Hard Rock

Hard rock evolved in the late '60s, as psychedelia and blues rock began pushing the boundaries of amplification and blues-based riffs. Hard rock tends to rely less on improvisation than blues-rock and it isn't as loud as heavy metal, though it still has distorted guitars and long solos.

Aerosmith was one of the most popular hard-rock bands of the '70s, setting the style and sound of hard rock and heavy metal for the next two decades with their raunchy, bluesy swagger. The Boston-based quintet found the middle ground between the menace of the Rolling Stones and the campy, sleazy flamboyance of the New York Dolls, developing a lean, dirty riff-oriented boogie that was loose and swinging and as hard as a diamond. I'm happy to see, after all these years, they're still the best damn band in the country.
Grim's Pick: Pump. Visit the Official Aerosmith Site

Van Halen simultaneously re-wrote the rules for rock guitar and hard rock in general. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen redefined what electric guitar could do, developing a blindingly fast technique with a variety of self-taught two-handed tapping, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and effects that mimicked the sound of machines and animals. It was wildly inventive and over-the-top, equaled only by vocalist David Lee Roth, who brought the role of a metal singer to near performance art standards. Roth wasn't blessed with great technique, unlike Eddie, but he had a flair for showmanship, derived as much from lounge performers as Robert Plant. Together, they made Van Halen into the most popular American rock & roll band of the late '70s and early '80s, and, in the process, set the template for hard-rock and heavy metal for the '80s. After all this time and through all the changes, they remain one of the best in the business. I'm not going to go in to the whole "Who was better...Roth, Hagar or Cherone" thing. There's no comparison because they're basically 3 different bands. Roth was more of a showman, Hagar was more of a singer, and Cherone is a little of both. I've seen VH in all three incarnations and got my ass rocked each time. Roth and Hagar are gone. Get over it.
Grim's Pick: 5150. Visit the Official Van Halen WebSite

AC/DC 's mammoth power-chord roar became one of the most influential hard rock sounds of the '70s. In its own way, it was a reaction against the pompous art rock and lumbering stadium rock of the early '70s. AC/DC's rock was minimalist -- no matter how huge and bludgeoning the guitar chords were, there was a clear sense of space and restraint. There's nothing complicated or intricate about their music....just a driving beat and some good-ole party lyrics. Let the alternative bands try to save the world. AC/DC's just here to rock.
Grim's Pick: Back in Black. Visit AC/DC - Elektra Records

Led Zeppelin was the definitive heavy metal band. It wasn't just their crushingly loud interpretation of the blues -- it was how they incorporated mythology, mysticism, and a variety of other genres (most notably world music and British folk) -- into their sound. Led Zeppelin had mystique. More than any other band, Led Zeppelin established the concept of album-oriented rock, refusing to release popular songs from their albums as singles. In doing so, they established the dominant format for heavy metal, as well as the genre's actual sound.
Grim's Pick: Led Zeppelin IV . Visit Atlantic Records' Official Led Zeppelin Site

Ozzy Osbourne has had an immeasurable effect on heavy metal. While he doesn't possess a great voice (it's thin and doesn't have much range), he makes up for it with his good ear and dramatic flair. As a showman, his instincts are nearly as impeccable; his live shows have been overwrought spectacles of gore and glitz that have endeared him to adolescents around the world. Indeed, Osbourne has managed to establish himself as an international superstar, capable of selling millions of records with each album and packing arenas across the globe, capturing new fans with each record. I personally think he's doing some of his best work now. I've seen the Ozz-man 4 times in concert, including the recent Black Sabbath reunion tour, and he always delivers.
Grim's Pick: No More Tears. Visit Ozzy.Com

Guns N' Roses At a time when pop was dominated by dance music and pop metal, Guns N' Roses brought raw, ugly rock & roll crashing back into the charts. They were ugly, misogynist, violent; they were also funny, vulnerable, and occasionally sensitive, as their breakthrough hit "Sweet Child O' Mine" showed. While Slash and Izzy Stradlin ferociously spit out dueling guitar riffs worthy of Aerosmith or the Stones, Axl Rose screeched out his tales of sex, drugs, and apathy in the big city; bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler were a limber rhythm section that kept the music loose and powerful. Guns N' Roses' music was basic and gritty, with a solid hard, bluesy base; they were dark, sleazy, dirty, and honest -- everything that good hard rock and heavy metal should be.
Grim's Pick: Appetite for Destruction. Visit Launch: Guns 'N Roses

Kiss became a favorite for American teenagers in the '70s. Most kids were infatuated with the look of Kiss, not their music. Decked out in outrageously flamboyant costumes and makeup, the band fashioned a captivating stage show featuring dry ice, smoke bombs, elaborate lighting, blood spitting and fire breathing that captured the imaginations of thousands of kids. But Kiss' music shouldn't be dismissed out of hand -- it was a commercially potent mix of anthemic, fist-pounding hard rock driven by sleek hooks and ballads powered by loud guitars, cloying melodies and sweeping strings. It was a sound that laid the groundwork for both arena rock and the pop/metal that dominated rock in the late '80s.
Grim's Pick: Destroyer. Visit The New Official KISS Site

The Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, hard- driving blues-based rock & roll that came to define hard rock. With his preening machismo and latent maliciousness, Mick Jagger became the prototypical rock frontman, tempering his macho showmanship with a detached, campy irony, while Keith Richards and Brian Jones wrote the blueprint for sinewy, interlocking rhythm guitars. Backed by the strong, yet subtly swinging rhythm section of bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts, the Stones became the breakout band of the British blues scene, eclipsing such contemporaries as the Animals and Them. I basically grew up listening to the Stones but, strangely enough, only have a few of their albums. Some say they should just fade away but, after seeing them in '97 at the OSU Stadium. ..I say thee nay.
Grim's Pick: Bridges to Babylon (okok...I don't have that many to pick from :p~). Visit The Official Rolling Stones Site/Virgin Records

Def Leppard , in many ways, was the definitive hard rock band of the '80s. There were many bands that rocked harder, and were more dangerous, than the Sheffield quintet, but few others captured the spirit of the times quite as well. The group actually owed more to the glam-rock and metal of the early '70s -- their sound was equal parts T. Rex, Mott the Hoople, Queen and Led Zeppelin.
Grim's Pick: Hysteria. Visit The Official DEF LEPPARD Web Site

Grand Funk Railroad One of the 1970s' most successful hard rock bands in spite of critical pans and somewhat reluctant radio airplay (at first), Grand Funk Railroad built a devoted fan base with constant touring, a loud, simple take on the blues-rock power trio sound, and strong working-class appeal. Grand Funk is one of the bands that me and my buds use to cruise to in high school. "Foot Stompin' Music", if you know what I mean. I was lucky enough to catch them in an "oldies" concert in '98 and was thoroughly impressed that they still had it going on.
Grim's Pick: We're an American Band. Visit The Official Grand Funk Railroad Website

Billy Squier was making pop-metal years before Bon Jovi came along. With his sharp, hard-rocking riffs and sweet, slick melodies, Squier became one of the biggest hard rock stars of the early '80s, earning two multi-platinum albums. But his fall from commercial prominence was just as quick as his rise; 1984's Signs of Life was his last album to sell over a million copies and even then he seemed slightly behind the times. Squier wasn't able to translate his AOR hits over to MTV, causing him to fall down the charts. However, he never lost his hard-core fans, and continued to tour and record successfully right into the '90s, issuing Happy Blue in 1998.
Grim's Pick: Emotions in Motion. Visit the Billy Squier Showcase

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	Aerosmith was one of the most popular hard-rock bands of the '70s, setting the style and sound of hard rock and heavy metal for the next two decades with their raunchy, bluesy swagger. The Boston-based quintet found the middle ground between the menace of the Rolling Stones and the campy, sleazy flamboyance of the New York Dolls, developing a lean, dirty riff-oriented boogie that was loose and swinging and as hard as a diamond. I'm happy to see, after all these years, they're still the best damn band in the country. Grim's Pick: Pump. Visit the Official Aerosmith Site
	Van Halen simultaneously re-wrote the rules for rock guitar and hard rock in general. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen redefined what electric guitar could do, developing a blindingly fast technique with a variety of self-taught two-handed tapping, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and effects that mimicked the sound of machines and animals. It was wildly inventive and over-the-top, equaled only by vocalist David Lee Roth, who brought the role of a metal singer to near performance art standards. Roth wasn't blessed with great technique, unlike Eddie, but he had a flair for showmanship, derived as much from lounge performers as Robert Plant. Together, they made Van Halen into the most popular American rock & roll band of the late '70s and early '80s, and, in the process, set the template for hard-rock and heavy metal for the '80s. After all this time and through all the changes, they remain one of the best in the business. I'm not going to go in to the whole "Who was better...Roth, Hagar or Cherone" thing. There's no comparison because they're basically 3 different bands. Roth was more of a showman, Hagar was more of a singer, and Cherone is a little of both. I've seen VH in all three incarnations and got my ass rocked each time. Roth and Hagar are gone. Get over it. Grim's Pick: 5150. Visit the Official Van Halen WebSite
	AC/DC 's mammoth power-chord roar became one of the most influential hard rock sounds of the '70s. In its own way, it was a reaction against the pompous art rock and lumbering stadium rock of the early '70s. AC/DC's rock was minimalist -- no matter how huge and bludgeoning the guitar chords were, there was a clear sense of space and restraint. There's nothing complicated or intricate about their music....just a driving beat and some good-ole party lyrics. Let the alternative bands try to save the world. AC/DC's just here to rock. Grim's Pick: Back in Black. Visit AC/DC - Elektra Records
	Led Zeppelin was the definitive heavy metal band. It wasn't just their crushingly loud interpretation of the blues -- it was how they incorporated mythology, mysticism, and a variety of other genres (most notably world music and British folk) -- into their sound. Led Zeppelin had mystique. More than any other band, Led Zeppelin established the concept of album-oriented rock, refusing to release popular songs from their albums as singles. In doing so, they established the dominant format for heavy metal, as well as the genre's actual sound. Grim's Pick: Led Zeppelin IV . Visit Atlantic Records' Official Led Zeppelin Site
	Ozzy Osbourne has had an immeasurable effect on heavy metal. While he doesn't possess a great voice (it's thin and doesn't have much range), he makes up for it with his good ear and dramatic flair. As a showman, his instincts are nearly as impeccable; his live shows have been overwrought spectacles of gore and glitz that have endeared him to adolescents around the world. Indeed, Osbourne has managed to establish himself as an international superstar, capable of selling millions of records with each album and packing arenas across the globe, capturing new fans with each record. I personally think he's doing some of his best work now. I've seen the Ozz-man 4 times in concert, including the recent Black Sabbath reunion tour, and he always delivers. Grim's Pick: No More Tears. Visit Ozzy.Com
	Guns N' Roses At a time when pop was dominated by dance music and pop metal, Guns N' Roses brought raw, ugly rock & roll crashing back into the charts. They were ugly, misogynist, violent; they were also funny, vulnerable, and occasionally sensitive, as their breakthrough hit "Sweet Child O' Mine" showed. While Slash and Izzy Stradlin ferociously spit out dueling guitar riffs worthy of Aerosmith or the Stones, Axl Rose screeched out his tales of sex, drugs, and apathy in the big city; bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler were a limber rhythm section that kept the music loose and powerful. Guns N' Roses' music was basic and gritty, with a solid hard, bluesy base; they were dark, sleazy, dirty, and honest -- everything that good hard rock and heavy metal should be. Grim's Pick: Appetite for Destruction. Visit Launch: Guns 'N Roses
	Kiss became a favorite for American teenagers in the '70s. Most kids were infatuated with the look of Kiss, not their music. Decked out in outrageously flamboyant costumes and makeup, the band fashioned a captivating stage show featuring dry ice, smoke bombs, elaborate lighting, blood spitting and fire breathing that captured the imaginations of thousands of kids. But Kiss' music shouldn't be dismissed out of hand -- it was a commercially potent mix of anthemic, fist-pounding hard rock driven by sleek hooks and ballads powered by loud guitars, cloying melodies and sweeping strings. It was a sound that laid the groundwork for both arena rock and the pop/metal that dominated rock in the late '80s. Grim's Pick: Destroyer. Visit The New Official KISS Site
	The Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, hard- driving blues-based rock & roll that came to define hard rock. With his preening machismo and latent maliciousness, Mick Jagger became the prototypical rock frontman, tempering his macho showmanship with a detached, campy irony, while Keith Richards and Brian Jones wrote the blueprint for sinewy, interlocking rhythm guitars. Backed by the strong, yet subtly swinging rhythm section of bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts, the Stones became the breakout band of the British blues scene, eclipsing such contemporaries as the Animals and Them. I basically grew up listening to the Stones but, strangely enough, only have a few of their albums. Some say they should just fade away but, after seeing them in '97 at the OSU Stadium. ..I say thee nay. Grim's Pick: Bridges to Babylon (okok...I don't have that many to pick from :p~). Visit The Official Rolling Stones Site/Virgin Records
	Def Leppard , in many ways, was the definitive hard rock band of the '80s. There were many bands that rocked harder, and were more dangerous, than the Sheffield quintet, but few others captured the spirit of the times quite as well. The group actually owed more to the glam-rock and metal of the early '70s -- their sound was equal parts T. Rex, Mott the Hoople, Queen and Led Zeppelin. Grim's Pick: Hysteria. Visit The Official DEF LEPPARD Web Site
	Grand Funk Railroad One of the 1970s' most successful hard rock bands in spite of critical pans and somewhat reluctant radio airplay (at first), Grand Funk Railroad built a devoted fan base with constant touring, a loud, simple take on the blues-rock power trio sound, and strong working-class appeal. Grand Funk is one of the bands that me and my buds use to cruise to in high school. "Foot Stompin' Music", if you know what I mean. I was lucky enough to catch them in an "oldies" concert in '98 and was thoroughly impressed that they still had it going on. Grim's Pick: We're an American Band. Visit The Official Grand Funk Railroad Website
	Billy Squier was making pop-metal years before Bon Jovi came along. With his sharp, hard-rocking riffs and sweet, slick melodies, Squier became one of the biggest hard rock stars of the early '80s, earning two multi-platinum albums. But his fall from commercial prominence was just as quick as his rise; 1984's Signs of Life was his last album to sell over a million copies and even then he seemed slightly behind the times. Squier wasn't able to translate his AOR hits over to MTV, causing him to fall down the charts. However, he never lost his hard-core fans, and continued to tour and record successfully right into the '90s, issuing Happy Blue in 1998. Grim's Pick: Emotions in Motion. Visit the Billy Squier Showcase

My Music Page	Hard Rock	Pop/Rock	Alternative Pop/Rock	Guitar Virtuoso
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock	Art-Rock/Progressive-Rock	Modern Electric Blues	Crossover Jazz	Best Bands You've Never Heard