It’s always difficult to trace the effect of classic rock on ensuing musical styles. Many musicians and critics of the last 20 years have attempted to distance themselves from the bands and artists whose singular passions left an indelible mark in the annals of rock history. Looking back on it now, it’s easy to claim that the classic rock era had its share of acts whose work doesn’t measure up to today’s standards. This opinion, however, serves to ignore the undeniable contributions made by a great many of the genre’s upper echelon of artists.
Understanding the best of classic rock isn’t simply an exercise, it’s a way of connecting with some of the intrinsic qualities that have helped define rock music through the decades and have served as the bridge between all genres and musical sub-divisions. A popular (and erroneous) conceit about classic rock, one typically bandied about by those looking to disparage it, is that classic rock is a guitar-driven medium that lacks the textural sophistication to match up with other genres in the rock canon. Considering the wealth of material produced in the golden years of the classic rock pantheon, this claim would appear to be patently false.