# The truth about "Classic Rock" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 8, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905 "2011-08-08T02:46:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/322 "2014-09-02T16:00:29Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > If you think he was too rough on a few precious classic rock icons, then you’ve obviously never read any Lester Bangs! Yeah, but Lester Bangs was full of shit, too. A brilliant and passionate writer, always worth reading, but he knew fuck-all about music. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/323 "2014-09-02T17:24:42Z")
I hate the Beatles and I don’t care who knows it. Well, apparently I care a bit because I just posted it. I don’t know why anyone would listen to the Beatles when they had The Who and the Kinks already. I also don’t like the label “classic rock”. There was nothing special about 38 Special, but most Zeppelin songs still hold up. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/324 "2014-09-02T17:55:28Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Yeah, but Lester Bangs was full of shit, too. A brilliant and passionate writer, always worth reading, but he knew fuck-all about music. Like most folks, including you, me and the OP, Lester knew what he responded to favorably, and what he responded to unfavorably. I’m not sure how “knowing” something about a given artist/genre/etc., whatever that might mean, would cause one to suddenly respond more favorably to it. If you’re exposed to a wider selection of a given genre, there’s perhaps a chance you’ll find a few examples of it you hate less than others, but I don’t know that it would cause you to change your overall opinion of it. But then I’m not sure that’s what you mean when you say “knowing” something about music. Knowing what? The background of the artist and how he/she/they created the music? The technical aspects of the music? The pre-history of a given genre? If I were the most knowledgeable person in the world about these things when it came to disco, it wouldn’t cause me to like it any better! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/325 "2014-09-02T18:00:06Z")
> [@Clifster](#): > > I wouldn’t go to see Led Zep now if you paid me - it’s all in the timing - the zeitgeist… I’d still see them if John were still around. Anyhow, I was thinking this the other day as I was driving and a Boston song came on the radio. Boston is a bit of a soft target nowadays (at least that’s the impression I get), but after turning it up (I think it was “Foreplay/Long Time”), I was thinking just how awesome they must have sounded at the time. Such beautiful studio craftsmanship and what a great sound for the time. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/326 "2014-09-02T18:00:15Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I hate the Beatles and I don’t care who knows it. Well, apparently I care a bit because I just posted it. I don’t know why anyone would listen to the Beatles when they had The Who and the Kinks already. Well maybe they would because no one holds a gun to your head and says “CHOOSE!” when it comes to music you love. I love all three of the artists you mention passionately, and can’t for a moment imagine why two of them should or ever could crowd out the third. Each group is great in its own way. If one of them doesn’t do it for you personally, fine (though “hate” is a sentiment I don’t understand when it comes to The Beatles…I’d be interested to know why you say this). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/327 "2014-09-02T18:00:34Z")
I don’t really hate the Beatles. I hate that they’re (IMHO, obviously) massively overrated. > [@](#): > > If I were the most knowledgeable person in the world about these things when it came to disco, it wouldn’t cause me to like it any better! Knowing more about things might encourage you to tolerate them long enough to develop an appreciation. I know lots of people in my age group and below who wouldn’t have the time of day for Depeche Mode but grew to like them because Linkin Park constantly refer to them as influences (those people being Linkin Park fans.) ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/328 "2014-09-02T19:24:23Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I don’t really hate the Beatles. I hate that they’re (IMHO, obviously) massively overrated. > [@](#): > > **Me:** If I were the most knowledgeable person in the world about these things when it came to disco, it wouldn’t cause me to like it any better! > [@](#): > > Knowing more about things might encourage you to tolerate them long enough to develop an appreciation. I know lots of people in my age group and below who wouldn’t have the time of day for Depeche Mode but grew to like them because Linkin Park constantly refer to them as influences (those people being Linkin Park fans.) I wonder if, in both of these instances, we may be talking about two distinct things. A more thorough knowledge of The Beatles with regard to the overall history and development of rock might cause you to understand or (as you say) “develop an appreciation for” their place and importance in the grand scheme of things. You might then possibly conclude that they aren’t “overrated” after all. But if you genuinely just don’t respond to Beatles music itself (I’m assuming you’re already reasonably familiar with it), I wouldn’t expect this to cause you to _like_ them any better. Same with me and disco. If I were more thoroughly versed in how the genre developed, I might develop some sort of grudging appreciation for how it responded to listeners’ (in this case, actually dancers’) needs. But even if I do this, the actual music itself hasn’t changed; it’s still exactly the same as it was before, so I can’t see that I would suddenly grow to “like” it any more. Your fellow Linkin Park fans, it seems, were more or less unaware of (i.e. “didn’t have the time of day for”) Depeche Mode until the former listed them as an influence. It’s not as though they knew their music thoroughly and despised it until Linkin Park suddenly caused them to see the light. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/329 "2014-09-02T19:26:46Z")
I’m familiar with both the Beatles’ music and their legacy. Fact is, I dislike much of the music they inspired others to create. I’m not a Linkin Park fan, either; I’m a Depeche Mode fan. The point is that those people got into Depeche Mode because they liked Linkin Park. If I liked Billy Joel or Springsteen I might like the Beatles more. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/330 "2014-09-02T19:29:15Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m not a Linkin Park fan, either; I’m a Depeche Mode fan. Same here. I actually have never made that connection before, and now–knowing about it–I’m not sure I hear it, but that would mean revisiting Linkin Park’s catalog with this information in mind, which I’m not impelled to do. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/331 "2014-09-02T19:39:37Z")
I suspect any increase is going to depend on which era of Depeche Mode you like. I enjoyed (loved, even) some nu-metal bands - Orgy in particular - whose DNA obviously has some _Violator_ and _Songs of Faith & Devotion_ in it. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/332 "2014-09-02T19:43:34Z")
I dislike both Linkin Park and Depeche Mode. Not my cup of tea. Does nothing for me. I think lots of people, at least at some level, can differentiate between ‘that does nothing for me’ and ‘that sucks’. We can appreciate someone’s contributions and influence while not being a fan. What is irritating is the attitude of ‘if you like something that is not MY cup of tea then that means I am more enlightened and\or intelligent than you’. It seems childish. Or maybe I’m just getting old. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/333 "2014-09-02T19:44:51Z")
> [@Clifster](#): > > Then - thank all gods and little fishes - we got the Beatles/Animals/Rolling Stones/Who/Kinks etc etc in the space of a year or so and the music went on and on getting better - by the week it seemed - more great bands - what a revelation - music with attitude - with heart- with writing that wasn’t sugar-coated - at 11 years old in 1964 this was shit fucking hot. I was listening to radio just before this, and big hits included Monster Mash, The Name Game, Ahab the Arab and other sophisticated treats. I don’t think anyone who wasn’t listening back then can fully appreciate what the Beatles did. > [@](#): > > By 1967 - less than four years after the Beatles first pathetic #1 “Love Me Do” the number one hit in my country was ‘White Room’ - a piece of brilliant writing, singing and musicianship for its time with A FUCKING GREAT LEAD SOLO that got played on radio - vale Cream… What ground breakers. Eric broke them up before they got stale… If you want an idea of what really happened within Cream, watch “Beware of Mr. Baker” which is on Netflix. I streamed it last night. Clapton didn’t break up Cream - it was more that Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker hated each other. And no band Baker is in and especially lead lasts very long. In any case, I recommend it. Awesome documentary, filmed at some personal risk. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/334 "2014-09-02T19:45:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m familiar with both the Beatles’ music and their legacy. Fact is, I dislike much of the music they inspired others to create. I’m not a Linkin Park fan, either; I’m a Depeche Mode fan. The point is that those people got into Depeche Mode because they liked Linkin Park. If I liked Billy Joel or Springsteen I might like the Beatles more. I’m more baffled than ever now. I can think of dozens of artists who seem to me influenced Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen a lot more than The Beatles did. For the record, I love The Beatles but (a couple of songs excepted) despise Billy Joel, and respect Springsteen but don’t listen to him very much. The Beatles influenced a great many who followed in their wake in one way or another, but the line is a lot clearer and more direct in the case of some artists than others. But again, the distinction in our earlier exchange is between simple awareness/subsequent exposure (which has to be present before “liking” can develop) and the actual liking itself. So I’m not seeing where my disco example fits in with what you’re saying. I’m aware of most of the best-known examples of disco. (It was inescapable if you listened to Top 40 radio in the mid-70s.) I just can’t imagine anything that would suddenly cause me to hate it less than I already do. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/335 "2014-09-02T19:48:50Z")
The passage of three years has not made Classic Rock suck any less. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/336 "2014-09-02T19:53:50Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > I think lots of people, at least at some level, can differentiate between ‘that does nothing for me’ and ‘that sucks’. We can appreciate someone’s contributions and influence while not being a fan. > > What is irritating is the attitude of ‘if you like something that is not MY cup of tea then that means I am more enlightened and\or intelligent than you’. It seems childish. I think this falls into the “it’s not what you say but how you say it” category. I’m passionate about what I like, and have strong feelings about what I don’t like, too. But I don’t normally go out of my way to talk a lot about the latter. There’s too much to say about what I like to waste time on what I don’t. And I hate the idea of people using music as a weapon. I’m sure not gonna get bent out of shape because you like something I don’t or don’t like something I do. But as you say, some people are quick to do this. You can express strong views on music without making it personal. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/337 "2014-09-02T19:59:29Z")
> [@naita](#): > > By the way, you just raised a three year old zombie thread. It’s not a zombie. It’s Classic Thread. ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/338 "2014-09-02T22:21:18Z")
> [@punch\_line\_loser](#): > > Listen, guys. I know this is probably a generational thing, and I don’t expect anyone to agree with me. But I just can’t take it anymore. “Classic rock” sucks. It just sucks. It’s a romance invented by baby boomers who want their kids to believe that their generation was the last one that cared and that was able to accomplish anything (boy, do those videos of Woodstock make me believe in a nation of youth united for change! Fuck Woodstock.), and so they tell their kids that “the music meant something back then” and “they don’t make it like that anymore,” while they play the same six fucking songs on every “classic rock” station 24/7 around the stupid country. Here’s a tip, DJs: **No one ever needs to hear “Born to Be Wild,” ever again, for the rest of human existence. Not once. Ever.** > > Also, all the classic “guitar heroes?” Absolute wankers. Jimmy Paige? Eric Clapton? Ritchie Blackmore? Keith Richards? Stevie Ray Vaughn? Pete Townshend? Joe Perry? Total fucking wankers. Skilled? Sure. Interesting? Not even a little. > > Also, if it weren’t for “Yellow Submarine,” _Revolver_ would be the only Beatles album that’s good at the wall through. As it stands, none of them are. While I’m at it, Queen sucked, the Eagles sucked, Cream sucked, Led Zeppelin sucked, and by the 70s, the Who sucked too. Also, fuck wah-wah pedals. > > Yeah, all this music was very very important, and I’m not going to be so foolish as to deny that. But ex-hippies, get the fuck over yourselves. > > Okay everyone, rip me apart now. I just really needed to get that out. There’ll probably be more as I think of it, too. “…our generation” WAS the last one to care. Your post reflets that. “Absolute Wankers” ? I’m not gonna’ rip you apart. What do you want, some NEW “oldies” ? Grow up, ya’ spoiled little…dude ? We’re just talkin’ 'bout our generation; YOU get over “it”, whatever that is. ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/339 "2014-09-02T22:49:05Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > All right, let’s get something straight here. You are entitled to your opinion, but when you get into the realm of _objective criticism_, then I _will_ bitchslap you. Case in point: Plant’s voice is alternative, but it led a whole movement of people trying to emulate that wailing, crazy sound. Just listen to Whitesnake or Wolfmother and you’ll see _exactly_ what I mean. You’re objectively wrong; and you may go fuck yourself. You’ve overstepped the bounds of “my subjective opinion” and I will nail you to the cross for doing so. Robert Plant fucking sucks. His shrieking banshee days ended in about 1974 when he lost his range–irritating as it was–and he has since resorted to a bizarre warble and a range of about a minor third. Furthermore, he is a shit lyricist and a blatant plagiarist. Gimme Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Fairport Convention, and I’ll leave the Led Hobbit amphetamine-blues-meets-Tolkein nonsense to the perpetually adolescent. The other bands you list suck too. ---
**Author:** ![common\_good](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@common\_good](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/common_good)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/340 "2014-09-02T23:01:09Z")
I blame Kiss for ruining rock n’ roll. Anybody else ? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905/341 "2014-09-03T03:06:23Z")
I blame Classic Rock radio stations for killing Classic Rock, but even with the vanishingly few bands they play the stations still don’t play 99.99% of what those bands recorded, and even if you limit the count to their albums before the bands began to suck 95% of it is not played, so you can listen to that on your own. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-classic-rock/591905.md?page=18)