 1969. Led Zeppelin was not received well initially. Zeppelin deviated from the format of bands like The Rolling Stones, and the Who. It is described as the counter-culture movement.

Equipment:
Every CR band consisted generally of the same composition; lead singer, lead guitarist, drummer, and bass guitar. Those four positions made up the band’s core, and it is still the dynamic for most rock groups today.