Genre creators & genre defiers -1965 onwards

[PeterG]

Genre defiers first
There aren't many in my opinion, but those that exist(ed) created a career without being pigeonholed & rarely if ever never made the same type of album twice in a row

Frank Zappa
Cardiacs
King Crimson
Faust
Bjork
Neil Young

Genre creators
Sometimes the defiers were also the creators

Faust
Magma
King Crimson
Black Sabbath
Kraftwerk (D)/Human League (UK)/YMO (J)
The Doors


Add as you see fit.
A couple I can't decide on are for example the first NWOBHM band? Judas Priest, Motorhead?
First UK punk band?
First US punk band
And the first heavy British blues rock band? Led Zeppelin?
First US speed/thrash metal? I've got my ideas, but I'm not saying yet

[Dana5140]

For me, the first US punk band would not be what you might expect. I might put the MC5 here, as well as them being the first heavy metal band.

[Gravedigger]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"created a career without being pigeonholed"

That's what I always liked about Be-Bop Deluxe; art rock? progressive? punkish? new wave?
All labels (or no labels) seemed to fit, imo.

[PeterG]

Yea, MC5 comes up a lot in mags and in discussions for the first punk band, personally I don't understand why, I can't hear it myself. Early hard rock yes, first garage band definitely, early sleaze rock, possibly. Heavy metal though? Naaah, not even close IMO. BUT back to their "first punk band" tag, what do US music experts base that on? Is it something in their sound? Their lyrics? Their attitude & live antics? Or maybe a combination of things. The more accepted view of first US punk band is NY Dolls isn't it?

[klothos]

OK, let the arguments begin:


I think The Beatles with George Martin single-handedly created a BUNCH of genres and planted the seeds of other genres that other bands picked up the ball and ran with. They were a Johnny Appleseed of sorts with genres (Genre Appleseed?), starting many but never capitilizing on many but letting other bands pick up their seedling like a baton and race away with it

For example, they created "Progressive Rock" (all one noun - Western Definition) or at least laid the foundation for it but bands like King Crimson grabbed the cue and spearheaded the movement.

Argue away -- thats how I see it, tho

[Dana5140]

For the MC5, all I can say is, I guess you had to be there. Listening to them with 2014 ears is not the same as doing so with 1968 ears. Listen to their first record with the volume all the way up, past 11, so to say. And be 15 years old, and understand that the music industry as we know it now was in its infancy.

[PeterG]

For the MC5, all I can say is, I guess you had to be there. Listening to them with 2014 ears is not the same as doing so with 1968 ears. Listen to their first record with the volume all the way up, past 11, so to say. And be 15 years old, and understand that the music industry as we know it now was in its infancy.

I hear you brother man. The same was true the first time I heard Motorhead as a teen back in the 70s.

[bob_32_116]

Genre creators:

Bill Haley and the Comets
Phil Spector
The Beatles
Bob Dylan (for electric folk)
Desmond Dekker (not really the first, but the first to get reggae known outside the Caribbean)
Black Sabbath
The Moody Blues
Yes
Kraftwerk
Fairport Convention

[PeterG]

hhmmm...I'm with you on most of those Bob, but not sure I understand how you figure with Phil Spector and Fairport Convention?

[Modry Effekt]

Silver Apples 1968

[bob_32_116]

hhmmm...I'm with you on most of those Bob, but not sure I understand how you figure with Phil Spector and Fairport Convention?

Phil Spector created the "wall of sound" multitrack recording technique that became the hallmark of so many hits of the early 1960s, from The Ronettes, The Crystals, to the Righteous Brothers and perhaps his finest creation, River Deep, mountain High, by ike and Tina Turner - and of course later on with various Beatles, as a grpup and separately.

...and Fairport Convention were, I thought, credited with creating the resurgence in English folk with the album Liege and Lief.

[dgtlman]

For the MC5, all I can say is, I guess you had to be there. Listening to them with 2014 ears is not the same as doing so with 1968 ears. Listen to their first record with the volume all the way up, past 11, so to say. And be 15 years old, and understand that the music industry as we know it now was in its infancy.

Perfect analogy. That goes for many bands & the reverse hold true as well. I utterly despised Motorhead when I first heard them. Couldn't understand what the hype was all about, yet nowadays I totally respect what they were doing back then & the Lemmy thing

[PeterG]

Perfect analogy. That goes for many bands & the reverse hold true as well. I utterly despised Motorhead when I first heard them. Couldn't understand what the hype was all about, yet nowadays I totally respect what they were doing back then & the Lemmy thing

+1

[trurl]

I was also pretty shocked not to see The Beatles on the list, but other than that I pretty well agree with it. I think Todd Rundgren also counts as a genre defier )is that actually a word?). And if Metallica didn't invent thrash they pretty well broke it for most of the world, wouldn't you say?

[bob_32_116]

If you want to talk about genre defiers, it's hard not to consider bands like anathema and Opeth.Defying in a good way, in my opinion.

[Bucka001]

Genre creators:

Bill Haley and the Comets
Phil Spector
The Beatles
Bob Dylan (for electric folk)
Desmond Dekker (not really the first, but the first to get reggae known outside the Caribbean)
Black Sabbath
The Moody Blues
Yes
Kraftwerk
Fairport Convention

Not trying to be a wise guy, but what genre did Yes create?

[PeterG]

counts as a genre defier )is that actually a word?).

Yes, of course it is!

deny = denier
defy = defier
copy = copier
carry = carrier