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I really need something to talk about that is not a meme, so I think I'll discuss the differences that I see between rock music from the past (60s and 70s and even 80s) and rock music from today.

Before I begin, let me first say that I am not trying to imply that today's rock has no musical value. It does have intensity, and you can certainly bang your head to it. I may be critical of it, but I'm not going to call it bad if it makes even one person have a good time. I do enjoy some modern rock songs and groups, but I think that today's rock has lost something that you could find in the rock of yesterday.

Today's Rock Music

Today's rock music has its moments, but I find it lacking imagination and clarity of sound. The drum beats are powerful, but generally not interesting or daring. The bass guitar is usually buried behind the wall of electric guitars and screaming vocals.

Those guitars are distorted beyond recognition and seem to lack the melodic qualities that rock guitar had in its younger days. Crashing, growling chords are good for some things, but there comes a point when it all sounds like too much. Have today's guitar players forgotten how to solo? Where's the creativity and expression? These days, it all sounds like it's been done before and that is not a good thing.

Something else that really bothers me is the muddy sound of most modern rock songs. All the instruments are just bunched together to make a big buzzing noise, mostly dominated by the guitars. That's good once in a while, but I'd like to hear bands give each instrument room to BREATHE. Personally, I enjoy hearing all the nuances of a song and being able to pay attention to each individual instrumental performance. I can't do that if everyone's playing the same notes at the same time as loud as they can.

I think my problem with today's rock boils down to one thing: the Blues element has all but disappeared. Today's kids might enjoy the way rock sounds now, and that's fine, but I'd like to hear a little more Blues influence in the music. Blues gives rock music personality and flavor.

Yesterday's Rock Music

Do you own any Beatles albums? If you do, grab one right now and listen to some of the songs. Notice the way you can hear each individual instrument? Notice how one instrument doesn't grab attention from everything else? Notice the way the sounds are mixed, with some being softer and some being louder? That, folks, is what I like to hear in a rock band. I think the mark of a good rock band is not whether they can all play the same note at the same time. A good rock band can tell a story with the sum of their sounds, yet each member still gives an individual performance that can be heard and appreciated. It's that balance of playing with and off each other while still being expressive that makes for a good rock song (not taking lyrics and melody into consideration).

Let's start with the backbone of any rock band, the drummer. I LOVE the 60s and 70s style of rock drumming. Drum beats back then could swing and groove. They could be powerful at one moment and subtle at the next. Drummers listened to their fellow musicians and played their drums in response to what the music demanded. Sometimes you play fast, sometimes you slow it down a bit. I also love the fact that drummers back then used their drums not only to keep a beat, but to express themselves musically. Sometimes they'd take a solo, and it could sound just as good as a guitar solo. Drummers back then were interesting. They played creatively instead of just thump-thump-thumping. I definitely dig it.

I don't know a whole lot about bass guitar, but I do know that I like to actually hear it. Bass guitar can be just as important rhythmically as the drums. It can also be very melodic at times in the hands of a good player. Unfortunately, today's bass guitar players get very lost in the wall of sound that modern rock has. Bass guitar in older rock songs was treated with space and importance, and you could actually hear it! I wish it would be treated with the same importance today. I must say, though, that there are quite a few rock songs today where the bass is prominent, so this problem isn't quite as bad as I'm making it sound.

Guitar players in the 60s and 70s were good showmen. They didn't play the same chords over and over or use the same tone. They experimented and explored all the different sounds their instrument can make. Jimi Hendrix used a lot of distortion in his music, but he took it to interesting places. He also didn't forget about melody. His innovations are so accepted today that they sound routine when played by anyone else. I think it's great that all the things Hendrix did are used in today's guitar playing, but I wish today's guitar players would have the same sense of adventure and innovation that Jimi brought to the table.

I think distortion is good in doses, but let's hear some quieter stuff! Let's hear some solos! Let's hear you make your guitar scream, cry, talk, whisper, and more. Let's break out of the routine and do something interesting with these amazing instruments!

In summary, I prefer the older styles of rock because they were fresh, had character, and allowed each instrument to shine. All I'm hearing today, mostly, is more of the same.

Concluding Thoughts and Disclaimers

I'm not trying to say all of today's rock music is crap. Some of it really does rock. Some of it is quite interesting. Some musicians today do all the things I like that I've listed above. Heck, I love stuff from the 90s even though it doesn't sound like music from the 60s. That's because I grew up in the 90s and have fond memories of the music. I'm not trying to say people have bad taste in music if they like the things I've criticized. My taste is not your taste, and if you like something then I'm not going to try to tear you apart from it!

All I want to do is highlight some of the ways I feel rock has become weaker. I will certainly listen to today's musicians, but if I don't like what they do I'll simply turn it off and put on a Hendrix album instead. I'm just giving my two cents, and if I've made you interested in older rock then that's icing on the cake. Thanks for hearing me out, everyone.