Yes, Rock ’n’ Roll Really Is Dead and Buried
It’s been said for some years now that rock music is the new jazz, with a narrowing segment of ageing, mostly male fans and little representation in the music charts of today. It’s time for rock fans to face the ugly truth.
They say the musical genre I love, rock, is dying or already dead. It’s claimed by smart-arsed journalists and those in the industry that fans like me are just poking it with a stick, hoping it’ll roll over and get up and jive again. But is the writing really on the wall? Does rock have a future or is it destined to be confined to the dusty shelves of history alongside other once musical staples such as jazz and blues? I’d argue that sadly, the doomsayers are right.
No New Bands Coming Through
Wait a minute. When was the last time a brand new rock band took the charts and media by storm? Can you name any big rock bands that were formed post-2010 and are now at the top of their game? No, neither can I. Sure, people bleat on about Greta Van Fleet, with some even calling them ‘the saviours of rock’, but let’s face it- they’re shit. One listen is enough to tell anybody with half a brain that these one-dimensional Led Zep wannabes aren’t going anywhere. So where does that leave us? Yes, exactly.
The bands people still talk about, the bands headlining festivals this Summer, are all veterans. Loudwire.com’s list of the top 10 selling albums is littered with household names like AC/DC, Metallica and the Foo Fighters. Don’t get me wrong; great bands one and all, but the combined ages of the members of these bands reaches into the thousands and they’ve all been around for donkey’s years.
I consider myself a rock fan and even I couldn’t name you one decent new band that has the potential to go on and be a stadium-filler the way these classic bands were.
Evolution of Production Techniques
Rock music recorded any time after 2010 just isn’t very nice to listen to. For one thing, it’s too clean! Digital recording and production coupled with samples and cheap computer effects have sanitized something that should be, by its very nature grungy and dirty. Rock music was and still is all about the imperfections, the things that give it life and character.
Listening to music recorded on a computer, with computer algorithms and digital equipment on Spotify or some other online platform totally bleaches all the fun, finesse and feel out of the music so that you’re left with some patched-up, digitized piece of manufactured perfection; the complete antithesis of the true meaning of rock.
And you can tell. Maybe not on first listen and maybe not on the second, but after hearing a slew of hastily and cheaply produced albums all with the same sampled drum sounds and identikit guitar tones, it starts to get very noticeable. Nothing sticks out, it all just blends into one bland, vanilla, unforgettable noise. No wonder people aren’t listening any more.
The Sad Demise of Rock Magazines
This one might just be the saddest of all for someone like myself with a fondness not just for music but also for the printed word. I used to buy rock magazines religiously when I was younger. Publications like ‘Kerrang!’, ‘Metal Hammer’ and ‘Terrorizer’ were my unshakable reference points and entries into what was cool in the universe of rock and metal. They were the gatekeepers and tastemakers and more often than not, what they said was gospel. I found out about hundreds, thousands of bands within those hallowed pages, poring over every detail of album production, lyrical inspiration, rock fashion and tour stories. They were a world unto their own and they also often came with free sampler CDs with the best of new music to convert would-be listeners. Buying them felt like buying into a lifestyle, like joining an exclusive club.
Alas, they are no more. Sure there are internet versions of some of them still clinging onto dear life, but they’ve had to soften and diversify their content to survive. Reading about your favourite bands on a screen is simply no match for the immersive, tactile pleasure of walking into a newsagent, picking up a copy of ‘Kerrang!’, buying it then gingerly placing it inside your leather jacket so it doesn’t get wet before you reach the bus stop. The ceremony, the ritual has gone. In an age where everything is available for free at your fingertips, when you’re not made to work for something, you stop appreciating it and finally, eventually lose interest.
Final Thoughts
So yes, on the balance of evidence, rock is on the slide. Very few, if any new bands coming through, an absence of authentic sounds and a lack of promotional power due to now defunct media outlets does not make for a rosy outlook. Still, I’ll continue to listen to my favourite records at full volume on a Friday night after a couple of beers. There’s no feeling like it and I suspect I’m far from being the only one of a noisy inclination.
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