The difference, by ear
The revival, from about 2000: the same songs and the same recording aesthetic, made deliberately by people who had heard Nuggets.
Both are sung cleanly and move at much the same pace, around 140 to 180 bpm. To hear the difference, play The Sonics next to The White Stripes. Garage rock revival grew out of garage rock, 37 years later.
In figures
Garage rock
Where it sits
Rock › Rock and roll › Garage rock
In short
High-school bands, a Farfisa organ and one good idea recorded badly. Attitude beats technique here, and punk descends from it directly.
How it sounds
- A Farfisa or Vox organ, very often louder in the mix than the guitar.
- Raw production cut in a few hours, with saturated vocals and distant drums.
- One good riff, repeated for two and a half minutes.
Key acts
- The Sonics
- The Standells
- The Seeds
- ? and the Mysterians
Start here
The pickThe Sonics - Psycho. Gerry Roslie's voice is a decade ahead of punk.
Full page →Garage rock revival
Where it sits
Rock › Rock and roll › Garage rock › Garage rock revival
In short
A reaction to nu metal and radio pop: crisp guitars, plain production, narrow suits. It put guitar rock back on festival bills in the 2000s.
How it sounds
- Deliberately plain production: few tracks, raw guitar tone, no click track.
- Short riffs from blues or 1960s garage, wrapped in pop structures.
- A strict visual code - a colour scheme or a uniform for each band.
Key acts
- The White Stripes
- The Strokes
- The Hives
Start here
The pickThe Strokes - Is This It. Thirty-six minutes without a gram of fat.
Full page →