Briitish rock music vs. American rock music

[piami]

First of all, if there were no US music scene there would NOT be a rock music scene at all. Modern music sprang from US soil. The US music scene, as a whole, is much more vast than anywhere else in the world. The cutting edge is on the west side of the pond. This is not to discount a single British act, but if you throw in ALL the music happening in the US from Rock to Blues to Country to Hip Hop to R & B, etc, the US boasts a stronger over-all resume. Britain has delivered some super-substantial spikes on the meter. Maybe even higher than any single US act. It's hard, though, to argue that any US act besides Elvis is better than the Who, the Stones or the Beatles. But then again,as John Lennon said, "If there had been no Elvis there would have been no Beatles" nor, arguably, Who or Stones. So has any musical act since 1955 really been biger than The King after all? And Elvis has admitted that he was rooted deeply in Gospel, Blues & Country.
Wow, it's a big can of worms you have opened.

[chris]

while i agree that the u.s. has offered more of a variety of music genres...that does not exactly answer the question at hand. no one can deny that the basis of early british rock was based on the rock pioneers of this country. but the fact is (okay, at least the fact according to my ears) that the definitive rock acts in the world have come from britain. elvis was talented...he was exciting...he was hugely popular...and he made people take notice of black rythm and blues by a white audience. but he became irrelevent at the height of the british invasion. he sang decent songs in horrible movies. then...gasp...he became an overweight, rhinestone encrusted, jumpsuit wearing loungesinger in vegas...and what, really, can be more un-rock and roll than that? i will not ignore the importance of early elvis as an artist. he served an amazing purpose. and he probably made many people want to be a rock star just like him. but rock music...in its earliest incarnations...evolved rather quickly. elvis, just like jerry lee lewis, chuck berry, little richard and others of the time seased to matter. and if you asked most of them at the time...they knew it.

as soon as the beatles, the stones and the who started doing what they were doing...no one cared to sound like the old 50's dinosaurs. who would have wanted to by then. that sound was of the past. i do not discount the sounds of early do-wop singing groups, but they hardly inspired millions to pick up a guitar and become musicians.

when it comes to rock music...the brits were above and beyond the rest of the world. why? who knows. but till this day there are new bands that sort of sound like the beatles or the stones. these are the sounds that inspired the masses. these are the bands that changed music...inspire...give a warm and tingly feelling. i've heard the argument that rock music started in the 50's, based on r & b. gospel, and country music. i can argue just as easily that rock may not have really started until the beatles began...and that the 50's pioneers were just really. an extension of the country music and r & b they were originally based on.

[Paperback Writer]

OK, everybody, now, go back, look at my list on the previous page, written on November 30th listing American bands and add Simon and Garfunkel, The Doors, the original Chicago and and numerous others. Then think of the Brittish Bands. It's well documented already of their American roots and influences, then they were incredible in expanding the R+B+Rock sound into something different and phenomenal.

But, take the leaders - The Who, Stones and Beatles. THEY will be the first to tell you their influences were not only the American pionEERS, but their pEERS in America.
They picked up the following:
Folk-Rock
Poetry-Rock
Country-Rock
Psychedelic-Rock
Garage-Rock
Harmony-Pop-Rock
Soul-Rock
blues-rock
jazz-rock - from their American contemporaries.

Examples:

Folk Rock was pioneered by the Byrds and Dylan, Crosby, Stills Nash, Lovin' Spoonful

Poetry-Rock was inspired by Simon and Garfunfel and Dylan

Country-Rock- was inspired by the Byrds/w/Gram Parsons, Buffalo Springfield, CSN, Creedence Clearwater Revival

Psychedelic Rock- Jimi Hendrix, Doors, Jefferson Airplane, and the whole San Francisco sound

Garage Rock- Mitch Ryder + Detroit Wheels, Bob Seger, Tommy James+ Shondells, The Young Rascals

Harmony -Pop-Rock - Mama' and Papas, Beach Boys, Four Seasons, CSN

Soul Rock - Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye Temptations-Supremes-Motown

Blues Rock - The Blues Project, Grateful Dead, Steve Miller Blues Band

Jazz Rock -original Chicago, original Blood Swear and Tears

We all benefit. One may PREFER the Brittish or the American bands, but to dismiss the fact that John, Paul, Mick, Keith, Roger and Peter could not wait to get their hands and ears around other music of the time across the Atlantic is to miss a beat.

[pianoguy123]

Rock is rock...you like it no matter where it comes from!

[mrsm]

Rock is rock...you like it no matter where it comes from!

so true! my list of favorite bands back in the day consisted of a mixture , yet i notice my alltime favorites were brits. at the time i wasn't checking to see where they came from, i just liked the sound.
it doesn't matter where it started , its what they did with the music that counts.
here are afew that topped the list , of course BEATLES and stones being on the top.
iron butterfly
cream
vanilla fudge
the doors
animals
blue oyster cult
montrose
robin trower
jethro tull
climax blues
ritchie blackmore
led zep

[EddieV]

Was there a so called American Invasion in England?

Only one in Iraq

The group The Killer souns English all though they are American, that is what I mean.