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| Angus Young of AC/DC, courtesy of Zumic,com |
When my parents used to take us on road trips back in the 1970's, we would most likely listen to Chicago's WLS radio because it seemed like their signal went on forever. They played Styx, Steve Miller, Kansas and on and on. To this day, the Doobie Brothers' 'Black Water' still reminds me of driving from our home near Milwaukee down to my grandma's in Janesville, about a 2-hour drive past endless farmland and lots of barns.
The funny thing is, when I turn on rock radio today, I still hear the exact same songs. The difference between today's rock radio and "classic" rock radio is minimal at best. Just insert the Foo Fighters, Soundgarden and Nirvana and there you have it. Outside of Van Halen and Motley Crue, the decade of the 80's doesn't seem well represented at all.
Today's concert tours are chock full of bands from the 70's and 80's who are unbelievably still on the road. Don't get me wrong, I love that music, and the nostalgia it brings to mind sometimes gets me all misty-eyed.
I guess my point is, is there any "real" rock music being produced today? You know the kind, not just heavy guitar, but with great arrangements and long intros and outros. Melodic, not pounding. Never-ending dual guitar solos. Songs that stand the test of time.
I realize that I am middle-aged and rarely do different generations agree on what great rock music is. I also realize that music evolves over time. But, if the music of my childhood and young adulthood is still good enough to play on radio now, why isn't it good enough to make more of it?
Music from generations past still moves me. The Beatles and the Stones sound as great as ever. Motown gets my hips moving, and stuff from the Woodstock era evokes a feeling like I was there at Max Yasgur's farm, even though I was born just ten days earlier. But, today's music to me feels like "throw-away" music, like I doubt anyone will be listening to Mastodon or Kanye or whoever else many years from now.
Perhaps I'm not looking in the right places. Musicians are just as much, or more talented, today as they ever were. The technology to produce great music is better than ever. Maybe I'm just missing it.
