Listen to a radio station which claims to play today’s rock music, and you may be unpleasantly surprised. Currently, popular rock consists of performers such as Coldplay, Nickelback, and Jason Mraz.
While they are extremely talented artists, is their music really true rock, or simply a mellowed-down version of the fiery original once known as rock and roll? The lack of blazing guitar riffs and over the top singers leaves one wondering, “Where have all the rock stars gone?”
Are There Any Upcoming Rock Music Legends?
In rock’s former years, legendary acts such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, and Black Sabbath shook up the scene with trailblazing style. There were numerous bands, in fact, which were clearly destined for greatness. One could have a long debate, listing multiple acts which could be considered the greatest rock legends. Today, however, no performers seem to live up to those levels. It seems as if the bar has somehow been lowered to accommodate today’s watered down pop songs which masquerade as rock and roll.
Great Guitarists Are Few and Far Between
Today’s guitarists simply can not live up to the greats of the past. Performers with talent equal to that of Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Carlos Santana just don’t exist among today’s rock musicians. On the June 12, 2008, Rolling Stone cover, John Mayer was photographed alongside Eddie Van Halen, B. B. King, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Buddy Guy, Kirk Hammett, Carlos Santana, and Jimmy Page for the list, “100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.”
While Mayer is a talented musician, he is certainly not as talented as the others with whom he was photographed. Further, his song, “Gravity,” was cited as #84 out of the 100 greatest guitar songs. The song is a good one; it is not, however, one of the greatest of all time, by far.
It’s Not About the Music Anymore
Today’s rock musicians pump out songs and albums which are created for one purpose alone – to sell. While the music industry is certainly a business, the classic rock musician’s primary focus was on making music with artistic freedom and integrity.
Yes, sales have always been an issue, but they were secondary to the music and its expression. Today’s artists have been so contaminated by the business which has become rock music, that the actual music itself has suffered tremendously.
Rock Must Return to Its Roots
In order for rock music to live on, it must return to its roots. Bands must begin to reexamine the foundation on which their successes were built. They must embrace the true artistry and expression of their craft, rather than simply putting together mediocre albums in order to satisfy the demands of record company executives.
In the Sept. 2, 2007, New York Times article “The Music Man” by Lynn Hirschberg, legendary music mogul David Geffen states: “Only ten years ago, companies wanted to make records, presumably good records, and see if they sold. But panic has set in, and now it’s no longer about making music, it’s about how to sell music.”
Today’s bands have left listeners aching for the great music of rock’s former glory days. Talented artists are commonplace at the moment, yet upcoming legends are no where to be found. Musicians must focus less on the music business, and simply return to the act of making music which lives up to the rock and roll excellence of the past.
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