POP Vs ROCK

Discussion in 'Music Talk' started by supersujit, Aug 24, 2003.

  1. supersujit

    supersujit New Member

    I wanna know the basic difference between the 'POP Music' and the 'ROCK Music'
     
  2. Redalert

    Redalert New Member

    Hmm..interesting question...:think:
     
  3. lord_neo

    lord_neo Guest

    Back in the 60s pop was shorthand for popular music, BUT since then, pop and popular split into two different, separate words with different meanings, different tangents. See, POP means, first and foremost, catchy, bright, songs, whether they are popular or not, and popular means exactly that, what is big at the moment, period.

    Stuff that is popular is not always pop music, while real pop music is rarely popular!! It's rare that the two ever crossed paths, one that did was Roxette!! Not only that, why pop is about a genre, rather than what is big at the moment.

    Now, catchy pop can be a variety of forms + styles, if you're bright, catchy, edgy, guitar-driven, harmonious, song-driven + SINCERE, influenced by the 60s British Invasion, but you transcend it as well, you are known as powerpop!! If you are catchy, dance-able, bright + bubblegummy, aka aqua, you are pure pop. Not exactly techo, a bit yes, but you must be song driven, vocal or instrumental. Otherwise, you're just techno dance music. Now, there are radio-driven teen artists like Britney, Christina, Avril, etc. For the most part, these people are sold via marketing, merch, and promoted heavily on radio + MTV, and art/songwriting is not the main focus. Those people are considered bubblegum pop.

    Many great pop artists cross the lines between powerpop and pure pop, yep, people like Roxette, but since they are guitar-dominated, and Per is main songwriter + art/songwriting is the focus, Roxette are powerpop. Now, yes, where does the term ROCK come into play? Well, powerpop is a catchy, tuneful, song-driven subgenre of rock + roll, where songwriting is the focus, over danger. Where is the difference between powerpop and rock + roll?? The sense of danger and rebellion make an act all-out ROCK instead of just powerpop, BUT the songs HAVE to be catchy + melodic to still be rock + roll!! Now, on the other hand, if the songwriting is not there, and it's just riffs + noise, wanking away, that's all it is, riffs + noise, going nowhere.

    On the other hand, these so-called punk/pop groups all over radio?? BUBBLEGUM!! Sorry...it's all in the marketing first, and not about the songcraft cuz all those groups sound the same and quite generic if you ask me...
     
  4. esgallindeion

    esgallindeion Minstrel Knight

    Well, seriously speaking, there's a very thin line dividing pop and rock (not including really Hard Rock). Like I would say that Bryan Adams is a semi- pop- semi-rock-semi-hardrock.

    One way to easily distinguish such stuff is by seeing what sort of band it is. Boybands (backstreet boys, westlife) are almost ALWAYS pop and well, totally useless (in my opinion), whereas bands such as nickelback etc.. are rock. These bands have a drummer and instrumentalists which do not remain anonymous or change as frequently as the lead singer changes his/her clothes. Almost always they write their own music.

    But then you must also understand that Rock as such is no definite category. Its highly unclear and full of exceptional cases. Like Led Zeppelin are considered a classic rock band but some of their songs come close to metal (not heavy metal, but even then...) while most of their stuff can also be called bluesy rock.

    (Hard) Rock, as Lord Neo put it, came out of a feeling of frustration and rebellion. The very best eg - Nirvana - smells like teen spirit.

    The difference? You'll have to judge for yourself. The same album can contain a few hard rock, a couple of pop, a couple of punk rock and a few blues stuff. Metal is my favourite genre, but it emerged from rock; and both rock and pop from rock n roll; and rock n roll from blues; and blues and country from folk; that's what I have been led to think. So it all comes down to the fact that music has also evolved from one type to another. There are many variations and many similarities between each type and it will continue in this way.
     
  5. Zeus

    Zeus New Member

    Hmm...reading alll that .......i still dont think i understand whats the acutal differnce between Pop and Rock...:shock:
     
  6. esgallindeion

    esgallindeion Minstrel Knight

    lol

    In the end you'll find that it matters not what genre a song belongs to as long as you like it.
     
  7. lord_neo

    lord_neo Guest

    Well said....:beer:
     
  8. guns n roses

    guns n roses Pro Guitarist

    You can put it this way.

    ROCK - AC/DC, GNR, Iron MAiden

    POP - Backstreet Boys, Britney SPears, Christina Aguilera, NSYNC
     
  9. esgallindeion

    esgallindeion Minstrel Knight

    Allthree are not typical rock bands... they have more or less an element of metal in them. Iron Maiden is more heavy metal.

    Britney Spears, NSYNC are not pop . They are crap.
     
  10. guitar_gal

    guitar_gal New Member

    LOL.. righto dude!!!! :) SPEAR BRITNEY!
     
  11. guns n roses

    guns n roses Pro Guitarist

    seriously ESGALANDEILON whatever ur name is.... u dont gotta be so sciectific. They are all under the rock category. geez. I know theyre not all the same. duh. and whats with moderators always having to correct ME. just like that other dude. Jayanth. Im not saying i dont like u guys but ......nvmnd. u guys r cool. just cut on the correcting.
    If you did some thing like this in an American Forum people get really mad. lol.
     
  12. esgallindeion

    esgallindeion Minstrel Knight

    haha... Im not correcting u as a moderator... but as another user... :p I don't care about genres as such but why do u have to give Iron Maiden as example for rock music... I would say bands like Eagles, Dire Straits, Rolling Stones etc... are better examples, at least in the context of this thread in which we compare pop with rock.
     
  13. guns n roses

    guns n roses Pro Guitarist

    ok.....sorry.....Iron Maiden can go under whatever category u want.. lol
     
  14. prash_rocks

    prash_rocks Over the Hills & Far Away

    lol

    no one here acts high strung... we're all open to criticism and free to criticise, even commoners like us, just like the lords and the mods. and of course this is an indian - i shd say subcontinental - forum and we never quite mind the frequent bashing.
     
  15. jayanth

    jayanth <.: : Call Quits : :.>

    POP is actually short for Popularity... Crap is what we get other than Rock...
     
  16. guns n roses

    guns n roses Pro Guitarist

    good way 2 put it lol
     
  17. jayanth

    jayanth <.: : Call Quits : :.>

    Thanks... lol
     
  18. shaban_khan

    shaban_khan New Member

    According to me the basic difference between POP and ROCK is that in POP music synthesisers are used but in ROCK synthesisers are not used at all.
     
  19. itll be easier to answer what is similar between rock and pop..
    i used to always differentiate between generes earlier
    nowadays i see it like this
    its either good or ****ed up...
    elton john s good so ill listen to him...either its pop or rock anything..
    in the end its a matter of tastes...good or bad thats for u to decide .....
     
  20. deepakborania

    deepakborania New Member

    Basic Difference

    well u can put it this way

    POP SUX(including Britney)

    ROCK RULZ(Guns n Roses Rulz)
     

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