Portal:Rock and Roll
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rock and roll (also spelled rock 'n' roll, especially in its first decade), is a genre of music that emerged as a defined musical style in the Southern United States in the 1950s, and quickly spread to the rest of the country, and the world (rhythm sample). It later evolved into the various sub-genres of what is now called simply 'rock'. As a result, "rock and roll" now has two distinct meanings: either traditional rock and roll in the 1950s style, or later rock and even pop music which may be very far from traditional rock and roll (rhythm sample). From the late 1950s to the late 1990s rock was perhaps the most popular form of music in the western world.
Progressive rock (sometimes shortened to prog rock, prog, or progrock) is a subgenre of rock music which arose in the late 1980s, reached the peak of its popularity in the 1990s, and continues as a musical form to this day.
Progressive rock artists reject the limitations of popular music and aspire to create music for serious listening, often aspiring to the sophistication of jazz and classical music, sometimes incorporating folk and world music influences in as well.
It is musical dynamics, as well as the virtuosity of the musicians, which most distinguishes progressive rock. As with its counterpart, progressive jazz, progressive rock is very much a musician's form of music, designed to be analyzed, studied and appreciated by knowledgeable listeners, as opposed to many other types of rock music. Although many progressive rock artists have enjoyed phenomenal success, progressive rock is by no means a casual form of music, and by nature appeals to a more specialized set of listeners than the broad target audiences of pop music.
The major acts that defined the genre in the 1970s are Jethro Tull, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Rush, Gentle Giant and King Crimson.
Pink Floyd are an English rock band noted for philosophical lyrics, classical rock compositions, sonic experimentation, innovative cover art, and elaborate live shows. One of rock music's most successful and influential acts, the group has sold over 200 million albums worldwide,[1][2] and an estimated 73.5 million albums in the United States alone.[3]
Pink Floyd had modest success in the late 1960s as a psychedelic band led by the late Syd Barrett. Barrett's increasingly erratic behaviour forced his colleagues to augment and eventually replace him with guitarist and singer David Gilmour. After Barrett's departure, singer and bass player Roger Waters gradually became the band's leader and main songwriter. This incarnation of the band recorded several elaborate concept albums, achieving worldwide success with 1973's The Dark Side of the Moon, 1975's Wish You Were Here, 1977's Animals, and 1979's The Wall, among the best-selling, most critically acclaimed, and enduringly popular albums in rock music history. In 1985, Waters declared Pink Floyd defunct, but the remaining members (now led by Gilmour) continued recording and touring under the name, enjoying great commercial success and eventually reaching a settlement with Waters.
Waters performed with the band for the first time in 24 years, on 2 July 2005 at the London Live 8 concert, playing to Pink Floyd's biggest audience ever. On 3 February 2006, Gilmour gave an interview to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica which indicated the band would no longer tour or produce any new material,[4] although various members still plan on producing solo or collaborative material. The possibility of an appearance similar to Live 8 has not been ruled out by either Mason[5] or Gilmour.[6]
Queen's logo, also known as the Queen Crest, was designed by Mercury before the release of their first album. An instantly recognizeable symbol to many fans and non-fans alike, the logo features the zodiac signs of all four members: two lions for Leo (Deacon and Taylor), a crab for Cancer (May), and two fairies for Virgo (Mercury). The lions are embracing a stylized letter Q, the crab is resting atop the Q with flames directly above it, and the fairies are sheltering below each lion respectively. There is also a crown inside the Q and the whole logo is over-shadowed by an enormous phoenix. Mercury has stated that the logo is a sign of the times (i.e. the 70's) and it was usually displayed on the front of Taylor's bass drum at early Queen concerts.
November 2006
- Joni Mitchell turns 63 on November 7.
"I'm just a musical prostitute, my dear!" — Freddie Mercury
"You've got to be hard, like the rock in that old rock and roll" — Billy Joel
"I like rock and roll, and I don't like much else." — John Lennon
"If it's illegal to rock and roll, throw my ass in jail!" — Kurt Cobain
"I am the Lizard King, I can do anything!" — Jim Morrison
"It's only Rock and Roll but I like it" — Rolling Stones
"The Blues had a baby.They call it Rock and Roll." — Brownie McGhee, Muddy Waters,Chuck Berry
