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Classic rock was originally conceived as a radio station programming format which evolved from the album oriented rock (AOR) format in the early-1980s. In the United States, this rock music format now features a large but limited playlist of songs ranging from the early-1960s through the early-1980s with more emphasis on the earlier hits by artists associated with the loosely-defined "classic rock era".^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Classic Rock is a magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its sister publication Metal Hammer. ... A radio station is an audio (sound) broadcasting service, traditionally broadcast through the air as radio waves (a form of electromagnetic radiation) from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device. ... A radio format or programming format describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. ... Album Oriented Rock, abbreviated AOR, was originally an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock music artists rather than singles releases. ... This article is about the genre. ... In its most general form, a playlist is simply a list of songs. ...

Origins of classic rock radio

The origins of the classic rock radio format can be traced back to The Beatles' groundbreaking album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which would forever change several courses of the rock and roll format, especially with the slow rise of FM broadcasting even though a majority of people were still listening to AM radio. Since Sgt. Pepper did not spawn any singles, both AM and FM stations began to play select tracks from the album in an attempt to retain listeners. Soon both stations and artists realized that album cuts rather than Top 40-oriented singles could be a major source of radio airplay and artist visibility.^{[citation needed]} The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... For other uses, see Sgt. ... 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. ... FM broadcasting is a broadcast technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that uses frequency modulation (FM) to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. ... Mediumwave radio transmissions (sometimes called Medium frequency or MF) are those between the frequencies of 300 kHz and 3000 kHz. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ...

Taken to the furthest level, this created what would be called progressive rock radio in the late 1960s and 1970s. This format was associated with elements of freeform radio, where disc jockeys controlled what was played. Soon a more commercially-oriented variant called album oriented rock (AOR), or "album rock", emerged in the mid- and late 1970s. This format concentrated on album cuts as well, but on a more structured, playlist-oriented basis. Progressive rock is a radio station programming format that prospered in the late 1960s and 1970s, in which the disc jockeys are given wide lattitude in what they may play, similar to the freeform format but with the proviso that some kind of rock music is almost always what is... Freeform, or freeform radio, is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. ... For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... Album Oriented Rock, abbreviated AOR, was originally an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock music artists rather than singles releases. ... In its most general form, a playlist is simply a list of songs. ...

AOR would continue to be popular in the 1970s and early 1980s, but by the end of the 1980s, as "albums" had been supplanted by compact discs and as station playlists largely stopped keeping up with developing musical trends (including new wave music), "album rock" evolved into "classic rock" on many of these FM radio stations. Album Oriented Rock, abbreviated AOR, was originally an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock music artists rather than singles releases. ... CD redirects here. ... New Wave was a music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the early-to-mid 1980s. ... Album Oriented Rock, abbreviated AOR, was originally an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock music artists rather than singles releases. ... FM radio is a broadcast technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. ...

Classic rock is similar to oldies radio in that the format is based upon music of the past, hence the playlist and artists featured are relatively stable in comparison to Top 40 or other contemporary formats which are based primarily on current releases. However, various bands and songs will come in and out of style on classic rock radio, regional favorites may be featured in a particular market, and newer recordings by the format's core performers will occasionally be showcased. Additionally, in the process of jockeying for position and listener share in competitive markets, stations will often add songs and artists only marginally associated with the classic rock era, and some stations combine the classic rock format with other formats, including modern rock in an attempt to increase popularity. The hybrid of classic rock and modern rock is also referred to as active rock.^{[citation needed]} Oldies is a generic term commonly used to describe a radio format that usually concentrates on Top 40 music from the 50s, 60s and 70s. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ... Modern rock is term commonly used to describe a rock music format found on American commercial radio. ... Modern rock is term commonly used to describe a rock music format found on American commercial radio. ... Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in Canada and the United States. ...

Key artists and albums

The core albums, artists, and songs most often represented in classic rock radio represent a subset of the albums and artists that were actually popular between the mid sixties into the early eighties. The most enduring classic rock songs and artists have proven to appeal to new generations of listeners as well as older listeners who knew the music when it originally appeared.

British hard rock and progressive rock bands make up a central pillar of classic rock artists; significant among these are Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, The Who, Yes and Queen. Many different songs from these acts are likely to appear on the playlists of classic rock stations. While the classic rock scene was in Britain, it soon spread to Australia which caused classic rock bands such as AC/DC to form which started the Australian rock age to begin. AC/DC albums such as Back In Black and For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) hit U.S. Top Ten albums chart in the 80's. Hard Rock redirects here. ... For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Rolling Stones redirects here. ... 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. ... This article is about the rock band. ... 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. ... Queen are an English rock band formed in 1971 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, and drummer Roger Taylor, with bassist John Deacon joining the following year. ...

American '70s rock bands such as Aerosmith, The Eagles, Kansas, Boston and Journey often appear on classic rock stations, as do such solo artists as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, and John Mellencamp. Also included is American '60s rock from acts like Jimi Hendrix and The Doors. In many areas, Southern rock acts such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special, and The Allman Brothers Band form a significant subset of classic rock playlists as well. This article is about the band Aerosmith. ... The Eagles are an American rock music group that originally came together in Los Angeles, California in the early 1970s. ... For other uses, see Kansas (disambiguation). ... Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. ... Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco, California. ... Springsteen redirects here. ... Robert Clark Seger (born May 5, 1945) is a Rock and Roll singer, songwriter, and musician from Michigan. ... John Mellencamp, also known as John Cougar and John Cougar Mellencamp, (born October 7, 1951) is best known for being an American rock singer-songwriter. ... Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ... The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles by vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger. ... Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music. ... Lynyrd Skynyrd (pronounced lĕh-nérd skin-nérd) (pronounced ) is an iconic U.S. Southern rock band. ... . ... The Allman Brothers Band is a band from Macon, Georgia, labeled by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the principal architects of Southern rock. ...

Many other bands may appear occasionally on classic rock stations; however, this presence may be limited to a few familiar songs. For example, while the band Steppenwolf recorded over a dozen studio albums, only two of their songs ("Born to Be Wild" and "Magic Carpet Ride") are likely to be heard within the classic rock format. Steppenwolf is a rock band that helped establish heavy metal music in the late 1960s along with bands like Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly. ... Born to Be Wild is a rock song written by Mars Bonfire. ... Magic Carpet Ride is a rock song written by John Kay and Rushton Moreve from the band Steppenwolf. ...

Concept albums indirectly led to the album-rock format and remain a major component of classic rock. Notable are the four Pink Floyd concept albums, including The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon, as well as The Who's two major rock operas: Tommy and Quadrophenia. The Who's 1971 album Who's Next is one of the most often-played classic rock albums of all time. In popular music, a concept album is an album which is unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical (Shuker 2002, p. ... For other Pink Floyd works based around this album, see The Wall (Pink Floyd). ... This article is about the Pink Floyd album. ... A rock opera or rock musical is a musical production in the form of an opera or a musical in a modern rock and roll style rather than more traditional forms. ... Tommy (1969) is one of The Whos two full-scale rock operas, and the first musical work explicitly billed as a rock opera. ... Alternate cover Original soundtrack version Quadrophenia is a double album released by The Who on October 19, 1973, one of the groups two full-scale rock operas. ... For the song by Tom Lehrer, see That Was the Year That Was. ...

Artists whose musical output spanned the 1960s and 1970s, including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones form something of a special case: a few later songs from these acts (such as "Revolution" by The Beatles and "Start Me Up" by the Stones) are staples of classic rock radio, while the older songs from these groups are seldom heard on the format, gravitating instead to oldies radio, along with nearly any other material recorded prior to around 1967. The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... Rolling Stones redirects here. ... Revolution is a song by The Beatles, written primarily by John Lennon and attributed to Lennon-McCartney. ... Start Me Up is a song by The Rolling Stones featured on the 1981 album Tattoo You. ... Oldies is a generic term commonly used to describe a radio format that usually concentrates on Top 40 music from the 50s, 60s and 70s. ...

Some classic rock playlists also include some of the hard-rock and heavy metal bands of the 1980s such as Guns N' Roses, Metallica and Van Halen as classic rock; again, particular songs or musical eras from these acts may be more conducive to the format than others, and nearly every station fine-tunes its playlist by adding or deleting songs and artists to differentiate itself from competing stations. Similarly, more modern material in the same style is seldom included unless it is by a recognized classic rock artist; such music often gravitates to top 40 or adult album alternative stations. Guns N Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. ... Metallica is a Grammy Award-winning American heavy metal/thrash metal band formed in 1981[1] and has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades. ... This article is about the band Van Halen. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ... Adult Album Alternative (also Triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format broadcast mostly on FM. A spin off of the Album-oriented rock format, its roots may have been established sometime during the 60s from what was called underground music and later progressive. ...

Furthermore, some radio stations have began to implement certain "alternative" acts of the late 1980s and 1990s, including bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2 and R.E.M. This article is about the American grunge band. ... This article is about the rock group. ... Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by lead singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. ... Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. ... This article is about the Irish rock band. ... REM is an acronym for: Rapid eye movement, a phase in sleep Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, a museum about ancient Egypt Röntgen equivalent man, a unit for measuring levels of exposure to radiation REM may also refer to: R.E.M. (band), an American rock music band formed in Athens...

See also

• List of classic rock radio stations
• List of music radio formats
• Music radio
• Classic Rock Gold
• Album-oriented rock
• Spoonman's Classic Rock Show, a Talkback and Music show on the Triple M network that consists of a classic rock only playlist.

The following is a list of stations that generally adhere to the classic rock radio format, listed by country. ... Music radio formats constantly evolve and each format can often be sub-divided into many speciality formats. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Classic Rock Gold is a two-disc compilation album released in 2005. ... Album-oriented rock (sometimes referred to as adult-oriented rock), abbreviated AOR and originally called album-oriented radio, was originally an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists. ... This article is about the radio station network. ...

External links

• Top 500 Classic Rock Songs List of the top 500 Classic Rock Songs, made by extracting songs from about 20 similar lists and putting them into this ultimate list.
• Classic Rock interviews and radio specials Classic Rock Central
• Classic Rock FM Radio Format Blog Classic Rock FM