I have always known rock music to be much bigger in the states than it is here in the UK, is this true?
Rock music bigger in America or not?
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Originally Posted by Dr Kim:
“I have always known rock music to be much bigger in the states than it is here in the UK, is this true?”
“I have always known rock music to be much bigger in the states than it is here in the UK, is this true?”
Exactly how do you come to that conclusion?
How are you measuring bigger?
If MUCH BIGGER is true how do you explain
Led Zeppelin
Black Sabbath
Deep Purple (not the DS poster)
etc
I mean bigger in the sense that its played more on the radio, gets higher in the charts and in general played more often at things like sports events, malls etc;
Originally Posted by Dr Kim:
“I mean bigger in the sense that its played more on the radio, gets higher in the charts and in general played more often at things like sports events, malls etc;”
“I mean bigger in the sense that its played more on the radio, gets higher in the charts and in general played more often at things like sports events, malls etc;”
It is and its not.
American radio is infinitely more diverse than the UK whilst in the UK radio is still very largely dominated by Radio 1. Radio 1 is basically about 10 different stations on one frequency depending on time of day.
Commerical radio in the UK is very narrow and largely driven by the charts, if you listen to Capital you will hear the same songs played every hour every day. This isn't an exageration its playlist is amazingly narrow.
Anyway the diversity of American radio coupled with its much larger population means a greater variety of styles can thrive and prosper. The definition of mainstream is looser as a result.
However quite often its British rock bands who've changed the face of American music, certainly in the 60s, 70s and early 1980s.
i listen to 89x, best station i have listend to ever if im honest, beats Kerrang Radio hands down
http://www.89xradio.com/default.htm
http://www.89xradio.com/default.htm
rock music is bigger in the USA,there are many more people living there,in a much bigger country and room for all types of music to coexist more commercial successfully than in the smaller UK
Most likely.
The majority of peoples music tastes in this country are terrible.
You only have to look at the Top 40 to see that.
The majority of peoples music tastes in this country are terrible.
You only have to look at the Top 40 to see that.
Originally Posted by Dr Kim:
“I have always known rock music to be much bigger in the states than it is here in the UK, is this true?”
“I have always known rock music to be much bigger in the states than it is here in the UK, is this true?”
Not when you look at the amount of British Rock Groups of which many hammered the US and Europe.
The odd exception is Def Leppard who never really had much success in the UK but became huge in the US.
There are so many rock and metal stations in the US and then when you factor in satellite radio like Sirius there are many more again.
Geographically though the two countries are very different. One is massive, the other really isn't and so that probably plays a large part in what is available to listen to. A small country has limitations in the number of stations that can fit on the dial so to speak.
In terms of where rock comes from and where it's at. I guess it stems from the blues originally but a lot of genres and genre defining bands have come out of Britain.
The likes of Pink Floyd and Genesis launched prog rock.
Sabbath, Zeppelin and Deep Purple to me were the original heavy metal bands.
The likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Def Leppard, all British defined metal too. Venom and Diamond Head were hugely influential also for some genres.
Equally a lot of genres came out of America such as thrash, 80's hair metal, Grunge, Industrial etc.
I think British rock is more diverse but these days at least (not so in the past) the biggest bands out there are from the US.
Geographically though the two countries are very different. One is massive, the other really isn't and so that probably plays a large part in what is available to listen to. A small country has limitations in the number of stations that can fit on the dial so to speak.
In terms of where rock comes from and where it's at. I guess it stems from the blues originally but a lot of genres and genre defining bands have come out of Britain.
The likes of Pink Floyd and Genesis launched prog rock.
Sabbath, Zeppelin and Deep Purple to me were the original heavy metal bands.
The likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Def Leppard, all British defined metal too. Venom and Diamond Head were hugely influential also for some genres.
Equally a lot of genres came out of America such as thrash, 80's hair metal, Grunge, Industrial etc.
I think British rock is more diverse but these days at least (not so in the past) the biggest bands out there are from the US.
I adored a lot of the 'american' rock bands from the 80's, I never missed the american chart show on radio 1 which was very heavily rock based back then with bands such as 'Nightranger' 'Reo Speedwagon' 'Starship' 'Bruce Springsteen' etc.... also we were very lucky to have our own local radio station here in the Midlands (Beacon Radio) which (at the time) was also heavily focused on the American rock scene.
I am an ageing rocker at heart (I will admit) and still listen to a heck of a lot of american rock (power ballads) because I think it is a thousand percent better than todays efforts where music is concerned. For those that are aware of the classic american rock scene....I am listening to a lot of Steve Perry at the moment who was quite big stateside in the 80's.
I am an ageing rocker at heart (I will admit) and still listen to a heck of a lot of american rock (power ballads) because I think it is a thousand percent better than todays efforts where music is concerned. For those that are aware of the classic american rock scene....I am listening to a lot of Steve Perry at the moment who was quite big stateside in the 80's.
Originally Posted by funnyhair:
“Most likely.
The majority of peoples music tastes in this country are terrible.
You only have to look at the Top 40 to see that.”
“Most likely.
The majority of peoples music tastes in this country are terrible.
You only have to look at the Top 40 to see that.”
I agree word for word there.... don't you just wish people would wake up to reality sometimes?... the British music industry seems to be aimed at the under 20's these days and no one else.
Definitely bigger in the States right now, but rock's in a shoddy state in the States too. Ozzy once said that 'You can't kill rock and roll', but if it hasn't been killed, it has definitely stagnated.
It's not that albums aren't still being sold or that concerts aren't still selling out - the problem is that most of the biggest rock bands are the older ones. The same has happened to other genres in the past - blues and jazz still produce terrific new musicians but there's a sense that everything has been explored, and most of the new artists you hear in those genres are derivative. It's still Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan they talk about, even when there are great new blues players like John Mayer. The same seems to be happening to rock.
The last truly great, original, heavy rock band that made waves in the mainstream was Rage Against the Machine. The best big rock band still active and recording is probably MUSE, IMO.
It's that spark of innovation, the embrace of new technologies and new techniques in these bands that is needed in order to reinvigorate rock music. We've reached a stage where computers can produce a seemingly infinite range of crazy sounds that traditional instruments no longer can - the "talking bass" of a Skrillex track just sounds so much newer on the ear than someone doing another rip-off of an AC/DC or Led Zep tune. Newness is always exciting.
Matt Bellamy's Kaoss Pad guitar is a great example of the way in which the gap between computers and guitars could be bridged. If rock can embrace new technologies like these to create new sounds, then it can evolve to find a place in the future.
It's not that albums aren't still being sold or that concerts aren't still selling out - the problem is that most of the biggest rock bands are the older ones. The same has happened to other genres in the past - blues and jazz still produce terrific new musicians but there's a sense that everything has been explored, and most of the new artists you hear in those genres are derivative. It's still Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan they talk about, even when there are great new blues players like John Mayer. The same seems to be happening to rock.
The last truly great, original, heavy rock band that made waves in the mainstream was Rage Against the Machine. The best big rock band still active and recording is probably MUSE, IMO.
It's that spark of innovation, the embrace of new technologies and new techniques in these bands that is needed in order to reinvigorate rock music. We've reached a stage where computers can produce a seemingly infinite range of crazy sounds that traditional instruments no longer can - the "talking bass" of a Skrillex track just sounds so much newer on the ear than someone doing another rip-off of an AC/DC or Led Zep tune. Newness is always exciting.
Matt Bellamy's Kaoss Pad guitar is a great example of the way in which the gap between computers and guitars could be bridged. If rock can embrace new technologies like these to create new sounds, then it can evolve to find a place in the future.
British Radio in general is terrible compared to American Radio, over here, if a station becomes popular, it would be quickly bought up and rebranded as another samey station as the rest, the few Rock stations we do have ended up this way, British Radio seems to stick in a "safe" zone of Contemporary and Popular, go over to America and just between states alone the dial is much more diverse, Rockabilly stations, Jazz stations, Latino Stations, Classic Rock Stations, "Desert County" stations, hell, big band stations, as well as your corporate mix stations that we have over here sticking with Contemporary, Pop, and then we got R&B Station, Rap Stations, Alternative Rock stations, etc, etc, it just goes on.
As a country, if there is one thing they have right, it's Radio, there are places where you're tripping over around 3 stations per band (e.g. 101 - 102FM) and it's just soo much more diverse and each station is focused on an area it's good at unlike over here where most stations tend to try and have an "all under the umbrella" approach. Even to this day I still have a collection of links to Live Streams that I listen to over British Radio instead.
As a country, if there is one thing they have right, it's Radio, there are places where you're tripping over around 3 stations per band (e.g. 101 - 102FM) and it's just soo much more diverse and each station is focused on an area it's good at unlike over here where most stations tend to try and have an "all under the umbrella" approach. Even to this day I still have a collection of links to Live Streams that I listen to over British Radio instead.
Originally Posted by BrooklynBoy:
“There are so many rock and metal stations in the US and then when you factor in satellite radio like Sirius there are many more again.
Geographically though the two countries are very different. One is massive, the other really isn't and so that probably plays a large part in what is available to listen to. A small country has limitations in the number of stations that can fit on the dial so to speak.
In terms of where rock comes from and where it's at. I guess it stems from the blues originally but a lot of genres and genre defining bands have come out of Britain.
The likes of Pink Floyd and Genesis launched prog rock.
Sabbath, Zeppelin and Deep Purple to me were the original heavy metal bands.
The likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Def Leppard, all British defined metal too. Venom and Diamond Head were hugely influential also for some genres.
Equally a lot of genres came out of America such as thrash, 80's hair metal, Grunge, Industrial etc.
I think British rock is more diverse but these days at least (not so in the past) the biggest bands out there are from the US.”
“There are so many rock and metal stations in the US and then when you factor in satellite radio like Sirius there are many more again.
Geographically though the two countries are very different. One is massive, the other really isn't and so that probably plays a large part in what is available to listen to. A small country has limitations in the number of stations that can fit on the dial so to speak.
In terms of where rock comes from and where it's at. I guess it stems from the blues originally but a lot of genres and genre defining bands have come out of Britain.
The likes of Pink Floyd and Genesis launched prog rock.
Sabbath, Zeppelin and Deep Purple to me were the original heavy metal bands.
The likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Def Leppard, all British defined metal too. Venom and Diamond Head were hugely influential also for some genres.
Equally a lot of genres came out of America such as thrash, 80's hair metal, Grunge, Industrial etc.
I think British rock is more diverse but these days at least (not so in the past) the biggest bands out there are from the US.”
80's hair metal was rehashed British 70's glam rock - initially started in the USA the UK's Def Leppard
Originally Posted by Bulletguy1:
“Not when you look at the amount of British Rock Groups of which many hammered the US and Europe.
The odd exception is Def Leppard who never really had much success in the UK but became huge in the US.”
“Not when you look at the amount of British Rock Groups of which many hammered the US and Europe.
The odd exception is Def Leppard who never really had much success in the UK but became huge in the US.”
Def leppard never had much success in the UK!? I know they were massive in the USA, but they have had huge success here too, and still continue to do so.
Considering they headlined the biggest rock festival (second biggest festival after glastonbury) twice in the last 4 years, I'd say they were still doing very well in the uk.
Originally Posted by funnyhair:
“Most likely.
The majority of peoples music tastes in this country are terrible.
You only have to look at the Top 40 to see that.”
“Most likely.
The majority of peoples music tastes in this country are terrible.
You only have to look at the Top 40 to see that.”
Just because their tastes are different to yours it doesn't mean they are terrible.
Depends. Kings of Leon were popular here way before they were in the U.S. and still are far more popular here.
Originally Posted by Ash_735:
“British Radio in general is terrible compared to American Radio, over here, if a station becomes popular, it would be quickly bought up and rebranded as another samey station as the rest, the few Rock stations we do have ended up this way, British Radio seems to stick in a "safe" zone of Contemporary and Popular, go over to America and just between states alone the dial is much more diverse, Rockabilly stations, Jazz stations, Latino Stations, Classic Rock Stations, "Desert County" stations, hell, big band stations, as well as your corporate mix stations that we have over here sticking with Contemporary, Pop, and then we got R&B Station, Rap Stations, Alternative Rock stations, etc, etc, it just goes on.
As a country, if there is one thing they have right, it's Radio, there are places where you're tripping over around 3 stations per band (e.g. 101 - 102FM) and it's just soo much more diverse and each station is focused on an area it's good at unlike over here where most stations tend to try and have an "all under the umbrella" approach. Even to this day I still have a collection of links to Live Streams that I listen to over British Radio instead.”
“British Radio in general is terrible compared to American Radio, over here, if a station becomes popular, it would be quickly bought up and rebranded as another samey station as the rest, the few Rock stations we do have ended up this way, British Radio seems to stick in a "safe" zone of Contemporary and Popular, go over to America and just between states alone the dial is much more diverse, Rockabilly stations, Jazz stations, Latino Stations, Classic Rock Stations, "Desert County" stations, hell, big band stations, as well as your corporate mix stations that we have over here sticking with Contemporary, Pop, and then we got R&B Station, Rap Stations, Alternative Rock stations, etc, etc, it just goes on.
As a country, if there is one thing they have right, it's Radio, there are places where you're tripping over around 3 stations per band (e.g. 101 - 102FM) and it's just soo much more diverse and each station is focused on an area it's good at unlike over here where most stations tend to try and have an "all under the umbrella" approach. Even to this day I still have a collection of links to Live Streams that I listen to over British Radio instead.”
I agree!! I much prefer to listen to American radio stations online, than listen to British radio!!! I havent listened to British radio since about the early 90s!!
But then also, having said that, theres lots of radio stations in various genres, on the Sky satelite platform, that are not on the radio!! The thing is you have to turn your TV on and do a lot of channel flicking, to be able to listen to them!!
America is very conservative in its musical tastes. They''re still stuck in the 80 were rock is concerened. Any American rock band trying to do something different has to come here to get recognised, e.g. KoL,
Originally Posted by funnyhair:
“Most likely.
The majority of peoples music tastes in this country are terrible.
You only have to look at the Top 40 to see that.”
“Most likely.
The majority of peoples music tastes in this country are terrible.
You only have to look at the Top 40 to see that.”
You only have to look at the Brit Awards and read the music forum here on digital spy. Makes me want to vomit.
It also, doesnt help having all these kiddie upstart DJs now running the joints!!
Gone are the days of Tommy Vance, John Peel, Alan "Fluff" Freeman, Paul Gambuccini, Nicky Horne,Simon Bates, etc.!!
Gone are the days of Tommy Vance, John Peel, Alan "Fluff" Freeman, Paul Gambuccini, Nicky Horne,Simon Bates, etc.!!
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