comparing the evolution of 'classic rock' between uk and usa

this was something i have been mindful of doing a thread about for a while

classic rock in america is in terms of radio playlists and its development reflects a series of negative definitions, not disco not new wave not rap etc

in the uk there is a more of a heritage industry 'kept alive' by imitations of the elder gods, where the original and iteration sit alongside each other

maybe the difference is between something purely and declaratively reactionary and the uk 'rock' narnia which has increasingly little to do with reality in even a reactionary sense

something purely and declaratively reactionary

Despite its many flaws, I disagree that this describes the US classic rock format.

And the UK has no classic rock format, afaik? Are you comparing a radio format to ... UK rock criticism?

there isn't a direct equivalent of american classic rock radio, although obviously the same music does appear in radio playlists just not exclusively

in the uk you would probably define it more by magazines like mojo or q or whatever

Yeah, but that comparison doesn't seem sensible to me. Why not just compare Mojo to Rolling Stone or something?

that doesn't really work

Everything from The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan through to The Stone Roses, the Charlatans, Primal Scream, Ocean Colour Scene, Paul Weller, Oasis, Kasabian

that's a rough metric in the absence of an equivalent, codified version of 'classic rock'

I wonder how much Mojo and other rock criticism changed post-britpop. I remember Q as being more Phil Collins/Sting/U2 than Beatles/Stones etc
I sort of felt that UK "Rock" aka 60s inspired stuff went down an Oasis/Weller rabbit-hole, ironic considering Weller changed his style yet again moving away from bluesy rock and Noel G at least was open to "dance music". It's as if the public at least went with Liam (the charismatic knob end with the hair) instead of Noel (The actual music fan)

I have always wondered why the UK never had rock radio considering we gifted rock Kinks,Stones,Who,Troggs, Zep, Sabbath,Purple,The Faces/Rod Stewart, Cream/Yardbirds/Clapton and Frampton amongst others.

I would have liked some form of it say aged 16 or so but maybe rock radio would have ended up a bad thing? Would Americans have liked for it not to exist there either?

Does Australia have classic rock radio?
Our stations in the UK do tend to be oldies stations. Used to be 50s(elvis)/60s(beatles)/70s(Abba) dominated but in the mid 90s it kinda went 80s and now the early 90s are getting a look in. (are most commercial radio playlists syndicated now? I think they are) In the 80s on radio i dont recall much rock being played except for ballads by the rock bands.
Was it different in the 70s during rocks supposed hey day? Zep didnt release singles so did that mean they got no daytime radio play regularly?

yeah, we've got classic rock radio in Aus, but it's very pedestrian and predictable stuff. mind you, there's a station (WSFM i think?) i like to check into from time to time that seems to play predominantly 70s stuff and some smoother selections from the 80s that i can usually get behind. by and large i'm not strictly a radio person, even in the car.

What Stuff does AUS Classic Radio play that would differ from US Classic Rock radio? Apart from Cold Chisel/Barnesy!

maybe the question itt is why didn't american mnstrm rock music develop the same complete fixation on the past that happened in the uk, even though 'classic rock' radio became institutional so early in america

Eagle Rock!

not that there is a lack of ancestor worship in american rock music of the last 25 years but it's not as entrenched as in the uk

Do you mean there are no US rock bands that sound like the past and are reverent towards the 60s/70s like we have in the UK? I would be surprised if that were the case. Maybe the American equivalent is all the weekend dads in electric blues bands?

xp obviously

well, on certain stations you seem to get stuff like ELO, Supertramp, Cockney Rebel, Boston etc. there seems to be a bit of nostalgia for the 70s going on. i'm not sure if this trend exists in US radio. other stations here will throw in the odd Zep or Hendrix classic amidst a whole lot of contemporary shite. there are of course stations that play a pretty heavy quota of Aussie staples, covering everything from The Angels to Midnight Oil to The Church. i'm rarely in the mood for too much of that.

i would be curious about the business/regulatory end of FM radio's introduction in the uk

it mattered a fair bit for the rise of 'the rock station' in the us, no?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FM_broadcasting#United_Kingdom

commercial radio didn't hit the UK until 1973

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FM_broadcasting_in_the_UK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Local_Radio

I do wonder what UK radio would have been like if we went the canada/france route of a quota for homegrown bands? I fear this would have eventually led to all those nomark bands on the manchester swagger thread actually making it.

why didn't american mnstrm rock music develop the same complete fixation on the past that happened in the uk

it didn't?

I do wonder what UK radio would have been like if we went the canada/france route of a quota for homegrown bands?

The conditions that necessitated this in Canada in 1970 did not exist in the UK.

I mean, the point was that the industry was thoroughly dominated by the US and UK at that point.

maybe the question itt is why didn't american mnstrm rock music develop the same complete fixation on the past that happened in the uk, even though 'classic rock' radio became institutional so early in america

Have you ever heard of this band called the White Stripes.

the White Stripes didn't exactly sell millions of albums did they? Not in the way .... say Oasis did in the UK.

Three platinum albums, one gold in the US, if Wikipedia is to be believed.

what do working class 'blokes' in the uk listen to when they're on a job site or driving around in their lorries?

haha how would ilx know that? ;)

haha well i know about usa dudes* ('folks' - thanks obama) from riding around in their trucks and being on their job sites

* nb some of these dudes are not exactly dudes and if you put on anything other than the country station you're gonna git somethin done to you

and my thought is, for this demographic in the usa, there just is not anything else to listen to: that's the only thing, unless you want to listen to talk radio.

which makes it perplexing what their uk counterparts would listen to when there's NOTHING.

I keep forgetting that oasis was much, much, much more famous in the UK.

And I say that fully laying out there that oasis was really, really famous here in the USA.

* nb some of these dudes are not exactly dudes and if you put on anything other than the country station you're gonna git somethin done to you

Country dominance led to a mild culture shock when I moved to the Prairies. Regina is the first city I've lived in that doesn't have a real classic rock station!

For those of you outside the States, here's a peek at New York AOR circa 1987:

The 1987 WNEW-FM Top 1027 Songs of All Time Listener's Poll.

It's a poll, not a playlist, so there's a few things on here that almost never got airplay, and some things didn't make it even though they got lots of airplay.

something purely and declaratively reactionary

Despite its many flaws, I disagree that this describes the US classic rock format.

What? Of course it does. How does it not?

Well, I guess it is "reactionary" in the sense of wanting to preserve a version of the past. I guess I was thinking of "reactionary" in political terms. Also, I didn't entirely agree that it was defined by opposition to disco, (esp) new wave, and rap.

not that there is a lack of ancestor worship in american rock music of the last 25 years but it's not as entrenched as in the uk

Highly debatable. The UK has never come up with anything as ancestor worshipping as 'classic rock' radio.

X-post: I'm not getting the distinction you're making between uses of the word "reactionary." It seems to me that AOR/Classic Rock was designed from the beginning to become obsolete fairly quickly. It froze its aesthetic at a certain point in time (around 1973) and it was built to reject any kind of major disruption to the established tradition. Therefore no disco, no punk, no rap, etc. could possibly be absorbed into the format.

i don't recall any 'disco sux!!' promos by the late 80s/90s on my us station, but i also don't recall hearing 'stayin alive' (but: 'miss you')

they also had a fitful flirtation (special weekend show, 'young' dj etc) with alt-rock circa nirvana before someone locked that shit down (though i would not be surprised if they still played pearl jam, 'man in the box', etc)

and my thought is, for this demographic in the usa, there just is not anything else to listen to: that's the only thing, unless you want to listen to talk radio.

which makes it perplexing what their uk counterparts would listen to when there's NOTHING.

― j., Sunday, August 11, 2013 8:41 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is revelatory to me. i mean i don't ride in trucks with anyone, but the people i do ride in trucks with have satellite radio or a u2 cd they got in 2005. there just isn't anything in a format. format matters more than ever before rn.

"in a format" = "in a standard format." and i'm not in any way agreeable rn.

Country dominance led to a mild culture shock when I moved to the Prairies. Regina is the first city I've lived in that doesn't have a real classic rock station!

― EveningStar (Sund4r), Monday, August 12, 2013 3:44 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

i think that's true for most radio markets on the prairies. there's sometimes an AM oldies station that lacks the classic rock station posturing and plays a lot of motown and the beau brummels, but the only FM rock is usually generic rock station that also delves into classic rock station staples.

recent wolf 104.9 regina playlist excerpt:

Jimi Hendrix Hey Joe
City And Colour Thirst
Van Halen Panama
Finger Eleven Good Times
Headstones Long Way To Neverland
Sheepdogs Feeling Good
Led Zeppelin Kashmir (Live O2 Arena London)
Kiss Lick It Up
The Tragically Hip New Orleans Is Sinking
Soundgarden Halfway There

are nos. 2, 4, 5, 6, 9 canadian? because i've never heard of them except the tragically hip

i don't recall any 'disco sux!!' promos by the late 80s/90s on my us station, but i also don't recall hearing 'stayin alive' (but: 'miss you')

Disco was long gone by then. Rock stations never played "Stayin' Alive," even when it came out. They played "Miss You" because that was the Stones and you could sort of pretend it wasn't a disco song. The Bee Gees were considered AM radio stars - they were ignored by rock radio.

city and colour, canadian, oldman hat makeoutclub throwback kind of sad ballad indie rock

finger eleven, canadian, wikipedia: their breakout hit "one thing" was used by the wwe for a tribute video for chris benoit, canadian wrestler that murdered his family and killed himself with a bowflex

headstones, canadian, mid90s sorta punk serious rock, like, smoking cigarettes on stage and having knuckle tattoos, and their biggest hit was a cover of "tweeter and the monkey man," hugh dillon was in hardcore logo, a tv show called flashpoint and an episode of degrassi titled "when doves cry."

sheepdogs, canadian, definitely all have beards, wear vintage rock band t-shirts, corduroys and sound sort of like the guess who, as far as i know.

UK has plenty of classic rock stations, is this only a thing since digital or something?

flashpoint is good! i will assume then that the situation is kind of like if steve albini was a crime scene tech on a cbs police procedural xp

UK has plenty of classic rock stations, is this only a thing since digital or something?

yes they never existed here before digital.

what do working class 'blokes' in the uk listen to when they're on a job site or driving around in their lorries?

Talksport but, yeah, how would anyone on ILX know the answer to that question?

Finger Eleven had a big US hit with "Paralyser".

Are you in Regina, dylannn? My friend from Edmonton had the opposite culture shock when he moved to Toronto, which has no country station.

Josefa, I guess I don't exactly see the preservation of a rock tradition as being DEFINED by opposition to other styles, in the way that I don't think conservatories are defined by an opposition to jazz or pop. Also, the Ottawa station, which does identify as a classic rock station, does play plenty of modern rock, including e.g. Green Day.

"AOR doesn't need James Brown because Led Zeppelin did "The Crunge." AOR doesn't need Stevie Wonder because Led Zeppelin did "Trampled Under Foot." Led Zeppelin did everything, so it's just easier to play them all the time."

---

in its time, AOR was also known, not unfairly, as apartheid oriented rock. alternative rock stations weren't any different or any better. lots of dance music by white british people and not a lot of dance music by anybody else. lots of beastie boys and not any hip-hop whatsoever by anybody else. the continuing racism of classic rock is self-perpetuating. the longer they don't play james brown or stevie wonder or p-funk or prince, the more they'll cement an audience that doesn't want to hear it.

― fact checking cuz, Monday, August 12, 2013 2:28 AM (13 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

is this true then that US classic rock stations were basically racist?

re blokes in vans, last week I was walking to the train station and a middle-aged bloke in white Transit came by blaring out We Call It Acieeed by D-Mob, so maybe the UK equiv to classic rock radio is a Kiss FM Oldies channel?

is this true then that US classic rock stations were basically racist?

yep. sexist too.

But they'll whip out Hendrix and Phil Lynott in their defense whenever prodded.

I cant say I ever recall any UK radio stations playing mainly white artists

re white van/cabbies etc round here younger ones seem to blast out either radio 1 or clyde 1 (commercial radio equivalent.) Older ones like "Real Radio" which is basically a mostly 80s version of radio 1/clyde 1. I can imagine talksport being popular in an all-bloke environment though like tom d said.

http://www.realradio-scotland.co.uk/

Love Live Music
Currently Playing

Michael Buble: Haven't Met You Yet

http://www.realradio-scotland.co.uk/shows

does Real Radio exist down south?

Arguably, the distinction between 'rock' and 'R&B' since the 60s is itself based more on social/racial factors than musical ones, considering that Led Zeppelin probably has more in common with Funkadelic than with Bob Dylan. Did this become more cemented with AOR then? My understanding is that freeform stations still played e.g. jazz and blues.

Xposts

Anyone here old enough to remember the 70s so they can tell me if more rock was played on say radio 1 than in the 80s? How much airplay did heavy rock/punk actually get? Im assuming commercial radio of the time ignored it like they always did.

I guess I don't exactly see the preservation of a rock tradition as being DEFINED by opposition to other styles

No, I don't either. First of all, I'm talking here about the AOR/Classic Rock tradition, not a rock tradition as defined in other ways. I'm saying the AOR format defined itself, early on, as a narrow playlist of songs plus strict guidelines that would allow certain reasonably familiar-sounding new songs to be accepted into the playlist every year. Disco was considered too different from the originally defined sound to be absorbed, and somewhat more surprisingly, so was punk rock. Rap never had a chance. I said AOR was built to "reject" aberrant styles, but perhaps reject is too strong a word and "ignore" is better.

Oh, I'm fine with "ignore".

classic rock certainly not the default listen for UK working class dudes, most peeps i know listen to oldies pop, dance, ska etc

yeah same. happy hardcore type stuff is still the chosen genre of some of my old mates from when i moved here.

OMG happy hardcore and ska! Trying to imagine that on a construction site, failing.

builder friend of mine can name year of release with pinpoint accuracy cos it ties in to wherever he was working at the time

Atm, I am sitting in an office filled with construction and forestry partsmen. Am willing to wager that no one here knows what happy hardcore is.

lucky them sund4r

its what most people my age listened to in the 90s here.

thought sndr was working with 'pastry salesmen', had a moment of wonkalike glee : (

Classic rock stations have historically been hesitant to add 1990s rock such as alternative rock and grunge to their playlists, due in part to the drastic difference in style, but (mirroring a similar trend in classic country, where a similar 1990-era divide also exists) a small number of classic rock stations began adding 1990s music in the early 2010s.[

So at what point will classic rock radio abandon the past and start playing post 1990 music only instead?

The classic rock format is mainly tailored to the adult male demographic, primarily ages 25–34, but also has a significant base in the 18–24 and 35–44 year old demographics as well.

Really? I assumed classic rock radio would be mainly 40+ (or nearer 50+) Surprised its so popular in the 18-34 range.

It's the default for a large demographic. That's what we're trying to tell you.

cars, dude

12-year-olds who take guitar lessons typically still want to learn classic Purp/Zep/Ozzy/AC/DC/Cream riffs.

Xpost

Used to hear music students idly playing Rush tunes to unwind all the time around the building in Windsor.

i suppose its no different to kids reading mojo and wanting to sound like oasis/beatles/stones etc

Lol at 'drastic difference in style' between 90s alt and classic rock.

"Can't hack this Badmotorfinger bullshit. Give me my Sabbath vinyl."

* nb some of these dudes are not exactly dudes and if you put on anything other than the country station you're gonna git somethin done to you

wait a min, so in certain parts if you listened to metallica or ted nugent or ac/dc you would get beaten up and/or called a "faggot" ?

hearing a classic rock station sneak Stone Temple Pilots into their night rotation is pretty jarring tbh

ted nugent is country enough

Arguably, the distinction between 'rock' and 'R&B' since the 60s is itself based more on social/racial factors than musical ones, considering that Led Zeppelin probably has more in common with Funkadelic than with Bob Dylan. Did this become more cemented with AOR then?

I would bet on it.

Even MTV didn't play black music before Thriller and only begrudgingly from then on. That's a well-told story.

You can also pick up a CREEM magazine from the mid-1970s and see David Bowie or the Stones being voted "R&B artist of the Year" in the Readers Poll.

It's a really interesting subject, because in the early 1960s people thought black & white music were merging.. they even stopped doing the R&B chart in 1964. Then it all changed back.

no no no, just that the pure country dudes can kind of hold themselves apart a bit xxp

i feel like some Classic Rock stations were AOR stations that morphed into CR as their audience aged. There was a station in my town that back in the late 70s played all current rock (Squire, Dio era Sabb, zep, etc.) and by the early 90s was playing that same stuff, after a decade of trying to stay current with stuff like Motley Crue and Jeff Healey, but with 70s stuff increasingly taking over the playlists.

It's a really interesting subject, because in the early 1960s people thought black & white music were merging.. they even stopped doing the R&B chart in 1964. Then it all changed back.

why?

i feel like some Classic Rock stations were AOR stations that morphed into CR as their audience aged.

that is what I assumed tbh

people be racist?

xp

I'm reading Elijah Wald's book, which covers this subject.

its funny as AOR has always meant Adult Orientated Rock in the UK. As noodle vague can testify Kerrang/Raw in the mid 80s were really into it and acts like Magnum were playing the big arenas (despite little airplay). Music mags basically kept rock alive here I think.

Called How the Beatles Destroyed Rock and Roll

Xpost

Why did it change or why did they stop doing the R&B chart?

Billboard stopped doing the R&B chart because it had started to overlap too much with their Pop chart and therefore was deemed superfluous.

Why did the trend reverse is a big question that I wish someone would research and write a book about. I suspect it has to do with marketing, and streamlining the selling of records.

Most of this stuff didn't get played on radio here, were all these staples of aor/classic rock radio at the time?

Kerrang 1988
The Best AOR Albums Of All Time
(as per the readers of Kerrang! magazine back on October 29, 1988)

1. Escape - Journey
2. Everybodys Crazy - Michael Bolton
3. Night Of The Crime - Icon
4. Native Sons - Strangeways
5. Raised On Radio - Journey
6. White Sister - White Sister
7. Heart - Heart
8. Fashion By Passion - White Sister
9. Vital Signs - Survivor
10. Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi
11. Michael Bolton - Michael Bolton
12. In For The Count - Balance
13. Pride - White Lion
14. Dawn Patrol - Night Ranger
=. 4 - Foreigner
15. The Hunger - Michael Bolton
16. Reckless - Bryan Adams
17. Indiscreet - FM
18. Bad Animals - Heart
19. Boston - Boston
20. Frontiers - Journey
21. Seven Wishes - Night Ranger
= Bon Jovi - Bon Jovi
22. Only Child - Only Child
= Freight Train Heart - Jimmy Barnes
= A Matter Of Attitude - Fate
23. Spys - Spys
24. Heartbreak - Sabu
25. Crimes In Mind - Streets
26. Hughes Thrall - Hughes Thrall
27. The Big Prize - Honeymoon Suite
= Excess All Areas - Shy
28. Touch - Touch
29. Hysteria - Def Leppard
30. Sinful - Angel
= Aviator - Aviator
31. Under Lock And Key - Dokken
32. Silk+Steel - Giuffria
= When Seconds Count - Survivor
33. IV - Toto
34. The Grand Illusion - Styx
= A Diamond Is A Hard Rock - Legs Diamond
= So Fired Up - LeRoux
= Midnight Madness - Night Ranger
= Wired Up - Jeff Paris
35. Dreamboat Annie - Heart
=. On A Storyteller's Night - Magnum
36. Fireworks - Bonfire
= Rumors - Fleetwood Mac
37. Subject - Aldo Nova
= Ignition - John Waite
= Giuffria - Giuffria
38. Friction - Coney Hatch
= Pieces Of Eight - Styx
= Isolation - Toto
39. The Final Countdown - Europe
40. Welcome To The Real World - Mr. Mister
= Alpha - Asia
= Shaft Of Light - Airraces :-)

wtf is White Sister

I swear at least half of them I've never even heard of

lol xp

It's kind of interesting that I think there might be a certain dichotomy where certain sorts of classic rock, e.g. Rush and Tull, appeal both to nerdy musicians and to working-class dudes. I could talk about those bads with my PhD advisor as well as the guys who worked in the cafeteria.

Bands

both were into Yes, actually

The 1980s saw some stations adding glam metal bands such as Mötley Crüe and Bon Jovi, while others embraced modern rock acts such as The Fixx, INXS and U2. But by the end of the decade, AOR stations were playing fewer and fewer new artists and the rise of grunge, alternative and hip-hop accelerated the fadeout of the album-oriented rock format. By the early 1990s many AOR radio stations switched exclusively to the classic rock format or segued to other current formats with somewhat of an AOR approach

I was going to ask actually are Inxs and U2 classic rock now?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADAb4_wjv9o

wow!

You can also pick up a CREEM magazine from the mid-1970s and see David Bowie or the Stones being voted "R&B artist of the Year" in the Readers Poll.

http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/creem_lists.htm

U2 def gets classic rock airplay. I don't hear much INXS.

74

Top R&B Album

1. Stevie Wonder- Fullfillingness' First Finale
2. J. Geils Band- Nightmares From The Vinyl Jungle
3. Rolling Stones- It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)
4. Average White Band
5. Rufus- Rags To Rufus
6. Stevie Wonder- Innervisions
7. Eric Clapton- 461 Ocean Blvd.
8. Marvin Gaye Live
9. Ohio Players- Fire
10. Gladys Knight & The Pips- Imagination

Best R&B Group: 1) J. Geils Band 2) Rufus 3) Gladys Knight & The Pips

75

Best R&B Album

1. Stevie Wonder- Songs In The Key Of Life
2. Rolling Stones- Love You Live
3. Commodores
4. Geils- Monkey Island
5. Boz Scaggs- Silk Degrees
6. Bob Marley & The Wailers- Exodus
7. Gregg Allman- Playin' Up A Storm
8. Parlaiment- Parlaiment Live/P-Funk Earth Tour
9. Emotions- Rejoice
10. Muddy Waters- Hard Again

Best R&B Single

1. Stevie Wonder- Sir Duke
2. Heatwave- Boogie Nights
3. Boz Scaggs- Lido Shuffle
4. Commodores- Easy
5. Stevie Wonder- I Wish
6. Commodores- Brick House
7. Fleetwood Mac- Dreams <---------------------------- lol
8. Peter Frampton- Signed, Sealed, Delivered
9. Boz Scaggs- Lowdown
10. Donna Summer- I Feel Love

Best R&B Singer: 1) Mick Jagger 2) Stevie Wonder 3) Boz Scaggs
Best R&B Group: 1) Rolling Stones 2) Earth, Wind & Fire 3) Commodores

sorry thats 77 not 75

75

Top R&B Album

1. David Bowie - Youg Americans
2. J. Geils Band - Hotline
3. Average White Band - Cut The cake
4. War - Why Can't We Be Friends?
5. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Natty Dread
6. Isley Brothers - The Heat Is On
7. Earth, Wind & Fire - That's The Way Of The World
8. Ohio Players - Honey
9. Labelle - Phoenix
10. Spinners - Pick Of The Litter

The thing is I'm totally fine with saying all of those are working in the same R&B-derived tradition, as long as they don't have a separate all-white 'rock' chart.

this made me lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_album_alternative

Notable artists

AAA artists take influence from post-new wave British bands such as The Smiths, anthemic post-punk inspired sounds of U2,
1990s jangle pop (Gin Blossoms, Hootie & the Blowfish, Barenaked Ladies, Goo Goo Dolls), acoustic folk rock (Indigo Girls, Tori Amos, Jeff Buckley, Sarah McLachlan, Fiona Apple, Jewel),
alternative rock (The Wallflowers, Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews Band, Joon Wolfsberg), and the moody electronics of trip hop (Portishead)

The music played has gained significant exposure for artists who were ambitious, intellectual, or idiosyncratic, yet still accessible enough to meet the requirements of mainstream radio programmers who wanted more sophisticated music that wasn't loud or overly disturbing.

Kerrang was probably ahead of its readership in terms of covering AOR, i really have no idea who in the UK was listening to Journey in the mid 80s, certainly not the metal kids i knew

recently played at the local classic rock station:

Twice As Hard The Black Crowes
Have You Ever Seen the Rain? Creedence Clearwater Revival
Under Pressure David Bowie
Crazy On You Heart
Double Vision Foreigner
T.N.T. AC/DC
La Grange ZZ Top
I Shot the Sheriff Eric Clapton
Rock the Casbah The Clash
Rock n Roll Led Zeppelin
Burning for You Blue Öyster Cult
Bargain The Who
Love Is a Battlefield Pat Benatar
Jungle Love Steve Miller
Breakdown The Heartbreakers
Reprise / Day in the Life Beatles
Life During Wartime Talking Heads
Flying High Again Ozzy Osborne

i swear i hear that Reprise / Day in the Life every time i'm at the gym

the slightly older metal kids maybe? I know a few people that fit that description who were very much into serious poodle rock but hated glam metal like poison/warrant et al

xp to nv

NV also that Kerrang list is a READERS list

Creem readers also regularly chose as their favourite jazz acts Chicago and Edgar Winter (cause he played a saxophone on occasion)

yeah i know it was a readers list but list-making doesn't always reflect what people are listening to irl - the lower half of that list feels totally like some makeweight 5 vote shit

like, i am aware of the existence of stuff like Legs Diamond or Coney Hatch thru Kerrang but nobody in the UK has ever listened to them ever, objective fact.

haha a few years ago last time I was in Rock Fayre (2nd hand shop in the trongate) had tons of Legs Diamond and Heavy Pettin' lps as my mate was laughing at them(hes about your age) It is a goldmine for 70s and 80s lps.

Record Fayre not rock fayre

http://www.recordfayre.com/
http://www.recordfayre.com/resources/GEDC0406.JPG
http://www.recordfayre.com/resources/GEDC0355.JPG

All the vinyls typically most of out of shot but you can see some of it(ie the top of) bottom left and right

Bob Marley vs. Jack Daniels - FITE

I got most of my prog lps and hanoi rocks and groundhogs etc there in the 90s. They used to have shitloads of numan 7"s and pic disks. Lots of punk too. It basically sells albums no other places do. cds however are more like the other 2nd hand shops. However this shop alone proves the existence of classic rock in the UK

tbh i wd be up for listening to some semi-obscure 80s AOR, might use that list for a dig around

Disco was considered too different from the originally defined sound to be absorbed, and somewhat more surprisingly, so was punk rock. Rap never had a chance. I said AOR was built to "reject" aberrant styles, but perhaps reject is too strong a word and "ignore" is better.

It seems like people are trying to think of this in musicological terms when really the classic rock format in the US is just a demographic thing (music for white boomer men). Just like all of the other radio formats really. Would you really expect those dudes to get into disco or hip hop if it were somehow integrated into the playlist of the radio station they listen to? Doesn't make sense.

Maybe not but I have no trouble imagining that audience getting into Funkadelic and Stevie Wonder and Prince.

you have a vivid imagination. really, this is like wondering why oldies radio doesn't play the velvet underground or something.

oh hell no man, Prince is anathema to real white boomer rockists. or at least to my dad.

Well, the Velvets were a cult band so that one's easy to figure out. You really think people who consume Hendrix and early Zep as staples would have that much of an obstacle with Maggot Brain or Prince's soloing?

I mean, 'classic rock' is a very broad category. I get why Tom Petty and Eagles fans would have difficulties.

You really think people who consume Hendrix and early Zep as staples would have that much of an obstacle with Maggot Brain or Prince's soloing?

absolutely. and they do!

yeah, prince is so diametrically opposed to the classic rock format, I just don't even get what you're hearing. And Funkadelic is too weird. What song would you play? Stevie wonder never used any heavy guitars. Too pop.

More importantly, classic rock is a static format built on nostalgia. Any racism and segregation happened when the music was first played on the radio. Now you can't go back and reintroduce these people to Funkadelic if they're not already familiar with them. That's not how the format works. Just like nobody is going to add the VU into oldies rotation even though a song like Sunday Morning would fit in just fine. Occasionally a newer song will get integrated into the format (like "old time rock & roll" on oldies stations) but there's really no incentive to ever go backwards and reintroduce people to stuff they missed the first time around.

xps

we've talked here a lot about USA classic rock / country crossover in the 90s and beyond, where you go now for "new" bands playing classic rock type tunes. "modern rock" post-grunge was a different thing. classic rock RADIO doesn't play new country but the audience for classic rock had more options after the crossover got going. I don't think the classic rock radio format was sensitive to this at all though.

I mean in the logic of commercial radio, Maggot Brain was not a hit for this audience the first time around. Why would it suddenly become a hit now?
xp

Prince is a virtuoso lead guitarist who plays all his own instruments, is influenced by Hendrix and Zeppelin and Todd Rundgren, makes 'great albums'. He doesn't seem that diametrically opposed to me at all, no more than a lot of 80s music that gets played on classic rock stations. A lot of Funkadelic doesn't seem that much weirder than Hendrix to me but you're right that it wasn't really hit material.

Jack FM stations do integrate Motown along with classic rock and more recent pop stuff.

Playlist excerpt from Ottawa's JACK station today:

1:17 pm Gemini Dream The Moody Blues
BUY
1:14 pm Oh Girl Chi-Lites
BUY
1:11 pm You Can't Hurry Love Diana Ross & The Supremes
BUY
1:08 pm Hey You Bachman-Turner Overdrive
BUY
1:04 pm Unwell Matchbox Twenty
BUY
1:00 pm 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover Paul Simon
BUY
12:56 pm Star Baby The Guess Who
BUY
12:52 pm Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody David Lee Roth
BUY

Zeppelin and Todd Rundgren

really really doubt this - at the time he was making hits anyway - especially the latter. Prince claimed he never listened to the Beatles until Around the World in A Day, Purple Rain was an attempt to write a Bob Seger ballad (something he professed to "not understand") etc.

Didn't he actually run "Purple Rain" by the Journey guys to ensure that it wasn't too close to "Faithfully"? Am I misremembering?

A little further back:

12:47 pm The Tracks of My Tears Johnny Rivers
BUY
12:44 pm Echo Beach Martha And The Muffins
BUY
12:41 pm If You Don't Know Me By Now Harold & The Blue Notes Melvin
BUY
12:37 pm Our House Madness
BUY
12:35 pm Jingle Jangle Archies
BUY
12:31 pm Celebrate Three Dog Night
BUY
12:29 pm Little Bit O'Soul The Music Explosion
BUY
12:22 pm Harvest Moon Neil Young
BUY
12:19 pm Fire Arthur Brown

But yeah, that Zeppelin/Rundgren thing is based on stuff I read. Maybe I'm wrong there.

Prince is a virtuoso lead guitarist who plays all his own instruments

what classic rock acts are just one dude playing all the instruments?

You really think people who consume Hendrix and early Zep as staples would have that much of an obstacle with Maggot Brain or Prince's soloing?

absolutely. and they do!

― joe schmoladoo from 7-11 (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, August 12, 2013 2:33 PM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

In Cleveland, at least, the classic rock audience can hang with Eddie Hazel:

From 1976 to 1995, disc jockey Bill "B.L.F. Bash" Freeman started a tradition of playing the original full version of [Maggot Brain] on 100.7 WMMS/Cleveland every Sunday morning at 1:30 (around "last call"). The tradition picked up in 1987 is still carried on to this day, by Mr. Classic host of "The Saturday Night Live House Party" featured on 98.5 WNCX/Cleveland at 11:50pm.

WMMS was, of course, the famed progressive FM/AOR station; WNCX is pure classic rock.

Ha, Rundgren (whom I never hear either)! But no, that's not the norm. My point was more that it's all live musicianship as opposed to sequenced electronic stuff.

xpost to crut

what classic rock acts are just one dude playing all the instruments?

Boston

what classic rock acts are just one dude playing all the instruments?

Gary Wright?

Didn't think that was the case with Boston?

Prince is a virtuoso lead guitarist who plays all his own instruments, is influenced by Hendrix and Zeppelin and Todd Rundgren, makes 'great albums'. He doesn't seem that diametrically opposed to me at all, no more than a lot of 80s music that gets played on classic rock stations. A lot of Funkadelic doesn't seem that much weirder than Hendrix to me but you're right that it wasn't really hit material.

Jack FM stations do integrate Motown along with classic rock and more recent pop stuff.

Again, you seem to be making a musicological connection, but that's not how radio formats work. Prince just doesn't sound anything like the stuff they play on classic rock radio! His music sounds very '80s, polished, pop. It sounds like dance music with drum machines, and it's very flamboyant and even effeminate.

Jack is a totally different format than classic rock isn't it?

Didn't think that was the case with Boston?

yeah, I guess it was just home recorded. Scholtz didn't sing obv and he didn't play drums either.

It is a totally different format (that might be taking over from CR). I'm just saying that provides evidence that these 'opposed' things can coexist on a mainstream radio format.

Prince just doesn't sound anything like the stuff they play on classic rock radio! His music sounds very '80s, polished, pop.

But I think this is also true of a lot of 80s things that DO get played on classic rock stations (Loverboy, 80s Springsteen, 80s Henley, even some 80s Rush and Yes and Genesis and Bowie)!

To be honest I haven't actually heard any classic rock radio in probably 20 years. I guess I just assume that it's still stuff like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Rock_(Time-Life_Music)

It is a totally different format (that might be taking over from CR). I'm just saying that provides evidence that these 'opposed' things can coexist on a mainstream radio format.

yeah, for a different demographic.

I'd like to imagine that stations would play "Bambi" if listeners didn't know it was Prince.

Ultimately, we might be saying the same thing. My original point was that the distinction between 'rock' and 'R&B' categories, and the way that playlists were developed, had more to do with social factors than musical ones. I think that's the same thing you're saying.

xposts to wk

xp it's called "adult hits"

i dont see why classic rock listeners couldn't enjoy Purple Rain or Super Stupid.
RHCP fans dig em and eventually they will be the classic rock listeners by now or soon enough.
If classic rock doesnt let in alt rock then you will get new oldies alt rock stations.

The modern rock format is not too far from that already.

otm, our Modern Rock station hasn't updated its playlist since 1999 - RHCP, STP, Bush, Green Day and Pearl Jam 24/7.

yeah that's how radio formats work right? each generation gets frozen in time with the hits from when they were 18 and that becomes a new nostalgia format.

lol - last played according to their website:

Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm
Comedown - Bush
Why Go - Pearl Jam

Yeah, the point of a format like classic rock is not to be expansive - it's to be reductive, to simplify, to reduce options, to make things easier for everyone. Short of boring their audience to death, there's no drawback to sticking close to the formula.

I do think AOR programmers of 1975 would be astonished that the basic format they established would still be viable in 2013 and that teenagers would still be listening to Led Zeppelin. I have to believe they wouldn't have expected their format to last beyond about five years.

yeah that's how radio formats work right? each generation gets frozen in time with the hits from when they were 18 and that becomes a new nostalgia format.

lord help you when it reaches the nu metal era

Yeah, the point of a format like classic rock is not to be expansive - it's to be reductive, to simplify, to reduce options, to make things easier for everyone. Short of boring their audience to death, there's no drawback to sticking close to the formula.

But ironically these stations are often more interesting and diverse than a contemporary top 40 format because their narrow playlist of chart hits is at least drawn from a 20 year period rather than just this week.

not if its always the same songs surely?

this sounds like my idea of hell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_contemporary

In NZ, the likes of Radio Hauraki (offshore pirate station, operated illegally '66-70, continues ever since), taglines like "Classic rock that rocks", "New Zealand's real rock station", "Just great rock", "We Endorse This Music", etc, have def. had their playlists swamped with alt stuff - I think NZ & especially Australia had a much longer zombie afterlife for grunge/post-grunge, though.

This morning:

08:48		The One I Love	R.e.m.
08:37		Notion	Kings Of Leon
08:33		Song 2	Blur
08:17		Walk	Foo Fighters
08:07		My God Is The Sun	Queens Of The Stone Age
08:01		Hunger Strike	Temple Of The Dog
07:49		I Got A Girl	Tripping Daisy
07:32		I Alone	Live
07:19		Long Way To Go	Andrew Stockdale
07:08		Back In Black	Ac/dc
07:03		Are You In?	Incubus
06:50		Are You Gonna Go My Way	Lenny Kravitz
06:41		Psycho Killer	Talking Heads
06:33		In The End	Linkin Park
06:21		It's Alright, It's Ok	Primal Scream
06:09		Mr Brownstone	Guns 'n' Roses
06:03		The Man Who Sold The World	Nirvana
05:52		Black Dog	Led Zeppelin
05:47		Far Behind	Candle Box
05:41		Late Night	Foals
05:37		Saints Of Los Angeles	Motley Crue
05:32		Everlong	Foo Fighters
05:29		This Kids Not Alright	Awolnation

Yesterday evening:

17:51		60 Miles An Hour	New Order
17:45		Late Night	Foals
17:41		My Mind's Sedate	Shihad
17:37		Ashes To Ashes	Faith No More
17:27		Times Like These	Foo Fighters
17:24		K	The Tutts
17:19		I Will Follow	U2
17:16		Halfway There	Soundgarden
17:11		Thunderstruck	Ac/dc
17:05		Aeroplane	Red Hot Chili Peppers
17:01		It's Been Awhile	Staind
16:48		Always On The Run	Lenny Kravitz
16:44		Right Here Right Now	Fatboy Slim
16:40		Use Somebody	Kings Of Leon
16:35		Cult Of Personality	Living Colour
16:24		Smells Like Teen Spirit	Nirvana
16:20		Mind Mischief	Tame Impala
16:16		The Fixer	Pearl Jam
16:13		Gel	Collective Soul
16:10		Feeling Good	The Sheepdogs
16:05		Hardest Button To Button	White Stripes
16:02		It's So Easy	Guns N' Roses
15:53		It Starts And Ends With You	Suede
15:49		Nearly Lost You	Screaming Trees

the past 3 hours on WSRV:

Rolling Stones - Shattered
Dire Straits - Walk of Life
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - I Love Rock N' Roll
Def Leppard - Love Bites
Van Morrison - Moondance
Guns N' Roses - Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Bruce Hornsby & the Range - The Valley Road
AC/DC - For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
Peter Frampton - Baby, I Love Your Way
Great White - Once Bitten Twice Shy
Led Zeppelin - The Ocean
The Police - Every Breath You Take
Van Halen - Dance the Night Away
Tom Petty - Runnin' Down a Dream
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Whiskey Rock-A-Roller
Lynyrd Skynyrd - The Ballad of Curtis Loew
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Call Me the Breeze
Jon Bon Jovi - Blaze of Glory
Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)
Toto - Hold the Line
Bob Seger - Against the Wind
U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name
Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
Aerosmith - Love in an Elevator
Guess Who - American Woman
Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure
Pearl Jam - Alive
Steve Miller - The Joker
The Fixx - One Thing Leads to Another
Drivin' & Cryin' - Straight to Hell
Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused

post grunge didnt really happen here in the uk. britpop/nu-metal were the fads that took its place. Britpop is still looming round like the post grunge acts are in the us

Adult contemporary is actually what I imagined a lot of UK radio to be. It's what you're typically subjected to in a lot of offices and retail workplaces and, yep, it's probably my least favourite radio format.

I don't think I ever hear those indie bands on AC stations.

classic rock in america is in terms of radio playlists and its development reflects a series of negative definitions, not disco not new wave not rap etc

this seems overly reductive, and, relative to the UK's hunger for retro-rock nostalgia, incorrect. "classic rock" in america is a not-quite ossified, weirdly expandable oldies format. it's basically just 70s AOR...plus whatever seems to fit in with that. so zepplin, stones & aerosmith; plus 80s stuff like journey, van halen & aerosmith; plus 90s stuff like pearl jam, bush & aerosmith; plus whatever's comparable in the present moment. i don't think classic rock is more negatively defined than most other radio formats, tbh.

jesus my minds blown by the Adult Contemporary spin offs of spin offs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_adult_contemporary#Hot_adult_contemporary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_adult_contemporary#Soft_adult_contemporary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_adult_contemporary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythmic_adult_contemporary

im going down a neverending rabbithole now
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_CHR

Termed "the acoustic equivalent to Prozac",[38] soft AC, a more adult-oriented version of AC, was born in the late 1970s and grew in the early 1980s. WEEI-FM in Boston was the first station to use the term "soft rock", with ad slogans such as, "Fleetwood Mac ... without the yack" and "Joni ... without the baloney".

lol wtf

a couple of d/n in there for anyone who wants them

but.. the baloney is the best part!

Modern adult contemporary can be a variation of hot AC, and includes modern rock titles in its presentation. In 1997, Mike Marino of KMXB in Las Vegas described the format as reaching "an audience that has outgrown the edgier hip-hop or alternative music but hasn't gotten old and sappy enough for the soft ACs." The format's artists included Alanis Morissette, Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms, Bon Jovi, Train, No Doubt, The Script,[48] The Cranberries,[49] Lifehouse,[50]Sarah McLachlan, Jewel and Sheryl Crow.

Unlike modern rock, which went after 18-34 men, this format appealed to women.

I wondered what radio was aimed at women

Adult Top 40 URGH

Most weeks at number one

25 weeks

"Smooth" — Santana featuring Rob Thomas (1999-2000)

23 weeks

"Wherever You Will Go" — The Calling (2001-2002)

18 weeks

"Unwell" — Matchbox Twenty (2003)
"Photograph" — Nickelback (2005-2006)

17 weeks

"Iris" — Goo Goo Dolls (1998)

16 weeks

"Complicated" — Avril Lavigne (2002)

15 weeks

"Don't Speak" — No Doubt (1996-1997)
"How to Save a Life" — The Fray (2006-2007)

14 weeks

"Torn" — Natalie Imbruglia (1998)
"Everything You Want" — Vertical Horizon (2000)
"Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" — Train (2001)

Artists with most number-one singles

9 - Pink
8 - Maroon 5
7 - Katy Perry,
5 - Nickelback
4 - Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, Train, Matchbox Twenty
3 - Goo Goo Dolls, Adele

maybe UK radio isn't as bad as I thought!

man it's a hot one

if anyone is interested in cable rock radio in the UK these are the 2 best known ones
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Rock_(radio_station)
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerrang_Radio (you wont hear any metal on it just like you dont read it in the mag

The station's format mixes modern & classic rock with speech programmes targeted at young people and an adult rock audience. The station is connected with the Kerrang! print magazine in name, ownership and style, although the radio station has a more mainstream adult rock output than the magazine, featuring more indie and alternative rock.

Basically its more like xfm but with more emo and whatever gets played on america's modern rock radio

i would give undying loyalty to a radio station of any genre that played at least 50 minutes of music an hour and didn't have DJs that speak

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Rock_%28radio_station%29

hahaha NV otm

Since 2006 Planet Rock has featured an array of rock star presenters who have either fronted limited run series or hosted long running weekly or monthly shows.

The syndicated Alice Cooper radio show was edited in the UK for a breakfast audience as the Breakfast With Alice Cooper show, which ran in the 6-9am slot until 17 January 2011 when his show became Nights With Alice Cooper and broadcast at 9pm each weeknight and on Saturdays at 7pm.

Current star presenters include Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott, who has presented a weekly Saturday evening show at 6pm since June 2010 and blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa who presented a weekly show on Sundays at 6pm left at the end of March 2013.

A number of other star presenters have hosted shows on Planet Rock: Rick Wakeman hosted a Saturday morning show for five years until December 2010; Gary Moore hosted the award winning Blues Power series in 2008; Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi presented two series of Black Sunday for the station; Jethro Tull singer Ian Anderson presented a series called Under The Influence; Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera presented two series for the station in 2007 and 2009 which looked at influential guitar players and guitar playing styles; Former Marillion frontman Fish hosted two series of the award winning Fish On Fridays; Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham hosted one series which aired in 2010; Europe singer Joey Tempest hosted a series on Sunday evenings until early 2011 and Francis Rossi of Status Quo (band) who hosted a thirteen-part series until June 2011.

NV check the one in the middle here

Nights with Alice Cooper (Monday 7pm-1am, Tue-Fri 10pm-1am)
Al Murray (Sunday 10am-1am, Tuesday 7pm-9pm)
Joe Elliott (Saturday 6-7pm, Tuesday 9pm-10pm)

i don't think classic rock is more negatively defined than most other radio formats, tbh.

Yeah, this is part of my issue, too. Don't think it's more narrow or negatively defined than e.g. "not too hard, not too soft" music@work stations, for example. Also, while it's restricted in a way, it actually plays a fairly wide range of music and imo, despite its flaws, also plays some actually artistically ambitious and experimental popular music by the standards of what can be commonly heard on commercial radio, even if it does play some of those things to death, so I sometimes feel like I need to defend it a little. (In markets with decent urban/R&B stations, you might hear some on those stations too. I don't live in one.)

seem to remember Fish hosting the Friday Rock Show one time

musicians are probly better DJs than DJs but still i put music radio on to listen to music i don't give a fuck who you saw in some shitty club last night

if "classics" formats have any problem it's the recycling of the obvious and over-familiar - ought to be easy to use the same format to play less repetitive stuff and i wonder if the target audience really care which Zep/Stones/Free tracks get played

i would give undying loyalty to a radio station of any genre that played at least 50 minutes of music an hour and didn't have DJs that speak

Right up until last weekend I would have fervently agreed with you but then for the first time ever I had random spotify playlist on all day and after a few hours I was thinking "enough of this relentless music give me a human voice!"

bet you weren't thinking "this relentless music could do with 20 minute intervals of some gobshite gossiping about Z-listers"

There's a lot of formats around in the US radio market

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_music_radio_formats

bet you weren't thinking "this relentless music could do with 20 minute intervals of some gobshite gossiping about Z-listers"

oh god is Zoe Ball back on radio?

not if its always the same songs surely?

I think that by definition an oldies (classic rock, whaetver) station has a bigger and more diverse playlist than any contemporary format. Any mix of music from a 20-40 year period is always going to be more diverse and more interesting to me personally than a batch of songs that all came out in the past 6 months.

But I suppose it's a different story over a longer period of time. If you listen to the same station every day for 20 years then the top 40 station will have gone through a lot more songs than the classic rock station. But at any individual point in time, the top 40 station is inherently less musically diverse.

if "classics" formats have any problem it's the recycling of the obvious and over-familiar - ought to be easy to use the same format to play less repetitive stuff and i wonder if the target audience really care which Zep/Stones/Free tracks get played

Not trying to be captain save-a-clear-channel here but actually I don't think it is easy at all. And the audience does care! They want to hear the same familiar songs that remind them of 1973. This stuff is all focus-grouped to death isn't it? Which is why radio is so boring now. But they do seem to have it down to a science in a way. Playing Maggot Brain really would get more people to change the channel than playing Free Ride for the billionth time.

but its radio; you dont need to tell the audience its by black men on drugs!

just out of interested with country music sounding like 80s radio rock for the last 20 years or so how much influence has classic rock had on that (if any)?

sund4r do you listen to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EZ_Rock ?

country music doesn't really sound like 80s radio rock nowadays. it sounded like 80s radio rock in the 80s.

ahh ok

what does it sound like now?

like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPUDC46P66w

ugh

Maybe I understand the appeal of classic rock radio to everyone now

But what I hear on New Country radio, which is usually Tim McGraw or Blake Shelton or Carrie Underwood or Lady Antebellum or Band Perry and not Big & Rich, DOES sound like 70s and 80s radio rock (the softer end of classic rock) to me. More so than most modern rock, by far.

And I think there's a lot of crossover, AG. Taylor Swift has done a whole collaborative concert with Def Leppard and a duet with Stevie Nicks. Bon Jovi has been more of a presence on country radio than rock radio this milennium.

i did not expect big and rich to sound like that or to write lyrics like this

Some stupid video posted as a joke, somebody's life gets ruined
Out of everything we can create
Where is the cure to keep the sick from losing
Babies having babies 'cause their parents are always gone
Somehow we have forgotten how to make a house a home
How to make a house a home
Oh! Oh! Yeah! Yeah!

I'm begging for forgiveness, I wanna make a difference
Even in the smallest way
I'm only one person, but I can feel it working
I believe in better days
That's why I pray, yeah
That's why I pray, yeah

Taylor Swift has done a whole collaborative concert with Def Leppard

haha what?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo5WQjPwumw

there is absolutely no doubt that for the listenership of classic rock radio, Prince is no different from Michael Jackson. No matter how many guitar solos he plays, he's a faggy black guy that wears make-up, full stop. He was booed off the stage when he opened for the Stones in '81.

Seems like these are acts that have graduated to the classic rock canon:

Nirvana
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pearl jam
Stone Temple Pilots
REM
Metallica
Black Crowes (one could surmise they were designed to get on classic radio immediately)
Guns and Roses
maybe the Foo Fighters?'

no green day?

Black Crowes (one could surmise they were designed to get on classic radio immediately)

yeah I guess stuff like this is the US equiv of Oasis?

I hope green day never get played on classic rock radio. that would be where I draw the line.

but its radio; you dont need to tell the audience its by black men on drugs!

there is absolutely no doubt that for the listenership of classic rock radio, Prince is no different from Michael Jackson. No matter how many guitar solos he plays, he's a faggy black guy that wears make-up, full stop.

not to deny that there's an element of racism, sexism and homophobia deeply embedded in the classic rock radio demographic, the artists themselves, the radio programmers, or the nation as a whole, but I think it's weird to pretend like there isn't a huge aesthetic chasm between these things. Does classic rock radio play any songs by white artists that sound even remotely like Maggot Brain?

I mean apart from that one dj at that one station who played it at 1:30 am

pink floyd?

If they play Hendrix then they could play this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVHrvx-Ua68

the weirdest thing I ever heard on a rock station was at 1am. I guess they had some sort of technical difficulty because things went dead silent for a minute, followed by two minutes of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGfDrnmnjIg

then they switched back on and everything proceeded as if nothing had happened. I'm just wondering why on earth the only backup music they had on hand was a Moby album cut from 1992. what sort of rockists are these guys??

yeah forgot about Green Day…and for sure Oasis and Black Crowes fulfill identical functions w/r/t to their cultures, but Black Crowes did not get to be the defining popular music act of their country for their particular decade…

yeah, I feel like that "heritage" kind of thing they get into in the UK is fulfilled by country over here rather than classic rock.

does hendrix even get played much on classic rock radio these days?

I don't think I agree with that. xp re: country

I don't even think a lot of early Zep is worlds away from "Super Stupid".

But yeah, if BTO and Bryan Adams are more central to classic rock than Hendrix is these days, then it may be true that Funkadelic is more different than I was thinking.

If they play Hendrix then they could play this

sure, they could play Super Stupid, in the same way that an oldies station could play Sunday Morning by VU. But they're not going to do it for obvious reasons.

super stupid's lack of a chorus hook might reduce it's playability even if it had been made by led zeppelin.

but more importantly it wasn't a hit. nobody knows that song. and the whole point of the format is to play familiar hits.

A lot of Zeppelin songs don't have choruses, including e.g. the AM hit "Black Dog". Jimmy Page has talked about it.

Well, "Super Stupid" was originally pulled out in response to the suggestion that Funkadelic sounds very different from what gets played on classic rock radio. You're right that it wasn't a hit but I do think that there's a fair bit of music that was popular that could fit into the format but that gets slotted in different categories for extra-musical reasons. That's all my point was, originally.

this station is horribly popular up here too http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/105.2_Smooth_Radio
along with Real Radio its the choice of all the drivers in the taxis I've ever been in.

rest of UK version http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_Radio

What do you think re country, crut? You probably listen to more country than I do. To me, New Country seems like the more obvious descendant of stuff like the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Mellencamp, Bon Jovi, ... than modern rock radio does. "Need You Now" made me think of Fleetwood Mac right away the first time I heard it.

Like, I think if people grew up hearing Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Van Halen, and Prince on the same station, it might seem as intuitive as hearing Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, the Police, Van Halen, and Don Henley on the same station seems.

Yes but that didn't really happen in the US.

Yeah, we agree that it's not the reality of the actual situation.

I mean I guess the interesting question is what will the new nostalgia format look like in 30 years if such a thing still exists? Will it be kind of like "rhythmic top 40" and combine the more upbeat, dancey side of top 40 hits with some crossover hip hop and EDM stuff? Will it be geared to more of a female audience? Or will such a format be unnecessary since the top 40 charts will essentially sound the same?

Kerrang! Radio Playlist - W/C 29th July 2013

A List

Stereophonics – We Share The Same Sun
Airbourne – No One Fits Me Better (Than You)
Pearl Jam - Mind Your Manners
Fall Out Boy – Alone Together
Kings Of Leon - Supersoaker
BRMC – Hate The Taste
Stonesour – The Uncanny Valley

B List

Queens Of The Stone Age – I Sat By The Ocean
Stonesour – The Uncanny Valley
Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know
Nine Inch Nails – Came Back Haunted
Bullet For My Valentine – Breaking point
Volbeat – Lola Montez
Tonight Alive – The Ocean
Black Sabbath – End Of The Beginning
BRMC – Hate The Taste
Frank Turner – Losing Days - NEW
Avenged Sevenfold – Hail To The King

K! Nights

Forever The Sickest Kids – Chin Up Kid
The Hype Theory – Reverie
Blitz Kids – Run For Cover
Rival Sons - You Want To
Killswitch Engage – Always
Falling In Reverse – Rolling Stone
Turisas – For Your Own Good
Enter Shikari - Radiate
Panic! At The Disco – Miss Jackson - NEW
Letlive – Dreamer’s Disease- NEW
Zebrahead – Call Your Friends- NEW
We Came As Romans – Fade Away- NEW
Black Spiders – Balls- NEW
The Winery Dogs - Elevate- NEW
Drenge – Face Like A Skull- NEW

or http://www.planetrock.com/music/

A comprehensive list of bands that get played on Planet Rock
http://www.planetrock.com/music/artist-pages/

i assume a large majority of those are us classic rock radio staples? (plus british crap)

xxxpost well, I thought all those 80s nostalgia stations that play Cyndi Lauper and a-ha all the time were a soccer mom-targeted version of the classic rock format.

do women in general tend to stay more current with their musical tastes? or is that just because top 40 tends to be aimed at women?

it is?

well women buy more music than men so yeah

Top 40 def is in North America.

Here our top 40 is seen as music for teenage/pre-teen girls yet apparently the average age of a radio 1 listener is 32

I dunno if this is out of date or not but it doesnt even mention kerrang or planet rock
http://www.radiostations.co.uk/rock/

just found this
http://absoluteclassicrock.co.uk/

More rock, every hour, than any other radio station

On Absolute Classic Rock, you'll hear classics from Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Queen and more of Britain's finest, plus the best from the rest of the world.

Listen to Absolute Classic Rock online, on mobile, on digital radio, Sky and Virgin Media.
Haven't Heard It For Ages

Tell us who you are, what you're up to, what you want to hear and why. Then listen out for your track on Absolute Classic Rock!

- now playing Def Leppard - Hysteria

i want noodle vague to request Grendel ;)

oh it seems real radio has a classic rock station too
http://www.realradioxs.co.uk/

I found my dab radio the other day should I give these stations a shot and report back? Or will I just want to kill myself if I listen?

think i'll give http://www.arfm.co.uk a miss
http://www.arfm.co.uk/images/Songfromthesouth.png

Paul Chamberlain’s transition of musical interest from pop and glam rock began in 1973 when he heard the late Alan (Fluff) Freeman play Hendrix's 'Star Spangled Banner' one Saturday afternoon on the BBC.

At a impressionable 14 years of age, a flirtation with progressive rock followed, particularly with 'Emerson, Lake & Palmer', 'King Crimson' 'Pink Floyd' and 'Yes', until a year later a school friend played Paul 'Burn', the then new album from Deep Purple, and since then his thirst for rock has been unquenchable.

After leaving school, Paul worked in photographic retail by day, and frequented clubs, pubs, and larger venues in and around London by night, he even roadied briefly for a Leeds based all-female new wave band.

In the early eighties Paul chanced upon a North London radio station and, after being invited to look around, was duped into making a demo that was broadcast that weekend. He was invited to join the team and from the outset sought to bring more than the mainstream to his shows. Bands that were rarely heard on the UK shores like Molly Hatchet and Doc Holliday

A few months later, Paul joined an Essex based station and met Steve Price. A huge friendship and mutual crusade of rock music 'Southern' ensued. Paul also had his own project as well. Eventually, all good things came to an end.

By the early nineties, Paul was self employed as a photographer and moved to the Essex coast. When the work dried up, he was presented with the opportunity to work with disabled children.

In 2002, Paul moved back to the family home in Chingford and worked at a day care centre for adults and children with special needs and disabilities, experience which would prove invaluable closer to home just eight years later.

He has also studied -and is now qualified - as a publishing editor, which will be handy if Paul ever writes his memoirs.

Paul has spent some time in the southeast United States and has met many of the bands featured on his shows. Would he consider living there?

“As much as I love Florida, especially away from the theme parks, I would probably settle near Helen, Georgia at the base of The Appalachians. The State lines of Tennessee, North Carolina and even Alabama are within easy driving distance and the scenery is breathtaking, especially when you drive through the Great Smoky Mountains. It must appeal to the hillbilly in me!”

“I love travelling around away from the tourist hotspots. April and I called into a McDonalds somewhere in North Carolina once and our accent stopped the traffic. I guess they don’t get many Brits passing through. Even in a restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida locals were coming up to our table just to talk to us. Everyone is so welcoming over there.”

Paul’s Southern musical influences are classic bands like Blackfoot, The Allman Brothers Band, Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, .38 Special, Doc Holliday and Lynyrd Skynyrd plus new talent such as Preacher Stone and Hogjaw.

My husband always has Real Radio XS on in the car, and they are always playing Ace of Spades.

I turned on Kerrang radio for 10 mins earlier and it was no different to the worst of 6music or xfm. No rock to be found in the 3 songs I heard before i had to switch off.

Like, I think if people grew up hearing Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Van Halen, and Prince on the same station, it might seem as intuitive as hearing Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, the Police, Van Halen, and Don Henley on the same station seems.

Previous thread relevant to the aesthetic chasms already present in the CR format:

Classic Rock Radio Is Really Wierd When You Think About It

I never really thought of this radio format as being politically right-leaning, though.

fwiw that guy is otm about the great smoky mountains

Heard the single edit of "Whole Lotta Love" on the Jack station today. It's a much more boring song without the entire middle section! If there's a case to be made for the CR format, this has to be it.

marilyn manson will probably fill the next generation's campy gay metal role. i guess that's all "normal" is really. Working Joe's parents probably hated metal as much as Joe hates rap. The Circle of Life completes itself.

― matlewis, Friday, April 1, 2005 1:41 PM (8 years ago)

other thread dude otm

Are there any Classic Alt. Rock stations yet?

I dont mean modern rock stations stuck in the 90s I mean an actual Classic Alt. Rock format like Classic Rock?

Nakh do you listen to radio?

no

Forever The Sickest Kids – Chin Up Kid
The Hype Theory – Reverie
Blitz Kids – Run For Cover
Rival Sons - You Want To
Killswitch Engage – Always
Falling In Reverse – Rolling Stone
Turisas – For Your Own Good
Enter Shikari - Radiate
Panic! At The Disco – Miss Jackson - NEW
Letlive – Dreamer’s Disease- NEW
Zebrahead – Call Your Friends- NEW
We Came As Romans – Fade Away- NEW
Black Spiders – Balls- NEW
The Winery Dogs - Elevate- NEW
Drenge – Face Like A Skull- NEW

― ..it would have sounded about as heavy as Talulah Gosh. (Algerian Goalkeeper), Tuesday, 13 August 2013 00:31 (4 days ago)

idk what the any of this is, except killswitch & enter shikari

Melodic metalcore is a fusion genre blending traits with metalcore and melodic death metal, which combines sounds and traits from both genres.[1] It has melodic guitar riffs, blast beats, metalcore-stylized breakdowns and vocals that can range between growls, screaming and clean singing.

if that's the Outkast track then me and P!atD are no longer friends

When asked about the band's main influences, Mike Portnoy commented that they are working towards a classic rock sound, influenced by Led Zeppelin, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Grand Funk Railroad, slightly by Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Black Crowes and Lenny Kravitz.[1]

= the american version of

Everything from The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan through to The Stone Roses, the Charlatans, Primal Scream, Ocean Colour Scene, Paul Weller, Oasis, Kasabian?

Drenge – Face Like A Skull- NEW

isnt that the band Tom Watson MP mentioned in his resignation letter to ed mil?

After spending the last three days driving across the Upper Midwest and Northern Ontario, I am feeling qualified to speak on FM rock radio formats in this stretch of mostly small-town North America. I am wondering if this might help clarify some of the discussions/arguments earlier.

So:

i) Proper bona fide classic rock stations that e.g. play Styx or Kansas on the hour and play nothing since the mid-80s and are well-described by this thread are still a staple pretty much everywhere in the US along this stretch. I don't think I actually came across one along this stretch in Ontario. They seem to have largely been phased out in favour of either a) stations named after carnivorous mammals (wolf, fox, or bear) that play Rush alongside Sam Roberts or the Tragically Hip or the Black Keys or b) stations named after monosyllabic male first names that play Golden Earring alongside Abba and Kool and the Gang.

The Wikipedia list of radio stations in Ontario (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_radio_stations_in_Ontario) lists 5 classic rock stations but 16 'classic hits' stations, 18 'active rock' stations, and 16 'adult hits' stations. Of those classic rock stations, I know that at least the Ottawa one plays plenty of 90s and 00s music as well. On the other hand, this list lists 22 classic rock stations, 32 classic hits stations, 7 adult hits stations, and 4 active rock stations.

ii) In the same way that a St Louis accent sounds more 'neutral' to me than my own, your classic rock format seems more 'normal' to me on some level. (Your classical music stations are kind of lame though.)

iii) I am a little intrigued as to whether this difference is indicative of a trend that will eventually spread to the US or whether it is due to the fact that Canadian stations have to play a quota of Canadian music, which didn't really come into its own until after rock's classic period.

iv) The White Stripes and Black Keys have a remarkable ability to blend in so well on the a) sort of station that until the obvious hook enters, I sometimes can't tell whether I'm hearing a 70s song or a recent one.

v) Most interestingly, oldies stations that plays 50s and 60s pop are still a real thing on FM radio in the US. I haven't come across one in Canada in 20 years, I don't think. (According to Wiki, they still exist on the AM dial.) Some stations CALL themselves oldies stations but are basically in this format.

Also, this is my new favourite radio programme:
http://www.prairiepublic.org/radio/radio-programs-a-z/friday-night-swing/

Most interestingly, oldies stations that plays 50s and 60s pop are still a real thing on FM radio
in the US.

there are stations that switch to an all-christmas music format during the holiday season where they play modern favorites like mariah but otherwise it's heavy on classics from the 50s/60s and earlier.

Our local "oldies" station ("Continuous 60s and 70s hits!") does the all-Christmas thing starting in like fucking October or some shit. Fills me with ia.

Fuck Mannheim fucking Steamroller.

Timely: http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/what-your-favorite-classic-rock-band-says-about-you

Steely Dan: You have snorted cocaine off a copy of Remembrance of Things Past.

Fleetwood Mac: You have snorted cocaine off a copy of The Hobbit.

Blue Oyster Cult: You have snorted cocaine off a copy of Type 2 Diabetes for Dummies.

Mountain: You have snorted cocaine off a Blue Oyster Cult record.

Nazareth: You have snorted cocaine off a member of Mountain.

Hawkwind: You sell cocaine to Nazareth fans.

Molly Hatchet: You sell baking soda to Hawkwind fans and tell them it’s cocaine.

s/timely/relevant, e.g. it's old but I saw it again today and it's perfect for the thread

hahaha:

The Eagles: You can only reach orgasm while listening to talk radio.

Issue #9 of Classic Rock Magazine presents AOR
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Comments 9
gbarton at 04:50pm September 16 2013

Issue nine of melodic rock’s finest magazine tells how AOR’s barracudas held their own against industry sharks, ex-boyfriends and the 1980s. Our in-depth Heart cover story spans the years 1974-1985 and features exclusive all-new interviews with Ann and Nancy Wilson.

PLUS! FREE CD: Supersonic – 15 soaraway melodic rock songs with Sammy Hagar, Reckless Love, Houston, Robin Beck, Newman, Harem Scarem, Degreed, Screaming Eagles and many more.

Key features in the issue:

Sammy Hagar – The Tequila man on Van Halen, Ronnie Montrose… and how he gets by with a little help from his (famous) friends.
The Babys – Over three decades after their split, The Babys are back, without original singer John Waite – but with his blessing.
Obscure UK AOR – They’re the also-rans and coulda-beens of Britain’s Adult Oriented Rock scene, the Top 30 great groups the world at large never heard about– until now. With Midnight Blue, Moritz, She, Torino, Monro, Geneva, Kooga, LaRoche, AOK, Arena and many more. Come meet your new favourite old bands…
Patty Smyth – The Scandal-ous story of how Patty made it big, how she almost joined Van Halen, and how she’s coming back.
Robin Beck – With her new LP, Underneath, the girl from the Coke ad proves she’s the real thing alright.
Reggie Knighton – The strange-but-true story of the AOR singer-songwriter who penned songs about Elvis, love and UFOs, before disappearing into the computer world.
Graham Bonnet – The veteran frontman talks Rainbow, MSG, Alcatrazz… and flashing his bits in West End restaurants.
Santa Cruz – The unfeasibly young Scandi-rockers grew up listening to Eminem and Limp Bizkit. But they’re (more than) alright now.
Chasing Violets – French sisters are doing it for themselves – with a little help from Frédéric Slama of AOR (the band).
Steve Overland – “I’ve sung on some weird things, like Kit-E-Kat advertisements,” purrs the FM man.
Lost Weekend – It’s a long, twisting tale of record label frustrations, of cutting albums in less-than-ideal situations, of chasing a dream against all odds and with little in the way of tangible reward. But one listen to this band’s finely honed AOR will prove it was all worth it…
Arc Angel – Thirty years on, Arc Angel have risen again. Jeff Cannata talks us through his journey from the proggy majesty of his Cannata project, back to Arc Angel’s effortlessly melodic rock.
Live reviews – Sweden Rock, Steve Lukather, The Val, Vega, Steelhouse Festival, Bryan Adams, Heaven’s Basement, Rick Springfield, Richie Kotzen…
Album reviews – New releases from Reckless Love, Newman, Robin Beck, Houston, Santa Cruz, King Kobra, Sammy Hagar, Michael Monroe; reissues from REO Speedwagon, Nick Gilder, Warrant, Derringer…

The new issue of AOR magazine goes on sale this Wednesday (September 18).

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Noodle Vague did you buy any of these mags?

OMG happy hardcore and ska! Trying to imagine that on a construction site, failing.

Bros working on the parking garage next door have been listening to classic rock (np: Pink Floyd - "Run Like Hell") all day. I just had a chuckle imagining them working to happy hardcore.

taglines like "Classic rock that rocks", "New Zealand's real rock station", "Just great rock", "We Endorse This Music", etc

Do any American CR stations have obnoxious taglines? Like defend-the-Alamo type stuff?

Or is it just The Sound in New Zealand? It began as a competitor to Hauraki and
The Rock, both of which are (now) mostly focused on the last 30 years. It seems like Hauraki removed a lot of the older rock it used to play, in response to The Sound grabbing that audience. You wouldn't expect MGMT and Amy Winehouse on Hauraki, but there they are.

Then there's The Sound. The Completely New No-Hype station!! Which is why their slogans have been "Less Lady Gaga, More Radio Gaga" "Keeping our music alive", and "This is the greatest music ever written"... Not that there's anything *wrong* with a white Anglicised '70s time-warp, but it makes it a bit unlikable altogether.

I wonder which listeners really believe The Who and Genesis are endangered music :) They should've just called it "Your Vinyl Collection, With Ads". Someone buy them a Herbs record, or something...

Highly debatable. The UK has never come up with anything as ancestor worshipping as 'classic rock' radio.

Yeah we did.

''The inhabitants of Britain originally worshipped their ancestors''

That truly was the golden age...

I just had a chuckle imagining them working to happy hardcore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBuehLCn_XE