![]() ![]() That's interesting that someone across the pond would see more stuff here. Kiss are the ultimate rock band IMO and of newer music, Jellyfish and Keith Caputo can't be touched by any UK rock bands. On topic, although I'm from the UK, I prefer US rock almost exclusively. "No garage rock acts of note" from the U.S.? Whatcha talkin' 'bout Willis? You're going to dismiss The Ramones, The Sonics, The Monks, Green River, and the aforementioned Detroit bands among others? Maybe we haven't produced many notable "garage rock" acts of late, but there's a huge garage/indie rock heritage here to draw upon. Generalization? Yeah, but I don't deny that there are exceptions to the rule. So were Motorhead, although they were musically more like other "New Wave Of British Metal" bands (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon, etc.) than actual "thrash." However, most of the prominent thrash bands were American (and primarily West Coast). They definitely had a huge impact on the thrash subgenre, and were from the UK (they were also a fairly direct influence on black metal). Sure, they were the first two to become popular, but did they invent the genre? Questionable. What about The Jimi Hendrix Experience? Blue Cheer? The MC5? The Stooges? These American bands, I'd argue, shaped metal to a large degree (and also punk for the latter two) and were on the scene for a few years before Black Sabbath's first LP and In Rock were released. You could conceivably make an argument for Frank Zappa as "prog," though I think his massive genre-defying talents make pigeonholing him into any specific category a tough sell.īlack Sabbath and Deep Purple notwithstanding, I don't think metal was necessarily born in the UK. I can't recall there being that many American prog bands. It's not exclusively European, but I'd say about 70% of prog comes from the UK (Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, Camel etc.), with another 10% or so coming from Continental Europe (Faust, Magma, Can, Kraftwerk being a few). Rush (and Dream Theater) are both North American acts, but that doesn't mean that prog is not predominantly a European genre. I haven't heard a lot by him, but what I have heard is decent. Tricky is from the UK, and he specializes mostly in trip-hop, sort of a mutation between hip-hop and electronica. I was generalizing to an extent in my original post (with the English rapper aside intended as a joke, hence the : P). True, there aren't many (only Roots Manuva and Mark B & Blade come to mind) but then the US has yet to product any Garage acts of any note.Īll valid points. As it's pretty much accepted that Black Sabbath were the first real heavy metal band to attain mass popularity, it's arguable that all metal owes a debt to the UK. Most thrash bands cite Motorhead and Venom as the pioneers of that form of metal, both of whom are from the UK. On the other hand, thrash metal and hardcore punk both have their origins in the United States, as do rap and hip-hop (to this day, I don't know of a single English rap artist that has acheived any form of credibility : P ). So are black metal (Scandinavia), kraut rock (obviously Germany), and electronica/house/techno (predominantly UK). Prog rock is very much an European thing. However, certain genres of music definitely have firm national origins. Since the early days, rock on both sides of the pond has diversified and branched out every which way, enough to make most national comparisons moot. Maybe there was something of a distinction between British and American forms of rock early on, but it all started in the US of A. Listen to all the first British Invasion artists (including The Beatles) who were doing a lot of Chuck Berry and R&B covers. That being said, I think the British rock scene has always been just as indebted to American roots music as much as our own music is. On the other hand, American bands like The Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth, along with more recent bands like Slint and Tortoise, have a very pronounced arty sensibility not openly associated with American roots music. After all, you had bands like Cream, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin who all hail from the UK yet sound like they're from The Delta. It's definitely not a cut 'n' dry distinction. ![]()
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