Rock vs Rock and Roll
Rock music is a genre of music that is very popular and can be traced back to the rock and roll of 1950’s. Rock music has continued to evolve since the early days of rock and roll, but electric guitar continues to play the central part in every sub-genre of music that has emerged from rock music. Many people think that rock and roll and rock are one and the same thing. However, despite being regarded as the offspring of the rock and roll of the 40’s and 50’s, there are some differences between rock and rock and roll that will be highlighted in this article.
Rock and Roll
It was in the 1940’s that the new generation of the Americans started to dance to a new tune that was different from the music that their older generation listened to. This was Rock and Roll, a kind of music that not only had rhythm but also faster beats to make a person take to the dance floor much more easily than the music of yesteryears. The origins of this music can be traced to jazz, blues, and gospel music though it was also influenced by country music to an extent. Elvis Presley is the name that straight away comes to mind when one talks about rock and roll. He was a signer who made the best use of this genre of music to become the top dancer and singer of the country. Rock and roll music was simple, basic and very innocent that is reflected from the lyrics and the beats that accompanied the songs.
Rock and roll is believed to have developed in between the lower classes of the population. This is the reason why educated middle class loathed this kind of music and considered it as tasteless. Many radio stations did not play rock and roll music, and it was even banned from many schools. Frank Sinatra may have had a poor opinion of rock and roll, but when Elvis rose to the top of the music charts, everyone knew that rock and roll was the new king in the world of music. Rock and roll music gave the youth a new hope and a chance to groove to the beats of this new music.
Rock Music
Rock music is a very popular genre of music that evolved from the rock and roll music in the 1950’s and 60’s. It is hard to give a universally accepted definition of rock music, but people know when they are listening to rock music with the emphasis on electric guitar, drums, beats, and loud and angry vocals. Rock music has continued to evolve since the heady days of rock and roll with Elvis Presley symbolizing the mood and hopes and aspirations of the entire generation of Americans in the 1950’s. The continuous journey from the time of the Beatles in the 60’s, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd with his heavy metal in the 70’s, all contributed to the genre called rock music with their own sub genres. Though there was a lot of splintering of rock music in the 1980’s and it even lost its commercial popularity, it made a comeback in the 1990’s and continues to lure the youth till today.
Rock vs Rock and Roll
• While there are many who feel that rock and roll is truly a part of rock music, it is a fact that rock and roll emerged on to the scene in the 1940’s, earlier than rock.
• Rock and Roll was simpler and had innocent lyrics while rock became aggressive and loud gradually from the times of the Beatles in the 60’s to Led Zeppelin in the 70’s.
• Rock music took a dip in popularity in the 80’s but made a comeback in 1990’s
• Rock music has many sub genres like Heavy metal, Indie Rock, Acid Rock, Punk Rock, and so on
• Rock and roll was lighter and more foot tapping than the rock music of today.