Samples of rock and roll

[Top]

Rockabilly

Main article: Rockabilly

Rockabilly is a fusion of country & western music with 1950s-style rock. Pioneers include Elvis Presley and Billy Haley & His Comets.

Download sample of Elvis Presley's "Good Rockin' Tonight", one of the most representative songs of the rockabilly era

[Top]

1950s rock

Main article: Rock and roll

Download sample of Santo & Johnny's "Sleepwalk", a surprise instrumental rock hit
Download sample of Richie Valens' "La Bamba", the signature song for Valens, a pioneering rock star, and the first Mexican-American musical celebrity

[Top]

Garage rock

Main article: Garage rock

Download sample of The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie", a hit song that was originally a Jamaican ballad; The Kingsmen's version, originally a rival with Paul Revere & the Raiders' nearly-simultaneously released take, launched a national debate over the lyric's supposed sexual content. After an investigation, the FBI concluded that the words (in The Kingsmen's version) were incomprehensible.

[Top]

Folk-rock

Main article: Folk-rock

Download sample of The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" from Mr. Tambourine Man, helped launch careers of both The Byrds and Bob Dylan, noted folk-rock song with controversial allusions to drug abuse

[Top]

Psychedelic rock

Main article: Psychedelic rock

Download sample of The Doors' "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" from The Doors, a notorious recording of The Doors' signture dark psychedelic sound and mystical, LSD-inspired lyrics
Download sample of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" from Surrealistic Pillow, one of the most legendary songs of the psychedelic rock genre
Download sample of Grateful Dead's "Box of Rain" from American Beauty; for a band known more for live performances than studio releases, American Beauty and its album opener, "Box of Rain", are both among the most well-known and widely-respected recordings by the Grateful Dead. The song is a mixture of influences ranging from bluegrass and country to rock and roll and psychedelic rock

[Top]

Country rock

Main article: Country rock

Download sample of Gram Parson's "Miller?s Cave" from Gram Parsons International Submarine Band (Safe at Home); Parsons was the leading figure in the nascent country rock scene
Download sample of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" from Green River, one of the band's most famous songs, notable as an early example of Southern rock
Download sample of Allman Brothers Band's "Rambling Man" from Brothers and Sisters, a major recording from the burgeoning Southern rock scene

[Top]

Blues-rock

Main article: Blues rock

Download sample of Janis Joplin's "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" from I Got Dem Ol? Kozmic Blues Again Mama, perhaps Joplin's most well-regarded song, "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" was released at the popular peak of American blues rock

[Top]

Proto-punk

Main article: Proto-punk

Download sample of MC5's "Sister Ann" from High Time, a song from past the band's creative peak, "Sister Ann" remains the most well-known MC5 song, and a characteristic example of the group's proto-punk rock sound
Download sample of New York Dolls' "Trash" from New York Dolls, which helped establish the sound of both punk rock and glam

[Top]

Power pop

Main article: Power pop

Download sample of Big Star's "O, Dana" from Third/Sister Lovers, the album that established the power pop genre, recording by a band in the midst of legendary feuds

[Top]

70s Pop-rock

Download sample of Bruce Springsteen's "Badlands" from Punk rock
Download sample of The Ramones' "I Want to Be Sedated" from Road to Ruin, a popular cover for garage bands and perhaps the most well-known song from The Ramones

[Top]

80s pop-rock

Download sample of Paul Simon's "Graceland" from Graceland, a pivotal album that helped introduce world music

[Top]

Alternative rock

Main article: Alternative music

Download sample of Pixies' "Holiday Song" from Come on Pilgrim, the biggest band of late 1980s alternative rock

[Top]

Grunge

Main article: Grunge

Download sample of Nirvana's "Come As You Are" from Nevermind, the album that brought grunge music into the mainstream
Download sample of Pearl Jam's "Daughter" from Vs, a song which showcases Eddie Vedder's distinctive vocals

[Top]

90s Pop-rock

Download sample of Green Day's "Basket Case" from Dookie, which could be considered the first big band in the post-grunge era, and a controversial pop-punk album
Download sample of The Foo Fighters' "February Stars" from The Colour and the Shape, part of the post-grunge phenomenon
Download sample of Phish's "Farmhouse" from Farmhouse; Phish is undoubtedly the most well-known band of the 90s jam band phenomenon, and are known for their epic jams. "Farmhouse" represents the band at their most pop-oriented


View Live Article	This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License