It is an artist’s right to play whatever they are feeling. Some may enjoy idly doodling on their guitars for almost three minutes every time they hear the play button. However, a great rock song is more about creating an artistic statement. It’s not just about practicing scales. Even though he was one of the greatest rock and roll songwriters of all time, John Lennon thought Blood Sweat and Tears’ jam band stylings were as boring as watching paint dry.
Rock and roll had grown into a much larger genre by the end of the 1960s than the songwriting that John Lennon was famous for. Although there were still singer-songwriters and performers who dared to stretch the definition of a song, the British blues boom began to make rock and roll seem like a menial endeavor.
Although there’s nothing inherently wrong with listening to bands like Cream from this era, you have to keep in mind that when you hear them perform live, it’s a whole different experience than what’s recorded. Even though Eric Clapton is still a mean guitarist, everyone was free to spread out on stage.
And nowhere was Blood, Sweat, and Tears more evident than it was. There was never any rhyme or logic to the way they wrote a lot of their songs, despite their strong chart history and even a few passable hits.
Blood, Sweat, and Tears might have been among the first in a long line of bands whose main focus was on writing the simplest riffs possible. This allowed the guitar solos to take center stage. Blood, Sweat, and Tears almost sound as though the band couldn’t care less what the song sounds like. Many 2000s kids might bemoan the butt rock of their generation, which included Nickelback and Creed. At least Scott Stapp’s nasal whine is comedically dramatic.
“I don’t like the Blood, Sweat & Tears sht,” John Lennon declared in Rolling Stone, expressing how this was the complete opposite of what rock and roll was meant to be. That’s all bullsht, in my opinion. As far as I can tell, rock ‘n’ roll is evolving similarly to jazz. Some people are following their dreams of excellence, which I have never believed in, while others are just going off. I see myself as a member of the rock and roll avant-garde.
It turns out that Lennon wasn’t given much attention by the jazzy side of rock & roll. On the song “Only a Fool Would Say That,” Donald Fagen and Walter Becker poked fun at John Lennon’s take on rock and roll. This happened after Steely Dan made their debut. However, contrasting the works of these two artists is often like contrasting the works of an architect and a painter.
Lennon was more interested in creating music that would sound good on the piano or acoustic guitar. He wanted his music to stand the test of time. This was in contrast to many acts of the 1970s. They focused on creating the ideal record. And let’s be honest: perhaps we could have avoided some of the more egregious bands. These bands focused on hitting riffs and becoming wealthy later. This might have been possible if Blood, Sweat, and Tears hadn’t had such a profound cultural impact.
