I say ‘the’ classic rock debate, but of course there are many. Often, they can run for years and bring out many strong views. Some people can’t bring themselves to see other points of view, meaning the discussions can be fierce at times.
And when it comes to music and classic rock, there are a lot of very personal opinions. But there may be an easy solution offered below to help deal with any such arguments.
You can see from the many lists online that trying to set a top ten of best albums, bands, or songs, live albums, or whatever from that classic rock genre is almost an impossible task to get agreement on. It’s such a strong category of music with so many different styles under that heading. That can lead the discussions astray.
What is classic rock?
The arguments can drift and perhaps show where the ultimate classic rock debate lies. What is classic rock, and what rules define it? That is definitely a discussion that can, and often does, run on and on.
Part of the problem is that classic rock isn’t a genre of music as such. It’s much more of a label or general term that broadly fits a wide range of styles and artists.
So many different variations on rock can fit in there, whether it’s the early progressive music of the likes of Pink Floyd or Genesis, or the country-based sound of the Eagles. It picks up heavy metal but can also stretch to allow the softer tones of Paul Simon or a bit of glam and art via the likes of David Bowie.
Typically, classic rock gets defined by being guitar-driven, coming from a specific time period, and often by radio station playlists, certainly in the early days as it emerged as a category. That usually covers the late 1960s through to the 1980s, or early 1990s. That works until someone mentions a band just outside that timespan whose sound is an almost perfect fit.
Time is also getting more awkward as a way to define classic rock. It made sense initially. Radio stations in the US in the early 1980s were looking for ways to keep hold of their aging audience.
Making a move to playing more of the classic tunes from the years their audience loved hearing again was where it all started. Stations like WWWM (M105) in Cleveland and WMET (Chicago) developed the term and used playlists looking back over 20 years or so.
The classic rock time frame is stretching
But time moves on now. Audiences brought up with the music of the 1990s or 2000s now see their favourite tunes of their era as classics. So does that make the great songs, albums and artists from then become classic rock now? Does grunge fit the category?
“No!” Shout a load of music fans. Yes, of course,” claim many others. And the confusion reigns, and arguments arise as the boundaries get hazier and less easily defined. There is a fairly simple answer to all this. But it comes with a warning. Some of you won’t like it!
Because it’s not a genre with a more fixed definition, classic rock is always going to be much harder to tie down. It’s more about the music being great and playing classics from a period that listeners love and identify with.
Often that’s linked to periods in their lives, as teenagers or in their early 20s, perhaps when they relate the music of the period to what they were doing at the time. And that’s fine, but it becomes very fluid and stretches over the years, well beyond that early initial period.
Listen to the music
This is where the much bigger overall answer comes in. It is quite simple. Just don’t worry about it. Chill out and play the classic rock music you like most.
There’s no need to argue; you’re just wasting time when you could be listening to the great sounds. It doesn't matter what others think. If it’s rock and it comes from a period in your life from years back that you remember well, it’s very likely classic rock to you. Just embrace it!
Add us as a preferred source on Google