Rock and Roll Part II

n this installation of the history of rock and roll, we explore the decades of the '60s and '70s. This is arguably rock's pinnacle of achievement, ushering in the superstars we have all come to know and revere.

While American rock and roll was still going strong with artists such as Elvis, something was brewing on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, in England. Bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and The Who were putting their own spin on the rock and roll greats of the 50s. This music caught on feverishly in America and is now known as "the British invasion". This reinvented way of playing the blues was sometimes faster, edgier and louder. The Kinks guitarist, in fact, cut the cone of the speaker in his amplifier to give a more distorted sound. Later, bands would crank every knob on their amplifiers to 10 to get the distorted rock sound we've come to know.

To compensate for the louder, dirtier sound that rock musicians desired, amp engineers began wiring hotter amps, resulting in an even louder sound. One of the champions of this more brazen sound was Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix was both a virtuoso and pioneer. He was able to come up with innovative ways to use distortion and was a master of blues guitar, influencing even the greatest guitarists around him, such as Eric Clapton. Notice his never before seen immense speed, showmanship, and distorted guitar sound.

Rock at this point was very popular, so much so that the key players of the genre started to form "supergroups." Bands such as Cream and Led Zeppelin raised the level of virtuosity, with guitar and drum solos spanning as long as 20 minutes during a concert! Thanks to technology, you may now view the entire concert of Led Zeppelin's amazing Madison Square Garden performance from 1973:

Other bands expanded the genre intellectually; these bands were usually known as "prog" or progressive rock bands. Two particularly famous "prog rock" bands are Yes and Pink Floyd. Yes utilized classical forms with complex melodic and harmonic shifts to encapsulate a challenging but interesting sound for the listener. Pink Floyd, while musically usually simple, raised the level of lyrical awareness, with deep and introspective words that explored the human condition.

Stay tuned for next week's foray into rock music of the '80s, '90s and today. Rock On!