I'm not that big a fan of today's rock

[MrScorpio]

It has no blues roots to it.

The Stones, Zep, Clapton, Hendrix and so many others had the Blues as the template from which they worked.

I have no idea what the current crop of rockers are using, other than a whole lot riffing and whining.

Not a lot out there that one can stomp their feet too.

[taterguy]

1. Kids today and their (alleged) music

[Madrone]

2. No Black Keys?

Just one example.

[MrScorpio]

3. The Black Keys are an exception to the rule

Very, very, bluesy they are

[aquaman]

23. The Black Keys rule.....

although was a bit bummed out by their new cd, mediocre.

[cemaphonic]

4. It's not just the blues

In general, rock started feeding on itself sometime during the '70s. Older rock drew from not just the blues, but folk music, Lomax & Leadbelly, old proto-country stuff, Tin Pan Alley/Broadway, even classical and jazz in the psychedelic and prog groups. But once you had an entire generation that had grown up listening to nothing but rock, it became extremely derivative. Even the better groups from the 80s and on, like the Talking Heads, and Prince & the Revolution, Beck and so on were mostly exceptionally talented at a stylistic fusion of earlier rock. And the current crop is aping *that* generation.

The business end of it has changed a bunch too, of course. Frank Zappa said that back in the old days, promoters, radio stations and record label owners had no idea what the kids would buy, so a whole lot of weird stuff slipped through the cracks that would never make it in the market-research driven industry of today. Motown wasn't really that much different than the N'Sync/Brittany model of manufactured pop music, except that the writers and producers were all really accomplished musicians instead of ProTools whizzes.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

5. I've met people who actually enjoyed 3 Doors Down and Nickelback.

I've been backing away slowly ever since.

[Pierre.Suave]

9. HAHAHA

yeah, me too. I stop taking music advice from people when they say that.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

21. One girl told me she didn't like James Brown because he was "spazzy."

Yet she'd lip-synch perfectly to 3 Doors Down/Nickelback-type songs. :shrug:

[ghostsofgiants]

10. That's just depressing.

[LeftyMom]

14. The girl I used to babysit LOVED Nickelback

I forgave her, because she was nine.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

22. That's still no excuse.

:P

[jobycom]

26. I have to like 3 Doors Down

Ever since I found out they were from my original neck of the woods. We need our heroes, and now that Favre has retired, we're a little thin.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

6. Some of it is tolerable -- but, it ain't really Rock

do you know what I mean? :D

do you remember Lee Michaels by any chance...

[harmonicon]

17. oh, no, it's "Rock!", but not rock and roll

Where did the roll go? It seems like some time in the 70's or 80's the "roll" just left us, along with the quality. I blame Led Zeppelin who are total frauds. I think they murdered roll. If I every meet Jimmy Page, I'm going to pick him up and hold him up against a wall with one arm while I point at him and scream "You killed rock and roll!!!".

All of this rock music seems to be all about, as a previous poster has suggested, aping earlier rock music. Sure, there are some good groups, but as a genre, it's pretty much run it's course. I couldn't believe that the little brothers of a girlfriend of mine (junior higschool and highschool kids) a few years ago were into The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, etc. I think that those are examples of great music, and kudos to the kids for appreciating it, but thinking music that's older than your parents' generation is super awesome is about as un-rock and roll as it gets.

[cemaphonic]

25. nah, thieves though they were,

Zep had honest roots in the blues, and in a lot of Celtic folk stuff, plus a really ace arranger/producer in Jones. It's all those idiots that wanted to be the *next* Led Zeppelin that ruined hard rock.

As to your second point. I discovered all of the old rock music (and classical for that matter) for myself when I was in high school, back when Milli Vanilli and Paula Abdul ruled the roost. It may be break the metaphor of rock 'n roll rebellion for kids to like that stuff 40 years later, but that boat has long since sailed anyway (say hello to $300 tickets to see a bunch of 60 year olds dance around) and good music is good music. Hell, Felix Mendelssohn managed to make 90 year old church music popular - no reason the kids can't like old pop music.

Besides, all of the rebellious, pissing-off-your-parents energy went into hiphop, which itself entered into its own derivative phase over a decade ago.

[harmonicon]

29. I'm not arguing that old Rock and Roll is bad music

It's just that it is old, so it simply can't carry on with any sense of rebellion, or aggressiveness, etc. I think that is reflected in what the newer groups do.

[Angleae]

7. I'm not a big fan of today's rock or yesterday's rock

Give me the dead composer society

[Pierre.Suave]

8. Just for you

The Raconteurs

Old Enough

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DOqJWcTKgc

[mtnester]

12. Isn't that Jack White's side project?

It sure sounds like it.

[Pierre.Suave]

13. I think so

I think there is quite a few people in it on a "side project"

[mtnester]

28. Like Foxboro Hot Tubs is Green Day

some artists are so completely recognizable...you hear the tune and go "hey.....that's ___________(fill in the blank)"

[Redbear]

24. That is an awesome album.

Definitely blues-influenced

[Bennyboy]

11. Try Gov't Mule......

They are way bluesy enough. Warren Haynes is the best guitar player out there right now and the rest of the band just kicks some serious ass. Get the Deepest End DVD. One of the best concerts I have ver been to.

[graywarrior]

15. Got that right.

[hobbit709]

16. Where's The Fugs and The Holy Modal Rounders when you need them.

[Taverner]

18. Have you chekced out Blitzen Trapper?

If there were ever a modern challenger to Zep this is them...

How about Cat Power...Calexico or Iron and Wine...

[Shakespeare]

19. Ray La Montagne, Jamie Lidell, Eric Lindell, etc. etc.

There's a LOT of good stuff out there right now. Just gotta listen for it.

[khashka]

20. Some of it is good

But a lot of it just whining -and that can work if done right. It seems a lot of people are just riffing off each other. Which is cool but doesn't always result in good music.

But I'll keep my Bessie Smith. This boy loves the blues.

Khash.

[Initech]

27. Try the Mars Volta

Their new album "Bedlam In Goliath" fucking rocks!

[realisticphish]

30. here's the thing

music is based on previous styles. My generation never really had a blues movement; today's bands look back to the ones you name as inspiration. Music evolves :shrug:

Though not always for the better.

[DarkTirade]

31. Every generation had loads of crap and a few good artists, really.

The crap (usually) filters to the bottom eventually though, so we get left with the cream. It's easier to spot the gems without being distracted by the crap on the radio when the crap isn't on the radio anymore.

Although right now we seem to have a dearth of good artists. I'm not sure if that's because the recording industry is ONLY promoting the crap, or if we're really in a natural slump. It's hard to tell.

[Jade Fox]

32. "riffing and whining"....bwahahahahah!

Musical roots of some sort (Blues, as well a Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and Appalachian folk music) used to be part of all popular music. Today's music seems to be something else entirely.