Album Rock
tagStarted 1969Peak 1972-1983Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
Rock built for the long-player rather than the 45: deep cuts, segued suites, instrumental stretches and tracks too long for Top 40. Production favors dynamics and headphone detail — layered guitars, full-band arrangements, side-long ambition. The unit of art is the LP, where the famous singles sit beside the album-only material fans prize.
History
Emerged as bands and labels shifted from singles to the album as the primary artistic and commercial unit, fueled by FM's appetite for full-LP airplay. 'Album-oriented rock' (AOR) became the industry name for the format programming these records, defining how 70s rock was sequenced, marketed and consumed.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Album-oriented_rock
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/album-rock-ma0000004436
- https://www.britannica.com/art/rock-music