British Rock
tagStarted 1964Peak 1965-1982Last big hit still activeFrom United Kingdom
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The broad English rock idiom: jangling Rickenbacker chords, clipped vowels and music-hall wit riding a tight rhythm-section drive. It spans mod sharpness, freakbeat fuzz and pub-rock grit, prizing the three-minute single, observational class-conscious lyrics and a wiry, suit-and-tie tautness distinct from American swagger.
History
Crystallised in mid-1960s London and the English suburbs as bands fused American R&B with native music-hall and observational storytelling. The Kinks, The Who and the mod groups gave it a distinctly British accent and class consciousness; pub rock and the late-1970s mod revival kept it lean and single-driven, seeding generations of UK guitar bands still active today.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo_Sunset
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_and_Alcohol
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_Called_Malice
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itchycoo_Park