Rock N Roll

Arena rock or stadium rock as it was also known was to play huge crowds in huge venues and have the loudest bands. It began in the 70’s when bands such as Queen, Led Zeppelin, Foreigner and Boston were playing to sell out crowds in the biggest arenas available.

It was also in the 80’s that crowds saw bands and artists playing at even larger venues and to even bigger crowds. Arena rock saw the commercialism of rock and roll and wowed audiences all over the world.

Other Arena rock bands and artists were Skid row, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Twisted Sister and many others. They were typified by streamlining the sound of rock music with almost mainstream popularity.

Power ballads mixed with rock and roll sounds were the forefront of the arena rock motion and gave us nearly a whole decade’s worth of love songs that were not your typical mushy sounds. They mixed in love lyrics with heavy beats, loud guitar riffs, banging drums and electric keyboards or pianos.

Other songs that made the arena rock popular were titles such as Eye of the tiger, caught up in you and Open arms.

Heavy metal was still trying to ignore the popularity of arena rock and wanted to be kept under separate categories. Def Leppard was a hard rock band that made the transition from hard rock to popular arena rock perfectly. They soon became mainstream and had some very popular hits.

Bob Dylan used his music in the 1960’s to convey social messages and to protest against the Vietnam war and other social upheavals.

A few of his songs, more notably, “The Times They Are a-Changin’” and “Blowin’ in the Wind” became the soundtrack for many civil right movements that took place. It is mainly his lyrics that take centre stage rather than the accompanying music. His influences can be heard heavily in his lyrics, particularly his literary, political, philosophical and social influences.

Bob Dylan is still touring the world and thrilling huge audiences. One of his latest albums called Modern Times is massive hit and has won the acclaimed title of Album of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine.

Dylan uses a guitar, harmonica and a piano to wow his audiences with his sound. His sound is not only unique, but so is his attitude. From his protesting days in the 60’s to his subtle political messages now, Dylan has always wanted to be able to express himself and his views freely.

Dylan is still touring now and his tours have been penned as the never-ending tour. Some people believe that as his vocals are not as strong as they used to be, he should stop touring. However, many of his fans and the fact that the tour sells out night after night, would clearly disagree with the critics.

The Rolling Stones began their journey in 1962 and are still going strong today. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger became childhood friends and shared a mutual interest in music and all things rock and roll.

They formed a band called Blues Inc with Brian Jones and Tony Chapman had their first ever recorded hit was actually rejected by the record label EMI. They changed their name to The Rolling Stones and played their first ever gig at the Marquee in 1962. Some changes were made and Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts gave a new look and feel to the group.

The Rolling stones were released to the public when a manager called Andrew Loog Oldham decided to market them as the ‘wicked’ opposite to the very wholesome and clean Beatles.

The marketing worked and they soon became huge thanks to their hit songs, unique style and charisma. They have had a few stumbling blocks and tragedies throughout their time: Brian Jones left the band after not seeing eye to eye with other band members. He wanted to create a band of his own, but this plan was cut tragically short when he was found dead at his home in his swimming pool.

Another tragedy struck during the Thank You America concert when the Stones hired the hells angels as security. They murdered a young, black fan called Meridith hunter while the Stones sang Under My Thumb.

Many changes have befallen the Stones, but the main members of the group still rock the world today.

There are many contributing factors to the changes that rock and roll went through in the 50’s and the 60’s. Here are just a few of the major impacts on rock and roll.

The Beatles – The Beatles came from Liverpool in the UK and changed the face and the sound of rock and roll for a whole generation. The Beatles came into America and made the states go wild! They stayed as a group for ten years creating hit after hit.

Motown – Motown made a huge impact on rock and roll, giving it a different edge and opening the doors for many great artists to shine. The sound of Motown made it big in the 60’s and still presides in music today.

Surfers – The surfer sound in rock and roll came mainly from The Beach Boys in the 60’s. They made beaches, beautiful girls, fast cars and surfing extremely popular!

Protests – Rock and roll became an outlet for many to be able to freely express their views. Artists started creating songs that had special meaning and targeting one group or another. Social protest became largely popular in the 60’s and the music of this time reflects the feelings of the times. Folk music was integrated into the rock and roll creating mellow and soft tones for the protest songs that included singing of peace and love.

There are many things that have influenced the sound and the feel of rock and roll in our past, present and in the future.