Does '90s music belong on "classic rock" radio?

no , nothing after 1979 !

 

Classic rock will never be called oldies as long as us baby boomers are around. We don't like the term oldies because......wait for it......it makes us feel old.

 

When I was a kid, the oldies stations didn't play anything after 1971 or so. It's been about twenty years since then, and they've now moved on to about 1981.

The major difference with "classic rock" stations is that now they play hardly anything from BEFORE 1971. Whenever I turn on Q107, I hear big loud echoing eighties drums.

 

What is this 'radio' thing you speak of and where can I download it?

 

When I was a teenager in the late 80s early 90s, radio stations had oldies, classic rock, modern rock, and a format of Album Oriented Rock, which included classic rock and the current rock music, which at that time was hair metal, and later "grunge," whatever that is. What you are describing sounds like an Album Oriented Rock station that takes its playlist from 1995.

Now I hardly ever hear "classic rock" or "oldies," as the formats have merged into the "classic hits" format covering approximately 1963-1985, with a mix of rock, soul and R&B.

 

Interesting. I have always struggled with this "magic" line - as in what most recent release could be included in the Classic Rock genre - and this is more from my own music tagging needs - as I love to have my player (J. River Media Center) do the work when constructing my playlists for me.

However - without a reasonable "end point" (most recent release that would still fit)...it's a bit jarring to assign "Classic Rock" to something and then when it comes up in a Classic Rock playlist...it sounds too new or doesn't really fit the CL vibe of the playlist.

So - using the "rule" you figure that 1986 is your current "end" point? While I tend to agree - I still struggle with something like Thunderstruck by AC/DC from 1990 being totally Classic Rock....so methinks - using "years" is probably way too restrictive and one should let the song dictate the vibe.

Good thread tho...

Cheers,

VP

 

No. Classic Rock should be rock music from 1964-1984.

 

What about Sonic Youth ? What about Venom ? What about Napalm Death ? It's 80s, it's old, it's classic rock, and I can't wait to hear them between "Stairway To Heaven" and "Hotel California".

 

And more hilarious still, are radio people desperately trying to isolate this demographic of listener without telling them that, "here's this OLD music you like so well".




Now playing on Ariel Stream: Conjure One w/Marie-Claire D'Ubaldo - Manic Star

 

"Classic" to me, is up to '75.

 

So - even something like "The Wall" from Floyd wouldn't fly in your Classic Rock playlist? Or Moving Pictures? Or Van Halen Panama?

What would you classify these as? Mainstream rock?

VP

 

The problem with so-called "classic rock", as is usually defined by it's core fans, is very limited. You can only go so far with it on radio until you start repeating the same stuff over and over.

The reason 90s music is now included is because as we age, the music we grew up with when we were younger is the classic music of their generation.

Remember, radio is about advertising, not music, so they need to find new customers as the older ones stop listening. "Classic rock" is just a marketing term, not a musical genre.

 

I used to listen to Q107 when one of our local stations would pick it up between midnight and 6AM from 1992-1995. They would play Alice In Chains and Soundgarden alongside Zep, the Who, and Robin Trower. It was all good.

 

I am 59 and I CANNOT stand to listen to 99% of the tired old crap some of you fellows are waxing so nostalgic about.
Radio is culturally irrelevant and has been for a long , long time now.

 

Classic Rock

I first heard a Classic Rock station on the radio in about the mid 80s or so. I had been overseas in the military for several years so I'm not sure when classic rock radio got started in the US.

My point is that when I first heard a classic rock station the music on it was from the 70s (also 60s songs as well), in other words the previous two decades. Led Zepplin (a group that ended in the 70s) was music from the previous decade, in other words not especially "old" at that time.

Jeremy by Pearl Jam and Come as You Are by Nirvana are old songs now.

Scott

 

But I think the point the author of the article is making isn't about the fact that these '90s songs are old now, it's that they just don't fit in on a playlist sandwiched between Van Halen and the Stones. The music from the '90s certainly shares some traits between the typical "classic rock" staples, but the attitude is wholly different.

 

Let's see now....
Do I wanna listen to
Stairway To Heaven for the billionth time ?
Welcome To The Jungle for the millionth time ?
Or Jeremy for the thousandth time ?
Gosh....how can I possibly choose ?

 

I would much rather have 90s music included in with 60s-70s classic rock than the vast majority of 80s music radio has unfortunately added to play lists--that's what doesn't mix with Hendrix and Sabbath/Zeppelin, etc for me (and makes me switch the station to something else for a song or two.)

 

Right. But my point is that radio doesn't care about the music. It's all about advertising dollars.

 

Yeah. I don't consider 80s music "classic rock."

 

It's a strange phenomenon, ain't it?

 

More like Al Jolson, Paul Whiteman, and Bing Crosby.

Let that roll around in your mind for a bit.

 

The main argument in the article for 90s music not being "classic" isn't so much the time period but that he claims there is a distinct difference in sound, so that it's like a different genre.

And I disagree. I don't buy into this whole idea that grunge was this radical shift (or new wave, or whatever the thing is at the time). Verse, chorus, guitars, I like a girl, parties, etc. These things are always around in rock music and while technology and superficial cultural things make small shifts in fads seem like watershed revolutions in pop music, they're really not in retrospect.

90s music is old now. The hits that remain are now "classic." If I were making a "classic" movie channel, I would absolutely put Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump and Unforgiven on it.

 

The Cars and Tom Petty' 80s output were frequently played on classic rock, even in the late 80's, and have always been more associated with that decade, even though they both started out in the 70s.

George Thorogood's Bad to the Bone was released in 82 and was not objectionable to most Classic Rock Station back then either.

 

Is it different?

"I don't buy into this whole idea that grunge was this radical shift (or new wave, or whatever the thing is at the time). "

+++++++++++++++++++

I never understood what the big "change" was either. Smells Like Teen Spirit had loud guitars and agressive, almost screaming, angst ridden vocals. Perhaps if you were 19 at the time it came out and had never heard the song Borderline by the MC5 (Kick Out the Jams) or 1970 by the Stooges (Fun House) then maybe it was.

Scott