British rock music

A black and white photograph of the Beatles holding their guitars.
The Beatles (British Invasion/beat music)
A colour photograph of Robert Plant with microphone and Jimmy Page with a double necked guitar performing on stage.
Led Zeppelin (hard rock and blues rock)
A photo of Coldplay, with three members playing various guitars.
Coldplay (alternative rock)
A black and white photo of David Bowie dressed as his Halloween Jack character, playing the guitar.
David Bowie (glam rock and art rock)
A black and white photo of Elton John in an elaborate glam costume, playing the piano.
Elton John (soft rock and glam rock)

British rock describes a wide variety of forms of music made in the United Kingdom. Since around 1964, with the "British Invasion" of the United States spearheaded by the Beatles, British rock music has had a considerable impact on the development of American music and rock music across the world.[1]

Initial attempts to emulate American rock and roll took place in Britain in the mid-1950s, but the terms "rock music" and "rock" usually refer to the music derived from the blues rock and other genres that emerged during the 1960s. The term is often used in combination with other terms to describe a variety of hybrids or subgenres, and is often contrasted with pop music, with which it shares many structures and instrumentation. Rock music has tended to be more orientated toward the albums market, putting an emphasis on innovation, virtuosity, performance and song writing by the performers.[2]

Although much too diverse to be a genre in itself, British rock has produced many of the most significant groups and performers in rock music internationally, and has initiated or significantly developed many of the most influential subgenres, including beat music, progressive rock, art rock, hard rock, heavy metal, punk, post-punk, new wave, and indie rock.

  1. ^ V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra and S. T. Èrlewine, All music guide to rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul (Backbeat Books, 3rd edn., 2002), pp. 1316–7.
  2. ^ S. Frith, "Pop Music" in S. Frith, W. Stray and J. Street, eds, The Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock (Cambridge University Press, 2001), pp. 93–108.