CLASSIC ROCK ON ITS KNEES – A TRIBUTE TO THE PAST

In response to: www.houstonpress.com/music/rock-and-roll-is-dead-and-even-axl-and-slash-cant-save-it-8044236

Kristy Loye, writer for Houston Press, discussed the recent Guns N’ Roses reunion announcement from a broad perspective. Illustrating that a reveal as distinguishing as this should knock the music world on its head and the uproar coming from die hard fans, once they heard the news, proves its significance.

GN’R‘s legacy is strong enough to get people’s attention decades past their prime and that should speak volumes against what is currently being popularized as “must see” bands. People are hungry for kick ass rock and roll. That’s why so many jumped when they caught wind of the report as if it was a light at the end of a tunnel.

Not only has no one in recent years come close to making a dent in the industry as deep as Guns, but there hasn’t been anyone trying to scratch the surface. The iconic stature of a legendary band’s history doesn’t hold much water in today’s standards. The modern one-hit wonders (If one at all) that find themselves relevant in a few people’s memory eventually become forgettable while the other groups follow them right off the cliff.

Instead of having an overwhelming amount of variation under one category, (Hard Rock/Heavy Metal) a majority of bands insist on duplicating each other’s tone. It isn’t so surprising now to understand why modern acts haven’t been given royalty treatment.

This is life in the digital age. Before the internet, the only way to access albums was to go out and find your physical copy. Memorable concerts were merely wild stories told among friends. Every detail you knew from and during this era long, long ago was something you experienced. All this can now be discovered through a search engine, making it harder to value. Especially if you weren’t even there.

The past has more to show for than what’s available today. Many are struggling to get a hold of their favorite bands, because they’re being buried by the trending artists. The ones having no trouble climbing the billboard charts or selling their newest release. Meanwhile, all the groups who laid the foundation and once sold millions of records are taking a backseat as it unfolds.

You can’t hear the songs you grew up with on the radio anymore. Mass-media has turned all the pop and rap stars you wish you never heard of into untouchable figures, essentially rebuilding the industry itself and exclusively serving their repetitive, bland product to a different audience.

This GN’R announcement should outshine anything happening in today’s music headlines (Whatever those may be anyway). Because 20 years ago, a newsflash like this would put classic rock back in the spotlight it deserves and would’ve probably postponed the present day’s wave of modern music. Unfortunately, not even a titan as tremendous as Guns can wake the industry out of its pitiful slumber.