Rock music has not escaped the age old argument of old verses new. Is changing the original corrupting the genre or is it simply necessary with time. Well to answer this question we have to look back; all the way back to the beginning. As in all things great, the origins of Rock n roll are shrouded in mystery. All we know is somewhere in the fifties the young generation back then needed a sound distinct from that of the previous.
Rock itself evolved from the 'corruption' of other sounds. In need of a new sound the young people of early 20th century took comfort in quirky mix of blues, jazz and folk. This is how rock was born. Yet even then the genre has not maintained a steady form. the Swinging sixties brought with it the Beatles and Psychedelic drugs. Rock became a means of social protest. Some of the best albums of all time came from this period. Pink Floyds darkside of the moon for instance. Several sub-genres also emerged. Black Sabbath's metallic sound marked the infancy of metal.
Still a form of protest, Punk emerged as a means of venting teen angst anarchism and rage in the seventies. Then came the age of the crazy hair a.k.a the eighties. Bands like ACDC and Guns and Roses established images synonymous with rock and roll. tight leather pants terrible hair and heavy metal. U2 and REM also made inroads with indie rock. And who can forget Nirvana and grunge rock in the nineties.Dirty guitar playing and strong riffs marked this sub-genre.
Then came pop rock and the whiny sound so many dread. I've heard the expression 'rock has lost its roll' passed around a few times because of this. But with rock continuously evolving everyone claims a different 'authentic' rock sound . If you really think about it, what you consider true rock might be someone elses knock off. We at Kenyan rock band have our preferences but ultimately it comes down to good music. As Kurt Cobain put it
"Rock is musical freedom, its singing and playing what you want ". Perhaps we should stop judging and start listening #JustSaying.
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