# Which rock musicians' work is as exciting today as it was when they first began? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 15, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900 "2019-12-15T18:36:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/1 "2019-12-15T18:36:14Z")
In my opinion, the quality of most rock music seems to fade after many years. Most, but not all. But in your opinion, which rock musicians’ work remains as exciting today as it did when they first began? For me, that would be Queen. Not only are they one of the greatest bands of all time, but IMO, their music remains just as fresh and exciting today as it did when they first started recording - almost 50 years ago. What a fabulous band! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/2 "2019-12-15T18:41:03Z")
SLAYER! (of course) ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/3 "2019-12-15T18:41:27Z")
Define exciting. Do you mean the band still produces high quality new music after 20+ years, or that even though the band hasn’t made new music in 20+ years, the music they did do is still high quality? If the latter, Led Zeppelin never gets old. If the former, Michael Jacksons music was popular his whole life. Edit; technically Michael Jackson wasn’t rock though, so NM. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/4 "2019-12-15T18:58:04Z")
Beatles ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/5 "2019-12-15T19:36:32Z")
With the advent of 5.1 remixes, I’m hearing a bunch of old stuff with new ears and it sounds terrific. I’m spinning Be Bop Deluxe’s _Modern Music_ right now and Bill Nelson’s wonderful melodic, shimmering guitars sound like they could’ve been recorded yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/6 "2019-12-15T19:50:16Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Do you mean the band still produces high quality new music after 20+ years, or that even though the band hasn’t made new music in 20+ years, the music they did do is still high quality? From the OP’s example of Queen, I suspect he means the latter, though I think the former is a more interesting question. Although I’m tempted to take the thread title literally at face value and “cheat” by suggesting either musicians who just started very recently, or those whose early work wasn’t very exciting at all. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/7 "2019-12-15T19:59:10Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Define exciting. Do you mean the band still produces high quality new music after 20+ years, or that even though the band hasn’t made new music in 20+ years, the music they did do is still high quality? Heh Heh. I suppose I mean you find the music as exciting today as you did when they first started many years ago. Unfortunately, so many of the best Rock musicians are not able to produce any music today. I love The Doors music just as much today as I did back in the 70s. The same goes for Janis, Jimi, Allman Bros, CCR with Ronnie, Aaliyah, Kurt (of course), Gram Parsons, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/8 "2019-12-15T20:02:44Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > From the OP’s example of Queen, I suspect he means the latter, though I think the former is a more interesting question. > > Although I’m tempted to take the thread title literally at face value and “cheat” by suggesting either musicians who just started very recently, or those whose early work wasn’t very exciting at all. AFAIC, you are welcome to post whatever you would like to post. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/9 "2019-12-15T20:15:42Z")
If it’s the latter meaning, my answer is just about all of them. There’s very little that I listened to as a youth that doesn’t appeal to me today. The one exception is The Doors. I was obsessed with them as a teen, but I find them almost unlistenable today. And Jim Morrison now strikes me as a pretentious not very bright twat. Nick Cave has taken shits with more talent than Morrison ever had. Nick beat heroin too. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/10 "2019-12-15T20:19:26Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > If it’s the latter meaning, my answer is just about all of them. There’s very little that I listened to as a youth that doesn’t appeal to me today. > > The one exception is The Doors. I was obsessed with them as a teen, but I find them almost unlistenable today. And Jim Morrison now strikes me as a pretentious not very bright twat. Nick Cave has taken shits with more talent than Morrison ever had. Nick beat heroin too. The organs don’t hold up for me. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/11 "2019-12-15T20:57:45Z")
_Cream_ Though Eric Clapton’s work before and after wasn’t/isn’t as exciting or interesting. He’s finally become the modern day bluesman he always sought to be, but the 2 1/2 years being pushed to his limits by Jack and Ginger has never been equaled or surpassed. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/12 "2019-12-15T21:56:00Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > If it’s the latter meaning, my answer is just about all of them. There’s very little that I listened to as a youth that doesn’t appeal to me today. > > The one exception is The Doors. I was obsessed with them as a teen, but I find them almost unlistenable today. And Jim Morrison now strikes me as a pretentious not very bright twat. Nick Cave has taken shits with more talent than Morrison ever had. Nick beat heroin too. You may be interested in a story I once heard from a fairly reliable source. I have no way of knowing whether it is true or not. But maybe someone here has also heard this? Jim Morrison was attending some Hollywood party and Janis was also there. The two of them began to talk and after a few minutes Janis took an empty liquor bottle and smashed it across Jim’s face. The person who told me this said they thought the reason was that she just found him to be a real asshole. I always figured that she might have let him know that she was interested in some kind of romantic liason and he let her know that he was not interested in a rather blunt way. Seems to me that would have done it. I’ve always wondered if that really happened. This person would have had no reason to lie about it. But I also figured that if it was true, I would have heard about it from other sources. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/13 "2019-12-15T22:27:42Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > after a few minutes Janis took an empty liquor bottle and smashed it across Jim’s face. This makes it sound like a bottle coming in contact with a human face would do more damage to the bottle than to the face, which is the part I’m dubious about. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/14 "2019-12-16T00:05:05Z")
Alice Cooper. He’s out there with the Hollywood Vampires and releasing new stuff and touring. It makes me laugh (in a joyful way) knowing rock 'n roll is still strong with Alice Cooper. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/15 "2019-12-16T01:49:03Z")
I still find most of the music I listened to as a child in the 80s as exciting today as I did when I first heard them. Among them: Guns N Roses Metallica(their 80s work) KISS Skid Row Motley Crue Warrant Whitesnake Poison Def Lepard Van Halen I am a big fan of Hair Metal then and now. I think the **music** itself holds up pretty well today but I admit its hard watching their videos produced in the 1980s because the **fashion** and **hairstyles** (the whole Hair Metal “look”) looks incredibly dated and cringeworthy to me now. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/16 "2019-12-16T01:52:58Z")
I’m not sure what OP is looking for. Artists whose _new_ material is as good as what they were doing back in the day? Or stuff from back then that still grabs us? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/17 "2019-12-16T02:08:04Z")
Genesis. Steve Hackett performs it live on tour and Phil Collins did a couple of songs on his retirement tour. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/18 "2019-12-16T14:56:12Z")
In the folk rock genre, Bob Dylan. And Bruce Springsteen will never get old. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/19 "2019-12-16T16:45:49Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > The organs don’t hold up for me. Sorry about that. Have you considered Viagra? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900/20 "2019-12-16T16:53:09Z")
A more serious answer: for me, it largely depends on whether an artist was treated as part of the Classic Rock genre by the Classic Rock stations themselves. Those that were, got tremendously overplayed, and artists and songs I used to love, I simply can’t stand to hear one more time. (I stopped listening to classic rock stations altogether 3-4 years back on account of this.) But artists that I used to love that weren’t included in that genre still feel fresh. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-rock-musicians-work-is-as-exciting-today-as-it-was-when-they-first-began/844900.md?page=2)