The Diversity of Classic Rock

World Music For Classic Rock Fans Who Are Afraid of World Music

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23–35 minutes

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A post that I’ve always wanted to write was about world music. When starting this blog, I didn’t want to limit myself to just talking about music in English or from English-speaking countries. When you limit yourself like that, you miss out on a lot.

World music is a broad term that can be considered quite controversial. Why is such a wide variety of music lumped together and relegated to one section of the record store? Usually you won’t find European music in the world music section even if it isn’t in English, unless it’s some traditional music perhaps. It’s quite rare that a non-English song from Europe makes it big.

Pop music isn’t so much Eurocentric as it is Anglospherecentric. If a band from Mainland Europe makes it big internationally, it’s often because they started recording in English. In some cases, European musicians, like Jacques Brel, become known in the Anglosphere because their songs have been translated into English. Imagine a Family Feud style survey asking people to name a song that isn’t in English. A lot of the answers would be one-hit wonders, novelty songs, and maybe a meme song. Some examples from around the world include:

  • “La Bamba” – Ritchie Valens
  • “Guantanamera” (traditional Cuban song)
  • “Sukiyaki” – Kyu Sakamoto
  • “Dominique” – The Singing Nun
  • “Mas Que Nada” – Sérgio Mendes
  • “Je t’aime… moi non plus” – Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin
  • “Oye Como Va” – Santana
  • “Soul Makossa” – Manu Dibango
  • “Ça plane pour moi” – Plastic Bertrand
  • “Der Kommissar” and “Rock Me Amadeus” – Falco
  • “Major Tom” – Peter Schilling
  • “99 Luftballons” – Nena
  • “The Macarena” – Los Del Rio
  • “Du Hast” – Rammstein
  • “Gangnam Style” – Psy
  • “Despacito” – Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber

These days foreign language music is growing in popularity, and I don’t mean music in European languages. In fact, it’s all about Asia and Latin America. K-Pop is huge, one of the biggest movies from last year was K-Pop Demon Hunters. Even though some of the songs have English lyrics, that’s a potential gateway for new K-pop fans. Before that you had huge fandoms for BTS, Blackpink, Stray Kids, and Twice. While it’s more after the fact, Japanese City Pop and Jazz Fusion from the 80s is huge on YouTube thanks to the genre of future funk sampling old Japanese pop songs. Fun fact: did you know that the term city pop came from Japanese promotions for Terry Melcher’s (Byrds producer) 1976 album Second Flush? Do all roads lead to classic rock? Well, I always try to find connections where I can.

In February, reggaeton artist Bad Bunny played the Superbowl halftime show and that got people talking. Right before that he won three Grammys: Best Música Urbana album and Album of the Year for Debi Tirar Más Fotos (translation: “I should have taken more pictures”) and Best Global Musical performance for “EoO”. He’s not a musician I personally listen to (reggaeton gives me a headache, take away my Hispanic card I don’t care).

World music is here to stay. But it can be intimidating if you don’t know what the lyrics mean and you like listening to music for the lyrics. Thankfully because of the monetisation of content online, there are native speakers who translate the songs into other languages to help international fans out and to spread the word about their favourite music.

This blog post is written for the classic rock fan who is world music shy. I have a feeling though that classic rock fans aren’t world music shy people. Santana is very much loved and I’d say he’s the boomers’ gateway to world music. I talked to my dad about how he got into Latin music and he said when he thought about it, it must have been Carlos Santana. That Woodstock performance launched their career.

I have curated a list of (mostly) foreign language music genres to broaden your horizons, specifically tailored for classic rock fans. Under each genre is five songs by five different musicians to give you some variety, without being too overwhelming. Those of us who love great guitar playing and songs with the spirit of classic rock: rebellion and fun. This will be music from the same era as classic rock, so 60s, 70s, and 80s.

1. Yé-Yé (French) – 1960s 🇫🇷 – For those who love 60s beat music

Energetic, happy music from 1960s France. The name yé-yé comes from “yeah, yeah” often heard in British beat music. You might have had some exposure to this genre if you’ve listened to Françoise Hardy, Jacqueline Taïeb, France Gall, Jacques Dutronc, and Serge Gainsbourg. If you love 1960s beat music, you’ll love yé-yé! French is a relatively easy language to learn for English speakers, so if you’re interested in learning French, what better way to do that than through music?

Some yé-yé recommendations for classic rock fans. Start with these songs and work your way through each artists’ discography! You’ll love it!

2. Japanese Jazz Fusion – 1970s and 1980s 🇯🇵 – For fans of prog rock, funk, and jazz

For the most part, a lot of it is instrumental, so you don’t really have to worry too much about lyrics. Excellent guitar playing and I love the basslines and funky sound. Jazz music arrived in Japan in the early 20th century through touring American and Filipino jazz musicians. Before the uproar over The Beatles playing at the Budokan, there were conservative Japanese people who did not approve of jazz music and there were crackdowns on jazz clubs and dance halls. The government tried to ban jazz music, considering it enemy music because it’s American in origin, but it was so popular, it was hard to ban it completely. After WWII, the Allied military occupation of Japan led to homegrown jazz music in Japan because American troops wanted to hear music from home, so Japanese musicians saw a lucrative opportunity in playing on American military bases.

Here are some Japanese jazz fusion recommendations from the 70s and 80s that classic rock fans will love!

  • Tokyo Reggie – Masayoshi Takanaka (1976)
    • His music has recently gone viral worldwide and this year he’s touring the world and getting an amazing reception. He has collaborated with Carlos Santana and Little Richard. His guitar playing is pure joy, some of the happiest guitar playing I’ve ever heard. You’ll be transported to summer! You’re guaranteed to be in a good mood listening to Takanaka! Just hit shuffle, you can’t go wrong!
  • Asayake – Casiopea (1979)
    • This one’s an instrumental. I’ve talked about how great Mint Jams is, easily one of the best sounding live albums I’ve ever heard in my life. Like “Tokyo Reggie”, I only feel happiness listening to this. Mario Kart vibes!
  • Overhead Kick – The Square/T-Square (1986)
    • Recently listened to this Japanese jazz fusion band formed in the 70s and they’re great! If you love Casiopea, you’ll love them! I highly recommend their album Sports. This song is so energetic and I could imagine it being played during the Olympics!
  • K-Bone Shuffle – Naniwa Express (1984)
    • Naniwa Express were one of Japan’s most successful jazz fusion groups. They were active from 1977-1986. Love the funky sounding bass in this one!
  • El Toro – Ryo Kawasaki (1976)
    • I think you’ll have figured out by now I love funky music. Ryo Kawasaki was a jazz fusion pioneer and he developed the guitar synthesiser in collaboration with Roland and Korg. He met and worked with musicians like BB King, George Benson, Gil Evans, Chico Hamilton, and Elvin Jones.

3. Soviet Rock – 1980s 🇷🇺 – For fans of post-punk and synthpop

The Iron Curtain couldn’t keep rock and roll away from the youth of Eastern Europe. Music was either smuggled in or released through the state-owned Melodiya label. Russians were not immune to Beatlemania. The birth of Russian rock and roll was in 1965 when a group called Sokol recorded a song “ Где тот край“ (where is that edge?), this recording is from decades later. Homegrown influences were Bard music, songs by singer-songwriters in an “unplugged” style with acoustic guitar.

The 1980s was the golden age of Russian rock and popular styles included acoustic rock, post punk, new wave, and synthpop. The glasnost/perestroika era had a lot of great music like Kino, whose frontman Viktor Tsoi was considered a voice of a generation. In a way, I see him as the Russian James Dean. In a way “Gruppa Krovi” is the Russian “Fortunate Son”. Here’s a video of a Russian soldier in Ukraine playing it on guitar and singing.

4. Italian Prog Rock – 1970s 🇮🇹 – For fans of progressive rock

Prog rock is an important part of classic rock. It’s a rock subgenre that combines rock music with jazz and classical. The musicians are also masters of their craft. Lots of great bass, guitar, and keyboard playing. If you’re a fan of groups like Genesis, Yes, and ELP, you’ll love Italian prog rock. A lot of similar sounds to British prog rock, but it’s in Italian.

5. Jamaican Ska – 1960s and 1970s 🇯🇲 – For those who love the mod and punk subcultures

Not quite world music as such since it’s in English, but ska and reggae might be the easiest world music for English speakers to get into because there’s not really a language barrier (many English speakers don’t understand Jamaican slang and patois though). If you’re British, you’ll likely be familiar with it because of the Windrush Generation bringing it over and their descendants continuing to listen to that amazing music. There are also subcultures that listen to ska alongside rock music, like the mods, rude boys, skinheads, and punks. Ska and punk go nicely together. Classic rockers have taken inspiration from ska and reggae, like The Beatles with “I Call Your Name” and “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da”, 10cc with “Dreadlock Holiday”, and The Clash with “Rudie Can’t Fail”. Ska has also been in the charts like Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop”, Desmond Dekker’s “Israelites”, The Beat’s “Mirror in the Bathroom”, and The Specials’ “Ghost Town”.

6. Rock en español – 1960s and 1970s 🇺🇾🇪🇸🇲🇽🇦🇷🇵🇪 – For all rock fans

Latin America has so many passionate rock and roll fans and it’s really no surprise there’s great rock music coming out of Latin America. What better way to learn Spanish than through music? If you live in the United States, you’ll have quite a bit of exposure to the Spanish language so you might recognise some words.

  • Boleto para pasear (Ticket to Ride) – Los Shakers (1965)
    • Los Shakers are The Beatles of Uruguay. They were formed in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1964 and they were heavily inspired by The Beatles. What better way to introduce someone to rock en español than to share a Spanish language Beatles cover?
  • Flamenco – Los Brincos (1964)
    • Los Brincos (The Jumps) are Spain’s answer to The Beatles. They were formed in 1964 at the height of Beatlemania. Their 1968 album Contrabando was produced by former Kinks manager Larry Page. Founder and drummer Fernando Arbex worked with Jose Feliciano and Harry Belafonte after the breakup of Los Brincos. Guitarist Junior Morales was of mixed Spanish/Filipino descent. “Flamenco” is one of their most famous songs and I love the combination of Spanish music and 60s beat music.
  • Smog – Los Dug Dug’s (1972)
    • Los Dug Dug’s are one of Mexico’s most famous rock bands and one of the first to take inspiration from The Beatles. Not only did they write music in Spanish, they also wrote some songs in English too. They formed in Durango in 1960 as Xippos Rock and they later moved to Tijuana and then Mexico City. “Smog” is from their 1972 album of the same name and it has more of a Jethro Tull kind of sound. Last year they played it live on KEXP.
  • La Balsa (The Raft) – Los Gatos (1967)
    • Los Gatos were a rock band formed in Argentina in 1967 by Litto Nebia and Alfredo Toth, former members of Los Gatos Salvajes (The Savage Cats). Even though Argentina was under a military dictatorship at the time, there was a lively youth subculture, which included rock and roll. I love the Farfisa organ in this song. “La Balsa” is Los Gatos’ debut single and it became a hippie anthem of sorts in Argentina with its lyrics about freedom. It was written in the toilets of a bar called La Perla de Once, where rock bands would show each other their new songs because of the better acoustics in there.
  • Demolición – Los Saicos (1965)
    • Los Saicos were formed in Lima, Peru in 1964. They were famous for their ahead of their time proto-punk sound with aggressive guitars and screaming. You might say they’re kind of like Latin America’s answer to The Sonics, 13th Floor Elevators, or The Pretty Things. They were short lived, only recording six singles between 1965 and 1966, but in 2006 they reunited and have headlined festivals in recent years. “Demolición” is their most famous song and it has a sound similar to The Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird”. If you want to hear a song with a more mellow sound, listen to “Ana”.

7. Krautrock – 1970s 🇩🇪 – For those who love the electronic/synth side of rock music and ambient music

Krautrock is a rock subgenre from Germany that is experimental and incorporates electronic music. Its origins were in the late 60s during the student protests that were going on in Western Europe. If you’re a fan of mesmerising ambient music like Brian Eno, the David Bowie album Low, or you like DEVO then you’ll like Krautrock.

  • Shuttle Cock – Ashra (1977)
    • This one’s an instrumental, so no language barrier. Ashra were formed by Manuel Göttsching in 1976 after the breaking up Ash Ra Tempel. He, Klaus Schulze, and Hartmut Enke founded Ash Ra Tempel in 1970 and they had a psychedelic sound. Ashra on the other hand have more of an electronic sound. If you like the King Crimson song “Discipline”, you’ll like this one! Great song to get stoned to.
  • Für Immer – Neu (1973)
    • It was a tough one between this and Hallogallo, but Hallogallo is their most popular song and I like to showcase songs that aren’t as appreciated. This is another instrumental, so no lyrics to worry about.
  • Phaedra – Tangerine Dream (1974)
    • The Tangerine Dream album Phaedra is important in the band’s history because it is their first album to have that sequencer driven sound they’re famous for. If you like the music from Stranger Things (particularly the theme song), you’ll like this song. It was a big success in the UK despite no airplay all because of word of mouth.
  • Paperhouse – Can (1971)
    • Can were one of the most famous bands of the Krautrock scene and no Krautrock list is complete without them! Their 1971 album Tago Mago is one of their most famous ones and it’s the first to feature Damo Suzuki on vocals. He was born in Japan and moved to Sweden because he was disillusioned with his country and liked the Scandinavian social democracy better. From there, he travelled around Europe and ended up in Munich and stayed with the Amon Düül collective. Can needed a new vocalist after Malcolm Mooney left the band and they invited him to sing with them and they were impressed and he became a full member of the band. Tago Mago is a great example of Krautrock’s improvisation and jams.
  • Da Guadeloop – Amon Düül II (1974)
    • I love the drumming on this one and it has this funky space rock sound, so it’s a great example of the funky, space rock side of Krautrock. Amon Düül II came from the commune scene in West Germany in the late 60s. In a way it kind of reminds me of Manu Dibango’s “Soul Makossa”.

8. Anatolian Rock – 1960s and 1970s 🇹🇷 – For psychedelic rock fans

Anatolian rock is one of those world music genres that has gotten a revival of interest thanks to internet crate diggers and new bands like Altın Gün (Golden Day). If you like their music, certainly you’ll love their inspirations. In fact, they’ve covered Erkin Koray’s “Cemalim”. The genre got its start in the 60s thanks to the importing of British and American rock music, and as you can tell it’s a fusion of western rock music and Anatolian folk music.

9. Tropicália – 1960s 🇧🇷 – For fans of psychedelic rock and anti-authoritarian music

Tropicália is a Brazilian genre from the 60s that combined rock and roll and the avant-garde with Brazilian music, which has a lot of African and Indigenous influences as a multicultural, majority mixed race country. It’s anti-authoritarian and focused on individuality and uniqueness, rejecting the collectivism of communism and the conformity of conservatism. In 1968, the landmark collaborative album Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis came out. Unfortunately because of the authoritarian government, two major Tropicália artists, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil were arrested and jailed in the late 60s. They lived abroad in exile until they returned to Brazil in the early 70s.

  • A Minha Menina (My Girl) – Os Mutantes (1968)
    • Os Mutantes were of the most famous bands from Brazil in the 60s and a core part of the Tropicália genre and scene. They got their start playing Beatles covers. Their self-titled debut album features a lot of Gilberto Gil/Caetano Veloso compositions. My favourite track on the album is “A Minha Menina”, which has a nice fuzz guitar and was written by samba rock musician Jorge Ben.
  • Alegria, Alegria (Joy, Joy) – Caetano Veloso (1967)
    • Caetano Veloso is one of the most important musicians of the Tropicália movement. His influences were bossa nova and the music of João Gilberto. He even has a song from 1967 called “Tropicália”, except it’s not about the genre nor is the title in the lyrics, it’s just a title that was suggested to Veloso. One of his most famous songs is “Alegria, Alegria”, which means happiness or joy, but the song is more about freedom, which is connected to happiness. It is considered the Brazilian anthem of 1967. Love the fuzz guitar on this one! If you want to hear some Indian influenced sounds, check out his song “Eles”. The album cover for Caetano Veloso’s self-titled album is so groovy! Fun fact, he’s bisexual and an atheist!
  • Domingo no Parque (Sunday in the Park) – Gilberto Gil (1968)
    • Gilberto Gil released an excellent self-titled album in 1968 in collaboration with Rogério Duprat (who did some arranging) and Os Mutantes (did the backing vocals and played the instruments). I love how well samba and bossa nova goes with rock music. Highly recommend you listen to this album in its entirety! Even though the song sounds really cheerful, the lyrics are dark. Similar vibes in that way to The Beatles’ “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” or “Norwegian Wood” I suppose.
  • Namorinho de Portão – Gal Costa (1969)
    • Gal Costa was one of the main figures of the Tropicália scene in Brazil and considered one of Brazil’s greatest singers. Like Caetano Veloso, she got into bossa nova through listening to João Gilberto. At 18, she met Caetano Veloso and the two became friends and worked together. Her 1969 self-titled album is great. If you’re looking for a song in English to listen to, try “Lost in the Paradise”. I’m a sucker for fuzz guitar, an important element of psychedelic and garage rock, and I love how well it goes with bossa nova, so that’s why I chose “Namorinho de Portão”, but really listen to the whole album, it’s brilliant!
  • Curso Intensivo de Boas Maneiras (Intensive Course in Good Manners) – Tom Zé (1968)
    • Tom Zé is another influential musician from the Tropicália scene. Virtually unknown outside of Brazil until David Byrne (who is a huge fan of world music) heard his 1975 album Estudando o Samba and fell in love with it. Byrne started Luaka Bop Records, which releases a lot of world music from Latin America and Africa, is really more freeform and has no rules. Some say Tom Zé is the Frank Zappa or Captain Beefheart of Brazil. This song has some fuzz guitar in it.

10. City Pop – 1980s 🇯🇵 – For disco, funk, and jazz fans.

You like disco, funk, and jazz music, but with a Japanese pop twist? Let me introduce you to City Pop, also known as 1980s J-pop. This music is from the days when Japan’s economy was booming thanks to exports of tech, cars, video games, anime, and manga. At the time, Japan had the second largest music market in the world, only behind the United States! City pop really is just a vibe, and it’s nostalgic listening to it now and I think it’s thanks to the revival in interest thanks to Vaporwave and Future Funk doing remixes and samples of these songs. People’s curiosity was piqued and they wanted to know the source material. If you look up any YouTube Shorts or TikToks on Japan, you’re guaranteed to hear Miki Matsubara’s “Stay With Me”. City Pop is a joy, a pleasure to listen to. Maybe not the most rock and roll genre on here, but it’s guaranteed to cheer you up.

  • Jody – Tatsuro Yamashita (1984)
    • From the soundtrack for the surf film Big Wave. One of the classic rock bands that inspired Yamashita the most are The Beach Boys and you can really hear the influence on the album. He’s the King of City Pop. While it is in English, I think this is a good introduction to the amazing music of Tatsuro Yamashita. The whole soundtrack is amazing! If you’re looking for something in Japanese from him, I love the songs “Merry Go Round” (that bassline!), “Ride On Time”, “Love Talkin’ (Honey It’s You)”, “Someday” (that bassline!), and “Silent Screamer” (that guitar solo!). It’s a shame that Tatsuro Yamashita isn’t big on streaming, but it’s just a reason to buy his albums! Instead I’ll link a cover by city pop and prog rock fan Geno Samuel.
  • Merseybeat De Utawasete – Mariya Takeuchi (1984)
    • A city pop tribute to The Beatles! Tatsuro Yamashita and Mariya Takeuchi are the power couple of city pop and they’re both amazing and I love hearing their music inspired by classic rock bands we know and love. I can’t find this one on YouTube, so I’ll link a beautiful flute cover. Takeuchi has gone viral in recent years because of the popularity of her song “Plastic Love”, and there’s so much more great music!
  • I Love You So – Junko Ohashi (1984)
    • I was introduced to this song through a Future Funk remix, which is really sped up. Listening to the original, this is so 1980s and I love it! The album cover brings back memories. The first time I went to New York City was in 1999 and I saw the Twin Towers. I really do get nostalgic for the seemingly happier, simpler times of the late 90s and Y2K.
  • Fantasy – Meiko Nakahara (1982)
    • I love the energy in this one. This one will make you want to get up and dance. When you hear the “wooooo”, you’ll go “wooooo” too! I really dig the 80s gothic looking dress and the moon motif on the cover. I had a hard time deciding between this one and “Dance in the Memories”, another banger!
  • Step Into The Light – Toshiki Kadomatsu (1984)
    • If you like old school hip-hop like “Rapper’s Delight” and “The Breaks”, this one’s for you. Years ago I stumbled across the album After 5 Clash and wow, it’s amazing. I got it on CD when I went to Japan in 2024. The album cover is an aesthetic too, only in the 80s! I feel so nostalgic for a time I never lived in. This song is perfect for a roller disco or Soul Train! I could so see the dancers from Soul Train dancing to this in the 80s.

Conclusion:

I hope this blog post has been not only a good introduction to world music, but also a fun introduction to music from all over the world. The message here is don’t limit yourself. The world is your oyster! Keep an open mind and listen to something different, it might surprise you!

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Tell me what your favourite songs are, if I’ve missed a favourite band or song of yours, and if there are any other world music genres you’ve been exploring. I love learning from my readers. This is an exchange of information and culture here and this is why I do what I do here at The Diversity of Classic Rock!

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