Is classic rock defined by a sound, a time period, or popularity?

Question

What do you think? Because I always attached the term to a sound, a general rock 'n' roll that didn't vary too far from the standard rock template (guitars, drums, vocals, bass, occasional keyboard, sitar or horns, synthesizer is pushing it). The next for me would be a time period because most of the bands called classic started in the late 60's and got poular in the early 70's, or started based on influence from those bands and got popular in the late 70's or early 80's.

But appears that classic rock is just anything popular that fits underneath the infinitely broad term "rock" and is in a broad time period ranging from the 60's to the 80's. I mean how else could Rush, Led Zeppelin, Bowie, Steppenwolf, the Kinks, the Who, and Lynyrd Skynyrd all be shoved into one subgenre? Plus, here's a list of bands with the straight forward rock sound from the time period that aren't considered classic:
T.Rex, the Stooges, Sonics, Easybeats, the MC5, Pretty Things, Paul Rever & The Raiders.

The New York Dolls, Slade Small Faces, Standells, the Troggs, or even the Yardbirds are also left off of classic stations and lists, where artists as diverse as Clapton, the Rolling Stones, the Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Pink Floyd are all put under that label.

So if classic rock is just a genre defined by how popular it was in its time, in 20 years what is classic rock going to be?

I can agree with a lot of what you wrote Fonzie T. But the problem everyone else will, the term "classic" is too vague and subjective and it's made classic rock one of the worst defined terms in rock 'n' roll. And the only problem I really had with your little article was I thought Alice Cooper deserved more than a greatest hits album in your list of classic rock albums! Hmph!

Haha, no harm no foul, that probably is a good starting point and any album composed of their best stuff has got to be a great album!

Answer 1

Firstly i'd just like to say i hate the label "classic rock' - as you say, it encompasses far too broad a range of music to have any real meaning.
But back to the question, i think it's a mixture of the three, but only because it can't be only one of them by itself.
If you were going to define it by a sound, then you'd have to say that a band like Wolfmother or something is classic rock, which it ain't.
If you were going to define it by a time period, then that would mean that Barbara Streisand is classic rock. Need i say more.
Same goes for popularity.
So i guess to be included in classic rock, you need a vaguely rock sounding noise, to be from the 60's, 70's etc and to have been quite popular both in the past and now.
But still, it's a stupid label.

Fonzie T - that's exactly my point - you can't say that all music from the 60's and 70's is classic rock. I'm obviously using a rather extreme example tho. Perhaps someone like The Velvet Underground would have been a better example tho, since they are kind of rock, but i don't think you'd consider them classic rock.

Answer 2

I think the term has more to do with how many units have been shifted more than anything else. Most labels for music like this are either invented by journalists or by radio conglomerates. It's their way of labelling music in the rock world which has been around long enough to guarantee an instant audience, and sell the most advertising, whether it's in magazines or on radio spots.

Having said all of that, of course, some great music gets played on these stations. But, you'll notice that most of these stations play the same 50 or 60 songs all day long. They'd have you believe that Pink Floyd, for instance, had 5 songs to offer us. After a hundred listens, even the best track can get old. This is the downside of "classic", I guess.

Answer 3

i would say defined as all three

Sound-The sound is very distinctable from other forms of rock

Time period- Because something new will come out and make the existing genre not as popular

Popularity-because like i said eralier fans will move on to newer bands but will still be fans of classic rock just not as devoted as they used to be.

EDIT:
I believe within two decades classic rock will stay in its genre and 90's and 2000's rock will put in a new genre.

I would say T-rex and the easybeats are classic rock cause i hear them on the radio on the time.

EDIT 2

I agree also ALice Cooper's 'Killer", "School's Out", or "Billion dollar babies" should've been in that list

Answer 4

that's what I'd like to know myself, but someone on one of my questioned said that basically classic rock radio is just a gimmick, something to get people to tune in.

I'd think something that Haley and his Comets, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, CCR, Steppenwolf -songs from the '40's to the '70s, and of course and them are classic rock bands and singers.

IMO nothing in the '80s is classic rock though some may be classic

Answer 5

In my opinion, classic rock is music that is a mixure of blues and rock. Most classic rock bands start out playing blues (Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, etc.) and evolve more towards rock, and even the others have a touch of blues, if not a lot.

Answer 6

I would say the best of the 60s and 70s would qualify as "classic rock." My own impressions are Beatles, Rolling Stones, Doors, Blues Project, Moody Blues, Jefferson Airplane (and Starship), Santana . . . well, to be blunt, get yourself the album of Woodstock (or the DVD, but don't read the lyrics in the subtitles; they LIE!) and you will have enough examples to get the idea.

Answer 7

For me, your first line is the answer. There is a definite sound, from a basic time period, and how much that particular group seized the imagination of the populous, or
popularity. I also think which groups are included are subjective and individual to each of us.

Answer 8

Just reading your title alone, I have my take on this here. Just scroll down to "classic rock" & let me know what you think:

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-yLYNLrI3crThyzDCqpuUZUlcJjTzLQ--;_ylt=As_Ul7zt5jwFAxC8xxCzoXi0AOJ3?cq=1