Thursday, August 14, 2008

Who Will Be "Classic Rock" For Our Kids???

As previously stated in my U2 sucks balls rant of a few nights ago, I own over 1000 CDs. I am proud of this collection and I have a bookcase that takes up a good sized wall in which to display my tunes. When Priscilla was first learning to crawl the bookcase was located in our TV room where most of my free time was spent. The newly mobile Priscilla loved to make her way over to the shelves and start chucking CDs as fast as her little hands could pull them off the shelf. One Saturday morning while babysitting her I decided enough was enough so I pulled down a shelf in the closet and pushed the bookcase into said closet where it would remain until we moved. In our new home I was smart enough to put the bookcase in the spare bedroom rather than have my CDs face the wrath of Priscilla and now Mollie’s tiny but speedy and destructive hands.

I look forward to the day, however, when the girls are old enough to want to experience some of the music that I have loved throughout my life. I often ponder which bands are going to stand the test of time? Which band from my generation will be my girls’ Beatles, etc? I have debated this topic with friends in the past. I will post my choices below.

In my opinion the great or most influential “Classic Rock” bands/singers from my parents’ days are:

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, and The Grateful Dead.

So here are my closest comparisons with a brief description as to why:

The Beatles = Radiohead.



Tough decision here. My heart wanted R.E.M. as they are my favorite band of all time (other than Gomez but no one cares about Gomez) but Radiohead is more Beatlesesque I would say. Started simple, grew more and more experimental until most people felt they needed to be under the influence to understand their music. Someday my girls might say Coldplay or some other band but for now it's Thom Yorke and the boys.

The Rolling Stones = U2.


This one was easy for me. Egomaniacal lead singer. Iconic guitar player. Will most likely break the record for most “farewell” tours. Don't Mick and Bono make a beautiful couple?

The Doors = Stone Temple Pilots. Again, another easy one in my opinion. Both bands were more liked by fans than music critics. Both bands had extremely talented musicians that were nowhere near as popular as their front men. And Scott Weiland wants to be Jim Morrison so badly that I’m surprised he’s not dead yet. Also, the Doors are probably my favorite of the “Classic” bands and STP is my favorite band of the 90’s. Even more so than more acclaimed bands like Pearl Jam, etc.

Led Zeppelin = Pearl Jam. Nothing much to say here, just makes sense. Both solid bands.

Simon and Garfunkel = Elliott Smith. I’m cheating I suppose since Elliott Smith is one man but he harmonizes with himself as well and Paul and Art ever did.

Bob Dylan = Beck?


This one is tough. I want to say Beck and I’m not the first to compare the two. They are frequently compared but it’s not a perfect match. I’d say both men dabbled in many different genres of music and both had anthems for their generations however Bob Dylan’s lyrics are quite a bit more profound than those of Beck. Help me out here people.

The Grateful Dead = Dave Matthews Band. Both bands have some great songs and lean towards the jam band genre however both are probably loved a little too much by their fans who consider them to be a lot better than they actually are.

So thoughts? Feedback? Let me know your choices.
KG

15 comments:

brohammas said...

Bob Dylan was more of a figure than Beck. While Beck may be talented and sufficiently quirky he in no way matches the social influence of Dylan. Who does? Idon't know.

If you want bands from our generation that have had long and resurging careers like the classics I always rattle off the list of RHCP, U2, Beastie Boys, I'll count Nirvana and the Foo Fighters as a continuation of the same band, and somehow Green Day keeps popping back up like a whack-a-mole game.

What about bands like Metallica? Screamdog or not, AC/DC and G n' R, will always be good.

We can always compare bands and who they are similar too, or simply who we like the most, and we will still have to answer to our children for the misfortunes of big bangs, pegged pants, Ace of Bass... did you really like Right Said Fred, Milli Vanilli, and Tiffany? Why does the Rolling Stones guy look like Flava Flav?

Corbie said...

Thank goodness someone finally posted a comment first - I was beginning to look like a blog stalker (which is why when I saw this at 2 AM, I went to bed without commenting though now confessing all of this sort of defeats the purpose).

I think you did a bang up job on everyone except The Beatles=Radiohead - The Beatles need a little more love than that. I can go with your Bob Dylan comparison precisely because you qualified it by saying that his lyrics were more profound...I was worried for a minute but you brought it full circle with that disclaimer.

And I have both Milli Vanilli and Tiffany on my ipod...say what you want...blame it on the rain.

Jen said...

You forgot the Jonas Brothers. I know how much you love them, so clearly it was just an oversight.

Corbie said...

Jen just reminded me...what about Sawyer Brown? Sawyer Brown=The Beatles? Pure brilliance.

kg said...

Ok, Metallica = Black Sabbath
Jonas Brothers = Hanson (too easy)
Sawyer Brown = RHCP

Oh boy! Two birds one stone! Bring on the fury. Actually I just couldn't think of a crappy enough band to attach to Sawyer Brown. Everyone knows that RHCP = The Beach Boys.

Spammon said...

First, since I am a big reggae fan such as brohammas, have you heard the Radiodread album by the Easy Star All-Stars? Check it out on my server. It's a great reggae/dub remake of the OK Computer album.

Second, I do not hide the fact that I despise the Beatles. I will give them credit as great song writers, but as far as their talent to sing and play instruments goes, well, the should have just kept to writing music. Yes, I believe that their music sounds better when remade by someone else. I realize this will stir up a hornets nest, so flame away.

Here's a couple of my own:

Jack Johnson = white Bobby McFerrin
Band of Horses = America


How about Pink Floyd? The Eagles? The Who?

And I don't think there will ever be a replacement for Bob Marley for our kids. He still continues to have his impact on current generations and I'm sure those to come.

Spammon said...

One other one:

Alanis Morissette = Janis Joplin

kg said...

Spam - I do have the Radiodread Album as well as Dub Side of the Moon. Very entertaining. Although I'm not the hugest fan of reggae and/or dub music. I did live with brohammas for 6 months or so though so I did at least get somewhat of an appreciation for it. How is that for a lukewarm/fence sitting response?

Good call on Band of Horses. Although my bro claims that My Morning Jacket = Pearl Jam + America. Now we're getting into equations and not just X = Y.

Spammon said...

Dub Side of the Moon was awesome. You had a good response. Obviously I don't sit on the fence when it comes to the Beatles, although I probably should at times. Slamming the Beatles is like punching your own mother in the face for some people...or worse.

I don't think I've heard My Morning Jacket. But I have heard Morning Wood. I'll check them out since I do like America. I'm just so-so on Pearl Jam.

Also, thanks for keeping Beyonce out of this. I hope her career ends soon as I think she is worthless in the talent department.

kg said...

Spam - On the lastest America album that came out last year "Here and Now" they do a cover of the My Morning Jacket song, "Golden" and the MMJ lead singer sings background. If you like Band of Horses and America you should like MMJ. Start with the Album "Z" they even have a semi-reggae song.

brohammas said...

Bob Marley should not be mentioned in this conversation. Legend, which I call the "beginners" Bob album is the most consistantly selling record of all time. He is no Rolling Stones he was more Beethoven...or Moses, Abraham, OK there was a little Don Juan mixed in there as well.

Oh yes, and long live the Fugees!

Anonymous said...

Sorry I haven't commented before now. I promise to step up my game.

First of all, classic rock has to have broad appeal, so trying to see it through the lense of your own personal taste won't work. Second, if a band is a classic, they won't be comparable to another band because they will have created a legacy all their own.

There is also a difference between talking about which bands deserve long-lasting recognition and which bands have achieved it. The fickle, sometimes tasteless masses are responsible for who becomes a classic.

Classic rock is not only evocative of its time but also timeless. It can make a solid cover band in a tavern on the outskirts of who-knows-where sound good. It can be used in a movie or commercial to instantly bring to mind a time, place, or urge. It is played at high volume during the slightest pause in the action at a sporting event.

Having said that, I think that GNR has produced some classics. U2 has produced some classics. Nirvana has done the same. Beck is extremely gifted and very influencial, but his work is not classic, even though it should be.

The very structure of music delivery doesn't produce classic rock like it used to. A few moguls and DJ's used to decide what we listened to, so a critical mass of people became familiar with mainstream releases. Now, music has been democratized by technology: niche groups of fans are much more easily reached, and bands can rise to prominence through the Web. The music is better and better, but they don't make classics like they used to.

Vanwarmer said...

Okay, I am Vanwarmer. I didn't mean to be anonymous. Now I'm properly signed in.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I have to admit that I'm not much of a blogger, or reader of blogs??? But for some reason reading these responses I feel I may be amongst my own people.

Below a few of my own non-classic comparisons, of which Sawyer Brown was and will never be mentioned:


Lynard Skynard - Kings of Leon
Tupac/Biggie - Lil Wayne
Billy Joel - Ben Lee
James Taylor - Ray LaMontagne

brohammas said...

hold up, did you just compare Lil Wayne ant Tupac? I'm not a fan of either but you are joking right? Its hard to tell since I broke my sarcasm key (its right below the caps lock).