What decades of music belong to the category of classic rock?
I was watching Glee this week and Rachel made a reference to One by U2 being a classic rock song. WHAT? That song is from the 90’s. When I was growing up classic rock was The Beatles, The Stones, music from the 50’s and 60’s and some 70’s.
Is the category classic rock perpetually redefined as time passes? Since classic rock in the 80’s was music from the 60’s, is music from 90’s now considered classic rock?
I tend to think that classic rock defines a specific time period and thus it is not changeable by time.
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I would not consider that classic rock. I think of classic rock as the 60s, 70s and some early 80s.
Is the category classic rock perpetually redefined as time passes? Yes.
20 years, it seems to me, is the time between a song’s release and then elevation to classic status.
Smells Like Teen Spirit‘s turn is 2011!
In my opinion, classic rock refers to rock music from the 60s, 70s, and sometimes 80s. When I say 80s I mean (some stuff from) the earlier half of the 80s.
The reason they call it classic rock is because it has a certain sound, i.e., Well-toned guitar, melodic, guitar-bass-drums-vocalist with the occasional addition of keyboard/piano and rhythm guitar. This “sound” has not been preserved over the 80s, 90s, and whatever the hell its called now (aughties??)
I don’t think a song can be classified as classic rock based only on an amount of time since its release. There are some recent songs which I would classify as having the classic rock sound, but it has nothing to do with how long they have been around.
As for rock from the 50s, I think that’s just plain rock ‘n’ roll. Bluesy, 12 bar, uptempo rock ‘n’ roll.
@aprilsimnel So what do we now call music that used to be described as classic rock? Isn’t Nirvana still grunge?
I believe that classic rock is the late 60’s, all of the 70’s, and maybe the beginning of the 80’s. It’s certainly not the doo-wop and rock ‘n’ roll of the 50’s, and it doesn’t include the Mersey Beat and early Beatles. The term “classic rock” makes me think of the Who, Steely Dan, the later Beatles, the Rolling Stones, etc.
All I know is that the classic rock station in NYC this year has started playing that song (along with some hard rockin’ others from the late 80s-early 90s), and then maybe they’ll play some Cream, but definitely some Bad Company or K.I.S.S., and then some Led Zep and then some Bon Jovi, Guns ‘n’ Roses, and RATT and the like. That’s WAXQ.
None of these stations play real metal, though. I haven’t heard Ace of Spades on the radio in years.
Most anything else from before 1970, at least on NYC radio, is just “oldies,” including The Beatles, The Kinks and The Stones. That’s all on WCBS FM.
60’s 70’s and early 80’s.
50’s is Rock and Roll, which is different than Rock.
I’m 66 and its all Classic Rock to me.
I think mostly 70’s when I think classic rock, but I think radio stations sometimes choose by the band rather than the era. I suppose U2 is considered to be a classic band, and even though the music isn’t as old——it usually fits in.
I hate whenever the classic rock radio stations on tv have 90’s music on. I think 90’s should classify as like, 70’s and some 80’s. 80’s should be classified retro rock. 90’s should have its own genre also, but I can’t think of a name for it at the moment.
@jfos idk. I guess that works. I was looking for something that didn’t use the word 90s in it. Like retro and classic are?
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