Rockpedia

Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

Blues rock1963

Second genre

Boogie rock1970

Head to headBlues rock vs Boogie rock
Blues rock: heaviness 4, melody 8, speed 5. Boogie rock: heaviness 4, melody 8, speed 6.Heaviness4 / 4Melody8 / 8Speed5 / 6
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Boogie is blues rock with one tempo and one shuffle, played for a very long time on purpose.

Both are sung cleanly, but boogie rock is a little faster: 120 to 160 bpm against 90 to 130. To hear the difference, play Cream next to Status Quo. Boogie rock grew out of blues rock, seven years later.

Put together from each genre's vocals, tempo, song length, key acts and place in the tree.

In figures

Heaviness
Blues rock4
Boogie rock4
level
Speed
Blues rock5
Boogie rock6
+1
Melody
Blues rock8
Boogie rock8
level

Blues rock

1963 · London / Chicago · 7 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Blues rock

In short

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

How it sounds

  • Pentatonic scales and long bends inherited straight from B.B. King and Buddy Guy.
  • Amplifiers driven into natural saturation - the distortion comes from volume, not a pedal.
  • Long songs with room for live improvisation.

Key acts

  • Cream
  • The Yardbirds
  • Jimi Hendrix
  • Fleetwood Mac

Start here

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

Full page →

Boogie rock

1970 · USA / Australia

Where it sits

Rock › Blues rock › Boogie rock

In short

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

How it sounds

  • A shuffle rhythm in dotted eighths, held identically from start to finish.
  • A short guitar riff in open position, with no modulation.
  • No pretensions whatsoever: the songs exist to be played live.

Key acts

  • Status Quo
  • Canned Heat
  • AC/DC

Start here

The pickAC/DC - Riff Raff. Boogie rock at melting point.

Full page →