This weeks topic is whether or not we think that new innovations to pop and rock n’ roll music are a good or bad thing in our opinions. I think predominately it depends on the musical group, the time they became popular and how they decide to change their music. For instance, when we spoke about the Beatles, they were able to start as a clean-cut, pop rock sound that evolved later into a highly influential and important mark on music. The idea that Sgt. Pepper’s is a sort of concept album (like I discussed in my last post) resonated with popular bands for years after. When I think of an example of a band that gets success after completely changing either their image or their musical style, the first band that comes to mind is Pantera. Pantera’s first album doesn’t sound anything like the Pantera you would probably be use to. the album Metal Magic sounds more like an 1980s hair metal band more than the thrash kind of metal we would expect from the guys whose first platinum album was called Cowboys From Hell. They completely changed their musical style, adding more gritty lyrics and heavier guitar emphasis on the shredding aspect that became popular in the 1980s. Had Pantera decided to stay with their original hair metal sound, then we would not know any of the heavy metal songs they made after changing.

A lot of the changes that occur in music are when someone steps up and changes the game. An example being Eddie Van Halen. When Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing came on the scene, it revolutionized guitar solos and broke ground on how you can play the guitar. Jimmy Hendrix may have played electric guitar with his teeth, but I would bet any person alive in the 1980s would remember when Eddie busted into Eruption.

Today, we don’t see as many predominate blues artists in the spotlight as was the case in America in the 1950-60s. Although we can still hear the influences through new music. On the White Stripes album Elephant, released in 2003, Jack White’s guitar playing on the track Ball and Biscuit clearly shows a heavy blues influence through the simple riff that he expands well beyond with his soloing capabilities. Having the 12 bar style set up with the blues pentatonic scale is at the core of the song. You can also see the Grateful Dead influence as well. The song itself is 7 minutes long and includes several solos that go on and on and on. Very similar Grateful Dead how they have a longer solos during their live performances and added new improvisation ideas, Jack White does the same thing with the White Stripes. In fact, I think that if Jack White was around during the 1960s and making music with the legendary musicians from that time, he would probably be considered a psychedelic artist. The White Stripes are defined as a blues-rock and punk-blues band. If anything screams revolution I think it’s the resonating sounds of the White Stripes.