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· By Armelle Hillairet
TOP 5 BEST HARD ROCK BANDS BEFORE THE 2000s
The return of AC/DC to Europe after 8 years of absence delights hard rock fans, who will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Australian group on August 13, 2024 at the Longchamps racecourse in Paris. Obviously, all the places were sold in just a few hours. We take this opportunity to talk about the success of this group, but also to take a little look back at the 5 best Hard Rock groups before the 2000s. 🎸
1.AC/DC
We're starting this top with AC/DC since it's part of this year's news in France! Australian group created in 1973 in Sydney, known for its genre mixing hard rock and heavy metal, AC/DC left its mark with legendary titles like "Highway to Hell" and "Back in Black".
The band originally consisted of brothers Angus Young (lead guitar) and Malcolm Young (rhythm guitar), as well as Bon Scott (vocals), Cliff Williams (bass) and Phil Rudd (drums). After the death of Bon Scott in 1980, Brian Johnson took over singing and together with the group, they decided to pay tribute to the deceased singer with the title “Back To Black”, one of the group's biggest hits.
Official AC/DC products are on Offstage.fr .
2. Deep Purple
An iconic English rock group created in 1968 known for its hard rock and heavy metal songs, Deep Purple was one of the pioneers of the genre with classic albums such as "Machine Head" (1972) and "In Rock" (1970).
The band's lineup has evolved over the years but its main core consists of Ian Gillan (vocals), Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Jon Lord (keyboards), Roger Glover (bass) and Ian Paice (drums). Their titles "Smoke on the Water", "Highway Star" and "Child in Time" have marked the history of rock thanks to their emblematic guitar riffs. In 2016, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in recognition of their lasting impact on the rock world.
Official Deep Purple products are on Offstage.fr.
3. Guns N’ Roses
Guns N'Roses is an American hard rock and heavy metal group formed in 1985. The group, particularly known for its raw energy and extraordinary performances, became known in particular thanks to titles like "Sweet Child o' Mine", "Welcome to the Jungle" or even "Paradise City".
Like many 80s bands that have been around for over 40 years now, changes took place in the Guns N' Roses lineup, but the core group consisted of Axl Rose (vocals), Slash (lead guitar), Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Steven Adler (drums). Their debut album “Appetite for Destruction”, which was recorded at home, instead of a conventional studio, helped define this album's distinctive sound.
Official Guns N'Roses products are on Offstage.fr .
4 . Kiss
Do you recognize the group by their memorable makeup? Kiss was formed in 1973 in New York, creating their legendary characters on stage the same year: Gene Simmons (Bass and vocals) became the Demon with his famous demon face makeup and a tongue of fire, Paul Stanley (vocals and rhythm guitar) became Starchild, Ace Frehley (lead guitar and vocals) became Spaceman, and Peter Criss (drums and vocals) became Catman.
A beloved hard rock and heavy metal group from the 70s, the group became famous thanks to titles like "Detroit Rock City", "Love Gun" and "Rock and Roll All Nite". Thanks to these titles and their incomparable look, the group became one of the best known in the history of rock of the 70s.
Official Kiss products are on Offstage.fr.
5. Led Zeppelin
British group created in 1968 in London, Led Zeppelin became known thanks to its varied musical style: a mixture of hard rock, folk and blues. “Stairway to Heaven”, “Whole Lotta Love” and “Kashmir” are among the biggest hits of their career, and dominated the charts in the 1970s.
Led Zeppelin consisted of Jimmy Page (guitarist), Robert Plant (vocals), John Paul Jones (bass, keyboards) and John Bonham (drums). They composed songs that are still iconic today like “Stairway to Heaven”, apparently created following a dream of Jimmy Page!
Official Led Zeppelin products are on Offstage.fr.
Did you know these 5 groups? Do they bring back memories? 🤩 Before the 2000s, rock definitely brought a touch of rebellion and inspiration to the generations that followed. Rock defies norms, creates legendary icons and inspires crowds. It has even become, not long ago, a clothing style for fashionistas: wearing a t-shirt from one of the most famous rock groups in the world is more than trendy!
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