July 17, 201014 yr Really, it depends on which charts he is indeed speaking of- the American or the British, the singles or the albums etc. I assume he is talking about the American singles charts. In which case he is correct- there has been a lack of rock music in the US singles charts for almost exactly a decade. IIRC, the last rock song to hit no.1 on Billboard was "Bent" by Matchbox Twenty (one of my all time favourites, as it happens) in July 2000. Arguably, "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay (US no.1 in June 2008) more accurately fits this description but Coldplay have always sounded more MOR/AC/pop to my ears. If were talking about the British singles charts then there is also a case to be made but the UK charts tend to go in cycles- we are currently in the midst of an electro/hip-hop cycle but were in the midst of a rock cycle around 2003-7 and I predict well enter the rock cycle again around 2012 (maybe even earlier?). If were talking about the album charts then, no. Far from a lack, rock dominates the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic and always has
July 17, 201014 yr There isn't =[ we need diversity, more rock and foreign language muic please! and paramore isn't rock =/
July 17, 201014 yr Really, it depends on which charts he is indeed speaking of- the American or the British, the singles or the albums etc. I assume he is talking about the American singles charts. In which case he is correct- there has been a lack of rock music in the US singles charts for almost exactly a decade. IIRC, the last rock song to hit no.1 on Billboard was "Bent" by Matchbox Twenty (one of my all time favourites, as it happens) in July 2000. Arguably, "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay (US no.1 in June 2008) more accurately fits this description but Coldplay have always sounded more MOR/AC/pop to my ears. If were talking about the British singles charts then there is also a case to be made but the UK charts tend to go in cycles- we are currently in the midst of an electro/hip-hop cycle but were in the midst of a rock cycle around 2003-7 and I predict well enter the rock cycle again around 2012 (maybe even earlier?). If were talking about the album charts then, no. Far from a lack, rock dominates the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic and always has What stage of the rock cycle will we enter? Sedimentary, metamorphic or igneous? :kink:
July 17, 201014 yr There's a lack of anything that isn't manufactured pop in the charts; rock isn't the only genre suffering. Rap / hip-hop / indie (not Kings of Leon $h!t) / metal / rock / electronic / lo-fi / drone / chillwave / WHATEVER genre are all under represented in the chart. Mainly because the only people who really give a $h!t about big sales / crap like the charts are pop fans though, so... Bands can be incredibly successful without chart success. See: Spoon, etc. They play to HUGE audiences and have practically had no chart success as far as I know of, at least singlewise. And I'd say that the most influential / important / relevant artists barely ever chart. Besides Lady Gaga and Jay-Z currently, I don't think anyone is making charting music that people will care about in 10/20 years time. Seriously, no one is going to give a $h!t about The Saturdays / Pixie Lott, and they won't be influencing ANYONE. It's a simple fact. Most pop music is temporary, and there's only room for a couple of people (Lady Gaga, Madonna, Britney Spears, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson) to become legendary. And if you can't get to that status, you'll just fade. Seriously, Spice Girls were huge in the 90s for a few years, but who cares now? No one. I don't see anyone listing them as an inspiration in interviews. No artist says that All Saints inspired their sound. It's outdated, and most pop artists care about nothing more than sales and getting those hits, rather than the discovery of older music / current music to be influenced by (because most of their music is written for them so why bother?) It's the music that doesn't chart, the stuff that isn't created with sales in mind, that sticks around and continues to influence people to this day. Like Pavement, they were barely huge at all in the 90s but they're bigger now than ever because of growing critical acclaim/love people spreading their music. They'll be around forever even if they stop making music simply by word of mouth. Kate Bush will be around forever. Sex Pistols will be around forever. Sonic Youth will. 99% of what is in the Top 75 right now, at this moment, won't.
July 17, 201014 yr the phrase "those who let the music come to them, not those who look for it" springs to mind. popular will always be mainstream, cash-front record labels pushing stuff out that people here via radio at work etc. nothing will change until the majors' change the sound of what they think will make them money...
July 18, 201014 yr Seriously, no one is going to give a $h!t about The Saturdays / Pixie Lott, and they won't be influencing ANYONE. Seriously, Spice Girls were huge in the 90s for a few years, but who cares now? I agree with the first quotation but disagree with the latter. Spice Girls were huge and their legacy was more cultural and commercial than musical. They were the biggest girl band in the 90s and they did have impact on all girl bands now. The music wasn't meant to last although some songs sound very fresh even today (Viva Forever, Say You'll Be There). But this goes a bit off-topic. I also agree with what you say that pop music is temporary. The only way pop stars can be influential is the cultural impact. Musically very rare pop stars have long lasting impact...Pretty much those you mentioned and I'd exclude Lady Gaga for now. Rock bands, on the other hand, focus mostly on music. Those who are influential, are influential because of their musical achievements. Edited July 18, 201014 yr by SKOB
July 18, 201014 yr OT a bit, but I think to say the Spice Girls influenced no-one is a bit off the mark. Girls Aloud and the Saturdays? I think Grimly's point has been the most accurate really; fans of non-commercial genres such as rock don't tend to be big singles buyers. The album charts tend to be a bit more diverse.
July 18, 201014 yr rock these days is the likes of the killers etc If that were true than Rock really would be dead. Thankfully The Killers are Rock only in the most watered down sense. They are Rock in the way that The Beatles were - they adhere to the instrumentstion required but not the musical style. Bullet For My Valentine are Rock Avenged Sevenfold are Rock Iron Maiden are Rock Hell I'd even give you Muse and Green Day but never The Killers
July 19, 201014 yr Well, I suppose if you look at the charts alone, AC/DC are in their best ever era - 2 UK album chart #1s in a row.
July 19, 201014 yr The single charts don't have enough Rock songs indeed but nevertheless there are still enough good rock songs produced which are heard from people who don't care for single charts (more albums) like someone already said. I personally listen to the Zane Lowe Show on BBC Radio 1 and every week he plays some new rock songs which are brilliant so I'm well provided with it and don't have to miss something only because it isn't in the Top 40...!
September 15, 201014 yr Agree about the lack of rock on the charts. Real rock exists, but the mainstream radio doesn't give it a chance, that's why it's not on the charts :(
September 19, 201014 yr If that were true than Rock really would be dead. Thankfully The Killers are Rock only in the most watered down sense. They are Rock in the way that The Beatles were - they adhere to the instrumentstion required but not the musical style. Bullet For My Valentine are Rock Avenged Sevenfold are Rock Iron Maiden are Rock Hell I'd even give you Muse and Green Day but never The Killers Those three are metal, sorry to disagree with you. To me "rock" encapsulates a lot (metal, indie and punk being the obvious three) but anything that you can just label "rock" has to be something that doesn't really fit any of those other categories. Oasis were typical of this, it's a big stretch to call them indie depsite the Smiths and Stone Roses influences, same with punk despite Sex Pistols and Jam comparisons, and you certainly couldn't call them metal.
September 20, 201014 yr Those three are metal, sorry to disagree with you. To me "rock" encapsulates a lot (metal, indie and punk being the obvious three) but anything that you can just label "rock" has to be something that doesn't really fit any of those other categories. Oasis were typical of this, it's a big stretch to call them indie depsite the Smiths and Stone Roses influences, same with punk despite Sex Pistols and Jam comparisons, and you certainly couldn't call them metal. Rock is an umbrella term. Metal is a subgenre of Rock so those three are all still Rock groups although personally I think they're on the lighter side of Metal. As can be Rock but Indie often straddles Pop too. Indeed there are Pop Rock groups like Poison - most of the Glam Metal bands were originally coined Pop Metal back then Anyway Oasis are more Indie Rock and The Killers more Indie Pop I don't consider either of them pure Rock groups but I do Maiden, BFMV and AX7.
September 20, 201014 yr I think there is a lack of rock music really- but I think the 70s/80s style of rock just isnt commercial any more and rock has moved on to sound more commercial but the influences are still there, I think rock these days that is still popular would be bands like Coldplay, Killers, Muse, Green Day, Lostprophets etc. even these bands are declining commercially, look at the Manics recent flop, it is a shame as rock is a great style of music and is one of the few genres that has had a lasting effect
September 20, 201014 yr I think there is a lack of rock music really- but I think the 70s/80s style of rock just isnt commercial any more and rock has moved on to sound more commercial but the influences are still there, I think rock these days that is still popular would be bands like Coldplay, Killers, Muse, Green Day, Lostprophets etc. even these bands are declining commercially, look at the Manics recent flop, it is a shame as rock is a great style of music and is one of the few genres that has had a lasting effect I disagree somewhat. AC/DC managed a #1 album earlier this year, and rock bands still make the highest grossing tours worldwide.
September 21, 201014 yr I disagree somewhat. AC/DC managed a #1 album earlier this year, and rock bands still make the highest grossing tours worldwide. by earlier this year do you mean 2008?
September 21, 201014 yr by earlier this year do you mean 2008? Presumably he means the Iron Man 2 soundtrack
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