Music Final Exam
Springsteen and His E street band
Characterized by a strong roots rock sound Emphasized Springsteens connection to 1950s and 1960s music Included a saxophone to mark the link with the RB and rock n roll of earlier eras Utilized twelve bar blues forms an obvious homage to the roots of rock Focused on the traditional rock ensemble of guitar bass and drums with keyboard instruments occasionally used prominently
The concept album
Concept albums were intended as thematically and aesthetically unified works not simply collections of unrelated cuts The beach boys, pet sounds the beatles, sgt.peppers lonely hearts club band the Who's, rock opera Tommy By the early 70's the twelve inch fidelity LP had become the promary medium for rock music
Disco
Disco was derived from discotheque a term first used in Europe during the 60s to refer to nightclubs devoted to playing recorded music for dancing
Easy E Eric Wright
Godfather of gangsta Rap Former drug dealer who was using the proceeds of his occupation to find a record label ruthless records Founding member of NWA
Sly and the family stone
Interracial psychedelic soul band whose recordings bridged the gap between rock music and soul music Sly Stone -Born in Dallas in 1944 moved to san francisco with his family in the 1950s Began his musical career at age four as a gospel singer Went on to study trumpet music theory and composition in college Later worked as a disc jockey at both RB and rock oriented radio stations in the San Francisco Bay area
MTV
MTVs focus on white rock artists reminded many critics of the exclusionary practices of album oriented rock radio in the 1970s The mammoth success of Michael Jacksons Thriller released by Columbia Records in 1982 forced a change in MTVs essentially all white rock music format
Madonna
Madonna began early in her career to exert an unusual degree of control ocer both her music and the creation and promulgation of her media image Wrote or co wrote many of the songs on her early albums Played an active role in the production process
The Philadelphia Sound
One of the most commercially successful forms of soul music during the 1970s Produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and performed by groups such as the OJays and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes These groups had a great crossover success in the 1970s
Willie Nelson
One of the most influential progressive country artists Born in Texas in 1933 Developed a successful career as a professional songwriter in Nashville before m oving back to Texas in 1971 Crazy had been a top 10 country and pop hit for Patsy cline in 1961 Settled in Austin where he fit in with the local music scene
James Brown
One of the prime inspirations for funk musicians during the early 1970s brown continued to score successes with dance oriented songs Browns ranking on the pop charts declined gradually throughout this period
NWA Niggaz with attitude
Recordings that expressed the gangsta lifestyle saturated with images of sex and violence Founded in compton Ice Cube Dr. Dre
Disn Jockeys
Rediscovered t eh single and expanded it to fill the time frame offered by the twelve inch LP vinyl disc Developed techniques for blending one record into the next without interuption -francis grasso -DJ kool herc
HipHop music
Rejection of mainstream dance music by black and puerto rican listeners Profoundly shaped by the techniques of disco DJs -Kool Herc (Clive Campbeel), Granmaster Flash (Joseph saddler ) Afrika Bambaataa (kevin donovan)
The Tin Pan Alley tradition of Songwriting
Songs from the Tin Pan Alley tradition continued to be popular during the 1970s The first number on single of the 1970s was a throwback to the brill building era of the early 1960s raindrops keep fallin on my head. performed by former country singer BJ Thomas The song was featured on the sountrack to the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Composed by Hal David and Burt Backarach
Purple Rain
The best example of princes skill at manipulating the boundary between the public and the private are the film and soundtrack album purple rain Purple rain was the bestselling album of 1984 bumping Born in the USA out of the top position
Purple rain
The film did reasonable well at the box office although it did not succeed in establishing praince as a matinee idol The film and the album were cross promoted by warner entertainment The single of when doves cry was released a few weeks before purple rain appeared in theatres and helped boost the film popularity which in turn helped several other songs on the soundtrack reach the top 40
American Culture
The market for popular music became focused on two main categories -New generation of teenagers -Adults aged twenty five to forty
feuds
The notorious BIG worked with producer and rapper sean puffy combs CEO of the New York independent label Bad Boy records Shot to death in Los Angeles Both 2pac and BIG had recorded prophetic raps that ended with the narrator speakign from the grave rather than standing in bloody triumph over his victims
Listening Jump
The text is casual come on to a girl from a guy leaning against a jukebox jump open with a synthesized power chord Thick textures and a strong pulse played on keyboards bass and drums propel us through the first two verses of the song The guitar solo is followed by a longer synthesizer solo which develops an elaborate melodic improvisation that closely parallels the style of Van Halens guitar playing Eddie Van Halen is weidely recognized as a primary innovaator in electric guitar performance Synth Prelude
Marvin Gaye and whats going on
Theme album that fused soul music and gospel influence with the political impetus of progressive rock The basic unifying theme of the album is social justice the title track was inspired by the return of Gaye's brother from Vietname and is a plea for nonviolence Other songs focus on ecology the welfare of children and the suffering of the poor in americans urban centers
Stairway to Heaven
anthem of heavy metal music thenderous volume the eight minute track was never released as a single you had to purchase the album to own a copy of the song The album cover did not bear the name of the album band or record company -Led Zeppelin eventually sold fourteen million copies and reached number two on the billboard top 10 LP charts for five years
Gangsta Rap
chronicled the dilemmas faced by urban communities from a first person present tense viewpoint the recordings of artists like Ice-T, NWA, Snoop Doggy dogg, 2pac, and BIG combine a grim suvivalist outlook on life with a gleeful celebration of the gangster lifestyle Was an avenue for black males to express control and dominance over the one this they controlled themselves
Prince
over the course of his career prince has sol almost forty million recordings Prince is one of the most talented musicians ever to achieve mass commercial success in the field of popular music
Nirvana
the commercial breakthrough for alternative rock was achieved by Nirvana a band from the pacific northwest moved alternative rocks blend of hardcore punk and heavy metal into commercial mainstream
Dance music in the digital age
up tempo, repetitive, electronic dance music
The 1980s and the music business
1979 saw an 11 percent drop in annual sales nationwide Profits from the sale of recorded music hit rock bottom in 82 down half a billion from the peak year Record companies relied on a small number of multiplatinum artists to create profits in the 1980s The recovery of the recording industry was due to the success of a few recordings bu the superstar musicians such as michael jackson, madonna, prince, bruce springsteen, whitney houston, phil collins, and janet jackson
House
A little ealier a genre called house music wasa developing in chicago many house recordings were purely instrumental with elements of european synth-pop latin soul reggae rap and jazz grafted over an insistent dance beat
Reggae
A potent micture of Caribbean folk music and american RB The first style of the rock era to originate in the so called third world Born im the shantytowns of Kingston Jamaica First became popular in the US after the release of the Janaican film the harder they come and its soundtrack album
Abraxas
Abraxas was released by columbia records in 70 It held the number one position on the LP charts for six weeks spent a total of eighty eight weeks on charts and sold over four million copies in the US alone The album produced two top 40 singles black magic woman and oye como va The singles were shorter versions of the track on the LP
Lady performed by Kenny Rodgers
Appeared on Kenny Rodgers Greatest Hits The tenths bestselling single of the entire decade The ebstselling country album of the 1980s One of very few singles during the decade to appear on all of the major billboard charts Written and produced by Lional Richie African American singer and songwriter Superstar of the 1980s Former member of the RB vocal group the commodores
African American Artists during the 1970s
Artists such as James Brown and Aretha Franklin found it more difficult to penetrate the pop and rock dominated top 40 charts Motown Records no longer enjoyed dominance of the crossover market Many of the black performers who were featured on AM radio and the top 40 charts specialized in soft soul
MTV
Began Broadcasting in 1981 changed the way the music industry operated rapidly becoming the preferred method for launching a new act or promoting a superstars latest release It strongly influenced the direction of popular music in the early 1980s, sparking what has been called a second british invasion
Reggae
During the 1970s Jamaican musicians such as bob marley and Jimmy Cliff achieved a measure of commercial success in the United States American and British rock musicians including Eric Clapton Paul Simon the Police and Elvis Costello found inspiration and profit in the style
Stars of Salsa
Eddie Pamieri -approach to the paino shaped by jazz of the 50s and 6t0s, pushed the compositional and harmonic limits of latin dance music Willie Colon -Distinctive approach to salsa music added touches of W. Africa, panamanian, columbian, brazilian and puerto rican music. street wise image and relentlessly energetic gritty sound Reben Blades -Singer songwriter film actor and political activist. Best known for a series of story songs that capture the feel of the barri
Carlos Santana
First album santana was realsed and rached number four on the top LPs chart Santanas success is due in large part to their performance at woodstock and their appearance on the film and sounds track
Country Music and the Pop mainstream
Glen Campbell Worked with western swing bands in the southwest as a teenager Mover to los Angeles in 1958 where he developed a career as a session guitarist and vocalist A member of the Wrecking Crew Toured with the Beach boys Starting in the late1960s he had a string of crossover hits on the country and pop charts In 1969 he began hosting his own network TV series The Glem Campbell Goodtime Hour
Graceland Paul Simon
Graceland is a truly global album from a geographical point of view Recorded in five locations on three continents Johannesburg south africa london england new york city los angeles crowley louisiana
Olivia Newton John
Grew up in Australia Scored a series of top 10 country crossover hits during the mid 1970s Won the CMA award for female singer of the year -her popularity in country music was met with distaste by many hardcore sountry music fans Moved out of country music to jump on the oldies bandwagon -Appeared in the film grease and on its bestselling soundtrack album
The Death of Disco
July 12th 1979 Disco demolition night The decline of disco may have been the result of a backlash against its GLBTQ and racial associations as well as a distaste among rock fans for the overly simplified repetitve nature of disco music
Bob marley
Leader of the Wailers A national hero in his native jamaica, Marley was reggae most effective international ambassador His songs of determination rebellion and faith rooted in the rastafarian belief system found a worldwide audience that reached from american to japan and from europe to africa
1970s punk and new wave
Many believed that rocks innovative potential had been squandered by pampered pretentious rock stars and the major record companies that promoted them The golden age of punk rock a back to basics rebellion against the percieved artifice and pretension of corporate rock music lasted from around 1975 to 1978 Both the music genre and the sensibility with which it was associated continue to exert a strong influence today on alternative rock music
Hardcore country
Merle Haggard and the bakersfield sound -during the 70's some musicians returned to the straightforward approach of postwar honky tonk musicians like hank williams and ernest tubb
The crash of the early 1980s
Onset of a national recession Competition from new forms of entertainment The decline of Disco Illegal copying of commercial recordings by consumers with cassette tape decks in 1984 sales of prerecorded cassettes surpassed those of vinyl discs
The Ramones
The first bonafied punk band formed in 1974 in New York Their high speed energetic and extremley loud sound influenced english punk groups such as the sex pistols and the clash and also became a blueprint for 1980s LA hardcore band
Rum DMC
Trio Adidas corporation and Run DMC signed a 1.5 million promotional deal
The Rise of Salsa Music
Became popular in New York city dance clubs in the mic 70s Rise of independent Latin oriented record companies Extension of the experiemental blend of Latin ballroom dance music Afro Cuban rumba drumming and modern jazz forged by Mario Bauza Machiato and Dizzy Gillespie in the 40s
Dolly Parton
Began her recording career at age 11 Built her career with regular appearances on country music radio and television Succeeded newoton john as CMA female singer of the yera Know as the queen of country music
AOR
Album Orientated rock Aimed at white males aged thirteen to twenty five -Generally exculded black artists -Featured hard rock bands such as led zeppelin and deep purple and art rock bands such as king crimson Emerson lake and palmer and pink floyd
Raps
Although all DJs used microphones to make announcements Kool Herc was also one of the first Djs ti recite rhyming phrases over the breakbeats produced on his turntables Some of Hers raps were based on a tradition of Verbal performance called toasting a form of poetic storytelling with roots in the trickster tales of West Africa
Bad Girls and Good Times
Bad girls performed by Donna Summer Good times performed by Chic What makes these records disco -the beat, a steady medium fast tempo straighforward repetitive song forms straightforward subject matter limited harmonic vocabulary Return to the basics danceable music with a new twist
Bob Marley
Between 75 and 80 marley recorded six gold LPs for island records -Rastaman vibration which reached number eight on the billboard LP charts in 76 Wounded in a politically motivated assassination attempt in 76 Died of Cancer in 1981 at age thirty six His appeal and popularity both in america and world wide have only grown in the years since his deaths -The 84 LP compilation legend has sold over eight million copies in the United States alone
Hip hop feuds and rivalries
Between east coasts bad boy records and west coasts death row records Tupac up and coming star with los angeles based death row records Victim of the conflicts between east and west coast factions within the hip hop business Shot and killed in Las Vegas
Townes Van Zandt
Born in Fort Worth Texas Singer songwriter who became a cult hero of the progressive country movement Never placed a record on the country top 40 charts but his fifteen LPs became underground classics
Carlos Santana
Born in Mexico Musical influences: jazz particularly Miles Davis and Jogn coltrane Salsa a new york based style of latin dance music Late 60s san francisco rock, including artists such as janis joplin jimi hendrix and sly and the family stone Formed his own band in 68 from middle and working class latino black and white musicians from various cultural backgrounds
Prince Rogers Nelson
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota Growing up in a middle class minneapolis neighborhood exposed him to a wide range of music His early influences included everything from james brown and santana to joni mitchell In stylistic terms princes recorded output has encompassed a wide range of musical inspirations Funk guitar based rock n roll urban folk music new wave Psychedelic rock
Def Jam
Both raising Hell and licensed to III were released on a new independent label called Def Jam Co founded in 84 by the hip hop promoter Russell Simmons and the musicians producer Rick Rubin Cross promoting a new generation of artists
David Bowie
Bowies ability to create quasi-fictional stage personae with every new album was a precedent for the image manipulation of 1980s stars like madonna. michael jackson, and prince David Bowie was a pioneer of glam rock -emphasized elaborate showy appearance and costuming
Willie Nelson
Bridged the gap between rock and country without losing touch with his honky tonk roots Rise to national fame came in the mid 1970s through his association with a group of musicians caollectively known as the outlaws
Rock Steady
Considerably slower in tempo than ska Some of its leading exponents began to record songs with social and political content Rude Boys: The main patrons of rock steady, An informal and unruly Jamaican youth movement, increasingly came into conflict with the jamaican police
Joni Mitchell and blue
Consists of a cycle of songs about the complexities of love The album is carefully designed to create a strong emotional focus The sound of the LP is spare and beautiful focusing on Mitchells coice an acoustic guitar
Hardcore
Developed in clubs on the west coast anextreme variation of punk pioneered during the early 1980s by bands in San Francisco and LA
The velvet underground
Formed in New York in 1964 Promoted by the pop art superstar Andy Warhol who painted the famous cartoon like image of a banana on the cover of their first LP Early work shows the influence of Bob Dylan Later work is rough edged chaotic extrememly loud and deliberately anti commercial the lyrics of their songs focused on topics such as sexual deviancy drug addiction violence and social alienation
Pancho and Lefty
From his LP the late great Townes van Zandt Typical of his works -Spare unpolished vocal style -Guitar accompaniment with more complex harmonies than typical country music -Song fits within the european derived ballad tradition The song evokes an old Spanish tradition that took root in Mexico the corrido -Typical ballad form with a series of four line stanzas that tell a story about famous cillains and hereos, historical events, or tragic romances
Madonna
From the late 1980s through the 1990s madonnas popularity was second only to michael jacksons Between 84 and 94 madonna scored twenty eight top 10 singles eleven of which reached the top spot on the charts
Give up the funk
From the million selling LP mothership connection was parliaments biggest crossover single Exemplifies the bands approach to ensemble style known to fans as p-funk -Heavy syncopated electric bass lines -Interlocking rhythms underlain by a strong pulse on each beat of each measure -Long multi sectioned arrangements featuring call and response patterns between the horn sections and keyboard synthesizer -RB styled vocal harmonies -Verbal mattoes designed to be chanted by fans
Popularization of Pop
Groups in line with the corporate elements got behind various issues Band aid live aid we are the world sun city farm aid Questions of free speech 2 live crew gangsta rap parental advisory labels Questions of gender identity Boy george and culture club
Merle Haggard
Haggard scored a top 10 country git with the song my friends are gonna be strangers which led to a recoding contract with capitol records -Other hits include -The fugitive and Okie from Muskogee which reached number one on the country charts and forty on on the pop charts
Waylon Jennings
He was signed with RCA victor and relocated to Nashville -RCA producer chet atkins tried to push jennings towrd the countypolitan styleby he resisted and eventually won substantial leeway in his choice of material He cultivated his image as a rebel -Ladies love Outlaws -On the cover he appeared in a bad guy dress, a black cowboy hat and a six shooter The commercial potential of the outlaw image was tapped by music publicists in Nashville
John Denver
His pop oriented hit records were despised by many in the traditional audience for country music Addressed environmental causes A minor star of television and movies Denver has mass appeal, cross over several charts, pop/country/adult contemporary
The Beastie Boys
In 1985 the beasite boys were signed by Def Jam records Appeared in Krush Groove one of the first films to deal with hip hop culture Toured as the opening act for both madonna and Run DMC
The Outlaws
Never a cohesive performing group The label Outlaw Country was largely a product of the record industry to capitalize on the overlap of rock and country music Wanted:The Outlaws A compilation album Included a mix of material from country music classics like T for texas to a cover of the Elvis Presely song suspicious minds and the novelty song me and paul Huge Success Became the first platinum country music LP Eventually sold over 2 million copies
Studio Technology
New recording techniques and experimentation High Fidelity stereo sound Sixteen twenty four and thirty two track recording consoles -enabled complex aural tectures -could construct any given track on an LP over time and could add or subtract individual instruments or voices Recordings took much longer to create and became very expensive A few multitalented musicians could play all of the instruments on a given track
Oye Como Va
Number thirteen pop, number thirty two RB in 71 Composed by the new york latin percussionist and dance music king tito Puente Instrumentation Guitar electric bass keyboards drums plus Ritmo percussion section Recording mix tone quality balancing and positioning of sounds recorded on various tracks in studio -The bands sounds eas centered on the fluid lead guitar style of carlos santana and the churning grooves by the rhythm section -The rhythmic complexity required a clean stereo image so that the various interlocking parts could be clearly heard
Whats love got to do with it
Performed by Tina Turner Crossover hit stayed on the charts for twenty eight weeks Earned grammy awwards in 1984 for best female pop vocalist song of the year, and record of the year The lyrics set up an ambivalent relationship between sexual attraction and cynicism about romantic love Fairly constant tempo Instrumental arrangement Rich continuous tecture dominated by flute and string like synthsizer sounds in the verses Bouncy reggae like groove established by the electric bass and guitar on the chorus
Jump
Performed by van halen Heavy metal pioneered in the late 1960s and early 1970s by bands such as led zeppelin and deep purple Went into a period of relative decline during the late 1970s Came back with a vengeance during the 1980s A remarkable departure from standard heavy metal practice Its main instrumental melody was played on a synthesizer symbolic and aesthetic issue for hardcore metal fans The success of the single was boosted by its corresponding muic video Shot in home move style Feature the athletic prowess and oddball sense of humor of david lee roth at that time van halens lead singer
Punk and New Wave Origins
Punk rock and its more commercial cousin new wave took shape in new york city during the mid 1970s One of the predecessors of punk rock was an american musical institution called the garage band
Punk
Punk was as much a cultural style an attitude defined by a rebellion against authority and a rejection of middle class values as it was a musical genre Punk rock represented a turn toward the authentic risk taking spirit of early rock n roll and away from the pomposity and self conscious artistry of album oriented rock
Sonic Youth
Pushed underground rock music in a different direction influenced by avant garde experimentalists such as the velvet underground Developed a dark menacing feedback drenched sound altering the tuning of their guitars by inserting screwdrivers and drumsticks under string at random intervals and ignoring the conventional song structures of rock and pop music
R.E.M
REM reinterpretation of the punk aesthetic incporporated aspects of folk rock and a propensity for catchy melodic hooks
Roots of Reggae
Ska- a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 50s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae Ska combined elements of Carribbena mento and calypso with american jazz and rhythm and blues characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the upbeat In the early 1960s ska was the dominant music genre of Jamaica
Bad girls and Good Times
Some distinguishing characteristics of bad girls and good time Bad girls has greater textural variety -donna summers lead vocal responding voices brass instruments and a police whistle appear dissapear and reappear over the course of the recording Bad girls is more elaborate form a formal point of view than good times The vocal styles used in the two recordings are different -donna summers emphatic expansive style derives form roots in R&B and gospel
Stairway to Heaven
Text composed by Robert Plant References to mythological beings 0the may queen and the piper Rural Images -paths and roads rings of smoke through the forest a songbird by a brook the whispering wind Helped create a cumulative mood of mystery and enchantment Structure of the song -Basic building blocks are stragihforward four and eight measure phrases -Three main section -the arrangement is constructed to create continual escalation in density volume and speed
Popularization of Reggae
The best known cover version of any reggae song is Eric Claptons million selling recording of Bob Marleys I sho tthe Sheriff Appears on Claptons number one album from the same year 461 Ocean Boulevard Political song whose coded lyrics were lost on those not familiar with Jamaican politics -In comparison with Bob Marleys recording Claptons version sounds much less insistently rhythmic and intense -Clapton made an effective 70s pop single out of Marleys I shot the Sheriff by smoothing out its sound
Early Punks
Three groups none of them very successful in commercial terms are frequently cited as ancestors of 1970s punk music and of later genres such as new wave, hardcore, industrial, and alternative rock -The velvet underground -Stooges -The new york dolls
The Outlaws and Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings was the centerpiece of the "the outlaws" Jennings began his career as a musician and disc jockey In 1958 he joined Buddy Hollys rock n roll group the crickets In the early 1960s he set up shop in a nightclub in phoenix where he developed a broad repertoire
Born in the USA
The lyrics can be seen as a dire commentary by springsteen on the current state of the union The very first lyrics of the title song, which opens the album set the tone decisively Born in the USA tells the story of a returning Vietnam veteran unable to get a job or to rebuild his life and its despairing message is characteristic of most of the songs on the album Followed in the footsteps of thriller as an album that spawned a parade of hit singles The album itself sold over fifteen million sopies and stayed on the album charts for over two years The popularity of Born in the USA was enhanced by a series of popular music videos for several of the songs released as singles
Technology and the music busi
The recording industry became riskier during the 1970s The recording industry came to depend on a relatively small number of million selling platinum LPs to make a profit A small number of multiplatinum superstars negotiated multimillion dollar contracts with the major record companies Independent labels accounted for onle one of every ten records sold in the early 1970s
Rappers Delight
The recording recycled the rhythm section track from chics goodtimes played in the studio by session musicians usually hired by sugar hill to back RB singers The three rappers Michael Wonder Mike Wright, Guy Master Gee Obrien, and Henry Bing Bank Hank jackson recited a rapid fire succession of rhymes typical of the performances of MCs at hiphop dances
Roots of Reggae
The roots of reggae lie in the Jamaican equivalent of country music, a genre called mento Mento- a mixture of Jamaican folk songs church hymns sailors shanties and Cuban influences arose in rural Jamaica during the late ninteenth century By world War II mento had lost its popularity among the thousands of young Jamaicans who were migrating to the capital city of Kingston Starting int he 50s american RB became popular among youth in Kingston
Radio
The top 40 playlist format dominated AM radio -Professional programmin consultant provided lists of records that had done well in other parts of the country -Radio playlists became more and more restricted making it difficult for bands without the backing of a major label to break into the top 40 =The primary medium for rock was FM radio
Sweet Dream (Are made of this)
Written and performed by Eurythmics Eurythmics consisted of a core of only two musicians Singer Annie Lennox Keyboardist and technical whiz Dave Stewart Its popularity in the United States was boosted by a music video shown on MTV Commercial new wave music of the early 1980s an outgrowth of the 1970s new wave punk scene promoted by major labels Synth pop
Sledgehammer
Written and performed by Peter Gabriel Achieved celebrity as a member of the art rock group genesis After leaving genesis in 76 gabriel released four solo albums
When doves cry
an unusual pop recording in a number of regard The album track runs almost six minuted Prince wrote the song produced the recording sang all of the vocal parts and played all of the instruments The lyrics of when doves cry do not conform to the usual formulas of romantic pop song Crosses the boundaries of established pop genres Fusing a funk rhythm with the lead guitar sound of heavy metal the digitally synthesized and sampled textures of postdisco dance music and the aesthetic focus and control of progressive rock and the singer songwriter tradition The overall effect of this recording Aweaving made up of patches of subtly shifting tectural effects and tone colors Held together by the strong threads of a funk derived dance groove Strung on a formal loom made up of eight bar sections
Thrash
blended the fast tempos and rebelliousattitude of hardocre with the technical virtuosity of heavy metal guitar playing Metallica was the ultimate confirmation of heavy metals mass popularity and new found impotance to the music industry
The production of Celebrity
by the 1980s the star making machinery behind the popular song had grown to unprecedented proportions Profitability was dependent on a limited number of multiplatinum recordings The coordination of publicity surrounding the release of such recordings was crucial the 1980s saw the rise of a new breed of music superstar adept at manipulating the mass media and stimulating public fascination with their personal characteristics as well as with their music. This was fostered by MTV
alternative
difficult to establish a one size fits all definition of alternative music the term is used to advance two different and often conflicting agendas alternated underground and independent challenges the staus quo
Digital technology and popular music
during the 1980s new technology became central to the production promotion and consumption of popular music Analog recording Digital recording Digital to analog converter Synthesizers devices that enable musicians to create or synthesize musical sounds
Sledgehammer
feature a horn section led by the tumpet player Wayne Jackson who had played on many of the biggest soul music hits of th e60s The lyrics are packed with double entendre references to sledgehammers big dippers steam trains the female fruitcake and the male honeybee they are g rated variants of the sexual metaphors that have long been a part of the blues tradition The success of the song was due in large part to the ambitious and highlt creative music video and its heavy rotation on MTV Other notable artists of the 80s The police U2 Bon Jovi
Nostalgie for the so called golden age of the 1950s american
film american graffiti Broadway musical and film grease TV series happy days
Madonna
in 1983 madonnas breakthrough single holiday established certain elements of a distinctive studio sound rooted in the synth pop dance music of the 1980s Her second album like a virgin shot to top of the album charts eventually sold more than ten million copies The album spawned a series of hit singles
Hip Hop Breaks Out
in the mid 80s rap moved into the popular mainstream
George Clinton
loose aggregate of around forty musicians (variously called parliament or funkadelic) led by george clinton George Clinton (An Ex-RB vocal group leader and songwriter Developed a micture of compelling polyrhythms psycheldelic guitar solos jass influenced horn arrangements and RB vocal harmonies Enlisted some former members of james browns band Bassist william Bootsy collins Saxophone player maceo parker and trombonist Fred Wesley
The Rolling Stones and Exile on Main Street
often cited as the best album recorded by the rolling stones the double album is held together by its texture its rough unpolished studio sounf and its bad attitude Consists mainly of blues based rock tunes material from the rolling stones roots Recorded in the basement of Keith Richards home France where they were living in tax exile at the time Overall impression is one of bleakness and desolation Demonstrates influences that formed their style: urban blues soul and country music
Oye como va
santanas solos provided a good example of a talented rock improvisor -Santana uses the electric guitar to sustain notes creating long flowing melodic lines that gradually rise in intensity lifting the whole band with him
Alternative Rock
strong underground scenes devveloped in towns across the united states The most influential indie rock bands of the 1980s were REM and New York Sonic Youth
Techno
techno culture is focused on DJs and producers DJs and producers often attempt to remain anonymous most techno groups are in fact solo acts or teams of two or three The roots of techno are often traced to the detroit area detroit techno was grounded in a different cultural scene from that which had spawned the motown sound
Pink Floyd and Dark Side of the Moon
the album is based on the theme of madness and the things that drive us to it, time work money war and death The Albums feelings of unity has something to do with its languid carefully measured pace as well as texture and mood The sounds of the record is complex but clear Interesting sound effects The album stayed on the billboard top LPs charts for over fourteen years
Listening like a virgin
written by billy steinberg and tom kelly performed by madonna number one pop and number nine RB This is not a song about a virgin in any narrowly technical sense rather it is about the feeling that someone who has grown pessimistic about love gets from a new relationship The studio mix overseen by madonnas longtime collaborator shep pettibone is clean with a clear stereo separation heavy reliance on synthesized sound textured and the singers voice strongly foregrounded over the instruments Synthesizers are indispensible to the overall effect of this recording Her vocal style in like a virgin reflects her ironic manipulation of long standing stereotypes about females Soft intimate breathiness associated with hollywood sex symbols like marilyn monroe Throaty tougher sound of the 1960s singers like ronnie spector the lead singer on the ronettes
Graceland
A considerable portion of the music for graceland was actually recorded in south afric resulting in some awkward political usses for simon Simon broke a united nations boycott on performing and recording in south afric but he claimed that he was in no sense supporting the ideology of the south african government What distinguishes granceland from earlier forays into world music is the extent to which the album explored the concept of collaboration The idea of collaboration provides a conceptual basis for graceland Simons album is quite different form the usual concept album No story line that connects the songs No central subject that links all the songs together Simon took various approaches to the conept of collaboration Homeless in which both the words and the music were co written by siman and joseph shabalala of ladysmith black mambazo I know what I know in which simon added his own lyrics and vocal melody to preexisting music by general MD shirinda and the Gaza sisters Sold over five million copies but never hit number one on the album chart did not prove to be a major source of hit singles Grammy award winner for album of the year in 1986 Revived Simons Career Garnered attention for many of the musicians who played on the album Responsilble more than any other album for introduing a wide audience to the idea of world music
Sly and the Family Stone
Between 1968 and 1971 sly and the family stone recorded a series of albums and singles that reached the top of both the pop and soul charts -Dance to the music, everyday people, thank you, family affair The sound of the family stone Anchored bu the electric bass of Larry Graham Approach to arranging that made the hwole band including the horn section into a collective rhythm section
Kenny Rogers
Born in Texas Veteran of folk pop groups such as the New Christy Minstrels and the First Edition Star of made for TV movies such as the gamble and coward of the country Winner of the country music associations award for male vocalist of the year From 1977 to 1984 he sold an estimated 150 million worth of records including a total of six gold and twelve platinum albums
Charlie Rich The "Silver Fox"
Born in arkansas -Talented jazz and blues pianist Began as a member of the group of rockabilly performerd at Sam philips Sun records Switched to pop oriented country music ny the 1960s and scored a series of number one crossover hits during the mid 1970s Won the country music association CMA award for entertainer of the year in 1974 Use the string and choir follow the example of the nashville sounds of the 60's
Born in the USA
Bruce Springsteen Throughout the 1970s forged a preogressively more successful carreer in pop music His music and his personal iamge portrayed The rebellious rock n rollers of the 50s and the socially concious folk rockers of the 1960s His songs reflected his working clss originis and sympathies Related stories of still young but aging men and women With dead end jobs Looking for romance and excitement Seeking meaningful outlets for their energies and hopes with no part of the american dream left for them
Listening Sweet Dreams
Built around a hypnotic digital loop a repeated pattern established abruptly at the beginning of the record Annue Lennoxs singing RB sould influenced melismatic style Flat deadpan tone on the verses The verses consist of two four line blocks of text sung by Lennox in over dubbed harmonies The singer seems to be expressing an unsettling combination of cynicism, sensuality, and hope for the future
Funk music
By 1973 funk music had burst onto the pop music scene Crossover gold records were played constantly on AM radio and in nightclubs and discotheques -Kool and the gangs jungle boogie and hollywood swinging -The ohio players fire and love rollercoaster -The multimillion selling pay that funk y music", by the white band wild cherry These bands kept the spirit and style of james brown and sly stone alive albeit in a commercialized and decidedly nonpolitical manner
American Culture
By the early 1970s the majority of americans had grown weary of the military conflict in Vietnam Oil crisis in 1973 Economic inflation Women's liberation Growing synicism about politics -Watergate hearings -The resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974 Popular music remained the target of conservative politicans and commentators
Funk
By the early 1970s the term funk was being used as a label for a genre of popular music characterized by -Strong dance oriented rhythms, catchy melodies, call and response exchanges between voices and instruments and heavy reliance on repeated rhythmically interlocking patterns, increased use of syncopation
Snoop Doggy Dog
Calvin Broadus born in long beach Doggystyle Debuted at the top of the album charts included gold single whats my name
Merle Haggard
Captured the spirit of so called hardcore country in his recordings Born near bakersfield CA Son of immigrants from oklahoma wandered from place to place as a child At nineteen Haggard began serving a three year sentance at san Quentin Prison In the Early 1960s after his release haggard worked odd jobs around bakersfield playing at nightclubs and honky tonks
Public Enemy
Core members met as college students Martial arts inspired choreography
Technology and the music business
Corporate cnosolidation during the 1970s -six huge corporations were responsible for over 8- percent of record sales in the united states by the end of the decade
David Bowies Glam Rock and Ziggy
David Bowie created the character of Ziggy an alien who visits earth and becomes a rock superstar The rise and fall of ziggy and the spiders from mars -concept album centered on ziggy -the ziggy stardust concert tour was an elaborate theatrical presentation with special lighting presentation with special lighting effects and spectacular costumes Rebel Rebel Starman
Listening Psycho Killer
David Bryne often delivered his lyrics in a nervous almost schizophrenic murderer in Alfred Hithcocks film psycho
The End of the Counterculture for Rock fans
Deaths of leading figures in rock music -jimi hendrix and Janis Joplin -Jim morrison of the doors Breakup of the Beatles -Paul McCartney officially dissolved the business partnership on december 31 1970
New Wave
Developed alongside punk rock approached the critique of corporate rock in more self conciously artistic and experimental terms The term new wave was soon picked up by record companies themselves who began using it in the late 1970s to refer to popinfluenced performers such as blondie
Townes Van Zandt
Dies prematurely at age fifty two His songs combine the straightforwardness of traditional country music with poetic subtlety of singer songwriters such as bob dylan His music has inspired country and rock musicians from lyle lovett to neil young
New Technologies of the 1980s
Digital sound recording and five inch compact discs CDs The first CDs went on sale in 1983 and CD sales surpassed those of vinyl discs by 1988 New devices for producing and manipulating sound Drum machines Sequencers Samplers MIDI
Psycho killer: 1970s punk and new wave
During the 1970s the frist alternative movements emerged within rock music By 1975 rock music which had begun as a vital part of the 1960s counterculture had become closely connected with the center of popular taste
Progressive Country Music
During the late 1960s and early 1970s mainstream country music was dominated by -Slick nashville sound hardcore country (merle Haggard) and blends of country and pop promoted on AM radio A new generation of country artists was embracing music and he liberal attitudes that grew out of the 1960s counterculture This movement was called progressive country
Technology
Eight track tapes and cassette tapes developed in the 1960s became increasingly popular in the early 1970s Radio Shack 8 track commercial -by 75, sales of prerecorded tapes accounted for almost one third of all music sales in the united states The recording industry was increasinly impelled to present more choices for its customers -dozens of specialized types of popular music and subgenres of rock music emerged
The Message
Established a new (and in the end profoundly influential) trend in rap music social realism Grim almost cinematic portrait of life in the south bronx A whole stream within the subsequent history of rap music can be traced from this gritty record The message helped establish canons of realness and street credibility that are still vital to rap musicians and audiences
New York Dolls
Exerted a major influence on the musical and visual style of the punk rock movement New York dolls soon succumbed to drug and alcohol abuse they did establish certain core features of punk antifashioon and helped create a new underground rock music scene in New York City They reunited in 2009 to critical acclaim Lead singer David Johansen, aka Buster Poindexter
The rise of Disco
Inspiration of black popular music motown soul and funk Rise in popularity of social dancing among American middle class New technologies synthesizers drum machines and synchronized turntables Hollywood film industry promoting musical trends saturday night fever economic recessions club owners hired DJs rather than live musicians The GLBTQ community club/scene
Progressive Country Music
Inspired by honky tonk and rockabilly mix of the bakersfield coutry music, singer songwriters (bob dylan) and country tock (gram parsons) Their songs were more intellectual and liberral in outlook than their contempories Artist were more concerned with testing the limits of the country music tradition than scoring hits The movements key artists included -Willie nelson, kris kritopherson, tom t hall and townes van zandt Not polished singers -They wrote distinctive individualist songs and had compelling voices
Whats my name
Intended to cross over to the pop chart Opens with a dense scratchy sample reminiscent of a public enemy bomb squad recording texture switches to a smoother more dance oriented sound a relaxed medium tempo dance groove is established by drum macine and keyboard synthesizers The lyrics describe snoops gangsta persona and establish his street credibility Despite its controversial verbal content whats my name is a quintessential pop record carefully calibrated for dance club consumption
Heaven from Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin formed in 68 in london Guitarist jimmy page and vocalist robert plant were fascinated by mythology middle earth fantasy and the occult They became one of the most enduring bands in rock history selling over 50 million records Influences drew from various sources urban blues, san francisco psychedelia the virtuoso guitar playing of jimi hendrix
Rock Comes of Age
Many progressive rock musicians themselves as artists and their recording as works of art The promuse of rock music as a zone of interracial interaction seemed to have largely vanished by the early 70s Early rock festivals regarded as the climax of the 1960s counterculture has become highly profitable mass audience concerts by the mid 1970s A series of bands that sprang up during the early 70s tailored their performance to concert context -toured the country with elaborate light shows spectacular sets and powerful amplification systems
Thriller
Michael Jackson The top selling album in history with worlwide sales in excess of forty million copies "the girl is mine" was essentially a soft rock hit the single was number one on billboards adult contemporary chart for four weeks and had enough crossover appeal to top the RB chart for three weeks Beat It with its guitar solo by eddie Van Halen was an obvious gesture to fans of heavy metal music The albums highly original title song thriller is a good example of its successful synthesis of diverse stylistic elements
Commercial Mainstream
Pop rock Adult contemporary Singer songwriters Soft soul a slick variety of rhythm and blues with lush orchestral accompaniment Country pop a soft style of rock lightly tinged wtih country music influences Bubble gum cheerful songs aimed mainly at a preteen audience Disco a form of dance music popular in the late 1970s characterized by elaborate studio production and an insistent beat
Disco era
Popular alternative to rock music Focused on social dancing couple based dances like the hustle and choreographed line dances similar to 19th century ballroom dances Disco was a reaction against AOR and the idea of LPs as art and of rock groups such as artists Disco de-emphasized the importance of the band -focused attention on the producers the DJs who played the recordings in nightclubs and a few glamorous stars who sang with the backing of anonymous studio musicians Disco rejected the idea of albums as architecturally designed collections of pieces Disco shifted the sound palate away from the guitar to include the developing synthsizer technology
Rastafarian Religious Movement
Prominent theme in reggae music Rastafarianism was founded by Josiah Marcus Garvey -Jamaican writer and political leader who inspired a back to africa repatriation movement among black americans The rastafarians reinterpretation of the bible focused on passages that dealt with slavery, salvation, and the apocalyptic consequences that would eventually be visited upon the oppressors Rastafarianism became associated with a unique set of cultural practices -special terminology I and I is is substitued for we -The use of marijuana (ganja) as a sacramental herb -The wearing of a distinctive hairstyle called dreadlocks
Rap and HipHop
Rap emerged during the 1970s as one part of a cultural complex called hiphop HipHop culture was forged by African American and Caribbean American youth in New York City Visual art (graffiti) Dance (an acrobatic solo style called breakdancing and an energetic couple dance called the freak) Music dress and speech Hip-Hop was at first a local phenomenon centered in certain neighborhoods in the bronx the most economically devastated area of new york city.
Rappers Delight: the Origins of HipHop
Rap music Has spurred more vigorous popular debate than any other genre of popular music Based on principles ultimately derived from African musical and verbal traditions Emphasis on rhythmic momentum and creativity Preferences for complex tone colors and dense textures keen appreciation of improvisational skill Incorporative innovative approach to musical technologies
Rappers Delight
The unexpected success of rappers delight ushered in a series of million selling twelve inch singles by New York Rappers -Kurtis blows the breaks Planet rock by afrika bambaataa and soul sonic force The message by grandmaster flash and the furious five
Talking Heads
Represented the more self consciously artistic and exploratory side of the alternative rock scene of the mid 1970s a) their first album talking heads 77 achieved critical acclaim breaking into the top 100 on the billboard album charts The bands style reflected their interest in an aesthetic called minimalism which emphasizes the use of combinations of a limited number of basic elements-colors shapes sounds or words Akwardism
Reggae
The word Reggae is derived from raggay a kingston slang term meaning raggedy everyday stuff In reggae music the tempo was slowe ddown even further creating wide spaces between notes The heart of reggae music consists of interlocking rhythmic patterns payed by the guitar bass and drums Each instrument in a reggae band has its own carefully defined role -The guitar often plays short, choppy chords on the second and fourth beats of each measure giving the music a bouncy up and down feeling The bass drum combination is the irreducible core of a reggae band sometimes called the riddim pair Political messages were central to reggae music
The Stooges
The working class motorcyle riding leather jacketed ancestors of punk rock Iggy Stooge was famous for his outrageous stage performances which included flinging himself into the crowd cutting himself into the crowd cutting himself with beer bottles and rubbing himself with raw meat
Rappers Delight
Until 1979 hip hop music remained a primarily local phenomenon Rappers delight was the first indication of the genres broader commercial potential -Twelve inch dance single -Recorded by the sugarhill gang a crew based in Harlem
Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler)
Using his heaphones Flash could more precisely pinpoint the beginning of a break Flash gained local fame for his ability to punch in brief machine gun like segments of sound A new technique called scratching was develpoed by Flashs young protege Theodore
Michael Jacksons Music Videos
Visual Media played a significant role in the thriller saga Michael Jacksons music videos were carefully creatively and elaborately produced Brought his work to the attention of another segments of the music public Helped boost the power and prestige of MTV Were the first by an African American artist to be programmed with any degree of frequency on MTV
Bakersfield CA
Was emerging as the center of a distinctive sound of country music an outgrowth of the rockabilly of the 1950s The bakerfield sound stodd in direct opposition to the slick sound of much Nashville country music and was one of the most influential country genres of the late 1960s
Techno
in the 1990s techno music began to diversify into dozens of specialized subcategories othen distinguished by their relative hardness a quality connected with the tempo or bpm of recordings forms of techno were influenced by punk rock experimental are music and black popular music central to the rise of the rave
Kool Herc (clive campbell)
migrated from kingston Jamaica to New York City at age twelve Isolated the breaks of certain popular record and mixed them into the middle of other dance records These rhythmic sound collages came to be known as breakbeat music a term subsequently transferred to breakdancing THE GODFATHER OF HIPHOP Sometime in the mid 70s kool began to put two copies of the same record on his turntables Swtiching back and forth between the turntables herc found that he could backspin one disc while the other continued to play over the loudspeakers This enabled him to repeat a given breka over and over by switching back and forth between the two discs and backspinning to the beginning of the break
Pedro navaja
onceived as an homage to the cong mack the knife from the threepenny opera Story of the violent death of a tought guy who attacks a prostitute Enormous impact on latin american audiences (including latin new york) Arrangement provides a sphisticated musical frame for the narrative portrait
Grunge
originated in seattle sub genre of alternative rock that emerged as a fusion of punk alternative and heavy metal characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars and contrasting song dynamics Lyrics are typically angst filled often addressing themes such as social alienation apathy frustration sadness fear and depression the scene coalesced around the local record label sub pop