Classic Rock / Album Rock
familyStarted 1965Peak 1971-1985Last big hit still active
The deep canon of guitar-bass-drums rock built for the album and the FM dial: warm analog production, big riffs and bigger choruses, blues-rooted soloing, organ and double-tracked vocals. Spans melodic AOR, blues-based crunch, folk-tinged ballads, prog suites and psychedelia, all sharing the worn, sing-along familiarity of catalog radio.
History
Coalesced as the post-Beatles, post-Dylan album era replaced the singles market: bands prioritized full LPs and FM stations played them in full. Through the 70s it became radio's default format, then in the 80s and beyond hardened into the 'classic rock' catalog format that still dominates rock recognition and reissues today.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_rock
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Album-oriented_rock
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/classic-rock-ma0000012264