Neo-Rockabilly
Encyclopedia
Neo-Rockabilly is a musical language inspired to the Rockabilly
(a kind of music popular during the fifties) and it isn't conceptually different from Rockabilly music, the word "Neo" being a Latin
word meaning "new".
The reason why this term is used (by the bands and in Record Labels' catalogs) instead of using simply "Rockabilly", is that these subjects want to refer to new original songs written by musicians and bands, beginning in the early 1980s or even in the second part of the 1970s).
Actually, because Rockabilly is a type of music written during the fifties, the term Neo-Rockabilly was thought to refer to music written by bands active during the eighties and till now.
The term is useful to make an historical distinction among the initiators of this type of music and those artists who made this music later, sometime with a different approach sometimes not.
At the same time, because during the eighties a consistent rockabilly revival began and many bands were formed to play the successes of the fifties, the Neo-Rockabilly term is also useful to maintain a distinction over the mere "Rockabilly Revival" bands.
It is important to understand that the term Rockabilly is not obsolete and the term Neo-Rockabilly is no way destined to substitute it.
In fact nowadays we have both Rockabilly Bands and Neo-Rockabilly Bands and the same we will have in the future.
Many still uses these two terms indifferently but it should not be made if one wants to avoid ambiguity and further specifications.
The chance that many Neo-Rockabilly bands also keep a variable number of Rockabilly covers in their repertoires is not to be considered relevant if the main condition (writing new songs to play live and to record) is satisfied.
An interesting question would be: will there be a band in the future playing just covers of one or more Neo-Rockabilly Bands? And in that case how should we classify this band? Probably that should be classified as a Rockabilly Band being a band playing what will be considered the new classics, or the latter classics of Rockabilly and not a band with a repertoire of originals.
NEO-ROCKABILLY AS A 'CONTAINER' TERM
The bands that classify their music as "Neo-Rockabilly" produce a sound which is the nearest to the classic sound and themes of the fifties. Other terms were born to point out heavier variations and diversions of the Neo-Rockabilly music from the original Rockabilly of the fifties. In example Psychobilly, Punk-a-Billy, and others. All these are part of Neo-Rockabilly which remains a more general and neuter term.
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
(a kind of music popular during the fifties) and it isn't conceptually different from Rockabilly music, the word "Neo" being a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
word meaning "new".
The reason why this term is used (by the bands and in Record Labels' catalogs) instead of using simply "Rockabilly", is that these subjects want to refer to new original songs written by musicians and bands, beginning in the early 1980s or even in the second part of the 1970s).
Actually, because Rockabilly is a type of music written during the fifties, the term Neo-Rockabilly was thought to refer to music written by bands active during the eighties and till now.
The term is useful to make an historical distinction among the initiators of this type of music and those artists who made this music later, sometime with a different approach sometimes not.
At the same time, because during the eighties a consistent rockabilly revival began and many bands were formed to play the successes of the fifties, the Neo-Rockabilly term is also useful to maintain a distinction over the mere "Rockabilly Revival" bands.
It is important to understand that the term Rockabilly is not obsolete and the term Neo-Rockabilly is no way destined to substitute it.
In fact nowadays we have both Rockabilly Bands and Neo-Rockabilly Bands and the same we will have in the future.
Many still uses these two terms indifferently but it should not be made if one wants to avoid ambiguity and further specifications.
- A contemporary Rockabilly band is a band that plays rockabilly songs (covers of the songs written during the fifties).
- A contemporary Neo-Rockabilly band is a band that writes and plays its own songs, this implies a creative talent to be present.
The chance that many Neo-Rockabilly bands also keep a variable number of Rockabilly covers in their repertoires is not to be considered relevant if the main condition (writing new songs to play live and to record) is satisfied.
An interesting question would be: will there be a band in the future playing just covers of one or more Neo-Rockabilly Bands? And in that case how should we classify this band? Probably that should be classified as a Rockabilly Band being a band playing what will be considered the new classics, or the latter classics of Rockabilly and not a band with a repertoire of originals.
NEO-ROCKABILLY AS A 'CONTAINER' TERM
The bands that classify their music as "Neo-Rockabilly" produce a sound which is the nearest to the classic sound and themes of the fifties. Other terms were born to point out heavier variations and diversions of the Neo-Rockabilly music from the original Rockabilly of the fifties. In example Psychobilly, Punk-a-Billy, and others. All these are part of Neo-Rockabilly which remains a more general and neuter term.