Rock bands’ music can have a powerful influence over our lives, altering culture and shaping fashion, language and attitudes.
Celebrate this holiday by attending a concert or creating your own playlist! Why not bring along some friends for a karaoke night as well?
1. Van Halen
Van Halen are undisputed champions when it comes to rock songs and debut albums; their music helped define both decades, as their songs are still regularly played on radio stations today and Eddie van Halen revolutionized guitar playing.
Eddie Van Halen hated learning piano as a child but found solace in playing guitar instead. An avid Eric Clapton fan, Eddie would spend hours alone in his room practicing all of Clapton’s solos on guitar until eventually joining forces with brother Alex, drummer Mark Stone and vocalist David Lee Roth to form Mammoth.
Soon thereafter, the group quickly gained popularity, although tension between Roth and Van Halen would grow over time. Still, despite these disagreements, they released several hit albums and a live album before eventually parting ways with Roth; replacing him with former Montrose frontman Sammy Hagar.
Van Halen’s second album, 1984, was an instantaneous success and propelled them into superstardom. One of its signature tracks was “Runnin’ With The Devil.” With its chugging opening riff and DLR’s screaming vocals that brought alive every aspect of an energetic Van Halen concert performance. Eddie utilized his tapping technique throughout this track to produce piercing harmonics on guitar, an approach also utilized by jazz guitar legend Lenny Breau and country music icon Chet Atkins among many others.
2. The Beatles
From Metallica’s thunderous guitar riffs in the 80’s heavy metal scene to Arctic Monkeys’ mesmerizing music in 2000’s, rock music is unquestionably capable of connecting across generations. Be it inspiring youths to stand up for themselves or questioning those in power, rock has left its mark on history and should continue doing so in future years.
But the Beatles did more than simply break societal bounds; their music revolutionized our understanding of music itself. Their rock and roll sounds redefined its definition by drawing upon influences from American artists such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino and Elvis Presley to form their own sound; by doing this they elevated a style previously considered amateurish into an elegant genre with new standards of excellence and beauty that they revolutionised themselves as creators.
The Beatles also inspired a cultural revolution, providing voice for a younger generation of creative outsiders who didn’t conform to traditional standards of creativity. While their demise was tragic, their legacy continues to resonate today across the world.
3. The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones have long been one of the longest-performing rock bands ever and one of the most influential. Even as members enter their sixties and seventies, the band still records and tours regularly; its members have become icons of counterculture; they have had an effectful effect on how music is composed, performed, recorded and distributed; their popularity fluctuated while also sparking controversy throughout their career.
The Stones began their career during the British rock invasion of the 1960s as part of rhythm and blues style reminiscent of American artists like Little Richard, Fats Domino, and Chuck Berry. But they soon ventured deeper into darkness by experimenting with psychedelic drugs and adopting an image of bad-boy rock. By 1969 they recorded Let It Bleed LP with iconic track “Gimme Shelter”, featuring its signature guitar intro featuring tremolo effects as well as nods to flood blues, gospel, doo-wop, flood blues tradition, gospel choir vocalist Merry Clayton only amplifying its sense of violence further.
The band’s use of satanic imagery was part of its blues tradition; songs about Satan are frequently included in blues songs. Yet media coverage, particularly in the United States, often played up this aspect of their music in order to portray it as uniquely sinister and dangerous.
4. The Who
Rock music has long been defined by innovation. From early 1950’s trendsetters like Elvis Presley to Metallica’s hard and loud 80’s metal sound fueled by anger and hardwired for self-destruction in their 1980’s metal sound to today’s hip-hop/alternative bands hypnotizing listeners worldwide, rock has bridged generations across time zones and continents alike.
The Who made an ambitious step toward forging a distinctively British rock vernacular during the 1960s. They went beyond the Beatles’ idealized romance and Rolling Stones’ cocky swagger to deliver songs about teenage struggles that were honest yet accessible; such as unrequited love (“Pictures of Lily”), peer pressure (Entwistle’s “Happy Jack”) and gender confusion (Townshend’s “I’m a Boy”).
Although The Who disbanded in 1982, Townshend continued writing and recording albums that resembled what The Who once were doing. Additionally, he serialized his novella and created musical pieces related to it such as Endless Wire (2006) mini opera. Daltrey focused on acting while Entwistle released numerous solo records.
Rock music offers a much broader spectrum of lyrical topics than its counterparts, from blues, country, folk, big band and swing to folklore and swing. Some of its best-known songwriters including Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen Morrissey and Jeff Tweedy have written lyrics considered poetry-worthy.
5. The Eagles
The Eagles were one of the premier American rock bands of the 70s. Their albums Greatest Hits 1971-1975 and Hotel California sold millions of copies and earned them many accolades; their signature sound and impressive songwriting abilities cemented their status in iconic rock music history.
Their country rock sound was a national alternative to glam rock and disco during the 70s. At a time when America was struggling under President Nixon and Vietnam was winding down slowly, rock kids turned to The Eagles as they offered hope of escape with songs such as ‘Take It Easy’ and ‘Desperado’; offering escape and promise of better days ahead.
Though their brand of mellow music is now associated with dad rock, the band began as an authentic rock outfit. By the time of Hotel California’s release, their musical sophistication had reached new levels; Henley and Frey’s lyrics combined melancholy with craftiness typical of any great country songwriter; ex-James Gang guitarist Walsh added technical expertise as well as native rambunctiousness into their compositions.
After Randy Meisner left in 1975, Timothy Schmit became their drummer. While Henley and Frey continued their solo careers, Schmit, Walsh, and Leadon recorded multiple critically and commercially successful albums together and also achieved individual successes as solo musicians.
6. The Rolling Stones
Before becoming one of the world’s most celebrated bands, The Rolling Stones experienced some brushes with law and public discord between members. Yet despite these setbacks, they’ve managed to stay together as an act for over 60 years, touring internationally until age 78 – an outstanding accomplishment in rock music that speaks volumes for their success as musicians.
The Stones first achieved prominence in England during the early 1960s by playing an Americanized style of blues influenced by American influences and traditions, popularizing raw, expressive African-American musical culture in England. Early press coverage frequently highlighted their link to black music by naming iconic American musicians they respected such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Slim Harpo and Jimmy Reed as influential artists they revered.
The Stones quickly established an image as rebellious and disreputable bad boys during this era of their career, often staging concerts marked by disorder and sometimes violence that earned them multiple citations from concert authorities. At this point, they began exploring darker themes with songs such as “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, “Sympathy for the Devil”, and particularly violent “Gimme Shelter”, featuring guest vocalist Merry Clayton to cement this particular stereotype of white men who knew and could perform within black musical traditions.