It has become the sad reality that classic rock is reserved to the small sub-groups of zealous fathers at tailgates and epic movie montages. This occurrence is not only unfair to the legions of talented musicians that are being forgotten, but also to the millions of people in the world missing out on critical stepping stones in the development of music as we know it. Although how we somehow went from Led Zeppelin to Calvin Harris in the Top 40 escapes me.
I am fortunate enough to say that my dad exposed me to Steely Dan, Boston, Black Sabbath, and tons of other classics as a kid on a regular basis. I became a musician, attended a music school for several years, and started a handful of bands over the years, which also helped drill a ton of musical knowledge into my brain. I’ve heard pretty much every Zeppelin, Floyd, Bowie, and Hendrix song a hundred times, and the music I listen to daily includes Heart, the Allman Brothers, Frank Zappa, Rush, and Yes. I recognize that this is a little unusual and I find this to be a major issue for today’s youth. People are losing the ability to mentally process anything other than computerized, electronic sounds and are missing out on a ton of rad guitar solos, earth-shattering vocals, and real musical innovation that changed the face of music completely.
To claim to be “into music” and not be able to name a Beach Boys song is not okay. Though this music is from decades ago, it continues to be every bit as revolutionary now as it was when it was created. We have to remember that these classic rock pioneers completely redefined music and influenced more social and cultural movements than we can imagine. When you listen to The Ocean by Led Zeppelin, you immediately recognize their influence in pretty much every modern rock band. The Beach Boys were clearly the influence for the current beach rock movement, Hendrix ‘s raucous style inspired Jack White and John Mayer, and Pink Floyd was the beginning of psychedelic rock, a genre now championed by Tame Impala. There are countless ways in which rock legends continue to influence modern music, and there are also countless ways in which their contributions are overlooked, leading to the mass production of utter shit music (sorry, Pitbull & co.).
Maybe if everyone just went out, bought themselves a copy of Dark Side of the Moon, locked themselves in their rooms, and listened to it on repeat until they understood the true meaning of music we would live in a world without synthetic, soul-less, over-produced, falsified pop music that puts a completely altered idea of music in the brains of the masses. So many people have grown up knowing only this, and it is my hope that some far-out guardian angel comes into their lives and introduces them to Janis Joplin and The Doors and allows them to see the light. Peace, love, and rock ‘n’ roll.
