Who Really is the Greatest Classic Rock Band of All Time?
The debate has continued for years. Who is the greatest rock band of all time? The genre called sometimes classic rock or oldtime rock and roll has given us many, many artists in its some fifty years of existence. If you grew up in the 60s or 70s, it is a subject worth talking about because alot of the music that was introduced on the radio or television back then was dear to our hearts, and of course, our ears. I remember arguing even in sixth grade about who was better, the Beatles, the Monkees, or the Rolling Stones. Imagine that, thinking that the Monkees were in the same category as the other two! Anyway, we used to argue and discuss and never really settle the debate. If we could today, how would we?
I used to think that the only band you could put in to the "great" category was of course the Beatles. It seemed that everyone in those days had copied them. Every time someone came up with a new sound, or a new style, it pointed back to the Beatles. Over the years, my attitude hasn't changed much, except my musical training has gotten much more sophisticated. Classic rock was everywhere, and classic rock was everything! But classic rock bands seemed to come out of the woodwork. The parents of those early rock days were filled with dread and fear, as if all of their children were listening to drug-induced, sex-motivated music that would someday make us go deaf. We read and heard stories of how the Beatles, and then the Rolling Stones, were rumored to be taking drugs and creating their music at the same time. There were some who said they couldn't be creative without all of those illegal substances. Being a parent today, one can see why our parents were so afraid. The old saying in school was sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
But as we got older and maybe wiser, our tastes began to quiz us in every way, shape and form. Who was really good? In those days, what groups and bands were the most musically talented, or the most creative, or at least the most worthy of listening to?
The Beatles, again, seemed prolific. They always appeared one step ahead of all the rest. Their attempts at keeping new almost appeared superhuman. When British bands began to follow them to the U.S., they began to do studio work. They invented psychedelic music (or so it seemed). They put fuzz into their music, then used sitars and other Eastern instruments and sounds to freshen up their more current work. It was difficult to predict what they would do next. And all of them wrote! It never meant to us that they were the greatest natural born singers in the universe, or that their individual musicianship was over the top; it just meant that they were introducing us to new worlds of music we had never heard before. With all the great music that the Rolling Stones were coming up with, it always seemed they were following the leaders. The Beatles were leading the way.
As the 1960s came to a close, more bands were competing for the top dollars. British bands like the Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, and the Yardbirds were taking the sounds further. The classic rock music was getting louder, more intense, and of course more frightening to parents. We didn't mind, though. The louder it was the more impressed we became. Or at least some of us. Some listeners did have hearing loss, some didn't. Nonetheless, bands were creating different strains of music as well. The Eagles, Doobie Brothers, and others merged some of the country and folk sounds into a milder version of rock. Others, like the Allman Brothers and Lynerd Skynyrd (I think I spelled that right!) made their country rock sound a bit harsher and intense. There was also the classic and symphonic rock, dominated by such groups as Yes, Genesis, and ELP. Musicians were joining forces in many different ways to compete better, and to get their songs played and heard. Crosby, Stills, Nash & sometimes Young were from different bands, different venues, and of differing opinions, and they merged their harmonies into a sound few would forget. Sometimes these musicians would decide down the pike to go solo, and they would give us even more sounds than before. Before the 1970s were out we were wondering where rock was to go next. Disco answered that question for us.
So, who is the greatest classic, or just simply said, rock band of all time? It would be interesting to hear if everyone could vote. With Hiphop, soul, pop music, and other genres beating a path to the airwaves today, it just doesn't make any sense to leave the debate die out. Our culture is steeped in it. Think about how many times a day a person hears a song in an ad, or during a tv show or event, or even in a movie. We hear Steppenwolf, Led Zepplin, the Stones, and so many more, every time we open our eyes and ears. Who is your vote to go to? Ponder on where our music has come from, and where it is going. And the beat continues....