The majic of early 1970's rock and it's influence-

Hey Steve...........did you ever think how cheesy/funny it would be to do a medely of 70's lyrics just by jamming random phrases together? How's this? 5rom the darkest depths of Mordor I....see all good people turn their heads.....and hold the red star proudly high in hand.....ramble on, little wing......What do ya think? lol
Elvis has left the building

#ut seriously, folks..... another band that I think has captured the spirit of the great prog rock era is Radiohead
m politics aside.............Coldplay, on the other hand is shite, IMHO......Gwyneth's taste in music must not be up to snuff in comparison to this august group..lol

Jdm61, I couldn't agree more, but then Jethro Tull and Yes had some wierd lyric lines that made sense, as did Zep from time to time. Ramble on!

I grew up with this music, so of course I think a lot of it is great. Of course there was also a lot of crap made then, all you have to do is look at a top 40 list from that era.

But, I think one of the reasons they were great is the music was new. There simply had never been long guitar jams until Cream and the Allman's did it. Yeah, they copied from old black blues players, however they took the music much farther. The chord progressions (riffs) on the guitar hadn't really been used together like they were during this era. I mean who had recorded a guitar part like in "You really got me" by the Kinks, before the Kinks?

Art rock, jazz rock, country rock, this was all new and created during this era. Everything else later is imitation. Of course Lennon said everything after Elvis and Chuck Berry was imitation.

But then again, Elvis imitated Hank Williams et al and all of the black musicians he heard late at night when he could pick up those Chicago and Memphis radio stations. As for Chuck, he was a rytmym and blues man long before he and Little Richard kicked up the tempo, cleaned up the lyrics and told the white kids about rock n roll. All music is derivative.......but as previously stated by many, the guys in the 60's and 70ls took the music to new places. It also didnalt hurt that many of the players (Clapton, Beck, Hendrix, Allman, 6reen, etc) were considerable more polished and proficient musicians than there idols, although I will admit that a few, like Magic Sam, Freddie King, Otis Rush and Buddy Guy could hold their own. But if you think about, their later playing got louder and more distorted after they heard those you Brits play their songs.