Rockpedia

Blues rock, from the outside in. Each step is a genre and the single record this encyclopedia would put on first. Play them in this order and the last one should sound like a next step rather than a wall.

  1. 1 The way in

    Rock 1954

    The whole family: guitar, bass, drums and a beat borrowed from blues and rhythm and blues. Every branch below grows out of this trunk, metal included.

    Sung. Melodic singing throughout.

    Cover of Revolver

    Put on

    The Beatles - Revolver, if you want to understand why everything branched so fast.

    The Beatles, Revolver (1966)
  2. 2 What you asked about

    Blues rock 1963

    Electric blues played louder, longer and with improvised solos. The direct bridge between Muddy Waters and Black Sabbath.

    Sung. Melodic singing throughout.

    Cover of Fresh Cream

    Put on

    Cream - Sunshine of Your Love. The riff that showed how thick a trio could sound.

    The pick names a track. This is the record the encyclopedia holds by them.

    Cream, Fresh Cream (1966)
  3. 3 Where to go next

    Boogie rock 1970

    One shuffle riff held until exhaustion. Simple by design and impossible to sit still to.

    Sung. Melodic singing throughout.

    Cover of High Voltage

    Put on

    AC/DC - Riff Raff. Boogie rock at melting point.

    The pick names a track. This is the record the encyclopedia holds by them.

    AC/DC, High Voltage (1975)

Assembled from the tree: every genre Blues rock descends from, in order. The last step is the gentlest of Blues rock's 3 subgenres - least harsh vocals first, then least heavy.