Rock was roaring to nations around the globe now and commercialization of it was inevitable. Now bands were getting focused on material catchy enough to loop on radios and let the stadium audience sing in harmony. A pejorative term for some, arena rock was now the decisive genre as hard rockers of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, AC/DC, Aerosmith and Van Halen along with heavy metal behemoths like Kiss and Alice Cooper were attracting flocks to mass gatherings. Bored of the excess of post-psychedelic era, Bob Dylan, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Eagles, Allmann Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd stripped the music down to its bare elements to turn to its roots, hence roots rock/guitar rock that followed. The socially conscious and highly critical mostly anti-war rock anthems date around this time of advent of the genre.
And there comes David Bowie…
Yet another British inva- well, invention took to the stage with showmanship of David Bowie torpedoed across the Atlantic to influence artists like Lou Reed, Iggy Pop while its ground zero shockwave was adopted by Rod Stewart, Elton John and Queen with its mix of genres depicted with use of theatrics and gender-ambiguous representations. Around these times divergence of genres made way to clumping together of some according to which way the emphasis was shifted – the acoustic quality or a louder electric guitar utilization. The softer side initially comprised acts like Cat Stevens, Billy Joel and Fleetwood Mac while on the other side of the scale pressed down heavy The Kins, Queen, Aerosmith, AC/DC and Van Halen. Taking it even further, when Steppenwolf thought it was time to call it “heavy metal” with “Born to Be Wild” the intensity was taken up a notch yet again. Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Rainbow, Kiss, Blue Öyster Cult, Rush, Scorpions among many more drove the motorcycles of the heavy metal highway full throttle.
Punk Rock <3
My personal favorite part? Why, the explosion of punk rock of course. Rooted in garage rock of more than a decade ago, the straightforward, aggressive and simple formula of the rioting children of rock were giving the middle finger to anything considered established, moral or normal of the period, from politics to rock bands, they were poised to provoke. The Ramones, the Clash, Sex Pistols and Patti Smith were forerunners of punk rock which was never a radio-favorite, hence the adopting by record labels of more arty and relatively gentler acts to introduce them into the mainstream. Punk rock-influenced New Wave musicians such as the Knack, Blondie, the Police, Talking Heads fo-fo-fo-fo-fo-fo-fo-fo-fo-found (hehehehe) their ways in commercial waters, some built upon this point of entry, some just enjoyed the fame and glam.
Enter the predecessor of alternative rock, post-punks who preferred the artistic side of the ancestor, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Bauhaus, the Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen and inevitably U2 took the torch of punk rock and switched it with a more pleasing look and added a bit of an enchanting hue to the flame.
More to follow with my next post and I hope you are enjoying reading as much as I do writing this.
God shave the queen!
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