I was coming to say that I thought that the classic rock era gave us albums we can listen to from beginning to end, but then skimming through the article the guy made better points:


1. It's impossible to listen to classic rock radio during the coveted drivetime hours without hearing the frakkin' Eagles.

THIS


3. Warren Zevon deserves better than to be known as that "'Werewolves of London' guy". He wrote some great songs, people! Let's hear 'em!

THIS

4. I'm not a huge fan of later Aerosmith, but I have to admit that Joe Perry's guitar was smokin' for most of the '80s and '90s. That chaotic, clanging solo on "Janey's Got a Gun" totally rocks.

AND THIS

Clear channel ruined classic rock for me. If it's not Boston, it sounds like Boston, so I'd rather not screw with anything published after 1973. Unless it's decided not "rock" -- which I'd include Warren Zevon in.

DarnoKonrad: Clear channel ruined classic rock for me. If it's not Boston, it sounds like Boston, so I'd rather not screw with anything published after 1973. Unless it's decided not "rock" -- which I'd include Warren Zevon in.

Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact.

jaylectricity: Maybe that's one good thing that came from the massive studio bills that bands used to rack up, maybe no one knows how to mic instruments like they used to, or maybe it's the price newer albums are paying for participating in the loudness wars.

I was never a Santana fan growing up, but every once in a while a song like "Black Magic Woman" comes on and I just can't believe the depth I am listening to.

Maybe I should go dig up some classic rock.



Go find something live from Santana. Or just go buy the Wood Stock DVD

So many great songs and good bands from that period that are ignored. It really is frustrating to hear the same shiat over and over.

One problem (IMO) is that they have condensed "Classic Rock" to only the 3-4 minute songs.

Even with that said, Pat Travers (for example) has MUCH better songs than "Boom Boom out go the lights".

UFO isn't just "Doctor Doctor"

Robin Trower isn't just "Bridge of Sighs"

I could go on and on.

Hender: Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact.

And yet 1974 is also the year of the first "Bad Company" release.

You see, poor live performances by the likes of Chuck Berry and even Jerry Lee Lewis are destroying the music they allege to celebrate. And tests show that a Beach Boys concert is a very sad thing. This, coupled with the growing interest in ethnic music has undermined the support base of the music you and your friends love.

/looks forward to the dominance of jazz

2 words: Blind Faith. :(

Uzzah: And yet 1974 is also the year of the first "Bad Company" release

I tried to re appreciate Bad Co this year because I'm a Mott fanatic, and Free made some great albums but, far far less than the sum of it's parts that is for sure.

I've recently started getting into older AC/DC (Bon Scott era), Thin Lizzy, and other bands from the 70s, and am amazed at how I never hear these songs on the radio. It's always 'Back in Black' or something for the one millionth time. Too many hidden gems out there.

jaylectricity: Maybe that's one good thing that came from the massive studio bills that bands used to rack up, maybe no one knows how to mic instruments like they used to, or maybe it's the price newer albums are paying for participating in the loudness wars.

I was never a Santana fan growing up, but every once in a while a song like "Black Magic Woman" comes on and I just can't believe the depth I am listening to.

Maybe I should go dig up some classic rock.

Go dig up the original Fleetwood Mac version and be blown away.

First time I saw Ac/Dc was on the Powerage tour..Ended up seeing them at least twice on every tour thru "Flick of the Switch" when I gave up because it seemed like they were just going thru the motions at that stage.

TheLopper: It's always 'Back in Black' or something for the one millionth time. Too many hidden gems out there.

I had trouble with this, too. I think part of the problem is that, at least in AC/DC's case, the production on those early albums is pretty "meh" and the Brian Johnson era stuff is higher-quality, production wise. It's a shame, because if you put on "If you want blood you've got it" (Bon Scott era live cuts, released in US in 1978) you realize just how monstrously good they were, and you NEVER hear that stuff on the radio.

As to all those other amazing bands that recorded really high-quality (performance-wise) stuff, the programming directors at the mainstream, free-radio stations know what their audience wants, and it's not "obscure genius". People want to hear Pinball Wizard, Hotel California, Low Rider, Riders on the Storm, Comfortably Numb and the occasional Led Zep threefer. The programming directors need to give the audience what they want.

You want "hidden gems" you gotta go to like Sirius/XM, or just turn off the radio and find alternate sources.

/turned off the radio in 1992

What's a radio station?

/haven't willingly listened to terrestrial or even Satellite radio in close to 15 years.

//Some will take that (and what follows) as smugness (and I can't defend against that, so won't) but it's really not designed to be. It's more an expression of my continued incredulity that, as there exist so many other (better, IMO) options for listening to/being exposed to music these days, anyone would willingly choose to listen to what others choose to play for you.

Really, unless they ABSOLUTELY want to (or, yes, they work/spend your time in an environment in which exposure is out of their control) there doesn't seem to exist a viable reason why anybody should/would have cause to listen to music they don't want when they absolutely can only listen only to what they do at their whim.

I'm stunned actually that music-playing radio stations are still an extant phenomena in 2010. I fully understand the need for (weather) info/community talk stations in rural areas, but not music-playing ones.

I'm sincerely not trolling. I honestly don't understand the need. Can someone explain to me WHY there are still music-playing terrestrial/satellite stations in 2010?

Am I just (again) being short-sighted?

I'm listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan's Riviera Paradise, so I'm getting a kick...

Oooh, now it's Joe Walsh, and it ain't "Life's Been Good"! (new window)

dletter: CraicBaby: notmtwain: Exactly what classic rock is or isn't can be hard to define.

Apparently, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam are now considered classic rock, at least, according to my local classic rock station.

This years high school seniors were born AFTER "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was released.

So, yeah, it is classic rock now, and, yeah, you are old.

/so am I

You just made this 25 year old feel 85

beerrun: jaylectricity: Maybe that's one good thing that came from the massive studio bills that bands used to rack up, maybe no one knows how to mic instruments like they used to, or maybe it's the price newer albums are paying for participating in the loudness wars.

I was never a Santana fan growing up, but every once in a while a song like "Black Magic Woman" comes on and I just can't believe the depth I am listening to.

Maybe I should go dig up some classic rock.

Go dig up the original Fleetwood Mac version and be blown away.

Or ANYTHING Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. I have the entire discography and it is some of the greatest electric blues out there.

Japancakes: What's a radio station?

Thanks -- you aren't alone. I don't know the answer. There's a farkton of apathy and I think some measure of comfort in listening to 20 minutes of ads and 20 minutes of DJ piffle every hour.

The first time I replaced my car stereo was the last time I listened to the radio. Mix tapes, then mix CDs, then mix mp3 CDs, now mix mp3 DVDs.

Most of Thin Lizzy's best work was stuff that was not played on the radio. Lynott was able to get some impressive guitarists on his records and the songwriting was amazing. I've been listening to Still Dangerous a lot the last few weeks and I still cannot believe that Lizzy wasn't bigger in the States than they were.

I could go the rest of my life and never hear Santana again.

Early Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green were an amazing band. The Nicks era Fleetwood Mac that gets played to death is crap compared to the Green era stuff.

My favorite Zevon song is still Roland the Thompson Gunner and it never gets any airplay either. Same thing with most of Pat Travers' back catalog. AC/DC's Jailbreak still gets in rotation on my ipod and in the cd player. Some of Bon Scott's best work.


Still waiting on Leader O'Cola to come in here and tell everyone that they suck for listening to anything other than his precious death metal.

beerrun: Go dig up the original Fleetwood Mac version and be blown away.

This.

Some really good stuff to be had with any early/pre Stevie & Lindsey Fleetwood Mac.

Also, try out some early Rush. I was brought up on UFO, Stones, Yes, Rush, Beatles and Boston. Was a great time to be a kid and have a Dad who liked to crank up "Heart of the Sunrise" while we cleaned house on Saturday mornings.

/yes, I went there
//does Rush really classify as Classic Rock vs. Progressive?
///my slashies are better then yours

Nights with Alice Cooper does a good job with his deep cuts. otherwise its:

Bad Co.
AC/DC
Boston
Styx
Kansas
Foreigner
Repeat

Nice to see there are some other people out there with taste. Carry on, gentlefolk.

/would give anything to time-travel back to a rock station, circa early seventies.

Clear Channel - and the adherents to their business model - are what's wrong with radio.

The only Classic Rock I listen to is Deep Tracks on Sirius/XM ... and even that channel pales in comparison to what was The Vault on Sirius.

/And, yes, Boston sucks. (Well, they may not have sucked, but after hearing Foreplay/More Than a Feeling every hour of every day on FM radio, they now suck.)

sigdiamond2000: Infamous Dr. X: It's a shame, because if you put on "If you want blood you've got it" (Bon Scott era live cuts, released in US in 1978) you realize just how monstrously good they were, and you NEVER hear that stuff on the radio.

Greatest live album ever recorded. Bar none.

Uh, just no. Live and Dangerous is with Strangers in The Night a close second.

Japancakes: I'm sincerely not trolling. I honestly don't understand the need. Can someone explain to me WHY there are still music-playing terrestrial/satellite stations in 2010?

Maybe I'm smug, too, but I agree with most of what you're saying.

There are a few reasons, though, why it's still out there. Lest I appear pedantic and lecturing, I'll summarize:

1. Access is free (or nearly so) and there's no work involved. Whether you're in your car, on foot, on the train, sitting by the pool, or at work, you can turn on your radio and have instant access to entertainment at virtually no cost (save the investment in the radio) and with no energy/work expended (in researching which albums/tracks to accumulate and put onto a mixtape or mp3 player).

2. It's still a key part of the industry marketing machine. Despite the advent of youtube, itunes, pandora, last.fm, etc., terrestrial radio is still THE premier marketplace for the industry - for free, you are able to sample a very wide variety of product, product that you'll likely go buy some of (in form of a cd or album download). The industry WANTS people to have cost- and work-free access to their product.

3. No actual statistical data for this, but I suspect that the vast majority of people WANT radio, because it makes life easier. In some small way because their choice of outlet/music source and/or fandom of genres helps them identify themselves and seek like-minded people, just like people watch certain stations on TV or follow certain shows. The same reason people choose to join random subcultures based on hobbies, fashion, or whatever. Again, because it's cost- & work-free, it's an easy and convenient way for people to get entertained and enjoy community.

Okay, that was pretty f*ing pedantic. Sorry.

A local station - WKLH - used to pride itself on playing 'deep cuts'.

Yeah, about that. 'Deep cuts' were the third, fourth or 5th single from a popular album such as Rumors or Thriller.

Farking Allah I hated that station for years simply because of this bullshiate, trying to appear hip without taking a single chance.

Glad I got satellite.

Maybe that's because radio stations ONLY PLAY SINGLES.

Do What Now Question Mark: Nice to see there are some other people out there with taste. Carry on, gentlefolk.

/would give anything to time-travel back to a rock station, circa early seventies.

And you'd be heart broken because they'd be playing all the chaff that sank to the bottom and became forgotten. For every "wow that song still sounds great today" there are five "what the hell is this?" and four "I never really liked this song".

TheLopper
I've recently started getting into older AC/DC (Bon Scott era), Thin Lizzy, and other bands from the 70s, and am amazed at how I never hear these songs on the radio. It's always 'Back in Black' or something for the one millionth time. Too many hidden gems out there.

I never understand why some tracks go heavy-rotation and others become "deep cuts". Why "You Shook Me All Night Long" over "Rock N Roll Singer" or "Live Wire"? Why "Truckin'" over "Brown-eyed Women" or "Jack Straw"?

It's frustrating to think about how good commercial radio could be, without even changing all that much. I mean, they've already got the discs in the studio, they just have to play different tracks.

gopher321: sigdiamond2000: jaylectricity: I was never a Santana fan growing up, but every once in a while a song like "Black Magic Woman" comes on and I just can't believe the depth I am listening to.

I feel the same way about Steely Dan. I realize a lot of people can't stand them, but those are some of the best recorded albums in the history of music.

Perfect example of a 'studio' band. They had a hell of a lot of talent.

I was always lukewarm on Steely Dan until I caught Classic Albums - Aja on VH1 Classic (you can get it from Netflix). Superb insight into how a perfectionist studio band like them pieces together a record. Highly recommended.

GreenAdder: So now we have The Who waddling on stage during the Super Bowl, Daltrey not able to hit any of the high notes, and the whole band sounding like something you'd see at the state fair.

Blame Janet Jackson and her "wardrobe malfunction" for having nothing but classic rock bands since. That's really sad, that the Stones and The Who are the *safe* option in programming, though Prince using his guitar as a penis was a nice touch.



Now we have Aerosmith still pretending to be relevant, far after they've worn out their welcome.

Really? I think at this point, Aerosmith just wants all five members to stay alive long enough to make another album and get through a full tour without having to cancel 20 shows due to medical problems.

I don't think most classic rock bands not named The Who are under any illusion that they're "relevant" anymore, but what are they going to do? stop writing songs and touring because they're not hot buzz-bands like they were in the late 60's and 70's? Oh, that's right, they could do us all a favor and take your advice and die. Funny how they might not want to do that.

And AC/DC released an album only available at Wal-Mart. That's really how rock and roll sticks it to the man, isn't it?

Well, if rock and roll wasn't so addicted to the lame "we're so rebellious! We're sticking it to the man (even though we're all signed to multinational corporations!)" mindset, we'd all be better off. As someone once noted, "All teenage rebellion since Rebel Without A Cause is fake, it's manufactured". AC/DC did what was best for them in the face of a disintegrating music industry and widespread album theft.

My personal "Waah! Waah! Why don't they play more than [hit song]:

ELP: There's more to their catalog than Lucky Man and First Impression, Part 2. Really!

Yes: Same deal, there's more there than Roundabout and Owner of a Lonely Heart, though I realize no FM station today would play all 18 minutes of Close to the Edge, though it wasn't unheard of back in the early 70's.

dionysusaur
Clear Channel - and the adherents to their business model - are what's wrong with radio.

You know, I felt this way for a really long time. But to give CC their due, when I moved to San Antonio, KISS was the first radio station I'd ever heard that played Slayer, Iron Maiden, and the full 9-minute "Master of Puppets" during weekday drivetime.

Maybe it's the exception that proves the rule, but that CC station was one of the better terrestrial rock stations I've heard.

MagFura2: TheLopper
I've recently started getting into older AC/DC (Bon Scott era), Thin Lizzy, and other bands from the 70s, and am amazed at how I never hear these songs on the radio. It's always 'Back in Black' or something for the one millionth time. Too many hidden gems out there.

I never understand why some tracks go heavy-rotation and others become "deep cuts". Why "You Shook Me All Night Long" over "Rock N Roll Singer" or "Live Wire"? Why "Truckin'" over "Brown-eyed Women" or "Jack Straw"?

It's frustrating to think about how good commercial radio could be, without even changing all that much. I mean, they've already got the discs in the studio, they just have to play different tracks.

Ah, youngsters. Back in the day, promo vinyl came with "notes" telling DJ's which songs the company wanted played, sometimes to the point of these little arrow stickers affixed right to the vinyl pointing at the desired tracks lead in...

enad58

You just made this 25 year old feel 85

I felt the same way when I realized that if "Master of Puppets" was a car, it would be an antique. And that was almost ten years ago.

apeiron242: Maybe that's because radio stations ONLY PLAY SINGLES.

Do What Now Question Mark: Nice to see there are some other people out there with taste. Carry on, gentlefolk.

/would give anything to time-travel back to a rock station, circa early seventies.

And you'd be heart broken because they'd be playing all the chaff that sank to the bottom and became forgotten. For every "wow that song still sounds great today" there are five "what the hell is this?" and four "I never really liked this song".

YOU'RE RUINING MY FANTASIES DAMNIT. STOP THAT.

sigdiamond2000: Greatest live album ever recorded. Bar none.

drewogatory: Uh, just no. Live and Dangerous is with Strangers in The Night a close second.

Well, I beg to differ (as much as I love Blood). Of course, this is all wicked subjective and we can argue 'til we're all dead from exhaustion, but I have some alternative choices for "best":

The Who, Live at The Isle of Wight (1970)
The Who, Live at Leeds (Expanded De-Luxe mega edition, or whatever they called it)
Neil Young, Live at The Fillmore East (1970)
Otis Redding, In Person at The Whiskey-A-Go-Go (1966)
Cream, Wheels of Fire Disc 2 (Winterland/Fillmore, 1968)

There's a bunch of other live albums out there that I think are absolutely killer, but these five I think are the absolute tops among "classic rock"...Blood and Cheap Trick At Budokan are at the very top of the honorable mention list.

Woopsy, I'm an idiot with the math. "Master of Puppets" will be 25 next year. Doy.

"Warren Zevon deserves better than to be known as that "'Werewolves of London' guy". He wrote some great songs, people! Let's hear 'em!"

Yes, please.