I'm not trying to promote the album but rather it serves as a segue to the real point of this post. Mike Ragogna of the Huffington Post interviewed Randy and Fred. Randy is asked about the retro BTO sound of the songs on Bachman & Turner, to which he replies, "I wanted to give them a taste of new classic rock, as if it was '77. You can't do that with guys in their twenties. It's almost like blues, where if you want really great blues, you've got to get a Buddy Guy or somebody who is of a certain age and has lived it. It's hard to get somebody twenty-two and really get an authentic evening or a whole album of blues because they're only touching on it, they've only just started the journey."
This got me thinking. Is Randy right? Does it take similar life experiences as playing blues to authentically play classic rock? This would mean classic rock has become a unique genre, like blues or country music. Never mind that classic rock encompasses several genres ranging from singer/songwriters like Elton John, Billy Joel, and James Taylor to bands like Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and Grand Funk Railroad. With all the genres and sub-genres, classic rock is a massive style of music. If you think of it that way.
But, Randy is not thinking of classic rock as this monolithic genre, rather he is suggesting that, like blues, in order to play which ever genre of classic rock you choose, there must be a degree of authenticity that can only come from individual life experience and years of practice and performance. That ephemeral degree of authenticity is what makes a performance "real." In the words of Jerry Doucette, "He's too young for the blues, he's still inside his first pair of shoes."*
Now, Randy is not entirely off-base with his statement. Anyone can play the blues. How many times have you seen a new or amateur band play a questionable cover of Cream's "Crossroads" or any other blues song for that matter? The parts are there but something is missing. That missing "something" is the small degree of authenticity that seasoned musicians have. And this is what Randy is alluding to. Being a seasoned musician means playing countless hours and umpteen songs. Practicing. Practicing. Practicing. Paying dues in crummy clubs. Being shafted by club owners, managers, record companies, and other musicians. Living the life. Dreaming the dream. Not everyone can pull that off nor does everyone have the desire to.
It does take particular performance practice techniques to ensure that the music being played conforms to what is expected for that genre. In other words, you have to play the guitar or any other instrument a certain way for blues and a different way for country. Each genre has its own rhythms, song structures, riffs, and melodic characteristics. In fact, this applies to every genre and style of music.
Certainly new styles can be created by amalgamation or cross-pollenization, but this is not what Randy is talking about. He means experience. And again, this applies to all music. Seasoned musicians are a pleasure to hear. They impart emotion and give the illusion that their musicianship is effortless. They know the value of playing "in the pocket" and their playing makes people dance, or at least want to. Seasoned playing is what people expect.
For much of the Great Unwashed, classic rock is musical comfort food. It's what they grew up with and what they still enjoy. And while there are numerous bar bands, wedding bands, party bands, weekend bands, basement bands, garage bands, and jam bands playing classic rock songs, it takes that certain type of musician to authentically recreate, or even create, the classic rock music experience - at least in the way some people remember it.
You'll know it when you hear it.
*"Mama Let Him Play" by Jerry Doucette (1977)
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