Music Monday: Classic Rock

I’ve been enlightened. I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve finally opened my eyes. I’ve begun listening to classic rock music.The last thing I’ll do is pretend I’ve any sort of expertise when it comes to real rock, and I kind of figured that some people may feel the same. If anything, classic rock is a nice break from the regular top 40 songs that bombard us at every corner. With some help, I’ve put together a little playlist of golden age rock to hopefully whet your appetite.You’ll notice that loads of the chosen songs are from the 60s and 70s, when blues and folk were highly influential sources for the development of rock. The lyrics are ballad-like, full of unrefined emotion that will send you right back to your angst-filled teenage years. My personal favourites? The Velvet Underground, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and my homeboys Simon & Garfunkel.The Velvet Underground had that anguished self-loathing thing going on at the beginning of their musical career (see: “I’m So Fucked Up”), a nice change from the current day “I Love Myself” lyrics. Before you throw something at me for taking another jab at pop music, I do occasionally listen to a (potentially repeated 10 ten times in a row) Justin Bieber or Nick Jonas song. But I digress— I dig The Velvet Underground because after releasing the aforementioned self-loathing album, they completely turned it around and came out with an album full of songs about love and freedom (see: “Pale Blue Eyes”) AND IT WAS SO GOOD. The Velvet Underground’s brilliance lies in their versatility.Next up is Creedence Clearwater Revival. These dudes are cowboys. Ok, maybe not, but they are full bluegrass, from-the-bayou swamp rock. In the words of front man John Fogerty, “We just want our music to make people feel.”Finally, Simon & Garfunkel are fantastic. Their music is easy – easy to listen to, easy to understand, and easy to become a fan. The duo is lightly poetic and admittedly sort of cute.Now, I repeat myself, I do not pretend to know everything about these bands, or any rock bands for that matter. The genre is a new one to me, but I don’t want fear of appearing slow to jump onto the bandwagon to stop me or anyone else from enjoying what our parents undoubtedly rocked to. So go forth and enjoy:Yours Creatively,Alexandra Kopij, Music EditorImage: Julianna Jianny