The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 1089: 1976-The birth year of alt-rock, part 1
Only a few people realized what was happening to music in 1976. A series of developments changed everything.
The history of rock 'n' roll is a long and intricate one, difficult to pinpoint precisely. It is the result of various influences such as blues, rhythm & blues, country music, hillbilly music, and more, coming together in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This amalgamation required a specific audience, growth of radio, transistor radio, 45 RPM records, and a few key performers with the right look, sound, and songs.
The phrase "rock 'n' roll" took some time to gain popularity, thanks to DJ Alan Freed, who began using it around 1951. Rock 'n' roll's birth cannot be pinpointed to a single song or year, but it can be narrowed down to a period between 1947 and 1955.
Alt-rock is a different beast altogether, and there might be a weirdo, outsider component on the fringes of rock even before the late 1950s. However, there was a specific year when everything suddenly and explosively came together. That year was 1976, which is generally accepted as Year Zero for punk and the time of the Big Bang that led to a deluge of left-of-centre music branching off at a right angle from all the rock that had come before.
Consequently, 1976 can also be extrapolated as Year Zero for everything we call "alternative rock" today. Let's examine what happened during those crucial, pivotal months. If it hadn't happened, you'd be listening to something else right now.
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