The Quintessential Rock Song

This is, in my humble opinion, the greatest rock song ever recorded. It is the epitome of what rock is all about, in terms of music and attitude. This is the quintessential, Who Are You:

I am going to see The Who in about an hour. I think aside from Led Zeppelin, The Who are my favorite rock band. They were pioneers, they were innovators, they were forerunners in almost every way. But most important, THEY ROCK...and hard!



I was lucky enough to see Daltrey and Townshend in 2007. Now they are back and touring Quadrophenia!..their powerhouse double album.

Quadrophenia's, The Rock and Love Reign O'er Me:



I'm already convinced that Who Are You is as good as it gets for a single track. Why do you agree or disagree? What do you think is the single, epitomizing rock song?

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha


The Who is a bit over-rated for me I think. Sure, Keith Moon is pretty bada** but the singer just ruins it for me. And if you take that route, then at least Rush is better there

But from the era, I much prefer King Crimson and think Cream has much more of a quintessential rock prowess.

Originally posted by PhysicsAdept
reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha

 

but the singer just ruins it for me. And if you take that route, then at least Rush is better there

Don't knock on Roger Daltrey I would actually say he is the best voice in rock right next to Freddie Mercury. Daltrey has the most booming, powerful voice in the business. Mercury has much more range--he's a virtuoso.

BUT

Well played! Sunshine of your Love is indeed one of the greatest tunes in any era of rock.

Congrats on going to see them live tonight. Wish I was going with you. Back in the 70's and 80's when I was a collector of music, there was a record store I frequented that had a section called "Rock Gods". The Who of course was in that section, even back then. The Who would definitely be in my rock legends list, and Who Are You definitely exemplifies their sound and essence, but that era produced so many legends, it's hard for me to pick an all-time fave band or song.

Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, would be a few of my all time faves. But I like a lot of more obscure rock as well. So for me, those bands come into play too. Angel, White Witch, Budgie, Fist, April Wine, and so on.

Originally posted by Klassified
Congrats on going to see them live tonight. Wish I was going with you. Back in the 70's and 80's when I was a collector of music, there was a record store I frequented that had a section called "Rock Gods". The Who of course was in that section, even back then. The Who would definitely be in my rock legends list, and Who Are You definitely exemplifies their sound and essence, but that era produced so many legends, it's hard for me to pick an all-time fave band or song.

Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, would be a few of my all time faves. But I like a lot of more obscure rock as well. So for me, those bands come into play too. Angel, White Witch, Budgie, Fist, April Wine, and so on.

edit on 2/2/2013 by Klassified because: Forgot one

edit on 2/2/2013 by Klassified because: Add vids

Wow, what ever happened to Angel anyway? I don't know many people who even heard of them.

Rory Gallagher

Most underrated guitarist of all time, considering he was probably one of the best.

Love the Who.
They are playing in my town tonight, so I guess that makes us neighbors!
Wasn't able to go. Bummer.
A revamped STYX played here last night. I hear they are sounding really good these days, With a great lead singer, and many of the original members. Of course, Styx, was not as pioneering as The Who..But I still like them both.

As far as an epitomizing rock song..I've always held this one up as something that had all the right ingredients.
Long Cool Woman:


SImple lyrics, slightly unintelligible. Bluesy chords. A little yelling, the word "cool: A good amount of reverb,,

Here are some choices.

For me there are several that spring to mind as quintessentially rock. The riffs that are so damned infectous that, once you hear them, they're there forever. Just a few that I can think of off hand...













And maybe the most universal of all, whether one knows rock music or not....



~Heff

Originally posted by spacedoubt
A revamped STYX played here last night

Oh yeah. I didn't get to see Styx. They aren't a bad band at all. I like them but didn't know about them until I bought my Who ticket, (which drained all my resources at 150.00 green ones!!!)

Originally posted by spacedoubt
so I guess that makes us neighbors!

Yep! We are definitely neighbors now! Too bad you missed the show. They played the ENTIRE Quadrophenia set front to back before getting into all the hits and standards. It was a very, very impressive show. Daltrey and Townshend haven't lost their edge at all.

They had a small horn section and everything..brilliant revival of this great album!

Zach Starkey (Ringo Starr's son) did an amazing performance on drums (and I'm a drummer so I don't say that lightly)

Wait...you weren't that guy out front of the Events Center telling us sinners to repent, were you? Is that why you missed the show?


This town is the best place to see some classic rock reunions and farewells. Probably the best part of living here. Well, see you around town dude...or probably not

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha

Cool!
Glad you enjoyed the show. But yes, those ticket prices are outrageous.
It's hard to afford those good shows sometimes.
I heard on 100.1 the X, that they were going to do the Quadrophenia set.
If they were performing well, and the sound was set up properly, that had to be
an amazing thing to hear.

I haven't been to the events center in a while..I think since Foo Fighters played about 4 years ago.


So really? Was there a guy out there telling everyone to repent? I swear it was not me (this time)..
In this town though, I believe he is on city payroll.

We've probably crossed paths already,,Maybe we will again!

reply to post by spacedoubt


Haha yeah. He was out there with his picketing sign and bullhorn standing on a milk crate and everything. Man, I love this town

Keep me updated on any rock shows coming to town and I will return the same courtesy to you

On a side note about the sound. It was great! When they started "Can you see the real me?" (the first tune from Quadrophenia) it was kind of bland and listless. I was thinking "Oh come on, you gotta get louder than that."

I know Pete has hearing issues and he has a difficult time touring with loud music like he used to. BUT, it seems like by the end of the first song they started playing loud and clear! I'm glad they turned up the volume.

You could hear the horn section, the great piano interludes, and Daltrey's wonderful harmonica solo during "Baba O'Riley" as if you were right next to the stage (which, I wasn't)

It is a tricky album to reproduce live, but sound was very rich and powerful.

Next time, you and I can get together and bring our own signs, bullhorns, and milk crates

I think its an interesting observation that every track posted by everyone here is not later than 1994 (Tool-Sober). This can only be for one or two reasons:

* The average age of the posters
* Modern contemporary music sucks

My money is on the latter

I suppose it could be said that we are somehow 'stuck' enjoying and appreciating the music we grew up with, I know this is the case for me but I do try hard to 'get' some of the more modern music, but apart from a few exceptions I always find myself returning to the comfort of the music I knew and liked years ago.

My entry for the quintessential rock song goes to these guys...

1998 by the way

Second up and further back in time...

1977

I submit an entry by an artist who's entire body of work may not be as impressive as many of the artist mentioned on here already, but for ONE song that kind of owns & embodies many things Rock N' Roll...I give you:

Meatloaf - Bat Outta Hell



You get your tastes of Prog Rock/Classic Rock/Old Time Rock N' Roll/Hard(ish) Rock with a heaping dose of theatrics.

I know I might get flamed for this but guys, but it had to be

AC/DC Back In Black.



Now I would also have to add something form my favours band of all time, the mighty Dire Straits.



Also I don’t think it should be legal to have a thread like this and not have anything by Pink Floyd!



Now I do know that we Brits do Rock better than anyone but just so Americans don’t feel to left out… THE BOSS!!!!




I could go on posting stuff all day but I think that is enough

Originally posted by Severin
I think its an interesting observation that every track posted by everyone here is not later than 1994 (Tool-Sober). This can only be for one or two reasons:

* The average age of the posters
* Modern contemporary music sucks

By the way...I am 23. I used to listen to contemporary music on the radio for much of my childhood/ pre-teen days. But then I heard a Led Zep tune and I suddenly realized that music could move me emotionally and spiritually...it wasn't just a distraction anymore. I could listen to music because I liked music, not because I needed something to entertain me in the car or distract me while doing homework. Classic rock nurtured me in a way that the contemporary music didn't do.

It wasn't until I started listening to classic rock that music became more than just a 'thing.'

It became an escape, a place I could immerse myself in. If you aren't losing yourself in the music, then music is failing to do what it can and should do.

I think a lot of those classic rock musicians growing up in that era had a similar experience with music. Their music was the post-war rebuilding of culture for their generation. It was something that really differentiated them from the world-war generations.

I think now, pop music has just become a kind of distraction again. Now it seems like those Disney Channel kids only want to be rich and famous--not artists.

And those classic rockers coming off the coattails of WWII played their music because it defined them and gave them an outlet of expression. They played because they loved to play. It's not like everybody had access to musical instruments at that time. A lot of them in those early days had to fashion their own instruments out of scrap lying around the house. Roger Daltrey (of The Who) made his own guitar out of sheet metal he used to cut in a factory. In those days, music was something only the very rich had access to learn.

Today, anybody who wants to be a musician can just go to karaoke night or pick up a copy of Guitar Hero or something.

So, yeah, to sum up--there is definitely a generation gap going on here (duh.) In other words, Classic rock: that generation was about rebuilding culture. Contemporary rock: this generation seems to be about ??? I have no clue. I want to say narcissism, but I'm not sure to what extent that's true.

...This is all supposition on my part and I could be wrong, but that's what I see when I compare.

Originally posted by OtherSideOfTheCoin
I know I might get flamed for this but guys, but it had to be

AC/DC Back In Black.

Naww..Black in Black has a pretty great riff. Sultans of Swing is my favorite Dire Straits tune. And Pink Floyd made the list on my music thread about live performances.

Originally posted by NarcolepticBuddha
Today, anybody who wants to be a musician can just go to karaoke night or pick up a copy of Guitar Hero or something.

Of course you're right, but it has been that way for a long while now... This is from the infamous punk fanzine 'Sideburns'...

It acted as a catalyst for a lot of people to start the early punk bands. It helped break the illusion that you had to be somehow special (or even talented- in the case of punk ) to be a musician.

Its interesting but I think we are exactly where we were in terms of musical value just before the punk explosion. This was the time of vapid disco music and the beginning of the record labels power of influence over the audience. I'm probably wrong, and it wouldn't be the first or last time but I believe we're set for a resurgence of the punk ethic. Probably not the same as punk in style, but as a backlash against the corporate power the major labels wield (see Godspeed You! Black Emperor). In fact as with most things its circular, the Acid House and Grunge movements attempted the same thing in their own ways but the big labels saw dollar signs and took it, twisted it and it lost its energy and appeal.

reply to post by Night Star

Although Angel never officially disbanded, members went on to other things following the release of their live album...

In the late ’90s, Angel reformed with a new line-up. Keyboardist Gordon G.G. Gebert joined the band in 1999 but left in 2002. Currently, the band members are Frank Dimino, vocals; Barry Brandt, drums; Randy Gregg, bass; Steve Blaze, guitars; and Michael T. Ross, keyboards.

Wikipedia

They have an "offical" page on myspace, and here's a fan site I ran across recently.

reply to post by OtherSideOfTheCoin


How could you POSSIBLY get flamed for those contributions...?
All excellent..And Even though I'm not a fan of Springsteen ( I know, un-American, Right?) He did have Clarence on Sax. So I think all your tunes embody a piece of Rock-n-Roll.