Garage Rock Facts

Origins and early development

Garage rock is a raw and energetic style of rock music that was mainly successful in the mid-1960s, most commonly in the United States and Canada. Its name derives from the perception that groups were often made up of young amateurs who rehearsed in the family garage. In the US and Canada, surf rock and the Beatles and other beat groups of the British Invasion motivated thousands of young people to form bands between 1963 and 1968, and hundreds of grass-roots acts produced regional hits. With the advent of psychedelia, numerous garage bands incorporated exotic elements into the genre's primitive stylistic framework, and after 1968 garage rock records largely disappeared from national and regional charts as more sophisticated forms of rock dominated the marketplace.

Evolution or diversification

During the early 1970s critical hindsight and the 1972 compilation album Nuggets helped define and memorialize the style. Between 1971 and 1973 some American rock critics retroactively identified the music as a genre and used the term "punk rock" to describe it, predating the later punk movement. The term "garage rock" gained favor among commentators and devotees during the 1980s. In the early to mid-1980s several revival scenes emerged that consciously attempted to replicate the look and sound of 1960s garage bands, and later in the decade a louder contemporary garage subgenre developed that combined garage rock with modern punk and other influences. In the 2000s a wave of garage-influenced acts associated with the post-punk revival emerged and some achieved commercial success.

Cultural or musical significance

Garage rock has been referred to as proto-punk and in some instances as frat rock. The style influenced later punk and alternative movements and appealed to musicians and audiences who preferred a "back to basics" or DIY musical approach. Critical reassessment and compilations played a key role in memorializing the genre and defining its place in rock history.