What is the definition of Classic Rock?

Question

Me and my friend were discussing this.
I said anyone that the classic rock station plays, but now they play RHCP, Greenday and Nirvana, so thats out of the question.
He said that it's any band that has a dead member, so Pink Floyd took 41 years to become classic rock and only took Nirvana 7? So thats out of the quastion.
Any suggestions?

I kindda want people's own opinions, not wiki's.

I never considered Nirvana classic rock. It's just that many poeple consider Guns N' Roses classic rock and very few people consider the Cure classic rock and they're much older, so it's not really the age of the rock is it?

Answer 1

I would say that classic rock is the general term for the diverse group of canonical great rock bands/artists that performed prior to the revolutionary change in rock music brought on by punk rock . It's essentially the rock music that baby boomers listened to in their youth. The period from the mid-60's to the mid-70's is the key era. The label includes the likes of, for example, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton and most, but not all, of what is played by classic rock radio. The addition of new artists on classic rock playlists has more to do with attracting listeners than expanding the scope of the definition of classic rock. Nirvana is not classic rock. They came too late and have a much stronger relationship to punk and alternative rock.

In response to your additional comment, bands like Guns N Roses, Def Leppard and et cetera present an ambiguous case. They emerged in the '80's, but their styles have much more similarities to certain classic rock bands than to punk or alternative rock. Personally, I would not consider them classic rock. I consider them to be influenced by classic rock.

Answer 2

There's no solid definition of it. Classic rock doesn't have to be a band that has a dead member; that's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. It's just rock that's older than modern day stuff. Classic rock stations play Nirvana and Green Day and RHCP because they were from the 90's. Plus, some classic rock stations crossover into newer age stuff too.

Answer 3

I think there's no such thing as classic rock... There's a local "classic rock" music station that I sometimes listen to as well, and the majority of songs they play are Rythm & Blues (Eric Clapton, Cream, Them, Fleetwood Mac etc... *not* Beyonce or the likes!) and Punk Rock, sometimes Hard Rock.

The only thing that can classify it as "Classic" Rock, is the fact that most bands have either split up years ago, haven't been heard of for at least a decade, or have been around for at least 2 decades.

Nirvana has basically split up - for me anyway - since Kurt Cobain died, Bon Jovi - who they play on my local classic rock channel - has been around for a couple decades, RHCP have been around for a couple decades, so have Green Day, Eric Clapton is starting to look like a pensioner, Fleetwood Mac... well, they've split up and got together more than once over the past 40 years. And so forth.

That's my answer.

Another theory; "classic" rock is only classic rock when it's the rock music the previous generation and the generations before that grew up on. So once this generation of kids grow up, Emo will become classic rock as well :p

Answer 4

Generally, it seems to be when something becomes around a decade or so old. Although, program directors at radio stations can have their own agenda. Pink Floyd has been getting played on the classic rock stations in the bay area since the 80's.

Answer 5

My take would be anything that's within a 10 year past range or higher ?

It's really difficult as to define the term itself really...I'm sure radio stations define classic in 5 billion other ways ya know ?

I personally consider it rock from the 60's-70's dealing with the roots of modern rock or metal. Like the Yardbirds, Cream, Zeppelin, Allman Brothers...ya know that stuff everyone's parents listen to thesedays lol. I dig alot of the oldschool classic rock but its real hard to be genre specific.

Here's the wiki entry:

Classic rock was originally conceived as a radio station programming format which evolved from the album oriented rock (AOR) format in the early-1980s. In the United States, this rock music format now features a large but limited playlist of songs ranging from the early 1960s through most of the 1980's with more emphasis on the earlier hits by artists associated with the loosely-defined "classic rock era".

Answer 6

Classic rock: Is just a term for good hard rock, normally from some time ago, like 80's rock, but contains modern 90's rock also now and again

Answer 7

For me, classic rock is any music that was produced from the first days of Rock & Roll up to 1975. However, I think generally, the term has little to do with a particular time period and instead means popular rock & roll.

Answer 8

I would say any band whose members or lead singers were born in either the late 60s, 70s or 80s cannot be labeled as classic rock.

Answer 9

According to a program director at a station here in Edmonton, they ( and most other stations ) go with the guideline of being older than 7 years. Nothing to do with living or dead members.

Answer 10

rock from the late fifties to late eighties/early nineties
if the song doesn't seem rock, i count it as classic rock if the band has made some/ a lot of rock songs

great radio station for classic rock....

http://www.rock101.com/