This guy pictured to the left sure gets alot of airplay on all of the Classic Rock radio stations ( all two of them ) in my area. While riding around in my car today, I had my radio tuned to 94.7 Classic Rock out of Paducah, Ky. Just as I was jamming out to some old Deep Purple, they decided to play an Elton John song. Since I'm not a big Elton John fan, I can't tell you the name of the song. Feeling a sudden let down and longing for some good ole' hard driving Rock 'n' Roll, I tuned my radio to 92.3 Classic Rock out of Jackson, Tn.
I was confident that 92.3 would be playing some Bad Company or at least something along those lines. But oh no, ole' Elton was getting airplay there as well. Since I had sampled the only two Classic Rock stations in my area and my CD player had gone on the blink, I was left with no other option except to suffer through another Elton John song.
While I was suffering through yet another Elton John song, I was asking myself the following questions.
1: Is Elton John's music considered Classic Rock?
2: Doesn't Elton's music fall under the Singer/ Songwriter category?
3: How do you define Classic Rock and which artists fall under that category?
All of the artists listed below get plenty of airplay on both Classic Rock stations and it's questionable whether any of them fall under the category of Classic Rock, or do they?
John Cougar Mellencamp. Does he fall under the Singer/Songwriter category or the Classic Rock category?
Just a note....All of the Southern Rock cover bands in my area play several Mellencamp tunes? I'm pretty sure that ole' John can be ruled out of the Southern Rock category.
Here we have good ole' Bob Seger. Classic Rock or Singer/Songwriter?
Again, all of the Southern Rock cover bands in this area play Seger tunes. Ole' Bob is from Detroit, Michigan. So here again I'm pretty sure that he doesn't fall under the Southern Rock category. I guess that he does look like he could be the lead singer for Molly Hatchet. Maybe that's why these good ole' Southern Rockers got confused?
James Taylor ? Classic Rock or Singer/Songwriter?
I would think that the answer to this question is quite obvious, but then again we still have to properly define Classic Rock.
Bad Company. I think that we can all rule them out of the Singer/Songwriter category. However could their music actually be considered to be Classic Rock? Were they more of a Hard Rock band?
Black Sabbath. I don't think that there is any way these guys could be lumped into the Singer/Songwriter category.
Classic Rock?
Hard Rock?
Heavy Metal?
Deep Purple. Again I believe that we can strike this band out of the Singer/Songwriter category with confidence.
So which category of Music do these guys fall under ?
Classic Rock?
Hard Rock?
Heavy Metal?
Blue Oyster Cult. Definetly not Singer/Songwriters as far as I'm concerned and we can strike these guys out of the Heavy Metal category as well.
So does their music fall under the Classic Rock category or were they more of a Hard Rock band?
Robin Trower. This Jimi Hendrix influenced guitarist just might fall under the Singer/Songwriter category and he very well could fall under the Blues category as well.
So which category does Trower's music fall under?
Singer/Songwriter?
Classic Rock?
Blues?
UFO. Go ahead and write these guys off your list of Singer/Songwriters.
However could this band's music be considered Hard Rock? Heavy Metal? Classic Rock?
Most all of the artists listed above could fall under different categories of music.
But Elton John.......Classic Rock? My mind just won't go there so I'll leave it up to you to decide.
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Comments: 68
MY definition of "classic rock" would be Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Hank Ballard, Johnny Otis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and Elvis Aaron Presley.
I guess you could lump David Bowie in the singer/songwriter category. Todd Rundgren, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Peter Frampton, and on and on with a gazillion artists who definitely fall in the classic rock category.
I heard a Seager song on a country station I listen to in this area. They actually play a mix of old rock that's now for whatever reason is considered old country. I love Seager and Mellencamp.
I think of classic rock as a decade or two past Muggs. But that's just me. I grew up in the 60's and REALLY grew up in the 70's. That's my definition of rock and roll.
Just as cars that were once only cars, if they are preserved long enough, can become classics.
I don't think "singer/songwriter" is a category of music or a genre. Rather it is a definition of the act. To use your example of Bob Seger: he is clearly a singer/songwriter, but what he writes and performs answers my definition of "classic rock".
Elton John? To many but not to me. Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of Elton's music, but I just wouldn't include him on a list of classic rockers. He more like England's answer to Billy Joel.
(However, Billy Joel never had an album to compare to Madman Across The Water.)
So Don..Would you consider Carley Simon's music to be Classic Rock ? She was a Singer/Songwriter just as the artists that you mentioned.
You did a great job job on this one hillbilly, in more than one area....BIG TIME "10"
Got one for ya, check this out...
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Don....You're making some great points about how music is categorized.
Lyndon....The same goes to you..great points.
~"Madman across the Waters" is my favorite Elton John offering...and yes, I consider it classic rock.
~John Cougar M. Is...American as Rock and Roll...
~Deep Purple is CLASSIC rock...
Others...might not agree. It's subjective, it's somewhat arbitrary, and it's aggravating for those hoping to find ..certain type artists...on a station.
On a classic rock station, I expect to hear: The Stones , Zeppelin, Aerosmith ,The Who, Genesis, The Police, ELO, Queen , Black Sabbath,The Beatles, Def Leapord, Moody Blues, Cream, Clapton, Kiss,The Doors, Jethro Tull...but I 'll often hear, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly,and the Bryds too.
I think the problem in defining artists by forcing them into specific musical genres limits thier focus, and appeal. After all: Chuck Berry, supposedly, invented, rock and roll. Buddy Holly is considered a pioneer...and Elvis was the King of Rock and Roll...wasn't he ? Yet..I don't expect to hear them on the Classic Rock station. It is weird.
Cuzzin Apryl.....Love the Foxy Lady tatoo!
BTW....Did any of ya'll sign up to win one of those Elton John signature guitars?
But I must admit Don I am a fan of the articles I write, other wise I wouldn't write them, and by the way, nice to talk to you concerning a subject other than politics...
Elton John sucks! No, REALLY! He does!! LOL!
It's obvious at this point that I really don't care much for Elton John, however this is still open for debate. Don't let my opinions sway you.
I forgot all about :The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Linda Ronstadt, Pat Benetar? Classic Rock? Certainly not Pop...not Metal...not really singer /songwriters...and I forgot all about Bon Jovi , U2, Foreigner, BTO,REO,...definitely Classic rock.
So many going through my head. Ugh!
Then it occurred to me...that as artists age, and their sounds..mellow...do Rockers now blurring the line...change status? Sting...was a rocker...with The Police... now..he's a singer /songwriter. Ditto for Clapton...No ? Maybe THAT is what happened..to Elton! lol.
Goodnight !
Spartan .. you are close ... The genius of Elton John music was the combination of Bernie Taupin's lyrics and Elton John's musical interpretation of those lyrics.
IMHO Classic Rock can be any rock song that is not current. Like the Talking Heads or World Party or the B52's or Joe Jackson or Nirvana or Bo Diddley, Clapton, of course (even though he's still performing), or the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and even older String Cheese Incident and Phish, the Pet Shop Boys, and even Pearl Jam, REM, U2, for example. And someday soon we'll be adding to classic rock such acts like The Foo Fighters, Evanesence, Ben Harper, Green Day, Jamiroquai, John Mayer, Radiohead, etc. Someday soon those groups will be classified as classic rock too.
As for Elton John, I too don't own any of his recordings, am I'm proud of it. To me EJ is a great example of music that used to be called Easy Listening or MIddle of the Road, never Rock. It's best listened to while sitting in a dentist's chair (because you can't hear it over the noise of the drill). I can't believe anyone would even categorize EJ as doing Rock. The only true rock song he ever performed was Benny & the Jets (is that the title? or just the chorus of the I'm remembering?). EJ would do great composing music for films and Broadway musicals. A songwriter/composer who writes that sort of stuff is simply not writing Rock n Roll music. It's more Pop than Rock.
Someone above mentioned Michael Jackson, he classified himself years ago when he ordered that radio stations begin calling him 'The King of Pop." Pop is what he does now, R&B was what he did with his brothers when he was a kid. Brittany Spears is another example of Pop, as is N'Synch, and all those other bands put together by producers, not the musicians themselves. The Monkees are the perfect example of a Pop group begun by producers.
Amost by definition, Pop acts put on Las Vegas-type shows, they do not do concerts, they are shows. These Pop acts all have dancers, fully choreographed shows, no spontneity, they all mime the words, and they all seem to spend more time on learning their dance moves than on creating their own sound and playing their own music. YUCK. When I want to see a Las Vegas-style show I'll go to Las Vegas.
When I go see a band play I want to see the band play their own intruments. I don't want to see them lip-synching to their own pre-recorded music and dancing to it while they mime the lyrics - while everything is computerized to go with the video & light show. These shows all have one thing in common (in addition to the miming of lyrics) - their shows have no spontaneous moment whatsoever. Nothing irks me more! If I see one more person touch their heart when they sing the words "heart" or "love" I'm gonna scream!
gee... SORRY! am I getting off-track here? Great article & great comments T!
Candle in the wind, that he dedicated to Marilyn Munroe. And dedicated it to princess Dianna. So I guess singer/songwriter is out of the equation as well. OK so I don't like the bloke , but whats to like. Great article Tim it has really started me thinking . Take care,
Darcey D.
How can you tell when it's bedtime at Michael Jackson's "Never, Never" land?
Answer: When the "Big hand" is on the "Little hand"! (nyuk! nyuk!)
And Don...Elton John really DOES suck...no...REALLY...HE DOES!
Wel...he didn't get that round mouth from eating square meals!!
Generally I find the classic rock stations annoying, and avoid them.
To quote an old guy who still makes music I like to listen to: "I know what I like and I like what I know"
Don...Good point. Most of what is making it on modern radio, the music stores and MTV is evidence. There is some good music out there these days, but you gotta dig to find it.
I love Bob Segar and Rick Springfield..
I do have to admit that it is interesting that you list Bad Company but not Lynard Skynard especially when mentioning Southern Rock. Both bands are related by brothers. Skynard is obviously a southern rock band but every band in concert hears a request for "Free Bird" so that means it transcends beyond southern rock. Even Bono gets that request.
I do like Bob Seger, John Cougar Mellencamp and Led Zeppelin though.
I enjoyed your article and all the comments very much.