What is the difference between Rock n Roll and Rock?

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demonrail666

Member
I know instinctively what the difference is (The Cramps are definitely Rock n Roll whilst The Who definitely play Rock) but beyond that I find it hard to really work out what defines either. Is it as much an attitude thing as it is a purely musical one?
 
Guybrush

Guybrush

Dittohead
You may want to have a peek at AMG—that Holy Grail of data bases. :) It uses ‘rock’ as a handy umbrella term, and ‘rock & roll’ as a sub-category denoting the 50s-to-early-60s rock-sound. (AMG has taken some slack for its categorisations in the past, so their preferences should be taken with a pinch of salt; it is a good indicator, though.)

A rather hefty list of sub-rock & roll categories (that is: sub-sub rock categories...), I must say:

Rock & Roll
Blues-Rock
Tex-Mex
Instrumental Rock
Rockabilly
Roots Rock
Surf
Pub Rock
Hot Rod
Rockabilly Revival
Surf Revival
Swamp Pop
American Trad Rock
Jam Bands
Heartland Rock
Frat Rock
Hot Rod Revival
Retro-Rock
Latin Rock
Bar Band

:confused:
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
To me, 'rock' is a very loose umbrella term for all kinds of largely electric-guitar-based music that can be traced, in one way or another, back to the original rock'n'roll of the 50s. So this would include punk, metal, indie and pop-rock, for example.
Rock'n'roll has a much more specific sound to it; generally it's either rock of the style played in the 50s, with very clear blues, country and rockabilly influences, or in some sub-genre more directly descended from it (as in the case of the Misfit's 'psychobilly', as demonrail points out, despite the fact they started a good 20 years and more after the first wave of rock'n'roll).

I think the difference is summed up quite nicely by the first two songs on the fourth Led Zep album: you've got Black Dog, which is most definitely rock, followed by Rock And Roll, which is exactly that (and, having been recorded in 1971, was already knowingly anachronistic by that time).
 
O

Omaar

Guest
you mean the tremolo arm aka whammy bar? it's been around since rock n roll days, i think some of the vibrato effect you get from it sounds pretty distinctively rock and roll too.

aside:

"One of the most innovative uses of the tremolo bar is that of Kevin Shields, guitarist for My Bloody Valentine. The bar itself is held on very loosely with copious amounts of tape, and is held in his picking hand at all times, creating a slight detuning effect that is central to his distinctive guitar sound." from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremolo_arm
 
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demonrail666

Member
So what about bands such as Motley Crue, Gund n Roses, etc? They insist that they're a Rock n Roll band but seem to take the name more as a lifestyle marker than a musical one.
 
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Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
demonrail666 said:
So what about bands such as Motley Crue, Gund n Roses, etc? They insist that they're a Rock n Roll band but seem to take the more as a lifestyle marker than a musical one.
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Well by that criterion Russell Brand is "rock and roll". Plenty of straight-up rock bands take loads of drugs and shag loads of groupies; does it make you "rock'n'roll" if you make a big deal out of it?
 
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henry s

Street Fighting Man
rock and roll = below the waist (shimmying the hips, thrusting the pelvis, etc.)

rock = above the waist (beating the chest, shaking the fist, devil horns, etc.)
 
M

mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
henry s said:
rock and roll = below the waist (shimmying the hips, thrusting the pelvis, etc.)

rock = above the waist (beating the chest, shaking the fist, devil horns, etc.)
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That entirely depends on how tall you are with regard to everyone else in the moshpit.
 
N

noel emits

a wonderful wooden reason
There is a difference between Rock n' Roll and Rock And Roll. The former being the original music from the 50s and early 60s with the latter pertaining to the lifestyle.
 
D

DJ PIMP

Well-known member
noel emits said:
There is a difference between Rock n' Roll and Rock And Roll. The former being the original music from the 50s and early 60s with the latter pertaining to the lifestyle.
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oh, lets coat in it plastic,,because i haven't tasted pussy in 24 hours/no wait, make it 12.
 
B

Buick6

too punk to drunk
It's all the rhythm..ROCK N'ROLL has more of a swing or boogie type feel to it, that 12-bar shuffle that say CHUCK BERRY Or LITTLE RICHARD do (see the fantastic HAIL! HAIL! ROCK N ROLL 4-disc DVD for you body-without-organs-Irish-marxist snobs to get an education)...but ROCK N' ROLL is a far superior sound/feel than ROCK...You can hear rock n roll in the MC5/VELVETS/STOOGES axis, all the British Invasion bands, esp. the STONES and some of the BEATLES, the New Yawk punk bands, even in say MOTORHEAD, and GUNS n ROSES were defintely rock n' roll until USE YR ILLUSION...

But ROCK is SHITE pure and simple...takes out the swing and relies on the big thudding distorted guitar and over-saturated drum sound blechs, and is very 'safe' sounding...I mean GRUNGE is the purest form of ROCK, and then the bad metal bands like WHITESNAKE or BON JOVI, NICKELBACK etc... The perfect examples of ROCK would be THE FOO FIGHTERS and CHILLI PEPPERS, LIVE etc...and of course that pack of tossers OASIS from the UK
 
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