Old School Rock for the New Generation

Is there a budding music lover on your gift list this year, but you're an old fogey, and don't know bupkus about the new music out there? Listen to what they're listening to - you may well be surprised that you've heard something like it before, and they may well enjoy a gift of the classics of rock and roll, the roots of their favorite band or bands may be here in my Top 10 Rock Bands of the Twentieth Century.

1) The Beatles - Of course. They didn't invent rock and roll, but they did bring a certain respectability to the genre with their suits (even with their long hair), along with a mania that has still not been explained. The White Album, or Rubber Soul are particularly recommended for today's audience.

2) The Doors - Combining the poetic lyrics of Jim Morrison and the raw edge of his voice, The Doors are perhaps the progenitors of techno-dance music, as well as thunderous protest angst anthems.

3) Led Zeppelin - No question about Led Zeppelin. They are the Godfathers of Heavy Metal, the band that was both creative in their use of instrumentation and vocals to create a unique sound still being copied today.

4) The Beach Boys - Emo? You want emo? What did The Beach Boys play, if it wasn't what is now a separate sub-genre? Not my personal favorite, but still a force too strong to be ignored.

5) The Cars - The Cars were a quirky blend of rock, pop, and obscure poetry blended into a well-crafted, and unique sound. Still unduplicated, despite some efforts in recent years.

6) Aerosmith - Yes, Aerosmith is still around, and still cranking out hard-edged heavy metal mixed with the occasional ballad. The original metal hair band that nearly self-destructed until resurrected by hip hop artists Run DMC.

7) Van Halen - Van Halen showed that rock and roll could feature virtuoso guitar work with rough edged heavy metal, blend pop with adult themes, and bring down the house with silly, repetitive lyrics. Still playing live today, the band's recent reunion with original lead singer David Lee Roth could be short-lived with the declining health of lead guitarist Eddie Van Halen.

8) Lynyrd Skynyrd - The first successful blend of southern sensibilities with rock and roll, Lynyrd Skynyrd thumbed their collective noses at the naysayers and authority figures, and practiced practiced practiced until they created a sound often-copied today.

9) Cheap Trick - The strange, the weird, and the eccentric, the power pop band of well-deserved renown, Cheap Trick was, and remains, an original, still playing live concerts more than thirty years later, and still putting out the occasional new album.

10) The Rolling Stones - Blurring the lines between blues and rock and roll, the Rolling Stones still deserve air play. Attempts at reproducing their unique sound still hit the music stores on occasion, usually to failure.

The trick in giving this music to a younger generation is to never ever tell them it is 'old school.' Let them discover for themselves, after reading the packaging, that it was recorded before they were born.