What is rock and roll anymore ?
What is rock and roll, anymore ?
This is a legitimate question. It used to be simple. Was it that we were younger ? Was it that the music was simply better, more innovative ? Was it that we actually had half-decent machines to play it on ? Something ? Anything ?
Or has it been clouded by the over-sexualisation of pop culture? Rock and roll has always been about sex, but it used to be suggested rather than available for “consumption”. Flesh (of both men and women, actually) is now de rigeur for pop videos. What is left musically? Chrissie Hynde has something to say about it – see http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/512407/Chrissie-Hynde-Today-s-young-singers-are-porn-stars-trying-to-make-records
Paul Morley (ex-NME) says rock has become “preservative”. http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/21/pop-belongs-last-century-classical-music-relevant-future-paul-morley. Is that true ? If it is true, is it so bad ? Beethoven and Mozart are doing quite a good job of being preserved. They may not feature as “legends” on the O2 circuit, but there’s a reason for that.
I believe Paul Morley’s cynicism is misplaced – maybe he bought too many records back in the day, like someone who read too many novels. To Chrissie Hynde’s point I also think we have to hold the line and not submit to the “lowest common denominator” culture if we really want to create something.
But more to the point, I think we can. I believe there is further to go with rock as an art form. There are too many strands for it to be “over”. Too much happened in too short a space of time. New lyrics and new musical ideas or derivations can stretch it. This is what we have to do.
SPD