Art rock is a term used to describe a subgenre of rock music with "experimental or avant-garde influences" that emphasizes "novel sonic texture." ^[1] Art rock is an "intrinsically album-based" form, which takes "advantage of the format's capacity for longer, more complex compositions and extended instrumental explorations. ^[2] For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ...

The concept of "art rock" has also sometimes been used to refer the "progressive rock" bands which became popular in the 1970s. The All Music Guide states that "Progressive rock and art rock are two almost interchangeable terms describing a mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." ^[3]) Progressive rock eventually stuck as a label for a specific genre of rock music, while "art rock" was used to refer to a wider, more subjective and harder to categorize collection of bands. For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... Musical genres are categories which contain music which share a certain style or which have certain elements in common. ...

History

The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), it being an "unabashedly eclectic, musically clever (harmonies, rhythms and, above all, arrangements) melange that could only have been created in the modern recording studio."^{[citation needed]} It was also the most popular and influential rock album in the world at the time. Indeed, along with defining the idea of "art rock" through their musical evolution, the Beatles have also been credited by some with severing "rock music" as a genre from the confines of primarily blues influenced rock n' roll, opening up wider sonic possibilities. The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, I Want To Hold Your Hand. ... For other uses, see Sgt. ... Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles, however saxophones have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since the 90s. ... Blues music redirects here. ... Rock and roll (also spelled rock n roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

Art rock may be considered "arty" through imitation of classical "art" music or literature, or simply through eclecticism. Examples of the former include The Moody Blues, The Who^[4][5], the original 1960s band named Nirvana, Pink Floyd, The Nice, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Love (which exploded into art rock with their seminal album Forever Changes) and examples of the latter include Queen, Roxy Music, Genesis, Yes, Audience, 10cc, Supertramp, Split Enz and Electric Light Orchestra. (Rockwell 1992, p.492-494) The Moody Blues are a British rock band originally from Birmingham, England. ... The Who are a British rock band that first formed in 1964, and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] bands in the world. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that initially earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music. ... Keith Emerson, Lee Jackson, Brian Davison, Davy OList, circa 1967-68. ... Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) were an English progressive rock group. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Forever Changes (1967) is the third album released by the Los Angeles-based quintet Love. ... Queen are an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, singer Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor, with bassist John Deacon joining the following year. ... Roxy Music are an English art rock group founded in the early 1970s by art school graduate Bryan Ferry (vocals and keyboards). ... Genesis is an English rock band formed in 1967. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Audience (disambiguation). ... 10cc was a British pop band which achieved its greatest commercial success during the 1970s. ... This article is about the band. ... Split Enz was a successful New Zealand band during the late 1970s and the early 1980s featuring brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. ... ELO redirects here. ...

Mainstream

Art rock reached its commercial height with the popularity of the aforementioned progressive rock bands, such as King Crimson, Yes, Rush and especially Pink Floyd, whose mix of jazz, classical and blues influences, smooth psychedelic soundscapes, and anti-establishment lyrics proved to be commercially viable as mainstream pop music, and very influential. For instance, Pink Floyd's 1979 Double album The Wall shows heavy experimentation and avant-garde music passages unusual even for them. After the punk rock revolution of the late '70s put simplicity back in style, and as openly 'progressive' bands drifted toward the mainstream with hit singles and more commercial productions, their 'art rock' designation fell away, and a new breed of artists took their place on the cutting edge of 'art rock'. For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... This article is about the musical group. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Rush is a Canadian rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that initially earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1979 Record labels established in 1979 1979 in music (UK) // Stevie Wonder uses digital audio recording technology in recording his album Journey through the Secret Life of Plants. ... A double album is an audio album of sufficient length that two units of the medium in which it is sold (especially records and compact discs) are necessary to contain the entirety of it. ... For other Pink Floyd works based around this album, see The Wall (Pink Floyd). ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ...

Punk and new wave

Though technically one might think of art rock as the antithesis of punk rock's straightforwardness, most well respected so-called art rock bands of the last 30 years made music influenced by the punk rock ethic, if not the sound, in some regard. Sonic Youth began as a wildly experimental venture, influenced by the noisiest fringes of punk rock and the classical avant-garde — especially the guitar works of Glenn Branca; by the late 1980s, their music was accessible enough to influence a new generation of alt rock and grunge bands. Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1981. ... Glenn Branca (born October 6, 1948 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is an avant-garde composer and guitarist. ...

In fact, the webs of connections are so twisted that original progressive rockers King Crimson and New Wave punk rocks Talking Heads actually converged on very similar styles of music in the 1980s, even sharing the same guitarist (Adrian Belew). But both groups throughout their varied careers are considered by many to epitomize art rock, as the term refers to a perceived aesthetic or ideology of pop music, rather than a specific musical style. The New Wave was a movement in American, Australian and British popular music, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, growing out of the New York City musical scene centered around the club CBGB. The term itself is a source of much confusion. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Talking Heads were an American rock band existing between 1974 and 1991, composed of David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison. ... Adrian Belew in concert, November 2006. ...

Avant-garde

The use of art in art rock should not be confused with its use in art music, which generally connotes western classical music, not "arty" popular music. However, it must be noted that late 20th-century "classical" composers such as John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass, with their interest in rhythm, repetition, and texture, have come ever closer to bridging the gap with popular music. This article is about the broad genre of classical music in the Western musical tradition. ... For the music genre, see Pop music. ... For the Mortal Kombat character, see Johnny Cage. ... Karlheinz Stockhausen (born August 22, 1928) is a German composer, and one of the most important and controversial composers of the 20th century (Barret 1988, 45; Harvey 1975b, 705; Hopkins 1972, 33; Klein 1968, 117; Power 1990, 30). ... Stephen Michael Reich (born October 3, 1936) is an American composer. ... Terry Riley – (Portrait by Betty Freeman) Terry Riley (born 24 June 1935) is an American composer associated with the minimalist school. ... Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is a three-times Academy Award-nominated American composer. ...

The only remaining line between certain forms of "art rock" and avant-garde classical is a vague one, with some artists, such as Laurie Anderson, existing right on the boundary. Avant-garde and minimalist music, like other classical music, is still usually composed and written down so that it can be played in concert by various performers, while in art rock, like any other modern pop music, the music is not written down because the primary medium is the original recording, and subsequent live performances are usually done by the songwriters/composers themselves. Laurie Anderson (born Laura Phillips Anderson, on June 5, 1947, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois) is an American experimental performance artist and musician. ...

But even here the line is blurred, since many of these same avant-garde "classical" composers have relied on recorded sound and tape loop or electronic manipulation just as much as any art rock band, or indeed, originated the forms or technologies that were later adopted by these bands. Glenn Branca was at first a punk rocker who became more and more involved with 20th century "classical" composers. Frank Zappa has composed avant-garde classical music and jazz. Likewise, some art rock is written down. Robby Steinhardt, violinist for Kansas performs using sheet music. Glenn Branca (born October 6, 1948 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is an avant-garde composer and guitarist. ... Frank Vincent Zappa[1] (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, musician, and film director. ... Robby Steinhardt is a rock violinist, violist, cellist, and singer best known for his work with the group Kansas, for which he was co-lead singer and emcee from 1973-1982 and 1997-2005. ... A violinist is an instrumentalist who plays the violin. ... For other uses, see Kansas (disambiguation). ...

2000s

Around 2004, the phrase "art rock" has been popularly used in the British music press (i.e. NME) to somewhat loosely describe a movement of mostly "indie" bands influenced by the 1970s/1980s work of artists like David Bowie, David Byrne, Tom Verlaine, Peter Gabriel, and Brian Eno, and by the post punk scene in general. These new "art rock" bands such as The Mars Volta generally eschew self-conscious descriptions as "art rock", there's also a continuing subcultural movement of underground, sometimes highly uncommercial music with original roots in punk rock, post punk or the radical avant garde whose style or philosophy would fall under common definitions of "art rock". Some of these bands may also be described as experimental rock, while the even more abrasive and abstract acts such as Wolf Eyes and Merzbow may be described as noise music. The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a weekly magazine about popular music published in the UK. It is unlike many other popular music magazines due to its intended focus on guitar-based music and indie rock bands, instead of mainstream pop acts. ... David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 1947 January 8) is an English singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... David Byrne (born May 14, 1952 in Dumbarton, Scotland) is a Grammy Award, Academy Award and Golden Globe winning musician best known as a founding member and the principal songwriter of the New Wave band Talking Heads. ... Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949, in Morristown, New Jersey)[1] is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best-known as the frontman for the New York rock band, Television. ... Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950, in Chobham,[1] Surrey, England) is an English musician. ... Brian Eno (pronounced IPA: ) born on 15 May 1948 in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England) is an English electronic musician, music theorist and record producer. ... Post-punk was a popular musical movement beginning at the end of the 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid 1970s. ... The Mars Volta is an American Rock group founded by Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Isaiah Ikey Owens and Jeremy Michael Ward in 2001. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Post-punk was a popular musical movement beginning at the end of the 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid 1970s. ... For other uses, see Avant-garde (disambiguation). ... Experimental rock or Avant rock is a type of art music based on rock and roll which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, and/or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique. ... Wolf Eyes are a noise rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. Wolf Eyes began as a solo project of former Nautical Almanac member Nate Young, with Aaron Dilloway joining in 1998, and John Olson in 2000. ... // Merzbow (Japanese; メルツバウ) is the name used by Japanese musician Masami Akita (秋田昌美 Akita Masami) for most of his experimental noise records, and is considered by many to be the earliest project among others in what has become known as the Japanese noise scene. He has released many CDs, LPs and cassettes... Noise music is music composed of non-traditional musical elements, and lacks the structure associated with Western Music. ...

However, due to their existence on the fringe of popular success, and the resulting disconnect from the most mainstream styles, nearly all independent music performers, subgenres or scenes of rock music may be considered as "art rock" by some of their adherents who have an interest in seeing them as such. In popular music, independent music, often abbreviated as indie, is a term used to describe genres, scenes, subcultures, styles and other cultural attributes in music, characterized by their independence from major commercial record labels and their autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording and publishing. ...

Indeed, much like the idea of art itself, the idea of art rock is amorphous and practically any practitioner of rock or pop music, no matter how seemingly "generic", may be considered as "art rock" if someone is willing to mount a defense on their behalf. However, in the early 2000s, use of the terms remains quite uncommon outside of music journalists, and is not especially common in serious popular music criticism either, as the term, while convenient, is often seen to be pretentious and lacking in clarity. This article is about the philosophical concept of Art. ...

Notes

References

• Rockwell, John. "Art Rock" in Henke, James et al. (Eds.) (1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music. ISBN 0-679-73728-6.

• Stuessy, Joe. Rock and Roll: Its History and Stylistic Development, 5th ed., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003. ISBN 0-13-099370-0

al:art rock For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... Alternative music redirects here. ... Arena rock, also called stadium rock or anthem rock, is a loosely-defined term describing a rock era. ... It has been suggested that Merseybeat be merged into this article or section. ... Blues Rock or Blues-rock is a fusion genre of music which combines elements of the blues with rock and roll. ... Boogaloo (shing-a-ling, popcorn music) is a genre of Latin music and dance that was very popular in the United States in the late 1960s. ... For other uses, see British Invasion (disambiguation). ... The Canterbury Scene (or Canterbury Sound) is a term used to loosely describe the group of progressive rock musicians that were based around the town of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... Christian rock (occasionally abbreviated CR) is a form of rock music played by bands whose members are Christian and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Bob Dylans folk-rock album, Blonde on Blonde Folk-rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. ... Frat rock was an early influential American subgenre of rock and roll / roots rock. ... Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. ... Glam rock (also known as glitter rock), is a style of rock and pop music, which initially surfaced in the post-hippie early 1970s. ... Hard Rock redirects here. ... Heavy metal redirects here. ... Instrumental rock & roll is a type of rock and roll music which emphasises musical instruments, and which features no or very little singing. ... The term jam band is commonly used to describe psychedelic rock-influenced bands whose concerts largely consist of bands reinterpreting their songs as springboards into extended improvisational pieces of music. ... Jangle pop is a musical genre that began in United States during the middle of the 1960s, combining angular, chiming guitars and power pop structures. ... Krautrock, also known as Kosmische Musik, is a generic name for the experimental music scene that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s. ... For other uses, see Pop rock (disambiguation). ... Power pop is a long-standing musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop music. ... For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs. ... Pub rock was a mid- to late-1970s musical movement, largely centred around North London and South East Essex, particularly Canvey Island and Southend on Sea. ... Pub rock is a style of Australian rock and roll popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and still influencing contemporary Australian music today. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Rapcore is a musical genre that fuses the techniques of hip hop, gangsta rap, hard rock, heavy metal, alternative rock, hardcore punk and sometimes funk. ... Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, and emerged in the early-1950s. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Soft rock, also referred to as light rock or easy rock, is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock and roll to compose a softer, supposedly more ear-pleasing sound for listening, often at work or when driving. ... Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music. ... In the early 1960s, one of the most popular forms of rock and roll was surf rock. ... This is a list of music genres derived from rock and roll, including major rock, metal and punk genres: Categories: | ... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at sunset. ... This article is about the type of musical group. ... The massive popularity and worldwide scope of rock and roll resulted in an unprecedented level of social impact. ...