Rock to Bach Final Stewart TCU
Napster, Peer-to-peer (p2p)
"- "Peer-to-Peer" sharing program used to freely share music over the internet, without copyright violations - Eventually got in trouble for copyright issues and peer-to-peer ended"
Sugar Hill Gang
"- "Rappers Delight" popularized the term "rapper". - Established Sugar Hill Records, which became a force in hip-hop during the early 1980s. - Harlem"
AOR transforms into "Classic Rock"
"- (AOR) Album Oriented Rock - AOR and classic rock were pretty much the same music but presented differently. - It was a matter of storage space and keeping the older generation entertained by creating a "classic rock" radio format."
College Rock
"- Alternative Rock music played on college campus radio in the 1980s - Avoided mainstream rock"
New Technologies - Analog vs Digital;
"- Analog: The norm since the intro of recording in the 19th century, transforms energy of sound waves into electronic waveforms following the shape of the sound waves. - Digital: Breaks down sound waves into a stream of numbers (0s and 1s) into a converter and now accessible for playback in DAC."
Queen Latifah
"- Assertive rapper from Newark, NY - Tommy Boy Records did not resign after second album - Debut album reached number 6 - Most important woman in rap for establishing beachhead on the male-dominated field of rap"
Hip Hop
"- Based on the breakbeat, which is a section of the song where most of the instruments drop out leaving only the drums. - Mutual influence between rock and hip hop"
Public Enemy
"- Basically a thrash group, very rock 'n' roll oriented. Rock is a major influence to Public Enemy - Sold well in Rap and Pop Markets - Built on style of Run DMC - One of the most influential rap groups; political activism and hip hop culture."
Alternative Rock - what is it, who is it
"- Challenges the status-quo - Underground/Independent = anti-mainstream and anti-commercial - Nirvana"
Kool Herc
"- Clive Campbell; moved from Jamaica to New York. - Created mixing between two turntables. - Recite rhyming phrases over "breakbeats". - Some raps based on traditional verbal performance called "toasting"."
Run-D.M.C.
"- College educated black man raised in middle class, Hollis Queens. - First rap group to headline a national tour and first rap group to appear on MTV. - Set new fashion trends; adidas, fat laces etc -Def Jam Records - "Rock Box" used rock music as base for hip hop"
Black Sabbath
"- Considered to be the first heavy metal band. - Birmingham, U.K. - First group to use metal to explicitly address feelings of social and economic powerlessness and frustration."
Snoop Doggy Dogg
"- Dr. Dre's prodigy - Left Interscope for Death Row Records after Tupac was murdered. - Very smooth flow, not as aggressive as other rappers during this time."
Change in music market (drop in sales, move from LPs to Cassetts)
"- Drop in sales due to new forms of entertainment outlets - Laissez-Faire economics, taking its natural course - development of readable compact discs. - "pirating" and government involvement come into play."
Sean Puffy Combs
"- East Coast -CEO of Bad Boy Records"
Tupac Shakur
"- East Coast rapper feuded with West Coast - Unsolved murder"
Technological developments - Professional studios
"- Extremely expensive - Record companies would pay for it and deduct costs from singers profits"
The Production of Celebrity - Public Image is as important as the music
"- Had to be liked personally because public image is as important as the music. - In order to obtain large followings, the production of the celebrity was created"
Minor Threat
"- Hardcore punk pioneers - based in Washington DC - "Straight Edge" movement"
R.E.M.
"- Helped spark the underground/college rock movement in the early eighties - Blend of Folk and Southern Rock"
Dave Matthews Band
"- Jam Band - Fixtures - Fixtures on billboard charts - Played at CBGB in New York"
Phish
"- Jam Band - Specialized in improvisation and live performances. - Like the Grateful Dead - rock, folk, jazz, country, bluegrass, and pop."
Bruce Springsteen
"- Nostalgia Rock - Phil Spector influence - "Born in the USA" tried to create a sophisticated, emotional picture of Americas changes."
Legal battles over sampling
"- Parodies are okay - Snippets of source material not okay"
Afrika Bambaataa
"- Pioneer of hip-hop - made 1984 record with John Lydon of the Sex Pistols called "World Destruction" - Bronx"
Hardcore Punk
"- Pioneered during early 1980s in Washington DC, San Fran, and LA - Urban, intense, and somewhat doctrinaire community in which lifestyle politics were as important as music. - Music influenced skateboarding scene in california - Riff based songs at impossibly fast tempos and screaming nihilistic lyrics over a chaotic wall of guitar"
Eminem
"- Produced by Dr. Dre - First white rapper to have major success in hip hop while being accepted by the community - Music had compound rhymes, words as instrument, used different cadences"
Dead Kennedys
"- Variant of hardcore with political stance. - Opposed American Imperialism overseas, attacks on human rights and the environment and rejected the "hypocritical and soulless lifestyle" - Independent record company called Alternative Tentacles in San Francisco"
Gangsta Rap
"- West Coast - Survivalist outlook on life with a gleeful celebration"
West Coast Vs East Coast
"- West: New school, smooth and laid back, southern dialect, angrier and darker - East: Old school"
Green Day
"-"Dookie" -Pop Punk -High energy, hard driving, and aggressive -American Idiot- 2004 was a rock opera - Northern California pop punk group. - Specialized in stripped sown, up- tempo, punk revival songs"
Nirvana - Kurt Cobain
"-"Smells like Teen Spirit" -began alternative rock movement (grunge rock) -most important band in Seatle's grunge scene - Grunge band from Seattle - Kurt Cobain: Committed suicide at 27 in 1994 - Destroyed by success"
Eurythmics - Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart
"-80's pop -combines synthesizer pop and soul vocals of Annie Lennox -"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" -abstract art film approach to videos - Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart - "Synth pop" commercial new wave of music."
Madonna
"-80's pop -former dancer, popular in NY club scene -Dancing and image played as much a role in her career as her music -Sire Records (one of the most important recording labels for new wave in NY) -First major hits "Borderline" and "Lucky Star" -Changes image a lot through out career (very sexual) -Vogue - MTV dance music - Dancer, singer, producer, "self-conscious author of her own celebrity" - Collaborated closely with song writers, producers, session musicians, engineers, etc. -Vogue -Lucky Star"
Michael Jackson
"-80's pop/ King of Pop -Left Motown in 1975 and signed with Epic Labels -Produced -Off the Wall- with Quincy Jones in 1979 then went on to do -Thriller- in 1982 and -Bad- in 1987 -Drew from the same methods as Berry Gordy by including white artists in his songs to attract a larger audience - Broad appeal: "Sound of young America" - Created the idea of an album full of singles. - Videos helped boost MTV Ratings--> 'Thriller' - Thriller = top selling album of all time; Producer: Quincy Jones; Not a concept album... 7/9 songs were singles."
Outkast - Andre 3000, Big Boi
"-Andre 3000 and Big Boi - Combined social and political commentary with party/funk feel - "Hey Ya!" like The Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan"
Notorious B. I. G. (Biggie Smalls)
"-East Coast - First crossover success for Bad Boy Records - Unsolved murder"
Pearl Jam - Eddie Vedder
"-Seattle grunge scene - Grunge band from Seattle - Eddie Vedder: lead singer - "Jeremy" controversial music video of boy committing suicide in front of his classmates."
Heavy Metal
"-unclear where name originated -developed from harder more aggressive aspects of rock from the 60's-70s' -emerged from British and LA underground scenes"
AM radio vs FM radio *
"AM- until the 70's the AM radio was associated with the "top 40" and had dominated radio business; the more listeners, the more money from advertisements made FM - wanted a smaller number of listeners who were actually interested in buying the product (album); target specific kinds of listeners; opened up a space for more "free form" approach to broadcasting that reflected the emerging rock culture (reasons: since FM had been a relatively unused radio band in the 60's, few people were listening, those who owned radios didn't own ones that could broadcast FM, so producers were largely left to their own devices; gave dj's the freedom to play any song they liked from the album, not just the single and became "album-oriented rock" stations and gave record companies an economic incentive to support more self-consciously "artistic: acts that had little interest in crafting traditional pop singles""
The Bee Gees (Saturday Night Fever)
"Australian group known theretofore mainly for sentimental pop songs; reinvented themselves by combining their polished Beatles-derived vocal harmonies with strong repetitive rhythms played by Miami studio musicians, and created a mix that appealed both to committed disco fans and a broader pop audience Saturday Night Fever film that launched the success of Disco; about a working-class Italian kid from New York who rises to become a championship dancer; strengthened interest in disco stars like Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, and launched the 2nd career of the Bee Gees"
Hair Metal
"Guns N' Roses - "Appetite for Destruction", "Sweet Child o' Mine", "Welcome to the Jungle" -sang openly about drug and alcohol abuse and urban chaos -Vocals: low baritone register and contrasting high, screaming vocals more akin to metal -Guitar: lengthy, melodic solos -Singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash Bon Jovi Poison Warrant Skid Row"
Stooges - Iggy Pop
"firmed in Ann Arbor, Michigan; represented the working-class/motorcycle-riding/leather-jacket ancestors of punk rock; 1st album produced by John Cale, created a devoted national audience for the demented "garage band" sound Pop - lead singer; famous for his outrageous stage performances, which included flinging himself into the crowd, cutting himself with beer bottles, and rubbing himself with raw meat"
Metallica
"• "One" • Metallica is known as Speed - Metal or Thrash metal - Very fast but with incredible precision"
Van Halen
"• Jump - Power Chords; shredding guitar solo; tapping guitar technique - More of a pop feeling, expanding synth into heavy metal in "Jump" - Hair Metal develops out of Van Halen"
Birth and consequence of MTV and VH1 (now what you look like REALLY matters)
"• MTV & radio est. 1981 - working together to sell music • Importance of image • Cross-promotion of music→ New medium for record sales... get your music on MTV • Breaking the Color Barrier -Most popular way to release new music, becoming more popular than concerts"
Chicago (Jazz Rock)
'Rock with Jazz Horns' achieved the greatest long-term popularity/commercial success; 2nd only to the beach boys as the most successful American rock band of all time (albums/singles); best known for anthemic love songs; in their early days they specialized in a harder-edged style that fused the guitar centered sound of rock with a 3 piece horn section that could play R&R-style riffs and improvise in the manner of jazz musicians; signed by Columbia Records
Cassette Four Track
- Allowed musicians to cheaply try out different sounds before spending money on recording
Suge Knight - Death Row Records
- Head of Death Row Records
Technological developments - Home studios
- Tired of dealing with major labels, singers made the mediocre sound quality an indicator of integrity
Prince
-80's pop -"When Doves Cry" - MTV dance music -Wrote and played all his own music -Very sexual and androgynous figure -"Purple Rain" semi-autobiographical feature which included the songs "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy" -roots in 70's black pop and funk • Dancer, singer, producer, "self conscious author of his own celebrity"--> Stylistically diverse, very controlled appearance • Wrote, produced, engineered, and performed most of his music • 1999 - Conflict with Warner Bro's caused him to change his name to a "Love S"
Jam Bands
-Long songs, merged many genres, great live performance, improvisation, solo
Patti Smith
1st rock musician to perform at CBGB; New York based poet/journalist/singer who had been experimenting with combining the spoken word and rock accompaniment; helped to redefine gender roles in rock culture, refusing to make concessions to traditional notions of femininity in her appearance/attitude/language/clothing
Led Zeppelin
Stadium to heaven - Led Zepplin's most famous recording; reflects certain unique features of the band's musical approach; presents us with a fascinating marketing strategy: 8-minute track was never released as a single, you had to buy the album in order to own the song; British hard rock band formed in London was becoming one of the most profitable/influential acts in rock music; made up of Jimmy Page (guitarist), John Bonham (heavy metal drumming), John Paul Jones (electric bass and organ), Robert Plant (vocalist); their sledgehammer style of guitar-focused rock music drew on various influences: urban blues, San Fran psychedelia, and guitar playing of Jimi Hendrix; associated with heavy textures/extremely loud volume, but their records also included folk music (traditions of British Isles)
Toasting
a form of poetic storytelling with roots i the trickster tale of West Africa; some of Herc's raps were based on this; frequently focused on "bad men", hard, merciless bandits and spurned lovers who vanquished their enemies, usually through physical violence
Yes (Progressive Rock)
adopted elements of large-scale structure from European Classical music
Pink Floyd
album Dark Side of the Moon is based on the theme of madness and the things that drive us into it: time, work, money, war, and the fear of death; the album's feeling of unity has something to do with its languid/carefully mastered pace (mid-tempo) and its musical texture/mood; progression moves from spacey/neo-psychedelic sound textures to jazz/blues-influenced songs, then back to psychedelia; Dark side of the Moon produced by Alan Parsons
The Eagles (Stadium/Country Rock)*
began in 1971 as a country rock band; specialized in a smooth/laid-back variant of country rock that achieved commercial success on the pop/country charts; LA based group; their album Eagles/Their Greatest Hits was the 1st recording to be certified by the RIAA as a million-selling ("platinum") album, and went on to sell more than 42 million copies worldwide; best selling single was "Hotel California"
George Clinton; Parliament/Funkadelic
best-known cover of any song: "I Shot the Sheriff" boosted his career abroad; used coded lyrics; his version lacks a sense of urgency (Dr. Funkenstein); became an ex-R&B vocal group leader/songwriter and started to hang out with Detroit hippies/listened to the Stooges/altered his style; developed a mixture of compelling polyrhythms/psychedelic guitar solos/jazz-influenced horn arrangements/R&B vocal harmonies; recorded for the independent label company Casablanca; Parliament/ Funkadelic placed 5 LPs in the top 40 2 went platinum); their concerts featured wild costumes/elaborate sets/innovative concept albums (expressed an alternative black sensibility/embodied in a patois of street talk/psychedelic imagery/science fiction derived images of intergalactical travel; biggest crossover single was "Give up the Funk' which exemplified the band's approach to ensemble style (p-funk): heavy/syncopated electric bass lines/interlocking rhythms underlain by a strong pulse on each beat of each measure/long multi-sectional arrangements featuring call-and-response patterns between the horn sections and keyboard synthesizer/R&B-styled vocal harmonies/verbal mottoes designed to be chanted by fans
Marvin Gaye
bestselling album What's Going On fused soul music and gospel influence with political impetus of progressive rock; basic unifying theme was social justice; the title track is inspired by his brother's return from the Vietnam War is a plea for nonviolence; other songs focus on ecology, welfare of children, and the suffering of poor people; he co-wrote the songs and produced the album himself; supporting his voice, he overdubbed the songs to sound like an entire vocal group/had layers of percussion/strings/horns; showed that soul/R&B could provide artistic coherence that transcended the 3 minute single, managed to bridge the divides among AM top 40, FM album-oriented radio, and the soul music market (popular music can still talk about social change and money making/artistic self-expression) Artist at Motown
Kool and the Gang
crossover million-selling records "Jungle Boogie" played constantly on AM radio/in discotheques/nightclubs
The Ohio Players
crossover million-selling records "fire" played constantly on AM radio/in discotheques/nightclubs
The Ramones
from NYC; high-speed energy/energetic and loud sound influenced English punk rock groups; projected a street-tough image, but all of the band members were from middle-class families (Queens); began playing regularly at the CBGBs and soon got a recording contract with Sire Records (independent label); scored a UK top 40 hit with the song "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" which announced that the center of the R&R universe had shifted from California to New York; songs had catchy/pop-inspired melodies/fast tempos/lasted no more than 2 and ½ minutes; had a new hard-edged sound, anchored by a steady barrage of notes, played on drums, bass, and guitar; connection to 60's rock; hired Phil Spector to produce their album End of the Century; identified themselves as a band that played real R&R;1st bona fide punk rock band
Allman Brothers Band (Southern Rock)*
helped to reconnect the generative power of southern music, particularly the blues, to the mainstream of rock music and to the open-minded instrumental improvisations of modern jazz and of San Fran; use of traditional songs/rhythms/textures derived from African American folk/popular music and of instruments such as bottleneck guitar/harmonica rooted them in southern folk music; among the most influential rock groups in America; incorporated elements of blues/R&B/jazz/country music and had extended live jams
Talking Heads - David Byrne
his studied awkwardness established a new nerdy variety of cool; went on to become a major figure in the worldbeat movement of the 80's/90's, introducing American audiences to recordings from Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean 1st appeared at CBGB's as the opening act for the Ramones; signed to Sire Records; had a different audience: college students/artists/music critics; their style reflected their interest in an aesthetic called minimalism (combination of a limited number of basic elements: colors, shapes, sounds, or words); their instrumental arrangements fused this approach with the interlocking/riff-based rhythms pioneered by African American popular musicians (James Brown); clarity is another important aspect of the minimalistic aesthetic, and their songs employed this with strong pop hooks/contrasting sections marked off by carefully arranged changes in instrumental texture; recorded critically acclaimed albums that reached platinum success; their music mixed in influences from R&B/funk/West African music with its complexity interlocking but catchy polyrhythmic patterns"
Three expressions of Rock Culture *
in the 60's new attitudes included drugs, politics, spirituality, and sexuality, but in the 70's the counterculture declined and rock became more culturally dominant (relationship reversed); this change opened-up new opportunities to define/express a distinctive "rock" culture, and each of these new areas would cycle back to influence the music itself
Sex Pistols
inspired by the Ramones; went on to inspire many bands; very aggressive/destructive: got thrown out of the US"
KISS (Stadium/Glam Rock)
known for its circus-like stage show that featured spitting blood, fire, complex hydraulic stage set, and multiple explosions/smoke bombs; each musician took on a character that was expressed through elaborate costumes/iconic makeup; Gene Simmons (bassist) the demon; Ace Frehley (lead guitarist) the spaceman; Paul Stanley (rhythm guitarist) the star child; Peter Criss (drummer) the cat; members never seen without their makeup, even in public; their live album Kiss Alive directly addressed the audience in the 2nd person
Bob Marley
leader of the Wailers; quickly surpassed Cliff in popularity; was reggae's most effective international ambassador; his songs of determination/rebellion/faith rooted in the Rastafarian belief system, and found a worldwide audience that reached from America to Japan and Europe to Africa; his early career reflects the economic precariousness of the music industry in a 3rd world country; Chris Blackwell signed them to Island Records and advanced them the money to record at their independent Tuff Gong studio in Jamaica; his version of "I Shot the Sheriff" sounds much more insistently rhythmically intense than Clapton's, his tempo is only a little faster than Clapton's, but the greater prominence of both bass and percussion in Marley's recording emphasizes the distinctive "riddims" of Jamaican reggae and creates the illusion of a considerably faster performance; originally a vocal group modeled after African American soul, but transformed themselves into a self-contained group that played their own instruments
Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (Progressive Rock)
live album Pictures at an Exhibition was recorded by this "rock band" and adopted its main themes/structural elements from a suite of piano pieces by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky
Progressive Rock (excerpt from The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader by David Brackett) *
many were influenced by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, and Jimi Hendrix; viewed themselves as artists and their recordings were their art; emerged from a complex of genres (heavy metal/glam) that formed in the late 60's/early 70's; includes overt references to classical music; incorporation of orchestral instruments as active participants in the texture; what happened when psychedelic rockers added western art music to the mix
Miles Davis (Jazz Rock Fusion)
most influential in jazz/rock genre; album Bitches Brew combined the exploratory spirit of avant-garde jazz with sonic textures and funky grooves inspired by the music of Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone; designed around surrealistic Afrocentric painting by German artist Mati Klarwein; assembled a roster of 13 musicians and was centered on a rhythm section
Rock Albums *
musicians began to see the album as a more suitable outlet for their creativity than individual singles, since by its length it could contain more complex/profound artistic statements; established the idea of the record album as a thematically/aesthetically unified work and not a collection of unrelated singles; discs could now contain 40 minutes of music; found creative ways to link the songs of the album together (create peaks and valleys)
Creedence Clearwater Revival (Southern Rock)
old fashioned R&R band consisting of 2 guitarists, a bass player, and a drummer; no exotic instruments/unusual or extended guitar solos/no studio effects/self-conscious experimentation with novel harmonies, rhythms, or song forms; had catchy/up-tempo 2-3-minute pop records that cut right through all the psychedelic haze of the San Fran scene; sound was influenced by early R&R like Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, and Sun Records (Memphis); definitive representative of Southern rock genre
The development of the "Rock Star"
reflection of both the economic/cultural changes that were afoot in music; reflects an evolving relationship between the economics/culture of rock that continues to the present day; salt of the earth, hard working, artistically gifted individual who had achieved financial success beyond anyone's wildest dreams, which then gave him/her the freedom to express personal artistic vision without compromise; connected to the idea that they started out as middle class citizens who then found fame and their dreams came true, so they got wealthy; connected to new performance opportunities from bars/theaters/ballrooms to sports arenas/stadiums; lower drinking age made the era a party era and the concert was more about the experience
Rock's relationship to Counterculture in the 60s and the 70s; what was different and what had changed; what specific events signaled the changes * *
shift of values in 70's of the young adults away from the communitarian/politically engaged ideals of the 60's (counter culture), toward a more materialistic and conservative attitudes; people were tired with the military conflict in Vietnam, and popular attention was now focused on domestic issues (oil crisis, economic inflation, assassination of JFK, and resignation of Nixon)- America takes a conservative turn; end of counterculture was symbolized by the deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison of the Doors, and the breakup of the Beatles
Velvet Underground - Lou Reed
singer/guitarist who had previously worked as a pop songwriter in the Brill Building-style "music factory"
Steely Dan (Jazz Rock Fusion)
utilizing jazz studio styles plus improvisation
Velvet Underground - John Cale
viola player active in the avant-garde art music scene in New York; introduced experimental musical elements into the mix (electronic noise/recorded industrial sounds)
Jimmy Cliff
vocalist of the soundtrack for the movie The Harder They Come who left the rural Jamaican town of St. James as a teenager for the city of Kingston; Chris of English independent label Island Records, convinced him to move to London; returned years later and recorded the song "Many Rivers to Cross" which inspired the director Perry Henzel to offer him the lead role in the movie; his recording in this movie exemplifies the reggae style of the early 70's; 1st Jamaican musician to gain recognition in the US
Mainstream hip-hop
Blended verbal cadences and techniques of digital sampling with R&B
mp3 downloads
Compresses the size of media files so you can fit more on a device.
Speed Metal
Deep Bass, emphasized attitude
N.W.A. - Dr. Dre
He but left for a solo career at Death Row Records - West Coast Gangsta Rap - Dr. Dre created the style of G Funk based on George Clinton"
David Bowie
His album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was an album centered on a fictitious character whose identity is analogous to that of one or more musicians in the band; coherence of the album creates derives more from the imaginative/magnetic persona of the singer and his character than from the music itself; about an alien who comes to visit Earth and becomes 1st a superstar and then goes into "rock suicide," perishing under the weight of his own fame
Grandmaster Flash
Joseph Sadler Refined Kool Herc's backspin on the turntables using headphones to sync the tempos of recordings--> create smooth transitions. Gained local fame for ability to use "punch ins", which were machine gun like segments of sound."
Peter Frampton (Stadium Rock)
Known for using the "Heil Talk Box"-he used this to talk through his music; moderately successful blue-rock guitarist, primarily known as a minor figure of the British invasion of the 60's as part of groups like the Heard and Humble Pie; went solo in the 70's, eventually achieving success with the album Frampton Comes Alive which was the biggest selling live album to that time
Velvet Underground
New York group that was promoted by the pop art superstar Andy Warhol; their music was rough edged/chaotic/very loud/deliberately anti-commercial/lyrics focused on topics such as sexual deviancy, drug addiction, violence, and social alienation; represented the self-consciously experimentalist roots of the 70's new wave music
