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

Proto-punk1967

Second genre

Acid rock1967

Head to headProto-punk vs Acid rock
Proto-punk: heaviness 5, melody 5, speed 7. Acid rock: heaviness 5, melody 6, speed 5.Heaviness5 / 5Melody5 / 6Speed7 / 5
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Both came out of the same volume and the same year. Acid rock's repetition aims at transcendence; this aims at confrontation.

Both are sung cleanly, but acid rock is slower: 90 to 140 bpm against 140 to 180. Songs run longer in acid rock: usually 5 to 20 minutes, against 2½ to 6 minutes in proto-punk. To hear the difference, play The Stooges next to Blue Cheer. They share a root in rock and arrived in the same year.

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

In figures

Heaviness
Proto-punk5
Acid rock5
level
Speed
Proto-punk7
Acid rock5
−2
Melody
Proto-punk5
Acid rock6
+1

Proto-punk

1967 · Detroit / New York, USA

Where it sits

Rock › Rock and roll › Garage rock › Proto-punk

In short

Garage rock turned hostile and repetitive, with noise and nihilism. Nobody called it punk yet, but everyone at CBGB copied from it.

How it sounds

  • A repetitive, near-hypnotic riff held without development - the opposite of blues rock soloing.
  • Spoken or shouted vocals delivered with calculated contempt.
  • Noise, feedback and lyrics about boredom, drugs and urban alienation.

Key acts

  • The Stooges
  • MC5
  • The Velvet Underground
  • New York Dolls

Start here

The pickThe Stooges - Fun House. The sound of a band self-destructing in real time.

Full page →

Acid rock

1967 · San Francisco, USA

Where it sits

Rock › Psychedelic rock › Acid rock

In short

The heavy end of psychedelia: raw distortion and endless jams. Blue Cheer is often named the first genuinely heavy band.

How it sounds

  • Massive distortion for the era, at the limit of what amplifiers could take.
  • Long solos with wah-wah and controlled feedback.
  • Slow to medium tempos with heavy drums up front.

Key acts

  • Blue Cheer
  • Iron Butterfly
  • Grateful Dead

Start here

The pickBlue Cheer - Summertime Blues. Three people and a wall of Marshalls.

Full page →