When is classic rock not classic rock?

[odysseus]

OK, when I was a laddie it was Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Maiden, Motorhead etc.  Now we've got Chili Peppers, RATM and (to me great surprise) Stereophonics creeping in.  (Dakota... always bloody Dakota!)

So... what are the criteria for a band or song to be included in a classic rock set?  How long does the band or song have to be around?  Where do we draw the line, if at all?  Spice Girls? 

Is classic rock just whatever the band playing the set decides it is?

Rhetorical question, I guess, but it's Sunday and I'm sat here waiting for the washing machine to finish its grim task....

[mikel]

Firstly it has to be Rock, so the Spice Girls might struggle. Secondly....it must be a classic. Simple really. There are songs I hate and bands I find risible, like Iron Maiden, but I cant deny they are in the classic rock mould.

[Vinny]

 

[TheGreek]

I would be in favour of murdering Meatloaf if it didn't mean we'd be forced to endure hours of rehashing of BOOH.

[SH73]

As far as I know Maiden is a new wave of British heavy metal?

 

[dmccombe7]

This is always a touchy subject on here.

For me personally Classic Rock was when Rock was at it height in 70's / 80's.

When i think of Classic Rock i think Deep Purple, Rainbow, Alice Cooper, Sabbath, Whitesnake and similar bands.

I think it depends on your age group tho

Dave

[Mykesbass]

4 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

This is always a touchy subject on here.

For me personally Classic Rock was when Rock was at it height in 70's / 80's.

When i think of Classic Rock i think Deep Purple, Rainbow, Alice Cooper, Sabbath, Whitesnake and similar bands.

I think it depends on your age group tho

Dave

This. How on earth can we be having this NWOCR thing happening - Classic surely gives an idea of age, so new music cannot be instantly classed as such?

[mikel]

10 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

This. How on earth can we be having this NWOCR thing happening - Classic surely gives an idea of age, so new music cannot be instantly classed as such?

Agreed. Purple, Zep, Cooper, Lizzy, Sabbath, Wishbone Ash, Alex Harvey etc. 

[RedVee]

Classic Rock can only be contributed to bands that originated in the 60's. The majority of you don't know the difference between Classic Rock, Heavy Rock and Heavy Metal!

Edited December 29, 2019 by RedVee

[Oopsdabassist]

Anything I like, Obvs!

Edited December 29, 2019 by Oopsdabassist

[hooky_lowdown]

1 hour ago, odysseus said:

OK, when I was a laddie it was Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Maiden, Motorhead etc.  Now we've got Chili Peppers, RATM and (to me great surprise) Stereophonics creeping in.  (Dakota... always bloody Dakota!)

Who says Peppers, RATM and especially Stereophonics are classic rock?

[odysseus]

22 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said:

Who says Peppers, RATM and especially Stereophonics are classic rock?

I've seen a few bands who purport to be classic rock bands including songs by the above bands in their sets.  Presumably the bands have agreed that such songs, rightly or wrongly, fall under their definition of classic rock.

[Mykesbass]

Just remembered the acid test...has to be written in an attic 😎

[FinnDave]

Classic rock? I ain't gotta clue!

[Bassfinger]

Age doesn't make a classic - awesomeness does.  Stairway and Layla were classics from the moment they were first performed.  

Stuff that was rubbish when new is equally rubbish now.  The Allegro will never be a classic, except in any league of classic crap.

Edited December 29, 2019 by Bassfinger

[odysseus]

19 minutes ago, Bassfinger said:

Age doesn't make a classic - awesomeness does.  Stairway and Layla were classics from the moment they were first performed.  

Fair play. 🙂

But what is awesome is subjective, of course.  Yes, the more people who think of a song as awesome, the greater the likelihood of it being deemed a 'classic' by the music press, and thus into general acceptance.  But this must bring age into the discussion.  My dad considers Elvis, Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys to be classic rock.  I turned 50 last week, so what I consider to be classic rock may well be deemed musty old cr@p by people of 25, say.  So by the time they turn 50, won't they be more likely to consider Muse, Queens of the Stone Age or {insert more recent rock band here} as classic rock?  Quite probably...

 

 

 

 

 

 

I never did like Layla though...... 

[ambient]

When it doesn’t make me fall asleep?

[lownote]

18 minutes ago, odysseus said:

Fair play. 🙂

But what is awesome is subjective, of course.  Yes, the more people who think of a song as awesome, the greater the likelihood of it being deemed a 'classic' by the music press, and thus into general acceptance.  But this must bring age into the discussion.  My dad considers Elvis, Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys to be classic rock.  I turned 50 last week, so what I consider to be classic rock may well be deemed musty old cr@p by people of 25, say.  So by the time they turn 50, won't they be more likely to consider Muse, Queens of the Stone Age or {insert more recent rock band here} as classic rock?  Quite probably...

That. When radio stations decide on music playlists they refer to something called Music of Your Life.  And that in turn is the music that was around when the average listener is/was 14.   Thus a station targeting 25-50 year olds at any point in time (say, now) will play music that was in vogue 11- 36 years ago (1984-2009).   If it's a policy that works well enough for radio stations to craft their music programming me suggest it's good enough for us all. 

Edited December 29, 2019 by lownote12

[Maude]

 Is it a period set in time or a rolling thing? Most folks seem to say 70s/early 80s is classic rock but is that because that's what you grew up with? The newer bands listed earlier are still mostly over twenty years old, or rather their classic hits are, so to a newer generation could be considered 'classic rock'. Could current stuff be considered classic rock in another twenty years time? 

For what's it's worth, I consider classic rock to be a style of rock recorded in a certain time period, that being as per most in the thread, the 70s and 80s, though mainly 70s, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Sabbath, Priest, AC/DC, Skynyrd, Steppen Wolf, the list goes on. 

[Dan Dare]

I think it's a rolling thing. Everything changes over time. When I were a lad in the 1950s, a classic car was something pre-war. The classic cars I eventually owned (Saab 96s and 99s) hadn't even been introduced or even designed back then. However, when I had them in the 1990s/early 2000s, they were considered classic cars. The music's no different.

[mrtcat]

59 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

I think it's a rolling thing. Everything changes over time. When I were a lad in the 1950s, a classic car was something pre-war. The classic cars I eventually owned (Saab 96s and 99s) hadn't even been introduced or even designed back then. However, when I had them in the 1990s/early 2000s, they were considered classic cars. The music's no different.

This.

[casapete]

2 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

I think it's a rolling thing. Everything changes over time. When I were a lad in the 1950s, a classic car was something pre-war. The classic cars I eventually owned (Saab 96s and 99s) hadn't even been introduced or even designed back then. However, when I had them in the 1990s/early 2000s, they were considered classic cars. The music's no different.

Nail / head.

[dmccombe7]

2 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

I think it's a rolling thing. Everything changes over time. When I were a lad in the 1950s, a classic car was something pre-war. The classic cars I eventually owned (Saab 96s and 99s) hadn't even been introduced or even designed back then. However, when I had them in the 1990s/early 2000s, they were considered classic cars. The music's no different.

Perfect explanation

 

[mr zed]

It just used to be called rock when I was listening to it. Now it’s a few years old and it stands the test of time it has become ‘classic’ rock. Rock is just rock - enjoy it for what it is. It doesn’t have to be deemed ‘classic’ or anything else really.

[dmccombe7]

When i read the thread title i assumed it was Classic Rock bands rather than Classic Rock songs.

For me and its just my own thoughts a classic rock song is one that is remembered as being truly outstanding and lasted the test of time like someone mentioned earlier in the thread Stairway and some others like Smoke On Water. Boys are Back In Town, Paranoid, Pinball Wizard and more recent for me, songs like Iron Maidens Trooper and Run to the Hills i would think might be. (I was never a huge IM fan but those are the ones i remember and still hear being played today)

All from my generation of rock when i was in my late teens and 20's. I reckon teens into 20's is when most people will relate their idea of Classic Rock era.

Dave