Flat-Out Rock: Ten Great Bands of the 60s

Introduction

The bands and individual artists in this book are unique musical talents. They differ widely from each other when it comes to their style and their songs--but they also have much in common. Let's take a closer look.

First, all of these musicians created sounds that had never been heard before. Whether it was the folk-rock of Bob Dylan, the swamp rock of Creedence Clearwater Revival, or the hard rock of Led Zeppelin, a musical revolution took place in each case. Every musician used what had come before and added something personal to break new ground. Each band, singer, player, and songwriter also kept moving forward. Not one was content to remain in the same place, musically speaking, for long.

Second, the artists in this book brought a special passion and energy to music. No audience had witnessed total power unleashed onstage until the Who let loose in London's clubs during the mid-'
60s. Never had a white woman sung gut-wrenching blues like Janis Joplin did when she knocked the crowd out at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.

Third, all the musicians you'll read about here caused their share of controversy. Dylan and Neil Young did it just through the songs they wrote. Others, such as the Rolling Stones and the Doors, made waves partly because of the lives they led offstage, and how their dangerous images affected the music they created.

Finally, nobody in these pages cared as much about pleasing the accountants or the critics as they did about artistic honesty. If an album sold millions, that was great--as long as the songs expressed something true. A few musicians, like the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, eventually felt limited by their fans' demands and their record companies' hunger for hits. They had a difficult time trying to live up to people's expectations while still doing what was closest to their own hearts.

The late '60s and very early '70s was the right time for committed, impassioned, original music. Because of their huge numbers, the postwar baby boomers who came of age during this period affected society like no previous generation ever had. Many of these young people, well educated and outspoken, weren't content to allow their elders to dictate the shape and direction of the world. Across North America and the United Kingdom, teenagers, university students, and working youth became more politically active. For a few years, they believed that they could bring about major social changes. They campaigned for the equality of women and racial minorities, and for peace at home and overseas. They supported politicians who favored new, progressive policies and they marched against those who didn't. There were protests and demonstrations. Many people were optimistic, not cynical; and the hippie ideals of love, peace, and equality briefly seemed within reach.
Eventually, some of the ideas this young generation worked for would be accepted by mainstream culture.

Rock music was essential to this international community of young idealists. The photos throughout this book illustrate some of the issues that shaped and influenced the popular music of the day. Songs on the radio told listeners the news and helped shape their opinions. Musicians were forces for social change, either by writing and singing about it directly, or by exemplifying it in their performances and in how they lived. Stars didn't jump on political bandwagons just because it was trendy: Neil Young wrote "Ohio" because he was genuinely shocked by the Kent State shootings; CCR's John Fogerty composed "Fortunate Son" as his honest reaction to the hypocrisy of the American government's involvement in the Vietnam War.

Of course, just like any other era, the '60s produced a lot of forgettable music. There were goofs'
trends and manufactured clichés; for every one of the Beatles there were a hundred bands like the Monkees. But the best of the '60s music still sounds immediate and alive today. It still rocks. That's one reason "classic rock" is so popular, decades after the songs were written. The musicians in this book, and many others, defined the shape of rock music long after their time in the spotlight. There isn't a songwriter alive who can honestly deny the influence of Bob Dylan's lyrics or Paul McCartney's melodies. Everyone who plays electric rock guitar has learned from Jimi Hendrix; all singers who bare their souls in performance have taken something from Janis Joplin or John Lennon.

The 10 chapters that follow took shape partly around this idea--how these musicians influenced everyone who came after them. Each chapter features a list of "musical descendants" who appeared in the decades following the '60s. In the work of these newer artists,
we can hear the echoes of our 10 classic performers. Their influence will be felt, in one way or another, for a long time to come.

Also, these particular artists are profiled because of their popularity at the time, how much they defined and dominated a particular style of rock music, and how original and how potent they were when they were at the top.

A word about terms-such as "rock music." Rock is a category broad enough to include hard rock (for example, Led Zeppelin) and soft rock (some of the music by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young). It also encompasses, especially in its earlier years, music that might now be called country (Buddy Holly and early Elvis Presley). There's folk-rock (sonic of Bob Dylan) and blues-rock (Janis Joplin) and jazz-rock (sonic of the Doors).

There's also the term "pop." Basically, it refers to the most successfully marketed, entertaining music of any given time.
Although most pop music falls into one rock style or another, and most rock music is popular, the word "pop" suggests something lighter. Pop is intended as pure entertainment rather than as an expression of any serious ideas, whether personal or political. Some of our ten singers and bands have written the odd pop song--but, they were motivated by more than just popularity.

Another note, this one about time periods. The bands covered in this book are limited to those whose careers peaked during classic rock's heyday: from the mid-'60s to the early '70s. Before this period, rock music was still in its formative stages; after, it began to fracture into many genres and sub-genres. So, in this book, we're talking about 1964 until 1974. That's why you won't find Elvis Presley (too early), or AC/DC, or Bruce Springsteen, or U2 (all too late).

Still, there are many others who could have been included. Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Van Morrison, the Grateful Dead, the Velvet Underground, the Band, the Beach Boys, .Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart--here are another 10 who could make up a second book. Each has good reasons for being in this one. But whom would they replace?

Read the book, check out the music, and decide for yourself. Each chapter includes lists of the artist's best music. Pick up the albums if you can--they're the full show, a complete listening experience you won't get just hearing a song or two. Turn up the volume, flip through the pages, and rock on.