The first rock song in the world. Abstract: History of Rock Music. Rock music in Russia development trends

24.01.2015

The music once called rock and roll is now 60 years old.

What is rock proper, and what is already despised pop and other perversions of the great idea? Is he really dead or is there still some pitiful remnant of life glimmering inside him? Does he have a future?

To answer these burning questions, we decided to go through the entire medical history again. You will see the entire history of rock, as if on fast forward. Let's go!

1954

The term “rock and roll” itself was invented by New York DJ Alan Freed, borrowing its components from Negro slang, where both rock and roll had more erotic than musical connotations. So when young Memphis truck driver Elvis Aaron Presley released the single “That’s All Right Mama” and started shaking his hips on American TV, white audiences fell in love with him forever. Rock and roll was born!

1955

Elvis immediately became the sex symbol of the emerging style, and its anthem was a song composed by Bill Haley. This plump provincial played rock and roll long before the term appeared, and when Decca reissued his song “Rock Around The Clock” in the spring of ’55, it became a megahit. Forty-five with the song sold 25 million copies - this was the beginning of rock and roll as a global phenomenon.

1956

Black musicians did not even think of falling behind their white brothers; after all, rock and roll was nothing more than an explosive mixture of black musical styles. The first black star of the genre was Chuck Berry, who wrote a dozen brilliant hits, including, of course, "Rock and Roll Music".

At the same time, Berry laid the foundations of rock and roll behavior on stage - from a duck walk to imitation of Graves' disease (see photo) and became the first virtuoso of rock guitar - Jimi Hendrix and Prince took all his charismatic eccentricities from Grandpa Chuck. A funny pseudo-film adaptation The historical moment of Chuck's invention of his signature style of play can be seen in the blockbuster "Back to the Future".

1957

A regiment of rock and roll idols has arrived: a native of the collective farm state of Virginia, an ambitious handsome man with a bad character, Gene Vincent, invents rockabilly (rock and roll + hillbilly, “village fool” - the direction of country music). Unlike the glamorous Elvis, Vincent wore skinny jeans, flashed tattoos and smoked Camel without a filter. It was he who first showed the world all the vices of a real rocker.

In the same year, the craziest hero of rock and roll, Little Richard, made his first takeoff. Declared insane in all his numerous trials, a pompous fop, ignorant and schizophrenic, he was forgiven for his bestial drive and rhyming nonsense “Tutti Frutti” and “Good Golly Miss Molly”. Unlike Vincent, who “lived fast and died young,” Richard is still suspiciously cheerful and fresh today, at 82.

1958

Elvis goes to serve in the army, so together with Sergeant Presley we move to Europe for two years: Elvis to an American military base in Germany, and we to old England, where the success of the Americans in inventing the most relevant and catchy music, naturally, could not help but find response.

The first local rockers appeared there - Cliff Richard, Adam Faith and Lonnie Donnegan. Despite copying American samples, their songs had a Cockney accent and a fresh British-cool mood. And, by the way, 17-year-old Lennon and 15-year-old McCartney have already met in a church garden in Liverpool.

1959

This year, the first rock tragedy occurred - the idol of all rock nerds, Buddy Holly (“Peggy Sue”) and the first Latin superstar, Ritchie Valens (“La Bamba”), crashed on a private plane. You can trace the influence of these characters on modern music in the hit of the American group Weezer, which is called “Buddy Holly” ( superclip Spike Jones!) and the Russian-speaking perversion of the great "La Bamba"- “The bananas were eaten by a bomb.”

1960

Returning from the Army, Elvis learns that he has a powerful, albeit fleeting, competitor. During his absence, the black singer and dancer Chebbi Checker gave the world a new twist dance - a nightmare for Komsomol members and pensioners. Do you remember the Beatles "Twist And Shout"? This is just one of the clear echoes of the short-lived dance madness of 1960.

1961

If the 50s were predominantly the years of the rise of white rock, then the 60s, and especially their first half, were the heyday of black pop and soul in America. The blame for this lies primarily with the successful composer and, undoubtedly, brilliant manager Berry Gordy Jr., who, having borrowed money from his father, founded the Tamla Motown label.

The label's first signees were Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. Soon the Motown style, incorporating elements of soul, funk and urban blues, began to squeeze everything else out of the charts. Which has ended in our days with the almost complete victory of r’n’b over rock.

1962

This marked the end of the first, individualistic stage in the development of rock and roll. Elvis left to act in films, and rock bands came to the fore, absorbing the achievements of the founding fathers and turning them towards stylistic diversity and collective creativity.

Parlophone releases Beatles' forty-five "Love Me Do"; Before that, the Fab Four mostly played rock 'n' roll covers in Hamburg for beer and Bavarian sausages. “Love Me Do” reached number 17 on the national charts. There were only a few days left before Beatlemania began.

1963

America responds with its first great rock band - the Beach Boys quintet played in a new style of surf rock (angelic polyphony plus catchy rock rhythms). For the Wilson brothers, their cousin Al Jardine and high school friend Mike Love, music was more of a hobby, but after the success of this year's masterpiece "Surfin' USA", they finally decided to make a living from music. The same year, Bob Dylan’s album “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” was released - it turned out that rock can be not only a soundtrack to swaying hips, but also an intimate poetic confession.

1964

“British parents are now unanimous in their dislike of these shaggy individuals,” wrote the Daily Mirror about The Rolling Stones, who released three singles and followed The Beatles to the United States. The British took revenge on the Americans for many years of musical humiliation; the Americans responded with the ominous term “British Invasion.” The whole history of rock lies in this dynamic of American-English mutual influences.

1965

One of the main agents of American influence in Britain was the hot-tempered and permanently drunk provincial Eric Clapton. Eric was an adept of rhythm and blues, which has always been considered an exclusively American black style. He combined the roots of delta blues with the energy of rock and roll - thus the “blue eyes blues” was born. At this time, acid rock was blooming overseas - the Greatful Dead were forming a generation of rock fans who listened to music exclusively while high.

1966

And who, if not Jim Morrison, was the most popular promoter of the acidic opening of musical “doors” to other spheres? A dropout student, spiritual revolutionary, poet and mystic, he was one of the first idealists of rock and one of its first victims. In a sense, America owes its first punk boom to the leader of The Doors (at that time this music was called garage).

Young Iggy Pop copied Morrison and also liked to show his penis to the public; the public, however, did not get into the music of Iggy & The Stooges, and by the time Johnny Rotten arrived, they had completely forgotten. And he got all the laurels.

1967

https://youtu.be/P-X_eC4Syp8

The Fab Four released “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", which is considered the best rock album. The rockers responded with a Babylonian blend of genres; The first hard rock formations appeared (Blue Cheer, Deep Purple), art rock began to stir (Pink Floyd, Van Der Graaf Generator), a galaxy of experimental geniuses hatched - Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Arthur Brown, the group Can, etc. Rock became a real variety show (from the English variety - variety).

1968

One of the new and not the most pleasant elements of this diversity was the emergence of “fabricated” rock bands. American quartet the Monkees were created by cynical young television producers in an attempt to provide a commercial response to the British Invasion - the group and its TV show practically did not exist separately from each other.

It was the first and most successful artificial rock band - the prototype of Smokie, Bay City Rollers and Village People. Shortly after the show's final episode aired in March '68, the Monkees disbanded.

1969

The last year of the great rock decade also turned out to be the most dramatic. It contained the peak - rock of the 60s and their symbolic end. The peak was the legendary Woodstock, the most famous festival in the history of rock, where the vast majority of the stars of that time performed.

The hero of the festival was Jimi Hendrix, who performed in front of a crowd of half a million bodies a ragged blues version of the American anthem, which became a musical symbol of the late 60s. The symbolic end of an era is the Rolling Stones' concert in Altamont, when, in the midst of the show, bikers from the Hell's Angels gang killed a black teenager.

1970

The pragmatic and baroque 70s were destined to become a distorting mirror of the 60s - this was obvious already at the very beginning of the decade. Over the course of the year, Hendrix, Joplin and Morrison - the holy trinity of rock deities of the 60s - go to another world. The Beatles broke up, the Stones went into tax exile on the Cote d'Azur, Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson went crazy. Glam, art and hard rock (and above all its only geniuses, Led Zeppelin) come to the fore.

1971

Britain is reveling in a new sweet infection - the mystical-erotic glam boogie of curly short Marc Bolan and his band T.Rex. The hits “Get It On” and “Hot Love” thunder from every English window. Against their background, Bob Marley’s first record “Catch A Fire” was appreciated only by Clapton, who borrowed his hit “I Shot The Sheriff” from there.

1972

David Bowie's conceptual breakthrough "The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust" provoked a massive fan frenzy with visions of aliens and Martian spiders everywhere. At the same time, Bobby came to the McCartney estate, found a green leaf, a carved leaf, and put him in the bullpen. I wonder what the future Sir Paul imagined?

1973

The glitz and madness of the 70s reaches its zenith: Elton John releases the pop-glam masterpiece “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”! Roxy Music drowns the audience in the erotic paranoia of “For Your Pleasure”! Pink Floyd travel through the "Dark Side of the Moon"! America responds with Kiss triumph!

1974

The schizophrenically cheerful 4th composition “Autobahn” by the Teutonic electronic wizards Kraftwerk penetrates the charts of civilized countries. Although the majority of ordinary listeners remained firmly convinced that this was a sound lining for hardcore porn about robots, there were also those who understood that rock and guitars can exist separately. For example, ex-Roxy Music keyboardist Brian Eno, who invented ambient music a couple of years later.

1975

Queen release the single "Bohemian Rhapsody", which became historic. Firstly, no one could have imagined that it was possible to mix rock and opera so organically and inspiredly. Secondly, the first video clip was shot for this song. And thirdly, the return of “Rhapsody” to the top of the charts in grunge 91 was absolutely incredible.

1976

English show business oligarch Bob Sargent offers Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr £30,000,000 for a joint performance under the Beatles brand. Such “obesity” of classic rock could not end well for him.

And it didn’t end: the “summer of punk” broke out, and the new idols of the generation - the Sex Pistols pricked with pins, The Damned dressed up as vampires and the gloomy goths Siouxsie and The Banshees - began to enthusiastically throw the old rock music off the ship of modernity. In many ways, she deserved it.

1977

Nothing fueled the summer of punk hate more than the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's accession. The Sex Pistols cruised the Thames and saluted Buckingham Palace like the tattered crew of a pirate ship. Meanwhile, rock and rollers mourned the death of the King - Elvis is Dead! The death of the first rocker in the year of punk was more than symbolic.

1978

The classic punk mayhem lasted for at most a year. Soon, punks learned to play different music: for example, the cheerful London blockheads Madness, Specials and Bad Manners adapted the Jamaican style of ska, and the quartet of wild youths The Clash and the trio of middle-aged virtuosos The Police combined reggae and punk. Soon, any eclectic fusion of post-punk styles would be called new wave.

1979

Johnny Rotten himself, now John Lydon, with the help of the great bassist Jah Wobble, crosses rock with dub (Public Image Ltd., “Metal Box”). Meanwhile, Sid Vicious dies of an overdose - the punk generation gains a live-fast-die-young idol. Ability to play is nothing, image is everything. Vicious' commandment is still put into practice by endless disposable rock bands with monosyllabic names.

1980

The onset of the decade coincided with the ascendancy of the Republicans led by Reagan in the United States. The rock community protests with another round of deaths (see 1970): Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham and AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott die from drunkenness, Lennon is killed by fan maniac Chapman, and Joy Division vocalist Ian Curtis hangs himself.

1981

The year of the “new wave” reign in the charts. Kraftwerk's synth efforts have not been in vain: Culture Club, Ultravox and Depeche Mode rule the roost. Multi-stage project of the Irish Virgin Prunes “New Form of Beauty”: the birth of the punk avant-garde. Soft Cell Release "Tainted Love": The Beginning of Gay Electro.

Continued on page two...

Rock music refers to the synthesis of black rhythm and blues and country music. From the first direction a peculiar rhythmic pattern was borrowed (reverse beat: emphasis on the second and fourth beats of the bar), from the second - the completeness of the compositions and improvisation, simplified in comparison with the blues. Rock is a protest against the political situation in the country, the values ​​of the older generation, a way of self-expression and a statement of one’s own views on life. The confrontation occurs due to the lyrics and aggressive manner of performance.

Story

Music of this style first appeared in 1954. In the movie "Chalkboard Jungle" the song "Rock round the clock" was performed by Bill Haley. At the same time, Elvis Presley's records came out. Somewhat later, the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan appeared on the music arena.

Gradually, rock music begins to be performed as a protest against the war in Vietnam, and organizations are created whose members do not welcome armed conflicts and racism.

With its appearance in the USA, the underground is developing (The Doors, Steppenwolf, Blood, Sweet & Tears), and in the UK musicians are trying to preserve the features of traditional culture (Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd). At the same time, a new form of presenting compositions appeared - a music album: several melodies united by one idea.

Gradually, the rock style is gaining popularity in other countries, developing and breaking up into different directions.

Jazz, hard, folk...

The style is based on classic rock. The musicians (Elton John, Sting, The Who) play electric guitar, bass guitar, drums and do not use stylistic features of other styles.

Psychedelic rock is music that is composed under the influence, while progressive rock is distinguished by other forms of musical construction, complexity and depth of the material presented. Progressive rockers include Blood, Sweat & Tears, Gong and others. The creativity of musicians who want to go beyond the boundaries of style is called experimental rock. The most famous experimenters are The Fugs, The Godz, Red Crayola, etc.

Another direction combines features of rock and jazz. It appeared not only because jazzmen became cramped in their style, but also as a result of the fusion of “white” and “black” music as part of the fight against racism. Famous musicians of the synthetic style are Georgie Fame, The Soft Machine, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc. Folk rock is a synthesis of rock and folk music (Bob Dylan, Joan Boez, Fairport Convention), and hard rock has specific guitar rhythms, heavy rhythm section and excessive sound volume. Famous representatives of the movement are Jimi Hendrix, Iron Butterfly, Vanilla Fudge.

Music critics also distinguish glam, gothic, etc. The definition of style varieties is somewhat arbitrary, since groups are constantly experimenting, changing their playing style or inventing new ways of performing.

Rock opera

Characteristic of all types of art, including music. An example of this is the synthesis of rock and drama, called rock opera. This includes episodes in which the plot is revealed. The arias are performed in rock style. Unlike classical opera, a keyboard player, guitarist, and other musicians may be present on stage. Most often, the performance is accompanied by the sound of a classical orchestra.

The singing style is assertive and aggressive, which is typical for rock music. Sometimes parts contain elements of other musical styles (jazz, folk, baroque, etc.). In addition to arias, musicians perform recitatives and plastic numbers.

Examples of works of this genre are “Hair” by G. McDermott, “Godspel” by S. Shuorz, “Juno and Avos” by A. L. Rybnikov, etc.

Rock culture

Over time, the music of rockers became so popular that elements of the style penetrated into other layers of culture, and a unique rock style arose. This is how a special language (slang) appeared, in which adherents of the style and fans speak. Slang is used to write song lyrics, but at concerts (sessions) non-verbal communication becomes more important. The unity of music, words, stage movements and images affects the human subconscious, causing certain sensations and emotional reactions.

Rockers are fond of Buddhism and other religious teachings that contradict the psychology of the West. In their free time from concerts, musicians and fans attend so-called happenings (meetings), where they communicate, play music, and express their opinions about everything that happens in their lives.

Trends in rock culture are manifested in clothing (indelible stains of dirt among hippies), demeanor (rock is the denial of everything and everyone, therefore aggression is characteristic of adherents of the style), rejection of traditional values, moral and aesthetic attitudes.

Rock and Christianity

The Christian religion does not recognize the right to the existence of rock, considering adherence to rock culture impossible for believers in God. Enhanced rhythms, elevated frequencies, and soulful lyrics influence people’s subconscious and awaken deep instincts.

Rock has a serious impact on the psyche. After listening to such music, a person loses the ability to self-control. The content of many songs is devoted to the theme of death, human depression, and self-destruction. In many cases, passion for rock music is closely related to drug use and violence, which also does not correspond to the Christian lifestyle.

Art historians and cultural experts consider rock music and everything connected with it as opposition to traditional culture.

The beginning of rock music 50s
Among those who laid the foundations of rock and roll as a full-fledged genre, the most important performers are Fats Domino, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. Chuck Berry began to study music seriously in 1953, and in 1955 he already recorded his first single. Chuck Berry laid the foundation for the rock style in his lyrics, image, and guitar playing.
In 1957, the song “Rumble” by guitarist Link Ray was recorded, in which the fuzz effect was first used on a guitar; Thus, all “heavy” genres of rock music, in particular heavy metal and punk rock, are to some extent derived from this song. Link Ray, along with Dick Dale and The Surfaris, pioneered a new genre of instrumental dance rock and roll - surf, based on the Hawaiian guitar sound, usually with a vibrato effect. The first surf record is considered to be “Bulldog” by The Fireballs, and the key representatives of the direction are The Ventures, The Chantays, and in England, The Shadows.
A little later, instrumental surf gave way to vocal surf-pop, the most famous representatives of which are Jan and Dean and The Beach Boys. The influence of the surf sound gave rise to surf rock, which combined traditional rock music and surf sounds; Surf rock songs are found among many performers.

Rock music of the 60s
Based on rhythm and blues, rock and roll and soul, not without the influence of British folk music, groups began to appear in England playing a new form of dance music - beat music. Among the subgenres of beat, Merseybeat was prominent, typified by the recordings of Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Searchers, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes and the early recordings of The Beatles. It was The Beatles with their single “I Want To Hold Your Hand” who were able to supplant American performers in the American charts for the first time, marking the beginning of the so-called “British Invasion”. In parallel with this form of music, local styles based on folk and country developed in America - the most important of which was folk rock.
At the end of 1965-1966, a new musical genre began to form in America - psychedelic rock. The basis for it was, on the one hand, the musical searches of garage bands, and on the other hand, the development of folk rock. The term was first applied to the folk group Holy Modal Rounders; One of the first psychedelic garage bands (and the first to use the word “psychodelic” in the album title) was The 13th Floor Elevators; The first psychedelic hit is considered to be “Eight Miles High” by The Byrds. The basis for the growth of psychedelic culture was the development of the hippie subculture and drugs (primarily hallucinogens) - in particular, LSD, mescaline and even marijuana. The “mystical” sound and lyrics and, often, the hippie philosophy (in particular, the ideals of love and pacifism) became characteristic of the genre.
One of the prerequisites for the formation of the psychedelic culture of Britain was the spread of elements of Indian (raga) and other ethnic music among British invasion groups. Indian motifs were first used by the Yardbirds and a little later developed by The Kinks. The Indian instrument sitar was first used in the recording of The Beatles, whose songs became the most famous case of the use of Indian motifs in psychedelic rock.
In general, early British psychedelic rock was less influenced by folk than American rock; it developed from the traditions of British rock music and pop rock. While the sound was equally experimental (in which groups on both sides of the Atlantic staged an unspoken competition), early British psychedelia was less characterized by the improvisational nature of the material performed.
Although there is no clear division of the music of the 1960s into several layers, it is the period from 1966 to 1969 that is considered to be the time of greatest flowering of the so-called “classic rock” - this conventional term includes all the main directions of music of the 60s, starting with “ British Invasion" (in a broad sense it also includes heavy metal and art rock of the 70s). 1967 is traditionally considered the best year in the history of rock music - the year when the greatest works in the genres of pop rock, psychedelic rock, Britpop, blues rock appeared, and at the same time the early musical underground, which originated from garage and psychedelic rock, was already developing.
In the development of music in the late 1960s, the tendencies characteristic of the 1960s towards increasing its role in society were especially clearly manifested: from another means of entertainment, rock music became a phenomenon of counterculture. The hippie movement in America and the Youth Revolution in Europe are associated with rock music. Music became inextricably linked with public opposition to the Vietnam War.
To some extent, the music of 1966-1969 laid the foundation for all subsequent achievements of rock music.

Development of rock music 70s
With the beginning of the seventies, many genres that were popular in the 1960s faded into the background. New genres are beginning to enjoy the greatest commercial success - primarily hard rock, progressive rock (art rock) and glam rock - although the latter represents a very broad musical direction. A number of genres (eg Britpop, pop rock, folk rock) fade into the background or undergo significant changes.
A number of groups that tried to create a “heavy” guitar sound based on blues rock already in the second half of the 1960s laid the foundations for a style called hard rock. It should be remembered that the term hard rock, which in Russia, due to established practice, is used to designate heavy metal music of the 70s, is in world practice a less commonly used synonym for the term “metal”, also covering energetic guitar music of the 60s (for example, British Invasion rhythm and blues), which does not quite coincide with the generally accepted framework of metal.
Among the main forerunners of hard rock in the 1960s were the early The Kinks, The Who, and later the Yardbirds, Cream and Jimi Hendrix. Other lesser-known groups of the second half of the 60s - Iron Butterfly, Blue Cheer - also came close to the basics of the genre. Various garage rock bands also played a very important role in the development of the genre, picking up the idea of ​​a “heavy” guitar sound.
The first hard rock album is considered to be the debut album of Led Zeppelin in 1969. It was on this album that the group finally went beyond the boundaries of heavy blues and brought such music to a fundamentally new level. Led Zeppelin was characterized by an extremely high level of performing skills: virtuoso guitar and bass, powerful drums, dramatic vocals. Later, Led Zeppelin often experimented, introducing elements of folk, classical music, reggae, and funk into their music.
Another important group of the genre was Black Sabbath. Their music differed from Led Zeppelin in its darker, more drawn-out riffs and “infernal” lyrics, which ultimately influenced the formation of stoner rock and heavy metal, and to a lesser extent, doom metal of the 80s, as well as grunge and alternative rock.
Among the first bright stars of the genre are Deep Purple, who started out in the genre of psychedelia, but in the 1970s they shifted their emphasis towards hard rock with virtuoso guitar and keyboard solos, elements of classical harmony characteristic of prog and no less influential than Led Zeppelin. blues
The groups Grand Funk Railroad, Nazareth, Scorpions, Rainbow, Black Widow also had a significant influence on the development of the genre. Uriah Heep made an attempt to cross heavy metal with symphonic music; Montrose and Mountain were blues-rock oriented. The southern rock subgenre, focused on blues and country, was represented by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Progressive rock, glam rock, alternative and others developed. Most new genres were not alien to creative search and experimentation. However, there was another trend - the new styles were more pathetic and large-scale compared to the music of the 1960s. The very ideas of “space rock”, the use of symphonic music, the monumentality of metal, the pretentiousness of heavy glam implied monumentality in performances. In many ways, this trend was facilitated by the emergence of a special type of rock album - the rock opera. The ideas for rock opera were pioneered by The Pretty Things and The Who. In 1970, the famous rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar” was recorded.
In the second half of the 70s, punk rock appeared, its basis was a nihilistic, sometimes antisocial ideology, expressed (as a rule) in a fast, aggressive, non-virtuosic manner of playing; The basis of this kind of music was not virtuoso performing skills, but the desire for self-expression, drive and energy. The Ramones and the Sex Pistols formed the foundations of a new genre, giving a second wind to rock and roll.

Rock music of the 80s
The late 70s and early 80s saw a revival and second wave of rockabilly music popularity. The beginning of this movement is associated with the names of Robert Gordon and Dave Edmunds, but it was the Stray Cats who really brought neo-rockabilly to the top of the charts. Even though their music was not essentially punk rock, the influence of punk rock and new wave on neo-rockabilly was significant. In the end, attempts to combine the expression of punk and the melody of rockabilly found expression in the new subgenre of psychobilly - driving, weighted rockabilly with a dirty sound and lyrics full of black humor. The founders of this trend are considered to be The Meteors, and the main representatives are The Cramps, King Curt, Quakes, Mental Hospital.
The emergence of punk rock and post-punk, and after them alternative rock, drew an even clearer line between rock and pop music. Thus, the musical mainstream developed not so much through pop rock as through pop music (Michael Jackson, Madonna). Pop rock albums were released mainly by artists who became popular in the 60s and 70s. However, after a decline in 1977, heavy metal was revived, giving rise to several of the most aggressive subgenres in the 80s.
By the mid-1980s, hard rock in its pure form had practically disappeared, transforming into hard 'n' heavy (a genre closer to 80s metal), the sound of which was shaped by bands such as early Judas Priest and ( to a lesser extent) AC/DC. Unlike Led Zeppelin, all of these groups, modernizing their sound in accordance with the new trends of heavy metal of the 80s, continued to exist later. Some of the most famous heavy metal bands were Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth.
Pop-rock developed poorly due to new artists - however, Paul McCartney, Elton John, and The Kinks continued to release records of varying quality; in the late 80s, the supergroup Traveling Willburys appeared with the participation of George Harrison and Bob Dylan. Records appeared focused on the synthesis of rock with world music - among them the works of Peter Gabriel (ex-Genesis) and Paul Simon (ex-Simon & Garfunkel). A special subgenre has become rock music using elements of Australian Aboriginal music - aboriginal rock (Us Mob, No Fixed Address).
The first alternative rock bands appeared in the United States in the early 80s. They attempted to combine the energy of punk rock, the musical foundations of post-punk, folk rock harmonies and guitar techniques. It is these characteristics that characterize the work of one of the first groups of the genre - R.E.M., who released their first and most influential recordings in 1982-1983. The combination of a post-punk base and folk guitars in melodic and emotional songs brought the group relative popularity even in wide circles. The sound of R.E.M. became the basis for the jangle pop style. At the same time, the Violent Femmes began playing, whose energetic semi-acoustic music combined punk rock and folk. The Feelies were also one of the first alt-rock bands.
By the end of the 80s, the so-called Madchester - Manchester music scene - became the main phenomenon on the British indie scene. The first direction that Madchester developed was guitar music based on the psychedelic harmonies of the 60s in an indie rock design. The main group of this style was The Stone Roses, with whom the development of the Britpop genre in its modern sense actually began. Another line of Madchester development - experiments with the electronic genres of house and techno - led to the emergence of the group Happy Mondays, whose records at the intersection of psychedelic indie and electronic dance music are considered by many to be “the beginning of the 90s in music.” Electronic madchester has become an important part of the rave subculture.
Avant-garde music in the 80s developed separately from both the mainstream and alternative rock - it relied mainly on the achievements of the avant-garde of the 60s and 70s.
The next trend that received unprecedented development in the 80s was thrash metal. The genre is based on elements of the same heavy metal and punk rock. Its most famous representatives are Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth.

90s
By the early 1990s, the heyday of many metal genres had already ended. In most metal genres, the 90s saw no new records that could compare to the 80s classics. Therefore, with rare exceptions, metal began to develop in more avant-garde directions or based on mixing with some other styles. Some of these trends have been major commercial successes.
Despite the general decline of heavy metal, thrash metal, and other traditional subgenres, some major traditional metal figures continued to emerge in the '90s. First of all, it is Pantera, who had a decisive influence on the formation of the post-thrash groove metal genre. It should also be noted that in the 90s there was another wave of black metal - more melodic and with the influence of gothic metal and symphonic metal. Bands from this wave (Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth) achieved the greatest commercial success in the history of black metal.
During these years, the Red Hot Chili Peppers achieved major commercial success, operating at the intersection of funk and rock with a strong punk influence and continuing to be extremely successful to this day.
The grunge group and Nirvana enjoyed significant popularity. Tired of the long dominance of pop rock, young people turned to violent, defiant grunge, which is a fusion of styles such as punk, heavy metal and pop rock.
Based on Britpop, one of the most influential indie bands of the decade, Radiohead, gradually formed its own distinctive style. Their style is characterized by a mixture of ideas from indie rock, krautrock, art punk and even IDM in melancholic, atmospheric, and sometimes very experimental compositions. Radiohead's style had a major influence on the development of the British indie scene of the 90s.
In European metal of the late 90s, the use of elements of classical music became widespread - such as live orchestras (or replacing them with similar synthesizer effects) and rich, almost operatic female vocals. Based on power metal, doom metal and black metal, a special subgenre of symphonic metal was formed. Its appearance is usually associated with the experiments of the Therion group in the mid-90s. The most famous groups were Nightwish, Within Temptation, Rhapsody.

Rock music of the 2000s
The first decade of the 2000s did not create a single new direction in rock music. This period is associated with the development of a number of well-known trends: alternative rock - garage rock, post-punk, Britpop. Progressive rock also received its new development.
The revival of garage rock began back in the 90s, fueled by both the lo-fi movement and the reinterpreted blues rock of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. One of the first groups to revive garage rock was The White Stripes, a duo whose music is based on 70s metal riffs, punk rock energy, garage presentation of material and the use of elements of folk, country and especially blues rock. In addition to The White Stripes, the core bands of the garage rock revival were The Strokes, The Vines and The Hives.
Another line of revival of guitar retro music was the growing popularity of guitar post-punk and Britpop. These styles are combined by the most popular British rock groups up to the present day - Kasabian, Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys, whose melodic Britpop with elements of electronic beat was picked up by other groups Hot Hot Heat, The Libertines, The Killers, The Bravery.
Progressive rock at the beginning of the 21st century has almost reached the level of popularity of the mid-70s, when this direction of rock music reached its peak. Despite the fact that the British Porcupine Tree, considered the main progressive group in Europe, made a great contribution to its popularization, the greatest contribution to the development of neo-progressive, as a style somewhat isolated from its “progenitor” and continuing to develop in different directions, was made by the Mexican American band The Mars Volta. This is primarily due to the fact that The Mars Volta are the most commercially successful representatives of neo-progressive, topping the charts in many countries around the world and selling about 10 million albums.
The Mars Volta are very different from other bands of this genre in the widest range of genres and styles they perform: in fact, they touched on all styles of rock music, from jazz fusion and post-rock to alternative metal and somewhat softened post-hard core, and also went beyond the limits of rock, experimenting with salsa, dub, electronica, ambient and even trip-hop.
Porcupine Tree are considered more "traditional" musicians. While the variety of styles covered, the band still draws heavily on classic '70s progressive, most notably Pink Floyd and Genesis.
It should be noted that during this period, veteran rock musicians were actively working. We recorded new studio albums for Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne and many others, all of whom toured extensively. The albums were of varying merits, but they all left their mark on the music of the 2000s.
Unique was the only Led Zeppelin concert, which took place on December 10, 2007 at London's O2 Arena, when three former band members - John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and Jason Bonham, son of the late drummer John Bonham, united again for the only performance dedicated to the memory of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. Only 18 thousand spectators out of 20 million who applied via the Internet were able to attend the concert, including many famous musicians. The performance earned critical acclaim, with NME magazine writing: "What Led Zeppelin did this evening proves they can still perform at the level that made them legendary in the first place."

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Both cultural and social factors served as a prerequisite for the creation of a new musical direction. This is the defunct Second World War, discrimination against the black population in a number of states, and stagnation in the arts. Rock, having absorbed various trends, elements of folklore of both the black and white population of America, became a democratic phenomenon in the musical world that corresponds to the spirit of the times.

The formation of rock music was influenced by various areas of musical art. In the USA, by the early 1950s, the styles of country, Dixieland, country and western, folk, boogie-woogie, blues, and white and black jazz were popular. The black community had its own spiritual genres. All of these musical movements, to one degree or another, influenced the development of rock music, but the dominant role still belongs to the blues.

Rhythm and blues arose from two popular trends in black circles - dance blues (New Orleans Dance Blues) and city blues. Initially, this music was popular only among the African-American population. By the mid-50s, under the pressure of generational conflict and reform of the US educational system, rhythm and blues broke racial barriers and became music for everyone.

Subsequently, rhythm and blues gained independence and became one of the leading areas of musical art. Elements of white country music, merging with black rhythm and blues, laid the foundation for the emergence of a new direction called rock and roll (Rock-And-Roll).

The concept of rock-and-roll had been encountered in African-American musical circles before (since the early 1930s); in the slang of black singers it meant “rock and roll.” With the light hand of the musician and disc jockey from Cleveland Alan Freed (1922-1965), the name “rock and roll” gained worldwide fame and popularity.

Later, the word rock (gosk) began to denote all newly emerging musical movements, the basis for which was rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Currently, the concept of “rock music” includes both the progenitor of rock - classic rock and roll, and avant-garde music that has nothing in common with the blues.

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Russian rock is a special direction in rock music, which has acquired an appearance completely different from the rock of all other countries. Perhaps the reason was a certain isolation of the performers from the rest of the musical world, or maybe the national mentality - but in the end, Russian rock is what it is. What are its features?

The main thing is the texts

Russian rock was greatly influenced by Western rock music, however, it did not completely determine its appearance. The main differences are that in Russian rock the main role is played by the text, and not the music at all. It can be said that Russian rock generally has little in common with rock music, as it is usually understood. The lyrics tell about Russian reality, these are high-quality lyrics, and they are very poetic. There is virtually no sex or frivolity typical of Western rockers.

The only thing that unites Russian rock with world rock is the general idea of ​​protest. Against the government, totalitarianism, war, injustice, social problems... The list is long, and each musician or band gravitates towards their favorite topics. Also a popular topic for expression in Russian rock is the inner world of the hero.

We can say that in the area of ​​text, Russian rock inherits not Western models, but domestic poetry, only this happens in a depressive environment, where musicians are forced to hide underground. They do not dream of popularity; the main thing for them is to sincerely express their position. All this leaves an imprint on the very essence of Russian rock. This is why many music lovers say that today Russian rock no longer exists, because the conditions that defined it are a thing of the past. Modern rock performers in Russia are closer to Western rock than to Russian. This does not mean that Russian rock is worse or better than Western rock, it’s just different.

Popularity and performers

It is interesting to note that “real” Russian rock is listened to almost only in Russia. This has always been the case: both during the Soviet Union and after it. The fact is that from a musical point of view, it really is not always something interesting. And only this very soul can understand the texts containing the inconsistencies and features of the “mysterious Russian soul”. Abroad, fans of Russian rock are, for the most part, immigrants.

The most famous and classic performers in Russian rock include Viktor Tsoi, the DDT group, Mike Naumenko, Egor Letov, Yanka Diaghileva, Boris Grebenshchikov, the Alisa group, Andrei Makarevich and others. Some generations in Russia literally grew up on this music, so Russian rock is often perceived as a special phenomenon of Russian culture, which is too deeply “ingrained” into people, just like, for example, the poetry of the Silver Age.

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The rock and roll music direction arose in the mid-50s of the last century. Among those who laid the foundations of the genre are Fatts Domino, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry. Today there are a huge number of musicians playing rock, each of them has their own history of formation.

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American rock star Bruce Springston is considered the second Elvis. This is justified by his musical gift and work to introduce his creativity into wide circles of society. The peak of his worldwide fame came in 1975, when the musician’s third album, “Born to Run,” was released. Several songs from Bruce Springston's fourth album, Darkness on the Edge of Town, topped the charts.

Rock music is the general name for styles of music that emerged in the mid-1950s. Characteristics of rock music, such as the use of electric guitars and creative self-sufficiency (most rock musicians perform their own compositions), are often misleading. Because of this, the affiliation of some styles of music with rock has no basis. (Indeed, now a group playing music with even minimal signs of guitar solos immediately strives to elevate rock musicians to the rank of rock musicians) Rock itself is a special cultural phenomenon; subcultures such as mods, hippies, punks, metalheads, goths are inextricably linked with certain genres of rock music. Rock music has a large number of directions: from light genres such as dance rock and roll, pop rock, Britpop to hard and aggressive genres - death metal and grind. The content of the songs varies from light and casual to dark, deep and philosophical. The origins of rock music are in the blues, from which the first rock genres emerged - rock and roll and rockabilly. The first subgenres of rock music arose in close connection with folk and pop music of the time - primarily folk, country, skiffle, and music hall. During the existence of rock, there were many attempts to combine it with almost all possible types of music - with academic music (art rock, appeared in the late 60s), jazz (jazz rock, appeared in the late 60s - early 70s) , Latin music (Latin rock, appears in the late 60s), Indian music (raga rock, appears in the mid-60s). All the largest subgenres of rock music appeared in the late 60-70s, the largest of which, in addition to those listed, are hard rock, punk rock, and avant-garde rock. In the late 70s and early 80s, such genres of rock music as post-punk, new wave, alternative rock appeared (although early representatives of this direction appeared already in the late 60s), hardcore (a large subgenre of punk rock ), as well as aggressive subgenres of metal - death metal, black metal. In the 90s, the genres of grunge (appeared in the mid-80s), Britpop (appeared in the mid-60s), and alternative metal (appeared in the late 80s) were widely developed. The first steps of rock music The beginning of rock music is the emergence of the rock and roll genre, which borrowed features from blues, rhythm and blues, boogie-woogie, jazz and country. Blues performers Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, and Muddy Waters had a significant influence on rock and roll. The name "rock 'n' roll" comes from gospel songs of the 1940s and, while essentially a call to dance, is a sexual euphemism. The expression first appeared in the 1947 song "Good Rocking Tonight" by Roy Brown. In 1949, the song “Rock And Roll” by Wild Bill Moore was released. The development of early rock and roll is associated mainly with American performers, but it is not possible to establish which song or record can be considered the first in the genre. Alternatively, the single “Fat Man” by Fats Domino, released in 1950. According to other versions, the first rock and roll recording is "Rocket 88", recorded in 1951 by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats. Rock 'n' Roll in the Late 50s Rock Chuck Berry in the 1950s Among those who laid the foundations of rock 'n' roll, favorites include Fats Domino, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. Chuck Berry began to study music seriously in 1953, and in 1955 he already recorded his first single. He laid the foundation for the rock style in song lyrics, image, and guitar playing. Other influential African-American rock and roll musicians include Little Richard, who influenced the subsequent development of garage rock and proto-punk, as his singing and piano playing style was much more aggressive and assertive than his competitors. At first, rock and roll was considered a specific music, characteristic only of African-American audiences. However, the first white singers performing rock and roll were already appearing. Rock 'n' roll's breakthrough into the mainstream was Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock". However, the title of “King of Rock and Roll” was won by another white singer - Elvis Presley, despite the fact that his popularity exceeded the actual quality of his work compared to the records of his black colleagues, Elvis Presley became the first to record rock and roll on on the same level as them (when DJs played his first recordings on the air, they specifically warned that it was a white singer singing). Another famous white rock and roll performer was Jerry Lee Lewis, who received the nickname “Killer” for his crazy style of performance and piano playing; later a softer form of “white” rock and roll appeared, associated with the names of Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers . Rockabilly Based on a mixture of rock and roll and country (especially its southern subgenre - hillbilly), a special subgenre of rock music emerged - rockabilly. Its most famous representatives in the 50s were Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and Carl Perkins. Among the first examples of rockabilly, some of the early recordings of the famous country singer Johnny Cash stand out; the first singles of Chuck Berry (“Maybellene”) and Elvis Presley (“That’s All Right (Mama)” had a significant influence on the genre). Rockabilly music has become popular again in the 80s. Representatives of neo-rockabilly include Stray Cats, The Cramps, Heavy Trash. Rock and roll in England Although, until the advent of beat music, England could not compete with America in the field of rock music, the first rock recordings began to appear here already in the 50s. If in America rock and roll developed in a mixture with the genres of blues and country, then English rock and roll was most influenced by skiffle, in particular, one of the most famous skiffle performers, Lonnie Donegan. The first rock 'n' roll artists to compete with American acts on the English charts were Cliff Richard and The Shadows, and the first English rock 'n' roll hit was Cliff Richard's "Move It". Among the skiffle groups that appeared at that time was the first group of one of the founders of The Beatles, John Lennon, The Quarrymen. Rock music of the 60s On the border of decades: surf In 1957, the composition “Rumble” by guitarist Link Ray was recorded, in which the fuzz effect on the guitar was first used; Thus, all “heavy” genres of rock music, in particular hard rock and punk rock, are to some extent derived from this song. Link Ray, along with Dick Dale and The Surfaris, pioneered a new genre of instrumental dance rock and roll - surf, based on Hawaiian guitar sounds. The first surf record is considered to be “Bulldog” by The Fireballs, and the key representatives are The Ventures, The Chantays, and in England The Shadows. A little later, instrumental surf gave way to vocal surf-pop, the largest representatives of which were Jan and Dean and The Beach Boys. The influence of the surf sound gave rise to surf rock, which combined traditional rock music and surf sounds; Surf rock songs are found among many performers. The first half of the 1960s Based on rhythm and blues, rock and roll and soul, under the influence of folk music, groups began to appear in England playing a new style of dance music - beat music. Among the subgenres of beat, Merseybeat was prominent, typified by the recordings of Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Searchers, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes and the early recordings of The Beatles. It was The Beatles with their single “I Want To Hold Your Hand” who were able to supplant American performers in the American charts for the first time, marking the beginning of the “British Invasion”. Simultaneously with this style of music, local music developed in America, based on folk and country music - the most important of which was folk rock. British Invasion rock The Beatles in 1964. “British Invasion” is a term that arose when popular British music began to actively conquer the United States. The Beatles, with the success of whose singles a new stage in rock history began, consolidated their success by “landing” on the American shore in February 1964. The Beatles, already in their early years, represented a completely new phenomenon in world music, in particular in rock music - they combined extraordinary musical fruitfulness and a completely new image (not just a singer-songwriter with a group, but four bright personalities, a group where everyone sings and everyone is capable of writing a hit). The popularity of The Beatles, which swept almost the entire world (its beginning can be roughly considered to be their performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964), marked the beginning of a phenomenon unprecedented at that time - “Beatlemania”. Following The Beatles, a number of other British groups also gained popularity. The musical life of Britain began to develop, new music clubs opened, and beat music became more and more diverse. Big Beat and Merseybeat A number of representatives of the “British Invasion” continued to play music in the spirit of the earliest works of The Beatles - a light, soft, melodic beat. The most successful in this direction were The Searchers (considered the second most important Merseybeat group), Herman's Hermits, Manfred Mann, The Hollies. The Zombies group played a melodic beat with folk elements (their most famous hit is “She's Not There”). "). Rhythm and blues and blues rock. A number of British Invasion groups were influenced by rhythm and blues to a greater extent than others. In particular, The Yardbirds began playing rhythm and blues. The group included guitarist Eric Clapton, who quickly left the group; he was replaced by Jeff Beck, who was in turn replaced by Jimmy Page. All three lead guitarists who passed through the Yardbirds became the first generation of “guitar heroes” to come to the forefront. the plan of guitarists who attracted increasing attention and had their own fans. The Animals also experienced a strong influence of rhythm and blues, who used the organ as a leading instrument. They recorded a cover version of the folk song “House Of The Rising Sun” that became “canonical”. , which has become one of the most frequently performed songs in rock music. However, the most influential group that emerged from rhythm and blues and returned to blues roots throughout their career were the Rolling Stones. Their image was much more aggressive, "dirty" than that of The Beatles and Merseybeat groups; the sound and issues raised in the songs also demonstrated a new approach to music. The emergence of hard rock music by The Who in 1965. From left to right: John Entwistle, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Keith Moon Although The Rolling Stones, in particular, their hit “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction” sounded unusually heavy for its time and against the backdrop of Merseybeat, “heavy” music and classic rock in general traditionally originate from The Kinks’ single “You Really Got Me.” Here, for the first time in rock music, “heavy” guitar riffs and fuzzed guitar solos were used. The first albums of The Kinks were distinguished, along with a heavy beat sound. also highly social texts. In fact, they became one of the founders of the mod subculture (it was most popular in the mid-1960s, replacing the teddy boys). The main ideologists of the mod movement were the group The Who. of their time, and on stage they were distinguished by their frantic energy and the fact that for the first time they began to break guitars on stage. Also, The Who are considered one of the pioneers of the use of noise and feedback in rock, and some of their lyrics were quite free for their time. The term power pop was first applied to the music of The Who. Among the ideologists of the fashion movement, it is also worth mentioning The Pretty Things and The Small Faces. These groups played a hard version of rhythm and blues, often with highly social lyrics. Finally, The Troggs stand out among the British pioneers of hard music - among all the British Invasion groups, they were the closest to garage rock. The Emergence of Folk Rock Although local music in America was pushed off the charts during the height of the British Invasion, America continued to develop its own rock scene. Based on the sound of vocal folk groups and folk performers of the 30s-50s (not without the influence of the blues), folk performers of the early 60s created their music, the most influential of whom was Bob Dylan. He clearly demonstrated to his generation that in popular music one can talk not only about the love of a man and a woman, but also touch on many other topics, including philosophical and social ones. In 1965, The Byrds laid the foundation for folk rock proper - with vocal harmonies based on the ideas of folk vocal groups and a guitar sound that was denser than that of acoustic folk performers. The social subtext of the songs was also characteristic of folk rock. In 1964, Bob Dylan also transitioned from an acoustic to a folk rock sound, becoming an iconic figure in rock music and recording one of rock's most famous songs, "Like A Rolling Stone." Buffalo Springfield became America's second most important folk rock band, giving birth to country rock. Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkel, and Joni Mitchell made a significant contribution to the development of the genre. Britain also has its own folk rock scene, representatives of which are Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Lindisfarne, Pentangle. Their style is also commonly called electric folk; The motives of British folk music here gradually began to prevail over American roots. One of the branches of electric folk development, founded by Alan Stivell, laid the foundation for Celtic folk. American pop rock Based on the folk rock sound in America 1965-1966. Early pop rock began to take shape, the most important representatives of which were The Lovin' Spoonful, The Turtles, The Grass Roots, The Mamas And The Papas (the latter are considered one of the most influential vocal pop groups of the 60s). Pop rock was harmonious and musical focused on folk rock, but not without the influence of surf pop (mainly The Beach Boys). Garage rock In addition to the music that hit the charts and on television, a kind of underground began to develop in the early to mid-sixties: bands that rehearsed more often. all in garages and recorded dirty and noisy records. Not all representatives of garage rock were oriented toward hard music, but the most uncompromising of them are considered the first proto-punk musicians. Many of the representatives of garage rock did not even release one full-length album, so they came out and continue to come out. a series of collections dedicated to garage and including singles, live recordings and other rarities; the most famous of them are Nuggets, Pebbles. Opinions differ on what is considered the first song in the garage rock genre. Options include “Rumble” by Link Wray, “Jenny Lee” by Jan and Dean, “Dirty Robber” by The Wailers. Some of the forerunners of proto-punk include Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1962, the main garage standard was recorded - “Louie Louie” by The Kingsmen (a cover version of the forgotten rock and roll of 1956, a little earlier popularized in the narrow circles of The Wailers), which became one of the most covered songs in rock music and especially in alternative rock.