History of Rock Quiz #2

Big Brother and the Holding Co.

-used blues, distortion and volume to create a heavy rock sound Cheap Thrills: definitive acid rock album -on the rise in San Francisco when Janis Joplin, recently arrived from Austin, TX, was invited to join on vocals in 1966 -her powerful performances made her, along with Jimi Hendrix, the greatest hippie icons of the 1960's -one can almost hear the competition between the lead guitars and vocals playing out on songs like "Piece of My Heart" and "Summertime" -The group's breakthrough performance was at Monterey Pop Festival in 1967

The Grateful Dead

Led by lead guitarist and vocalist Jerry Garcia, with guitarist Bob Weir and bassist Phil Lesh -the pioneers of jam-band rock, -began as a folk, bluegrass and country-blues band -originally called The Warlocks -Their loose, jangly, improvised style made them the featured band at the 'acid-test' events hosted by the author Ken Kesey (One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest) and his cohorts The Merry Pranksters. -the group would establish themselves as one of the top-grossing concert acts of all time -hippie culture -most documented rock band in history. 1966 -turning point- the Trips Festival where thousands of music fans showed up at the San Francisco Longshoreman's Union Hall to sample LSD-spiked Kool-Aid and see the Grateful Dead with state-of-the-art live sound and the first psychedelic concert light show ever presented American Beauty-album -After realizing they could never police or prevent bootleg recordings of their shows, they set up a separate area for 'tapers,' permitting their concerts to be archived like no other group. - tape trading

The Who

Pete Townshend- guitar, vocals, writing Roger Daltry- vocals John Entwistle- bass guitar, bckgrnd vocals Keith Moon- drums -London, England- emerge in mid 60s -most dynamic, explosive rock group -one of the first groups to feature a rhythm section- define how rock would be played in future Mid 60s England -phenomenon built around visually stunning, high-volume performance style w/ attitude- London Mod culture and fashion -started with heavy American blues and soul covers - built reputation from staying in the London scene -Pete and Keith began to smash their gear on stage - the group was loud, arrogant, violent, stylish and melodic all at once Early Era -reflected in the singles they released, the first being "I Can't Explain," -inspired partly by the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" -"The Kids are Alright" "My Generation" became anthems to the Mods in London-became one of the signature rock songs of the 60's, drew a line separating youth of 60s and their parents generation -John Entwistle's lead bass solo on "My Generation" was the first of its kind anywhere in rock music. - inexperienced management, terrible record deals -constant financial debt and infighting to the point where singer Roger Daltry was briefly fired in 1965-changed power structure of group Tommy- platinum-selling, smash hit album "Pinball Wizard"-huge hit from the record 1967 -first appearance in the US, Monterey Pop Festival Monterey Pop Festival- forced into a situation in which Jimi Hendrix, was trying to upstage them by insisting to go on before them in his intent on smashing his guitar and setting it on fire. By coin flip, the who won. -LSD- played an emotionally charged and violently destructive set, but Jimi still outplayed them 1970 -Townshend's biggest concern was coming up with a follow-up to Tommy's monumental success Lifehouse- his answer; a futuristic concept set in the dystopian future- broke down (no one understood it but townshend) Who's Next-one of the greatest rock albums of all time; songwriting, sound production and group performance "Baba O'Riley," "Bargain," "Behind Blue Eyes," Entwistle's "My Wife" and especially "Won't Get Fooled Again"- FM standards to this day Quadrophenia- double album -Townshend had complete control, alienating the other members. -resulting tour was a disaster-Keith Moon's growing drug and alcohol issues exacerbated this problem 1976 The group went on to have a successful arena tour, but this would be the final tour for The Who's original lineup. 1978 Keith Moon died in September-overdosing on a drug that was prescribed to wean him from alcohol just weeks after the release of the successful album Who Are You 1979 -released The Kids Are Alright, a theatrical film of television appearances and concert footage that encapsulates the group's humor, power and fury in the Sixties and Seventies.

Pink Floyd

Syd Barrett-(1946-2006) founder, vocals, guitar (left group in 1968) Roger Waters- (b. 1943) bass guitar, vocals Nick Mason- (b. 1944) drums Richard 'Rick' Wright- (1943-2008) keyboards, vocals David Gilmour- (b. 1946) guitar, vocals -formed in London in 1965 -was at the center of the English psychedelic music scene and were the pioneers of progressive rock -utilized standard rock instrumentation merged with recorded sound, speech, studio effects and tape editing -they created a uniquely original and emotional form of rock music-lyrics focused on cosmic and philosophical subject matter -they were a cult band in their earlier years, but evolved into one of the most influential and commercially successful groups in rock history -creating a following with a burgeoningly diverse and largely, acid-taking crowd Syd Barrett- took the initiative to introduce himself and bring together the members of the group -He conceived the name 'Pink Floyd' by merging the names of two obscure American blues players, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council "See Emily Play" - featured a uniquely developed sound with thick bass, heavy rhythm and sonic manipulation and reached the Top 10. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn-album - appeared soon after and featured the space-themed "Astronomy Domine." -as the group was ascending, embarking on its first tours and television appearances, Barrett's mental condition began to unravel rapidly. Syd Barrett -at this time was described as 'gone' and 'out of it' and it's been suggested that he abused LSD to an alarming level A fall U.S. tour ended disastrously and by early 1968, Barrett's mental condition and his ability to perform with the group had become intractable, forcing them to add new member, David Gilmour. -decided to leave Barrett behind Ummagumma- 1969 album -featured a live set from Leeds University on disc one and music from each member on the other. Meddle- Pink Floyd began to assert a more distinctive group sound. -The 23-minute epic "Echoes" was an important breakthrough and a definitive Pink Floyd album track-transitional, bridging the post-psychedelic era with a newer 'progressive' sound in rock The Dark Side of the Moon- 1973, established Pink Floyd as a major rock group for all-time Mid-70s albums Wish You Were Here (their tribute to Syd Barrett, "Shine on you Crazy Diamond," bookends the record) and the Orwellian, Animals, continued Floyd's lush production and songwriting approach but during this period Roger Waters assumed more and more control over the group. -The 1977 arena tour supporting Animals left Waters alienated, and a disastrous investment debacle put the band in considerable financial stress at decade's end The Wall -Conceived by Waters -saw him in complete control of the record's production and before it was all over, would result in the firing of Rick Wright and the alienation of Gilmour and Mason. -enormous success in 1980-saving the group from near-bankruptcy "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" "Comfortably Numb" -big hits in the album split in the early 80s, but would later reunite (without Waters) and carry on through the 1990's. -The live release, Pulse, from 1994, is a fine example of Pink Floyd's expanded sound during this time.

Psychedelia in California

The psychedelic rock music of the mid- and late-1960's can be seen as merging from two separate threads of rock- 1)the more gentle acoustic sounds of folk and folk-rock (Dylan, The Byrds) 2) the surging volume and powerful instrumental interplay from the other (Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience) -Song lyrics became more abstract, more ambiguous, but also fiercely political -the Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco was the epicenter of the new free-love culture and these groups embodied these elements with a firm commitment to the joys of freedom and adventure and the hope of positive change.- the San Francisco Sound.

Santana

-Tijuana-born guitarist Carlos Santana's seven-piece group took the prevailing rock language of the era and merged it with Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms -world debut at Woodstock Music and Arts Fair in Bethel, New York in 1969 -release their first record two weeks later and catapult themselves to rock stardom virtually overnight. -featured in the film Woodstock "Black Magic Woman" "Evil Ways" "Oye Como Va" -In the early-Seventies Carlos Santana was influenced by the electric jazz-rock of Miles Davis and moved in a jazz-rock-fusion direction Lotus- an elaborate three-record set that documents the group's artistry

Janis Joplin

-it was only a matter of time before Janis Joplin would leave Big Brother for a solo career -With a record deal from Columbia, she released her first solo album in 1969, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again, Mama! -the follow-up Pearl, would cement her legacy and top the charts in January, 1971. The Full Tilt Boogie Band- new group "Move Over" "Cry Baby" -died of an accidental heroin overdose on October 4, 1970 "Me and Bobby McGee"-a bit of country, rock and roll and barrelhouse jam

Led Zeppelin

Jimmy Page- guitar, producer (b. 1944) John Paul Jones- bass guitar, keyboards (b. 1946) Robert Plant- vocals, harmonica (b. 1948) John Bonham- drums (1948-1980) Peter Grant- manager (1935-1995) -the runaway success at the end of the 60s -Their music was inventive and multi-faceted with the blues and heavy rock at its heart while their dynamic stage show made them the premier rock concert attraction of the 70s -Zeppelin's massive popularity broke previous records set by The Beatles -'Zeppelin-mania' in early 70's America- huge youth phenomena caused by the well-timed collision of Led Zeppelin's phenomenal power and songwriting and the pent-up suburban-angst and energy of millions of adolescent kids -was gonna be named "New Yardbirds", coming from Jimmy Pages old band that disbanded, The Yardbirds. "and we could call it Lead Zeppelin, since it would go over like a lead balloon." Late 1968: -with their first album already recorded, Peter Grant negotiated an impossible-to-believe 5-album deal with a $140,000 advance and complete artistic control of both music and album artwork -second album, Led Zeppelin II, and its lead-off song "Whole Lotta Love"- runaway success -The song's swirling middle section (in which Page plays a Theremin with sound effects added) was a sonic marvel at the time that fused blues -record climbed to #1 -Their untitled fourth album, referred to as Led Zeppelin IV- would change Led Zeppelin's fortunes for all time -The album is arguably considered to be their best music "Stairway to Heaven"- became their biggest song Houses of the Holy in 1973 -the apex of its popularity and break concert attendance records previously set by The Beatles -after five non-stop years of touring and album-making the group took a hiatus at the end 1973 and would not tour again until two years later- the group formed their own record company, Swan Song 1975 -saw a successful tour but drugs and alcohol-cause a decline in the consistency of their live shows. -car accident that summer on the Greek island of Rhodes-Robert Plant got a broken leg and couldn't walk for eight months -up-coming fall tour was cancelled-group felt a sense of vulnerability and concern over the future of their career- Page tried to counter this by having the group immediately make a new album- Presence Returned in 1977 with a sold-out U.S. stadium tour -internal issues within the group In Through the Out Door in 1979, following Plant's sons death- the sound was different and not as heavy as previous albums

Jefferson Airplane

Grace Slick -began as a folk rock group -their female-fronted sound and unique instrumental interplay made them distinctive Surrealistic Pillow- successful album "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" defined the late sixties -Based on a Spanish bolero rhythm, its Alice-in-Wonderland-as-acid-trip lyrics were instantly appropriated for the hippie generation while Grace Slick gives a powerful lead vocal that propels the song to a dramatic climax. Monterey Pop Festival -The group's appearance at Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock and the politically-minded album Volunteers established their popularity at the end of the Sixties before opposing factions within the group would split it apart.

Keith Moon

The Who drummer -youthful appeal, first sex symbol, star of the group

Pete Townshend

The Who guitarist, vocals, songwriting -use of huge amplifiers- feedback and volume "windmill" and "birdman" stage moves -iconic Tommy- album -he focused his post-war childhood experiences and newfound spiritual concerns in the telling of the story of Tommy -Townshend inferred the true moral of the story was that spiritual enlightenment cannot come from prolonged use of mind altering drugs but through a conscious decision to change ones thinking and attitude