10 Moments That Changed Rock Music History
It's time to upset the status quo.
Music history is littered with those moments that changed the cause of its evolution. With music scholars endlessly debating the origins of this genre or that movement, it's difficult to pin down what exactly caused certain trends.
Having said that, there are those moments that are universally accepted as being revolutionary in redirecting the cause of musical history. When Prince released Purple Rain in 1984, the album's content triggered mass hysteria and began the movement to censor musicians.
When Madonna's wardrobe malfunctioned at the 1984 MTV music awards it caused a scandal but catapulted her to the status of an icon. And, when N.W.A released F*ck tha Police it sent shockwaves through the hip hop world, making rap the new protest movement.
The evolution of guitar based music has been a rocky one (pun heavily intended) and thank god, rock has never been about conformity and the moments that bring the status quo into question are the ones that make music interesting again.
These are some of the most defining occurrences in the history of rock, the moments that birthed movements, that caused outrage and that encouraged innovation. They are the moments we're collectively thankful for. For the most part...
10. The Death Of Ian Curtis And The Birth Of New Order
The early death of Ian Curtis and the dissolution of Joy Division was a tragic moment in the history of rock.
Celebrated as the new sound of the British alternative music scene, Joy Division made a marked impression, with their catchy bass driven melodies laced with the gothic undertones of Curtis's lyricism. This music was energetic, you could bop to it, but it was dark...
The true weight of the heavy subtext behind Joy Division's music would come to be realised in may of 1980 when Ian Curtis died by suicide, months before the release of his bands second album.
But, out of the ashes rose the phoenix that would spearhead the alternative dance music of the 1980s. New Order.
The fusing of guitar led new-wave music with electronica and acid house resulted in that wonderful moment in the mid 1980s, appropriately dubbed the 'Madchester' scene. The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays were the conductors of that moment, leading a mad waltz of ecstasy infused mayhem as they set the stage for the Britpop era a decade later.
Ian Curtis may have been taken too young, but his legacy has sent sonic shock waves through the world of rock.