Rock n Roll Will Save Your Mortal Soul

Where the fuck did rock and roll go? Why do bands these days think rock and roll is singing about slitting your wrist while doing this with black eye liner on? My british invasion rock and rollers would frankly say “now that is a load of bloody fucking bullocks”. Where is the soul, the passion? Rock and roll really died when everyone started singing for the paycheck, instead of singing for the love of message. A message through song can be a three minute bible. 

It can be a timeless masterpiece that my kids will hear from me, as my parents passed it on to myself. All I am trying to say is frankly this: “If you do not like classic rock, then you have no fucking soul and therefore shall perish from this earth with no more reminiscence than the breeze that blows the rose pedals off the arrangement on your grave.”

OK, ok, ok...a little harsh? absolutely not. A little close-minded? maybe. I do like some of todays music; some being the keyword. Most of todays music can be played in concert without instruments. Now where is the music in that? where is the melody? While some songs are catchy, most have absolutely nothing on the Pink Floyd’s of the world, or the Led Zeppelin’s of the world. These bands I speak of are more than bands. They are more than the million people that continue to hang their posters on their wall. These bands were the identity of a generation, and to think that my generation will be remembered by the music of Lady Gaga makes me want to throw up on the Grateful Dead shirt I have on. 

But I could never do that, not only would that be a slap in the face to ever-so masterful Jerry Garcia, it would be an insult to the time, the culture, the hysteria, that went along with seeing these bands perform live. They did not play for an hour 30 minutes and walk off the stage a happy group. They played for hours because they love to do what they do, and they love the fact that we love them just as much as they love themselves!

I received a record player for christmas, which probably goes down as one of the best gifts I have ever received. I went out and bought some records since then and this is what I bought:

            -Dark Side of the Moon

            -The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

            -The White Album

            -Damn the Torpedoes

Now I have no obligation to tell you whose albums these are because if you do not know the first three (the second one is given to you), then you should cease to exist and should throw out your entire ipod library and start from scratch. Listen to these albums from start to finish and they have messages in the words, messages in the melody, and have some serious rock and roll that can save any mortal soul. It just flat out drives me insane to think that people would rather listen to the shit on the radio these days, than to listen to music that will never die.

Classic rock will never stop playing. It will forever be played on the radio. In movies. On commercials. And to make a comparison between that and some of the shit out there today is blasphemy. Lady Gaga 40 years from now will be a blank spot in the minds of the people that actually decided to listen to her from the get go. Real music is music that is timeless, and classic rock will never have an expiration date.

I know I have never been able to see the Beatles, the Dead, or Floyd perform, but I have seen plenty of other classic rock bands from Tom Petty, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, Styx, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Steve Miller Band, the list goes on. And I can honestly say that even 20 years out of there prime, any one of those bands can still rock, perform, sing, and out-do any rock band right now. And why is this?  because of the passion and the soul that goes along with going up on stage night after night. 

So in other words, stop filling your mind with this shit on the radio these days. It does nothing but fill you up like bread and appetizers. Broaden your horizons. Open your mind to something meaningful. Open your heart and soul to Classic Rock, for it will never perish and let the words and rhythm beat in you, as it beats in me, for the rest of eternity. And when I die, I want this music being played at my funeral, and I want to be buried face down, so all of you Classic Rock critics can come kiss my ass.

(Thank You Bob Knight)

A Classic Rock supporter and open Utilitarian,

Carl D. Pitts