Classy Classics
                by Double A, The RocknrollDieHard 12-27-2012



     Although I was first seduced by rock music in the early sixties, I guess it could
     be said that the early seventies were my heyday. This is also around the time
     classic rock was peaking in popularity. Now so many moons later I have been
     inundated with classic stations on radio and TV, and classic list. I find this
     'classic' lame; very lame.

     If you poll people on favorites, for the most part you get a variety that sometimes
     overlaps others favorites. The names that are on everyone's list the most times are
     thought to be the top of the heap, no matter how far down the list they lie. If my
     list and your list only matched at the very bottom, the names at the bottom of both
     of our list suddenly propel to the top thus, mediocrity.

     Listen to your local 'classic' station. They seem to think back in the day, we only
     listened to about six or seven bands. And although these may be great bands, I
     assure you that I DID NOT limit my entertainment to Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac.
     Nor were they in MY top ten. Some of the top six or so bands they subject us to
     weren't even in my top one hundred.

     Of the two most widely known classic rock bands that pioneered heavy metal were
     Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Now most classic rock stations play maybe two
     songs by Black Sabbath (if we're lucky), and yet they play ALL the songs Zeppelin
     released -not to be critical of Zeppelin, but I am suffering from burn-out.

     Pink Floyd? Great classic rock, still selling albums to this day. Some of their
     best compositions never hit the airwaves. So we get the same drivel.

     Fleetwood Mac -sounds old now, right? -guess what, it sounded old when it first
     came out.

     The Eagles came out with some timeless classics. They even put out a 'best of'
     compilation. This was BEFORE Joe Walsh joined up with them. No, Joe Walsh wasn't
     with the original Eagles. Joe Walsh rode to fame as a member of The James Gang.
     So how can I be critical of this great band? ...I can't, but still classic rock
     is not to be limited to The Eagles.

     ZZ Topp, named after two (2) different brands of rolling papers, began as one
     of the hardest working, steady beat, rocking blues bands. Their live performance
     was unstoppable. As times changed, so did ZZ Top. They molded a place in top 40
     history, but lost some of their splendor along the way. They played to MTV (back
     when MTV played music videos), but because of their machine made rhythms, I slept
     right through it.

     Lynyrd Skynyrd meant much more to me. I listened to them and saw them several
     times before they made the grade. At least down in the south, Skynyrd is held in
     deep reverence. Still overkill by FM classic stations wounded even this icon of
     rock history.

     The bands I mentioned plus throw in an Elton or a Clapton and you have a recipe
     for ruining good rock. These bands did nothing wrong. It was radio. It was who
     won the battle of the airwaves. Don't forget radio censorship and payola. Radio,
     radio! That's why most so-called classic bands greatest list are not only
     debatable, but seriously flawed. Right when it looked like punk rock was about
     to rise to the ranks of radio and relish in kicking it with some much needed
     alacrity, disco dance music garnered attention of the mindless consumer. Again,
     not to be critical, disco has a place. Even hardcore rock bands were tempted to
     sell out to the disco craze.

     To some of us, classic music should find more SteppenWolf, Johnny Winter, and
     Uriah Heep. Deep Purple, David Bowie and Emerson, Lake and Palmer got some
     airplay, but not so much recognition in great classic lists. Let's not forget
     King Crimson, Traffic, and Allman Brothers Band. Where in classic history is
     the guitar licks of Neal Young's 'Down By The River?' Keeping the theme of this
     anti-classic vent, I can't mention the great Jimi Hendrix, so allow me to mention
     Ten Years After, Blue Cheer, and Trapeze.

     As the seventies waned to the eighties, perhaps the only reason rock music
     survived was radios love for AC/DC, Journey, and Van Halen. To many this diatribe
     may seem to have been conjured up by someone who is old school and out dated.
     This, I won't deny. Old, but fervent! Out dated, but not stale! I'm glad I
     experienced the age of rock and roll! If rock music speaks to you, if you feel
     that the searing intensity of a three-chord garage band makes the 'classic' list
     appear to leave you with merely a transient lack of interest, this manifesto may
     resonate with you.

     From Chuck Berry to the soul of the next unheard of rocking band, keep on rocking!