9: Chapter Rock
*Popular music *Again hard to pin down *Many sub-styles- folk, pop, jazz, grunge, heavy metal............... Nature of Rock Music Mass art form pop music Commercial art form (producer as "author") Connected to visual arts, fashion, TV Connected to teen culture
Birth of Rock: Nonmusical Factors Several factors come together after WW II o Post war economic boom o Invention of teenager o Bland Suburbs o Civil Rights Movement o Rise of television o Development of technology
Birth of Rock: Musical Factors Slow gradual process All the ingredients in place by the 1950's Influence of 3 musical style o Rhythm & Blues (R&B) o Country o Gospel
R&B Influence Most important influence on rock Blues electric Chicago sound o Model for instrumentation o Electric guitar, acoustic bass, drums, harmonica o Also rough timbre, showy performances
Jump Blues (Jump Music) Dance style similar to swing Smaller ensembles, fast tempos Louis Jordan: "Caldonia"
Importance of Radio Strong radio signals broadcast R&B nationally Alan Freed (1922-1965) o "Moon Dog's Rock and Roll Party" radio show, 1951
o Copyrights "Rock and Roll" o Promotes music, organizes concerts o 1960 payola scandal (bribed to play certain songs) First Rock Recordings Sam Phillips founds Sun Records o Big studios would not record, produce, market black artists o Ike Turner; "Rocket 88" 1951 o Joe Turner "Shake, Rattle and Roll"
Bill Haley and the Comets White band Cover "Rocket 88" and others "Rock around the Clock" (1955) original tune
Elvis Presley (1935-1977) Poor, religious upbringing, exposed to gospel Walked into Sun Records in 1953 1954 records blue cover "That's All Right Mama" By 1956 on national TV: Ed Sullivan Show Late 1950's string of number 1 and top 10 hits Drafted by army, returns in 1960 but never achieves same popularity Not an innovator but helps style spread nationwide Recording companies wanted white musician with black sound Elvis music and performance style linked to black R&B style "Hound Dog" Big Mama Thornton then Elvis
Rock in the 1950's Many performers trying to match Elvis' success Sun Records records many early legends o Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis o Country artists experimenting with R&B Some black artists trying country Gospel influence: Little Richard, Ray Charles o Singing style, piano style o Doo wop style: 4-5 singers with tight harmonies
-
Musical Characteristics of Rock *Rhythm Fast tempo 4 meter: emphasis on the backbeat 1234 Straight rhythm (not like blues) Syncopated, catchy
*Melody *Harmony Simple, predictable, 3 or 4 chords Often 12 bar blues form Simple, tuneful Simple repeating short phrases, narrow range
*Texture homophonic *Timbre/Instrumentation *Form *Lyrics Often covers of R&B tunes Content not so important Subject often love/sex (sometimes implied) Often 12 bar blues No call and response now Verse-chorus solidified in 1960's Hallow body electric guitar Acoustic bass, drum set, sometimes piano or horns Harmonized singing Rough blues sound, or smooth slick sound
*Chuck Berry (1926- ) Blending styles country guitar solo, boogie-woogie rhythm, blues chords Talented songwriter Helps electric dominate the sound of rock Tough, aggressive performances; stage antics "Johnny B. Goode" (CD 1, track 10) o Rock guitar intro o Early model of verse/chorus o Fast, syncopation, backbeat
*"Death" of Rock and Roll Ongoing speculation about the demise of rock Big record companies thought that rock was a fad Eventually they realize that it's not o Start to swallow the small, independent labels o Buyout contracts of popular artists Also sidelining of many big stars at the end of the 1950's
-
o Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Little Richard *The 1960's Several new styles start-up o Pop rock, British Blues-Rock, Motown, Soul, Surf music, Folk, Acid rock Early 60's dominated by teen idols Famous songwriting duos Brill Building Producers as "author" of the song o Phil Spector, "wall of sound"
*Motown and Soul Berry Gordy Jr. o Tamla and Motown record labes (1959) o Signs Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, etc o House band, songwriters in Holland-Dozier-Holland Atlantic Records Jerry Wexler o Hires Aretha Franklin, Ruth Brown, etc. Soul African American pop music of the day James Brown "Godfather of Soul" o Dramatic gospel style vocals o Tight horn arrangements o Catchy dance rhythms, strong beat o Precursor of Funk o "Papas Got a Brand New Bag/I feel Good"
-
*Surf Music New Style, emerges on West Coast Guitar sound play near the bridge (brittle) Tremelo bar = bending, wavering pitch (like the ocean) Lyrics about carefree life at the beach Duane Eddy, Beach Boys
*British Invasion Music in the U.S. is tame, bland in early 60's British and German teens just discovering rock Sailors would bring back records from the states Teen groups in Europe imitate Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Richard Bring Blues based rock back to America Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cream, Kinks, Animals, Who
*The Beatles Start as the "Quarry Men" in 1957 By 1960 steadt gig in Hamburg, Germany
-
o Chuck Berry covers Brian Epstein becomes manager o Signed them with Capitol Records in 1962 First Recording in 1962 and second in 1963 hits #1 1963 to the U.S. Ed Sullivan Show 1966 stop touring 1970 broke up Music o Early music: similar to others Usual chords, rich harmonies, AABA or ABAB o form Songs seem simple but are much more compositionally rich than other bands' o Lennon/McCartney talented songwriters o "I want to hold your hand" o Later style: grow tired of pop music Start exploring in the studio with new sounds, instruments(sitar) o Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band (1967) "Concept Album" Progressive rock Unusual timbre
*Folk Revival Release of Smithsonian's field recordings Appeals to students learn to play guitar, sing Maybe appeal was "authenticity" (not as commercial" Lyrics become very important o Singer/songwriters questions authority o Address serious issues like war, racism Pete Seeger, Woodie Guthrie, Bob Dylan,Joan Baez, etc.
-
*Bob Dylan 1961 album "Bob Dylan" Music is personal and political Talent is in songwriting poetic, interesting melodies Leader in folk revival movement Performs with a rock band Newport festival (1966) Starts incorporating rock and country, then rock and Christian music Return to folk style later in life
*Acid Rock 1960's time of unrest in the U.S., around the world Poverty, crime, inner cities, racism, Vietnam Young people view the government with suspicion o Defy authority/parents: burn draft cards, long hair, drugs, premarital sex San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury Center of alternative lifestyles Name in reference to LSD
-
Free of traditional rules o Long, improvised instrumental solos o Wailing, loud lead guitar o Heavy amplification lots of distortion o Embrace alternatives political ideas rejections status quo
*Jimmy Hendrix (1942-1970) *1970's Around 1970, second era of rock ends o Several big stars die o Beatles break up Again rock goes in several directions o Hard rock, heavy metal, soft rock, funk, disco Some artist Blends blues, British Rock, special effects Very wide range, plays with many musicians Band The Jimi Hedrix Experience Guitar virtuoso adds reverb, distortion, range of timbres Lyrical, emotional, Dazzling playing "Purple Haze" (1967)
-
*Singer/Songwriters In the 1960's, the Beatles and Bob Dylan present their OWN songs Interest in the 70's in hearing the composer perform B y the end of the 60's important distinction o Pop performers sing music written by others o Rock Performers sing own stuff New wave of singer/songwriters young acoustic guitarists Focus on the songs o Not concerned with the flashy appearance, stage presence, dramatic productions Paul Simon, Carole King, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Elton John
-
-
*Country Rock Country was important in the birth of rock
*Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Emerges out of the Second British invasion Virtuosity on electric guitar, lots of amps, distortion Early Metal again brought over by British o Music is very complex o All instruments are virtuosic, changing tempo, meter (disorienting) o Associated with evil
o Vocals incomprehensible, screaming, disturbing *Other Trends Glam Rock emphasis on the visuals o Complex costumes, showy staging o David Bowie "Ziggy Stardust" 1972 Progressive Rock o Stretch narrative boundaries of rock o Emphasis sonic qualities o Pink Floyd "The wall" 1979
-
*Funk Starts up in the 60's (James Brown leads the way) Traditional music rolls flipped upside down o Melody instruments now play rhythmic figures o Bass and drums almost melodic Minimal chords, very strong beat Large bands, big horn sections Nightclub culture emerges spinning Earth Wind and Fire, George Clinton and Parliament and Funkadelic
*Disco -
Created for dancing Extended instrumentals Less emphasis on the back beat Backlash by late 70's "Disco Sucks" rally 1979 Too repetitive for listening by it was all over the radio Bee Gees, ABBA, Donna Summers
*Rocks Third Death Punk Pop is big business by the mid 70's A few nig record companies control industry Rock has "lost its edge" and rawness again These factors plus Depression in England lead to PUNK rock "Anti Art" style o Loud, distorted, noisy, few chords, bitter lyrics o Sex Pistols "God Save the Queen"
*1980's Several technological advances Cable TV MTV o 1981, starts broadcasting rock videos 24 hours a day o Emphasis on visuals, fashion, dance styles CDs
-
-
o Clear sound, wider dynamic range, reliable, long lasting, 50% more music but smaller o Take over record and rape sales by 1991 o Music no longer bound to space of record side Better tacking of record sales o Previously had just called store owners to find out what was selling o Now Computerized tracking at checkout o Accurate figures on what is selling o Discover that rock has competition rap, country
*New Wave Very Large range of styles Punk Bands, image oriented stars (MTV) British Imports Interest in the synthesizer o Becomes more flexible and affordable o 1983 standardized system (MIDI) Lots of dance music o Goes with music videos Michael Jackson (1958 - ) o First black artist featured on MTV o 1982 hit "Thriller" Madonna (1958 - ) o Starts as a dancer in NYC, then starts recording o 1984 first hit "Borderline" o 17 consecutive Top 40 hits through the 80's
-
-
Other Styles *Rap Develops from a similar Jamaican form (toasting) Develops in hip-hop culture of late 70's, South Bronx Jamaican immigrant Kool Herc Source in African American culture Signifying insulting others creatively MC's improvise DJ spins records, multilayered rhythmic back drop World Beat Reggae/Ska Jamaican rock African Rhythms "Graceland" Paul Simon As rock becomes more global people bring in elements of their own Also a search for authenticity