# Which band best typifies "hard rock"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 7, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397 "2021-03-07T18:47:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/161 "2021-03-16T13:10:43Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > AC/DC is my choice though because their music is just pure, undistilled hard rock. There is no pretense to it. There is no other kind of music there. They weren’t trying to incorporate sitars or country music or some other style. They aren’t trying to be Taken Seriously As Artists or write deep, meaningful lyrics that’ll change the world. They are CERTAINLY not trying to keep up with music trends; AC/DC does not bother with grunge, synthpop, disco, trance, hip hop, new rock, mumble rap, or whatever the hell Post Malone does. The only thing AC/DC says through their music is “Here are four power chords and some lyrics about sex and being a badass.” One of the interesting things about AC/DC is that, as far as I can tell, they didn’t try to copy someone else. And I believe the reverse is also true: no other band (again, as far as I know) has tried to copy them. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/162 "2021-03-16T13:15:24Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Led Zeppelin. As magnificent as AC/DC’s finest work is, Zep’s better. Different, sure, but better. > > AC/DC is my choice though because their music is just pure, undistilled hard rock. yes I think that referring back to my “alien invader” scenario, interested in this “hard rock” that people refer to. You would play them AC/DC first. Then you may say “and also, here’s Led Zeppelin who took it further and into more interesting areas” ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/163 "2021-03-16T15:14:55Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Today I have constant tinnitus and my hearing starts to roll off at 8700k. I’ll probably need hearing aids soon. > > But hey, Rock and Roll, amirite? Glad to _hear_ I’m not alone… ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/164 "2021-03-16T15:24:58Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > You would play them AC/DC first. Then you may say “and also, here’s Led Zeppelin who took it further and into more interesting areas” If you were honest, you would say here’s Led Zeppelin who was first and built itself into the top band in the world. And then here’s AC/DC who didn’t release their first album until after Zep’s sixth, when their career was essentially over, and stripped the sound down to an essence, which some people liked while others preferred the more interesting original. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/165 "2021-03-16T15:32:02Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > If you were honest, you would say here’s Led Zeppelin who was first and built itself into the top band in the world. And then here’s AC/DC who didn’t release their first album until after Zep’s sixth, when their career was essentially over, and stripped the sound down to an essence, which some people liked while others preferred the more interesting original. That would be more accurate. I think the important thing is that GR\>\>y/zziox¬{} ends up boarding his spaceship humming either “when the levee breaks” or “back in black”. That seems like a net gain for the wellbeing of the universe. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/166 "2021-03-16T15:32:09Z")
Gotta say, this thread has convinced me to never ever try to classify a band. I just hope my kids don’t ask me something like “So, Led Zeppelin? Exactly what kind of music would you call this?”… after all these comments, I’d have to say “Well, they’re Maybe Hard Rock Maybe Blues Rock Maybe Metal Maybe Heavy Metal Maybe Early Hair Metal Maybe Just Rock and Roll… yeah, definitely that.” My kids did that when I was listening to Fellow Travellers (UK band featuring [Jeb Loy Nichols](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEYJ6Q2Mjk8&list=RDEMjQTqTyNjneKc4Ry665Kjlg&start_radio=1)): “Umm, sort of Reggae-Folk-Bluegrass-Bass’n’Drums-Dub Rock, I guess…” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/167 "2021-03-16T15:39:40Z")
If they aren’t bopping to “Rock and Roll” somebody did a bad job of explaining the concept. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/168 "2021-03-16T15:42:48Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Gotta say, this thread has convinced me to never ever try to classify a band. I confess I don’t worry too much about it. Other than for idle discussions like this one what’s the point of perfect taxonomic fidelity? Ultimately you like it or you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/169 "2021-03-16T15:47:34Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > If they aren’t bopping to “Rock and Roll” somebody did a bad job of explaining the concept. On the Voyager spacecraft “[golden records](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record)” the only rock and roll track was “Johnny B. Goode.” Not a bad choice but as it was a 1977 launch I suspect there was just time to include “Whole lotta Rosie” and any number of Zep hits. That’s a hijack for another time, what should have been on the 1977 hard rock intergalactic mixtape? ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/170 "2021-03-16T16:09:38Z")
The Stones, Led Zepplin, the Who, Black Sabbath and AC/DC. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/171 "2021-03-16T18:16:35Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Gotta say, this thread has convinced me to never ever try to classify a band. It’s an idle timewasting exercise, not a serious attempt at taxonomy. Most everything can fall into multiple categories, anyway. Certainly most of the stuff my friends and I listen to can. So we like wrangling over the minutiae between dark ethereal and dark wave. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/172 "2021-03-16T18:43:48Z")
There are a number of Australian bands that try and sound like AC/DC. The biggest one I know about is Airbourne, another would be The Poor. I don’t know if I’d go with trying to sound like exactly, but one can really hear AC/DC’s influence and there are times I can’t really tell much of a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/173 "2021-03-16T19:05:43Z")
Switzerland’s biggest rock band Krokus, who enjoyed international success in the 80’s, changed their style completely after seeing AC/DC in concert, and have been accused of recycling AC/DC riffs as their modus operandi. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/o7_7COXa1yQ/hqdefault.jpg "Krokus - Long Stick Goes Boom") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7_7COXa1yQ) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/174 "2021-03-16T19:52:15Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Gotta say, this thread has convinced me to never ever try to classify a band. Back in 2015 I started a thread titled [Were any of the Hair Bands in the 1980s any good?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-any-of-the-hair-bands-in-the-1980s-any-good/736929) Instead of opining on, well, whether or not the hair bands were any good, the entire thread consisted of nothing but arguments on the _definition_ of a hair band, which bands were considered hair bands, and which were not. No one discussed which ones were good. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2021, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/175 "2021-03-16T21:08:36Z")
Now, now, there was _some_ discussion of your question. My first sentence of my very first reply said Motley Crue were good, and specifically named the album “Shout At The Devil.” Now, granted, about 90% of the thread was about what is or is not hair metal, but it’s not fair to characterize it as no one discussing which ones were good – others did chime in. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/176 "2021-03-16T22:14:56Z")
It was barely 20 years after the emergence of Rock ‘n’ Roll. For all NASA knew, it was just a fad. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2021, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/177 "2021-03-18T17:00:11Z")
Saw this on my Facebook today: [https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/162533090\_10225370477398834\_3460997384775312918\_n.jpg?\_nc\_cat=109&ccb=1-3&\_nc\_sid=825194&\_nc\_ohc=hVnzBo-T\_CQAX\_m6AyH&\_nc\_ht=scontent-ort2-2.xx&tp=7&oh=dd381b62d93249c6970d0d25901824d6&oe=607B006A](https://scontent-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s600x600/162533090_10225370477398834_3460997384775312918_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=825194&_nc_ohc=hVnzBo-T_CQAX_m6AyH&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-2.xx&tp=7&oh=dd381b62d93249c6970d0d25901824d6&oe=607B006A) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/178 "2021-03-18T19:12:15Z")
😂 If I had a daughter, this would describe my life… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2021, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/179 "2021-03-18T20:09:56Z")
Replace the kid with cats and it’s plenty of us out there. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2021, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-band-best-typifies-hard-rock/937397/180 "2021-03-21T11:27:42Z")
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