Showing posts with label Rolling Stones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rolling Stones. Show all posts

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Classic ROCK PERFORMERS Who Have Had A Lasting Influence On Music

Classic rock is a fundamental part of American history. Many of today's leading bands can trace their styles back to the influence of certain musicians. While every song made available to the world has had an impact on the music industry, there are certain performers who will eternally stand at the forefront of music.

From folk-rock to psychedelic rock, there have been many groundbreaking sounds and voices. Here are the top ten most influential classic rock bands in history.

A cropped photograph depicts singer Elvis Pres...
Elvis Presley's bust.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Elvis Presley

While Elvis is not traditionally viewed in the classic rock genre, it is impossible to ignore his influence on the world of Rock-n-Roll. As the first to expose mainstream America to something other than traditional family music, he faced a tremendous amount of opposition from the mainstream.

Despite the extreme racism exhibited during the 1950's, Elvis never hesitated to give appropriate credit to his inspirations. Mainly African-American performers influenced Elvis' sound and style. Southern radio disc jockeys originally refused to play Elvis' singles, because they sounded "too Negro" for white stations to air.

It was not just Elvis' sound, but also his performance, that drew controversy. The movement of his hips in a suggestive manner sparked an entire decade of debate.

Despite the firestorm of criticism that surrounded Elvis' reign, his continuing popularity has ensured that Elvis' crown as the King of Rock and Roll would remain valid for decades, even decades after his death.

The Beatles

As the best-selling musical act of all-time, it is hard to deny the influence of the Beatles, not only on the musical culture of America but also on every aspect of human life. The Beatles included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Star, and George Harrison.

Their innovative style defined the music of the 1960s -- twice. They began their career in England, and when they came to America, they were already a huge success in the United States. In their early years, they had defined pop music for a new generation.

As the hippy days of the late 1960s began to take hold of America's young people, the Beatles redefined their music again, with another new style of music lauded by the masses. Their very loud stance on drug use and war made them a controversial group, but their popularity never wavered. Although the Beatles retained the loyalty and admiration of their late 1960's audiences until the group broke up, the touring days of the Beatles ended in 1966 when John Lennon proclaimed, "The Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ."

Bob Dylan

Dylan has one of the most easily recognizable voices in the world. Raspy and full of passion, Bob Dylan's sound is distinctive. His songs are amazing and defined a generation obsessed with the themes of social unrest, an anti-war stance, and encouragement for the civil rights movement.

A traditional folk singer, Dylan's works transcended all genres and appealed to countless young Americans. His sincere lyrics spoke to many and made it possible to empathize with his many causes.

English: Jimi Hendrix performs for Dutch telev...
Jimi Hendrix performs for the Dutch television show
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Jimi Hendrix

As the undisputed master of the electric guitar, Jimi Hendrix is a classic rock foundation. The self-taught guitar player refused to be limited by many of the conventional views of guitar players.

Prior to Jimi Hendrix's development as a guitar player, the electric guitar was considered to merely be a louder version of the acoustic guitar. Hendrix embraced the uniqueness of the electric guitar and showed his appreciation for it to the rest of the world.

Pink Floyd

Easily considered the greatest band of all time, Pink Floyd's unique style and showmanship defined psychedelic rock. Their concept albums were thematic masterpieces that appealed to countless audiences. The Dark Side Of The Moon, Animals, and The Wall each still stand out today as great Rock masterpieces.

The Who

Also known for their thematic records, The Who pioneered the idea of rock opera. Most famous for their collaborative efforts with every major musical figure of their time, Tommy The Rock Opera ensured the longevity of the band into the future.

Their success and fame were not limited to their unique approach to concept albums. Their musical skills are still highly regarded in both mainstream circles and in the entertainment industry. Their music is currently being used as the theme song for at least three of the most popular show on TV on the air today.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones have easily maintained their position as one of the longest-lasting bands in recording history. Like most popular rock bands of the age, they were an England-based band that was more than happy to take on America.

Their grungy unkempt image became so popular; many artists are still attempting to master it. Their unique sound and high-quality lyrics have kept them at the top of the charts for almost 40 years.

Cream

Cream, featuring guitarist Eric Clapton, was one of the most technically advanced music groups of their time. Their instrumental techniques became legendary and paved the way for other bands to focus on developing their instrument techniques, in addition to their lyrics.

The Doors

The Doors have always been one of the most controversial bands that had ever existed. Jim Morrison's wild behavior sets the tone for the countless musical bad boys that would follow in his footsteps.

The poetic lyrics of The Doors, as well as their outrageous behavior, made them a crowd favorite.

Led Zeppelin

The road to heavy metal was paved by Led Zeppelin. Their first album was pivotal in its inclusion of distorted amplification techniques. Over the years, their experimentation included mixing acoustic and electric sounds, with the addition of synthesized melodies. The success of Led Zeppelin helped establish a strong base for the development of metal music.



Few people of their generation or the current generation realize that like Elvis, Led Zeppelin took most of their inspiration from African-American performers. As a lifelong fan of Led Zeppelin, it is was oddly fascinating to listen to some of the not-so-famous African-American rhythm-and-blues performers of the 1930s, and to be able to hear the Led Zeppelin songs we have loved for years in a whole new way.

Final Thoughts

Clearly, these ten bands had a significant impact on the evolution of Rock-n-Roll music through the generations, but it is more difficult to put them into an ordered list of important groups. Let's just agree that most of us love all ten bands on this list.




Wednesday, May 2, 2018

The ROLLING STONES

English: Rolling Stones in Statesboro The Roll...
Rolling Stones in Statesboro The Rolling Stones perform at Georgia Southern College-May 4,1965. Photo by Kevin Delaney with a 110 Kodak Instamatic. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
1. You Can't Always Get What You Want
2. Only Rock 'n Roll
3. Get Off My Cloud
4. She's A Rainbow
5. Under My Thumb
6. It's All Over Now
7. Don't Stop
8. Happy
9. The Last Time

1. You Can't Always Get What You Want
Mere days after their release of "Beggar's Banquet" in 1968, the band pulled together a real-life circus of a show. Designed as a television spectacle consisting of real circus performers, and some top rock acts of the day. Jethro Tull, The Who, and Eric Clapton were in attendance, as were lions, trapeze artists, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The kind of show you might only now see on the very best of David Letterman.

The idea was to produce a unique showcase, but the footage was eventually shelved and hidden away for nearly 3 decades due to what was deemed sub-standard performances. It was not shown publicly for 27 years, except for brief excerpts in home videos. The Who's performance of "A Quick One" was used in their own film/career documentary, "The Kids Are Alright". The true landmark of the show for The Rolling Stones was it was Brian Jones' last performance with the band.

2. Only Rock 'n Roll
Before the Rolling Stones had galvanized their name as the World Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the late '60s, they had already laid a handsome claim to the title. The Beatles had paved the way for the British Invasion, but the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, hard-pounding blues-infused rock and roll that now defines the genre. Mick Jagger might be a tiny little man by many standards, but with no question, he is the biggest front man to ever grace a rock stage. Wild. Macho. Campy. Sexy. He created the role of the rockstar.

3. Get Off My Cloud
To nightcap their hugely successful 1969 North American tour, the band planned a large, free concert in San Francisco similar to a successful concert they had done in London's Hyde Park earlier that summer. But between permit denials, greed and a last-minute change of venue, the event spiraled from what was potentially a West Coast Woodstock to a jumbled chaotic mess.

Things turned for the worse with their bad choice of security, the biker gang the "Hell's Angels", contributing to a day-long sideshow of brutal violence and truly bad vibes. By the time the Stones took the stage that evening, things had already come undone with a dramatic stabbing of the spectator by one of the Hell's Angels. The stabbing was captured on film in the documentary, "Gimme Shelter".

4. She's A Rainbow
The band's longtime acquaintance with law enforcement started with an infamous 'pissing' incident in March of 1965. Bill Wyman needed to use the restroom at a gas station, but was refused admittance and told to promptly vacate the premises. Mick Jagger and Brian Jones joined Bill in pissing against a wall, and the Rolling Stones' image as bad boys was firmly established. In a remarkable show of solidarity and opportunism, which was not to be repeated, all five-band members showed up at court, several weeks later.

5. Under My Thumb
How can you be the next Keith Richards? Well, asides from several obvious personal decisions, to get his legendary sound, first you're going to need to go out and get yourself a Fender Telecaster. Keith plays in open G tuning with his own customized 5-string version. Take your low E string off the guitar and then tune it low to high as GDGBD. You can always tune the low E string to D as well if you're not into removing the sixth string. Keith sums up his approach with a simple phrase that only he could truly relate, "5 strings, 3 fingers, and one ***hole." There's no one like Keith Richards.

6. It's All Over Now
The famous tongue and lip design and countless variations of such have graced countless official and unofficial Rolling Stones memorabilia and products since it first appeared when the band formed "Rolling Stones Records" in 1971. Credit for the creation of the original design has been mistakenly given to several people over the years. Many have stated that Andy Warhol was the originator. He did design two album covers for the band, but not the tongue design. In 1995, Billboard Magazine printed that it was from the mind of Ruby Mazur. Discovering their mistake, they later corrected their statement, identifying Mazur as the designer of the first official variation of the tongue design. With further research later that year, Billboard definitely uncovered that the original classic design came from John Pasch. Two years later, Mick Jagger confirmed that Pasch was the originator of the fabled logo.

7. Don't Stop
Rolling Stones museum, anyone? Former Rolling Stones member, Bill Wyman operates a restaurant entitled, "Sticky Fingers" in the well-to-do Kensington section of London. The food is nothing to write home about unless you consider the cuisine at the Hard Rock Café something to die for. The prices are so-so, no more than the one-two punch inflicted by Planet Hollywood fare. What's special here is that the whole place is a shrine the legendary rockers. Jam-packed with posters, magazine covers, guitars, gold discs and the like. Most of the time, as you might imagine, you'll be enjoying the soothing sounds of Stones tune while you munch your fish and chips.


8. Happy
If you never get a chance to stand live in the crowd and soak the sound waves as they emit straight from the wall of loudspeakers, then the next best chance at the excitement is one many films made from their various shows. Perhaps the most famous is from their 1972 North American tour. Titled, "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones", unfortunately, the screening of it can prove difficult. Originally released in Quadraphonic sound, the original soundtrack, record as it is on the film in an unusual manner requires considerable labor to view properly. The effort is occasionally undertaken, as it was done in a September 1996 screening at New York's Lincoln Center. Hmmm, maybe it would be easier to just see them live after all.

9. The Last Time
Is this their last world tour? They've been fielding that question ever since they were first asked it way back in 1966. Mick Jagger turned 59 this past July 26th and Keith Richards turns 59 on December 18th. Jagger will be 60 by the time they wrap up their European tour, perhaps that's old enough to retire, but we're betting that they'll be back as long as they're around. Why stop now?

Updated information on WIKIPEDIA