Rock: A brief history Pt.2

Rock and roll was beginning to take off, but there was still something more needed. This 'something more' came from somewhere unexpected: the underground blues clubs of Britain. Throughout the early sixties, Britain had a poor music scene. Musicians were imitating Presley, and doing a poor job of it. Mainly, the British didn't associate with the rebel attitude of rock and roll, and shunned it. However, the seeds had already been planted in underground blues clubs across the country. Throughout the 50's these blues clubs flourished throughout London, although almost every major city in England had a weekly blues gig. It was these English blues musicians that took blues music, and turned it into some truly innovative. Emphasizing the refrain of the call and response, speeding up the rhythm guitar, extending choruses and adding vocal harmony, these British blues musicians were playing music that was as deeply felt as the American blues.

It was the loyalists to this scene that led to the formation of bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds and the Animals. The Rolling Stones were a huge hit in London and went on to record some of the most succesful songs of the era. The Yardbirds were doing things that had never been done before, and was an experimental band and also a training ground for three of the greatest guitar players in history: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimi Page. Unfortunately, the Yardbirds split up, but it was through the death of this band that two revolutionary groups were born: Cream and Led Zeppelin. Both bands set the bar when they began to play what some might call very loud blues. Cream's lengthy solos and Led Zeppelins insane guitar riffs created what is now the very heart of rock music.

At the same time in Liverpool, George Martin was working with both Gerry and the Pacemakers and the Beatles. The Beatles stood out in stark comparison to the underground clubs dominant in England at the time. However, it was just this type of change that was needed to shift the industry, and the Beatles stole the momentum from the blues scene and turned their music into a mass media attration. It was here that rock music became a major business.

Soon came the second generation of rock groups with bands such as the Kinks and The Who beginning to pop up. Both of these groups recorded and published concept albums and rock operas, such as "Tommy" by the Who. This type of music intermingled the sounds of British operetta with that of rock. While melodic rock was still popular, it was The Who's magnificently amplified guitars that began to lead the way to rocks harder future. The Rolling Stones were writing songs about the punks and working class of England The Who were writing songs about the frustrated urban youth, and the Kinks were writing about the life and times of living in ordinary England. Together, these three bands formed a complete picture of that time and would unknowingly influence generations of rock bands for decades to come.