FM Rock
tagStarted 1968Peak 1972-1983Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
Rock defined by the free-form and AOR FM dial: longer cuts, deep album tracks, segued sets and the warm, hi-fi stereo that FM broadcast rewarded. Mellow-to-heavy, with extended jams and album sides treated as a whole. The format's late-night, headphone-friendly programming shaped what 'serious' rock sounded like.
History
Free-form FM radio in the late 60s broke from AM Top 40 to play full albums and deep cuts in stereo, then evolved into the structured AOR format of the 70s. FM airplay dictated which rock records and lengths thrived, effectively defining the album-rock canon and how it was heard.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Album-oriented_rock
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_rock_(radio_format)
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/album-rock-ma0000004436