Is traditional rock dead?

[clucas91]

Rock nowadays, to me anyway, is all about the 3 minute 30 second long pop theme. Does any modern rock band still have tunes that last any longer than the normal 'pop tune' length?

For example, the old days of rock would have a bit of singing then a guitar solo and then some drums then end with some more lyrics. These would often last 6 to 8 minutes!

[M29]

Originally posted by clucas91
Rock nowadays, to me anyway, is all about the 3 minute 30 second long pop theme. Does any modern rock band still have tunes that last any longer than the normal 'pop tune' length?

For example, the old days of rock would have a bit of singing then a guitar solo and then some drums then end with some more lyrics. These would often last 6 to 8 minutes!

Oasis' Be here now. Each song was at least 5 minutes and it was written on cociane.

November rain goes for about 8 minutes and that was a hit. Wouldn't these days unfortunately.

I remember reading once Noel Gallagher saying he was told that the reason for 3 minute songs started in the U.S. In burger joints where kids paid $1 or whatever to hear their favourite songs on the jukebox so that they could keep pumping more money into it. Probably not true, but it wouldn't be suprising if it was.

[Mooster7]

I'd blame it on the record companies. Someone pulls off a big hit, and everyone starts scrambling for clones. Anyone doing something different can't get a recording deal. For that reason the cycle can be slow. It does cycle though.

For the time being we are stuck with guitar players who know the same five chords in any key, and with no clue as to how to play a complimentary melodic scale. These cretins don't even know any pentatonic scales for that matter. Heavy Metal has taken the biggest hit IMO. Mostly because it was always better than popular rock to begin with. Modern metal is nothing more than droning with a drop D tuning, and either rapping or singing something completely incomprehensible.

I have hope. The classic rock cover band scene is alive and well. A lot of 'underground' bands are playing more and more like the good old days. Give it five years. You'll get your guitar chords with more than three notes in them, scales to match and the odd drummer who knows something other than a steady 4/4. Let's just hope that we get a miss on one thing - big hair gentle ballads.

[AlfAndrews]

I remember seeing Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs doing a song called "Gangster Of Love" ... It went for 25 minutes, complete with a 10 minute drum solo.

Thank Christ those days are over.

Screeching pentatonic ejaculations by hairy-chested egomaniacs should have become extinct circa-1977. Unfortunately, there was always enough crap garage bands with stadium aspirations to keep the spark going.

"Traditional" rock will never die ... there will always be some big-haired big-phallused bozo who thinks that his particular variation on the random progression of notes from the blues scale constitutes "creativity" ... and enough head-banging cretins to pay his wages.

[hourn]

unfortunately tradtional rock is dead in terms of bands emulating the likes of Led Zeppelin.

However, while we still have people who are appreciate how good tradiotional rock is and still listen to it, it will NEVER die.

[FIGJAM]

Originally posted by hourn
unfortunately tradtional rock is dead in terms of bands emulating the likes of Led Zeppelin.
I disagree.

No-one has "emulated" Led Zeppelin more than a band I will be seing on Saturday, the Tea Party.

There's still plenty of album rock out there, whether it is "traditional" or not is another question.

We've gone through the punk revival. Perhaps the next revival will be juicy self-indulgent stoner rock. We can only hope!

[hotpie]

Originally posted by FIGJAM

I disagree.

No-one has "emulated" Led Zeppelin more than a band I will be seing on Saturday, the Tea Party.



I thought the Tea Party were a Doors clone?

[FIGJAM]

Originally posted by hotpie
I thought the Tea Party were a Doors clone?
Cross between Doors & Zep.

I still like them though!

[Mooster7]

Originally posted by AlfAndrews

Screeching pentatonic ejaculations by hairy-chested egomaniacs should have become extinct...

...who thinks that his particular variation on the random progression of notes from the blues scale constitutes "creativity"

Hey Alf, I resemble that remark:mad: ;) Well...not the hairy chest part one way or the other.

I think the next generation in guitar creativity is (of course) what I noodle with. That is extended chords - 7ths, 9th's, 11th,13ths, - anything with enough notes to denote major or minor - put forth in various progressions, jazz etc with key changes mid-stride. Then using various 7 tone scales, classical modes, arpeggios etc to reflect the key/chord changes. If this can be done so that it sounds like Rock or Blues, so much the better. The occasional shredding is a must.

But even a good pentatonic riff is better than what I have been hearing on the 'modern rock' stations for the past 10 years.

Peace, - M

[Stealth bomber]

I must completely conquer with Mooster.

I am a drummer who is completely bored by everything music today has to offer.

Speaking purely from a drumming perspective, the days of the proficient percussionist behind the kit is pretty much well gone, at least in the commercial world. Undoubtedly there are terrific drummers playing in the clubs all over the world but they will only be heard by those who go into the clubs.

All you get right now is "boom-boom-BASH, boom-boom-BASH". Slow plodding 4/4 played on heavy, completely open and ringy snare drums with the largest, loudest, trashiest hi-hats they could find. No fills, no syncopation (although some drummers overcompensate for this by playing exorbitant amounts of ghost strokes throughout entire songs).

It is not just the invention of the drum machine, nor the progression of sampling/sequencing/looping that has rendered most musicians irrelevant in most genres anymore anyway, but the genres out there where people still actually play instruments don't seem interested in any kind of performance beyond making as much noise as possible in as little time as possible.

Lets see the return of effects on guitars other than maximum crunch. Chorusing, wah-wahs, rotovibes, delays, anything. Jazz chords, minor chords. There is nothing wrong with a short, concise guitar solo that tells a story and goes somewhere.

Record companies are only interested in what is considered "safe". They absolutely won't take a chance on anybody anymore, and music is well worse off for it.

This is why we have the cloning syndrome - taking a proven formula (i.e. "Creed") and signing, recording, and producing up and coming bands to sound exactly the same, right on down to such simple things as drum sound, guitar tuning and vocal techinique.

It is not a new phenomenon though, because the exact same happened in the late 1980s with the aforementioned hair bands.

Everyone labeled a lot of the old 70s rockers as "corporate", which may have been true to some degree, but the bands around now, influenced by groups that supposedly "rebelled" against this kind of thing are if anything, more corporate than any that ever walked before them.