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Is Rock In Its Final Decade?


Lorraine
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Bowie's death got me to thinking.

 

All of the members of my peer bands, the bands that began when I was growing up and that I grew up with, are in their sixties and seventies. These bands had songs that probably almost every household in the United States would be familiar with at least one or two of them.

 

Who wouldn't know the Beatles? the Stones? Elton John? the Who? Led Zep? the Police? Bowie? Queen? Springsteen? U2? Steely Dan?

 

Who doesn't know Rush, even if it only for TSOR or Tom Sawyer?

 

Who among the young and upcoming musicians are replacing our dying and dead rock icons? (I call them "icons" for lack of a better term at the moment.)

 

Within the next decade, more and more of these aging rockers will be dying. When they have all died, will that be the end of rock as me and my generation have known it?

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We revere artists differently nowadays, and rock is more diverse now than ever.

 

I think the reason we have so few major superstars today is because we have so many types of rock and metal, their aren't enough newer bands to appeal to the majority of the rock metal community at large.

 

Seriously, so many bands are really adored today, but with more choice now than ever, it seems major icons are not really a necessity anymore.

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I still think that if Alter Bridge did not have that pathetic Creed tag following behind them, they would be this era's IT band.

 

They deserve to be in the same level as Foo Fighters, if not more so. Definitley deserve better than Creed ever did.

 

But we live in a more fickle world than the one of forty years ago, an era which would have truly served AB quite nicely, methinks!

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If the only rock stars/bands one is interested in come from that person's youth, then eventually that era of rock will die out.

 

Rock music itself, however, is in no danger of dying.

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Yes, Lorraine, it probably will be the end of rock as you and people your age know it. But it won't be the end of rock. There will always be new bands coming out who turn a new generation of fans onto the genre. Edited by J2112YYZ
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If the only rock stars/bands one is interested in come from that person's youth, then eventually that era of rock will die out.

 

Rock music itself, however, is in no danger of dying.

 

Agreed.

 

We just live in a world that no longer seems in awe of "the artist" and more "the music".

 

If you look at the end of year album best of charts, so many bands are to be found who have great appeal, but mainly towards more subjective audiences. Festivals are still quite popular, bands make more money touring (if we had no way of illegally downloading, I bet many slightly under the radar bands would be absolutely massive on an old scale), and young people are as mental and headstrong in love with music as they have always been.

 

It's just, again, a result of so much variety today that we have so few icons that are recognised by the mainstream press. A million metal fans any given week probably buy one album they adore, but only 30,000 buy from the same artist.

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I still think that if Alter Bridge did not have that pathetic Creed tag following behind them, they would be this era's IT band.

 

They deserve to be in the same level as Foo Fighters, if not more so. Definitley deserve better than Creed ever did.

 

But we live in a more fickle world than the one of forty years ago, an era which would have truly served AB quite nicely, methinks!

 

I don't know, Alter Bridge's first album went gold in the US. Their only album to do so. It's possible the Creed association helped them a little more than you think. It certainly made it easier for the band to get off the ground and get noticed.

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I still think that if Alter Bridge did not have that pathetic Creed tag following behind them, they would be this era's IT band.

 

They deserve to be in the same level as Foo Fighters, if not more so. Definitley deserve better than Creed ever did.

 

But we live in a more fickle world than the one of forty years ago, an era which would have truly served AB quite nicely, methinks!

 

I don't know, Alter Bridge's first album went gold in the US. Their only album to do so. It's possible the Creed association helped them a little more than you think. It certainly made it easier for the band to get off the ground and get noticed.

 

Agreed, but I still know most people I have recommended them too refuse to touch them after they hear of the Creed tag.

 

Even with Tremonti's recent work, it is like they are still in the process of rebranding themselves. That, and the fact Myles keeps running off with Slash doesn't help.

 

But I also think another factor is illegal downloading. So many bands sell out arenas around the world, but lack the sales to back this up.

 

Nightwish

Within Temptation

Alter Bridge

 

Between all three, they haven't even sold 20 million copies of their albums, bit somehow in so many countries the world over they play big venues (all three have sold out Wembley and none of them are particularly noticed by the music press in the UK outside of the rock press).

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All those artists named in the OP have been major influences on the current generation. There will always be "The Man," and rock will always be there to stick it to him.
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As long as guitars are still being manufactured, there will always be Rock music.

 

Go to a RUSH concert, or indeed any of the long established groups, and you will see many young faces in the crowd, enjoying the music.

 

Some of them are the Rock musicians of the future.

 

Classical Music has survived because many people continue to find it amazing.It touches them in a way no other entertainment can.. Rock music has the same effect and always will have.

 

With changes in technology, we will see other forms of music evolving but the "fundamentals" of Rock will ( I believe) not stray too far.

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If the only rock stars/bands one is interested in come from that person's youth, then eventually that era of rock will die out.

 

Rock music itself, however, is in no danger of dying.

 

Agreed.

 

We just live in a world that no longer seems in awe of "the artist" and more "the music".

 

If you look at the end of year album best of charts, so many bands are to be found who have great appeal, but mainly towards more subjective audiences. Festivals are still quite popular, bands make more money touring (if we had no way of illegally downloading, I bet many slightly under the radar bands would be absolutely massive on an old scale), and young people are as mental and headstrong in love with music as they have always been.

 

It's just, again, a result of so much variety today that we have so few icons that are recognised by the mainstream press. A million metal fans any given week probably buy one album they adore, but only 30,000 buy from the same artist.

 

A metal band selling 30,000 copies of an album is considered huge now. It's the equivalent of the album selling 200,000 copies 25-30 years ago.

 

Times have certainly changed and not as many fans buy albums anymore. But that's because there are so many other ways to "get" an album now and listen to it.

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never forget........sometimes one must go beyond the mainstream to strike gold.

 

Which is possible.......most people just become lazy.........and sink into.......ahhh the old days, lol

 

It's true, lol

 

Mick

 

This.

 

I love so many old school bands, but I am not blind to the great bands of the last twenty years, many of which have been around for that length of time and have proven themselves more consistent than many of the most revered bands of yesteryear.

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If the only rock stars/bands one is interested in come from that person's youth, then eventually that era of rock will die out.

 

Rock music itself, however, is in no danger of dying.

 

Agreed.

 

We just live in a world that no longer seems in awe of "the artist" and more "the music".

 

If you look at the end of year album best of charts, so many bands are to be found who have great appeal, but mainly towards more subjective audiences. Festivals are still quite popular, bands make more money touring (if we had no way of illegally downloading, I bet many slightly under the radar bands would be absolutely massive on an old scale), and young people are as mental and headstrong in love with music as they have always been.

 

It's just, again, a result of so much variety today that we have so few icons that are recognised by the mainstream press. A million metal fans any given week probably buy one album they adore, but only 30,000 buy from the same artist.

 

A metal band selling 30,000 copies of an album is considered huge now. It's the equivalent of the album selling 200,000 copies 25-30 years ago.

 

Times have certainly changed and not as many fans buy albums anymore. But that's because there are so many other ways to "get" an album now and listen to it.

 

I didn't necessarily mean same album by the same band, I have noticed today that most music fans rarely go for the latest album by a band they just discovered, they do some research and get themselves a more established classic! It's completely different to a few years ago. You see it in the Amazon album charts sometimes, the older albums often outsell the latest releases as most fans try to catch up first.

 

Plus, the music world is so chart obsessed today, that if an album doesn't hit the top ten its deemed a failure. Sad.

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I was thinking.......now nobody get offended...........I never bought into your own Decade was the best thing........maybe because i never really liked what was mainstream in the 90's. there was great music in the 90's sure.......but my decade ain't my fav.

 

hell Crap abounds in EVERY Decade somewhere, lol Nostolga will blind you. and kill you, lol

 

Mick

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Just to clarify, music isn't my life anymore. There are more important things in my life. Personally, if rock dies out, I won't lose sleep over it.

 

I understand.

 

But it doesn't change the fact that watching the talents of your youth dying out is heartbreaking.

 

As a 25 year old, its truly difficult to digest. I have only been a fan of these bands and artists of the seventies for a few short years. Many have already ceased to exist, many others are barely recognisable. And great talents are dying off slowly.

 

It's bitter to watch it happen, and its also strange to see the bands I discovered ten plus years ago slowly turning into veterans themselves, having already existed a good ten years at that point.

 

Rock as it is today might not mean something to you, but I can only imagine how hard it is to witness the world you knew, that still feels so youthful in your minds eye, rapidly disappear.

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never forget........sometimes one must go beyond the mainstream to strike gold.

 

Which is possible.......most people just become lazy.........and sink into.......ahhh the old days, lol

 

It's true, lol

 

Mick

 

I find myself falling into the "ahh the old days" a little more often than I used to the last couple of years. I still try my best to keep up on what's new in the rock/metal genre as best I can. But there's nothing wrong with enjoying the old favorites as much as you can.

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