Pop/Rock  •  Rock & Roll/Roots

Retro-Rock

Overview Artists Albums Songs

During the '80s and '90s, there were groups of musicians that kept the spirit of first-wave rock & roll alive, playing music that unabashedly celebrated everything prior to the British Invasion. This wasn't roots rock, which also blended elements of country-rock and folk-rock, since that had a distinctly modern spirit. Retro-Rock tried to sound and feel like old-time rock & roll. Classics and obscurities from the late '50s and early '60s were covered with relish, and new songs were written in the same spirit. Sometimes, they were faithful to the letter, writing songs about dances and rock & roll with no irony; other times, the new tunes were laced with humor. Either way, the music stayed the same -- a celebration of the early days of rock & roll, from Chuck Berry to pre-Pet Sounds Beach Boys.