History of Rock- ch. 12
R.E.M.
-"America's Hippest Band" -won Rolling Stone's awards for Band of the Year, Best New Artist, Album of the Year -first recorded "Radio Free Europe," released Murmur -I.R.S. Records heard them in New Orleans -"Losing My Religion" and "Shiny Happy People" -first 1980s band to break to superstardom
MJ on MTV
-"Billie Jean" was the "record that broke the color barrier" -Walter Yetnikoff threatened to take it off MTV until it was put into heavy rotation -"in late 1982, MJ almost magically restored the music industry's superstar clout by releasing one record" (Steve Knopper, Appetite for Self-Destruction)
Madonna (controversy)
-"Borderline" explored the topic of inter-racial love -"Like a Virgin" was sometimes performed with masturbation -"Papa Don't Preach" was about an unwed woman keeping her baby against her father's wishes -"Like a Prayer" featured burning crosses
New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM)
-"kicked out all of the blues, sped up the tempo, toughened up the sound" -most enduring bands came from America
Bruce Springsteen (albums)
-1982: released Nebraska, a stripped-down collection of demos that he recorded with a four-track cassette recorder -The Ghost of Tom Joad was his most political album, condemned divide between America's rich and poor -The Rising was a reflection on 9/11
Born in the U.S.A.
-1984 -sold 15 million copies -7 Top 10 hits including "Dancing in the Dark" -"Born in the U.S.A." is about a Vietnam veteran unable to find a job or rebuild his life on returning home -used as a rallying cry by Ronald Reagan
Michael Jackson
-Bad and Dangerous were also multi-platinum albums -bought Neverland in 1988, an amusement park in Santa Ynez, CA -claimed he had vitiligo (destroys skin pigmentation), lupus -charged with 7 counts of child molestation -married to Lisa Marie (Elvis' daughter), then Debbie Rowe -found dead on June 25, 2009 -first time in history that any artist has had more than one million within a week
1980s artists
-Billy Joel -Phil Collins -Huey Lewis and the News -Paula Abdul
"Born in the U.S.A."
-Bruce Springsteen -story of a working class youth in Vietnam, return to home -"nowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to go" -inspired by Ron Kovic's memoir Born on the fourth of July and Paul Schrader's movie Born in the USA -originally envisioned as acoustic on LP Nebraska -E Street Band played it twice -album is 15x platinum
industrial (recordings)
-Halber Mensch by Einsturzende Neubauten -Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste by Ministry -Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails -Last Rights by Skinny Puppy
1980s metal bands
-Iron Maiden -Motorhead -Def Leppard -Grim Reaper
"Papa Don't Preach"
-Madonna -most controversial from album True Blue -about an unwed woman telling her father she's keeping the baby -in the thick of conservative Reagan years -Madonna appears as a tomboy with short hair, Danny Aiello plays her father
"Billie Jean"
-Michael Jackson -produced by Quincy Jones -this and "Beat It" were #1 from Thriller -Best R&B Song and Best R&B Male Vocal (Grammys) -"I knew it was going to be a hit while I was writing it" -nailed the vocal track in one take -video on MTV was "the video that broke the color barrier"
MJ on NBC
-Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever -sang "Billie Jean" -wore a black fedora and one white sequined glove -became a pop legend, Thriller sales increased
alternative (recordings)
-Murmur by R.E.M. -Let It Be by the Replacements -Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth
U2 (members)
-Paul Hewson (Bono) -David Evans (The Edge) -Adam Clayton -Larry Mullen
The Replacements
-Paul Westerberg -critically acclaimed, little commercial success -drunk and disorderly onstage -Let It Be was one of alternative's defining albums
Prince
-Prince Rogers Nelson -changed his name to a symbol, called "the Artist Formerly Known as Prince" (TAFKAP) -averaged an album a year through the 80s and 90s -reportedly has hundreds of songs in his vaults that have never been released -Around the World in a Day and Batman (Tim Burton) were #1
alternative bands
-R.E.M. -Sonic Youth -Replacements -Red Hot Chili Peppers -The Cure -The Violent Femmes -The Pixies -The Feelies
"Radio Free Europe"
-R.E.M. -one of their first songs recorded, recorded again for Murmur -released on indie Hib-Tone label -rerecorded after signing with IRS Records -jangly guitar (Peter Buck), muffled vocals (Michael Stipe) -influential alternative band
War (album)
-U2 -1983 -tackled conflict in Northern Ireland with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" -broke into the American market
The Joshua Tree
-U2 -1987 -went diamond in 1995 -"With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" stayed in the Top 40 for over a year
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
-U2 -produced by Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois -from The Joshua Tree -most commercially successful -Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Group (Grammy) -Bono is listed as composer, Daniel Lanois claims some credit
1980s charity events
-We are the World -supported Amnesty International -written by MJ and Lionel Ritchie to benefit relief agency USA for Africa -modeled after "Do They Know It's Christmas" by British Band Aid
The Bodyguard
-Whitney Houston -1992 -soundtrack album for the film -Houston's biggest selling album -starred in it with Kevin Costner
compact disc
-a digital storage media introduced in 1982 by Sony and Philips -overtook cassette sales in 1991
cassette tape
-a tape storage media introduced in the 1960s in which the tape in enclosed in a small plastic molding, or cassette -sales tripled between 1978 and 1982 -sales exploded when Sony Walkman players released in 1980 -exceeded album sales in 1984
Digital Audio Tape (DAT)
-allowed brand new sonic quality and clarity -more tracks were available to record on -low cost solution for stereo (two-track) digital recording
MIDI
-an acronym for musical instrument digital interface -a computer protocol that enables digital instruments and computer software to communicate with each other
cassette tape (cons)
-auto fidelity wasn't as good -yielded smaller profit margins -easier to copy ("home taping")
MJ goes solo
-began solo career in 1972 with the release of Got to Be There -teamed up with Quincy Jones in 1979 -Off the Wall produced four Top 10 hits
Thriller
-best-selling album in history -released in 1982 -made MJ an international superstar -8 Grammys -7 Top 10 singles ("Billie Jean," "Beat It") -documentary called The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller sold half a million copies -included Eddie Van Halen, Paul McCartney, Vincent Price -video often rated as the best of all time
Madonna
-combined dancing, visual artistry, and post-disco dance moves -one of the most controversial pop figures -stayed public for over 20 years -won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in Evita -X-rated documentary film Truth or Date -published Sex, featured nude and S&M clothed photos
Farm Aid
-concerts by Willie Nelson -benefitted and drew attention to American farmers caught up in difficult economies -first concert held in Champaign, IL in 1985
Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC)
-educated and informed parents of the new trend towards lyrics that were sexually explicit -formed by a group of "Washington Wives" including Susan Baker, Tipper Gore, Peatsy Hollings -the Senate Commerce, Technology, and Transportation Committee began hearings to investigate the pornographic content of rock music -advocated use of warning labels -Frank Zappa, Dee Snider, John Denver protested -1985: RIAA asked members to affix warning labels
Sonic Youth
-energy of NY's downtown music scene -some of alternative's most innovative and textured music -inspired by Glenn Branca's experimental guitar ensemble -unique tunings and high volume -wedged screwdrivers or drumsticks between the strings and fret board -Daydream Nation was influential -signed with SST, then Geffen -"We were influential in showing people that you can make any kind of music you want"
AC/DC
-formed in Australia -released 8 albums between 1975-78 -Highway to Hell, breakthrough with Back in Black -worked on it as a form of therapy after death of singer Bon Scott
Metallica
-guitarist James Hetfield answered a newspaper ad posted by drummer Lars Ulrich -all albums went multi-platinum -Metallica was the best-selling album of the Soundscan Era, first of 5 albums to debut at #1 -filed suit against Napster in 2000 for copyright infringement
Live Aid
-largest staged event in history -simultaneous concerts held at London's Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia's JFK Stadium -July 13, 1985 -conceived by Bob Geldorf (Band Aid) to assist famine relief in Ethiopia -14 hours long -Phil Collins performed twice
Guns N' Roses
-led by Axel Rose and Slash -Appetite for Destruction is the largest selling debut album -"Welcome to the Jungle" -Chinese Democracy is the most expensive rock album ever produced ($13M)
Bono
-lent support to Amnesty International, AIDS relief efforts, world economic forums, disaster, hunger and disease relief, Product Red, and African aid organizations -nominated for Nobel Peace Prize -granted knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II
compact disc (pros)
-linear (jumped from one song to another instantaneously) -lightweight -playback-only media (no home taping) -offered an opportunity to resell consumers record collections
industrial (characteristics)
-many of the earliest bands were European -abrasive and relentlessly mechanical; pounding jackhammer beat -use of digital samples, avant-garde electronics, white noise -use of industrial materials (power tools) in performance -lyrical themes of alienation, despair, dehumanization
Whitney Houseon
-most successful debut album ever by a female artist -signed with Arista Records in 1983 after Clive Davis heard her sing at NY's Sweetwaters supper club -Whitney Houston was on the charts for 162 weeks -accidental death at the Beverly Hilton on February 11, 2012
death of John Lennon
-murdered on December 8, 1980 by deranged fan Mark David Chapman -Double Fantasy recorded with Yoko Ono, released after death
alternative rock
-not so much a style as it is a spirit of independence -described by Michael Azerrad, it's the music that spawned a "cultural underground railroad" -like the cultural revolution of the 1960s -like the 1950s, key players were indie labels and renegade radio stations -SST and Sub Pop were the Suns and Chess's
MTV
-one of the most significant developments in the music industry -began broadcasting on August 1, 1981 -changed how music was packaged, sold, and consumed -marketed to the largest record-buying demographic (12-34) -non-stop broadcasting of music videos hosted by video jockeys (VJs) -music video became an advertisement for the record -first years were overwhelmingly white artists
Nine Inch Nails
-one-man band of Trent Reznor -played all the instruments except the drums -produced The Downward Spiral in the home where the Manson family murdered Sharon Tate -written scores for film (Tomb Raider, Natural Born Killers)
U2
-operatic instrumentals, guitar work, passionate vocals, socially conscious lyrics -self-taught at Dublin's Mount Temple High School
cassette tape (pros)
-portable -didn't scratch or warp -resistant to jostling, ideal for car stereos
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
-punk with funk influences (George Clinton, Sly and the Family Stone) -Clinton produced Freaky Styley ("too funky for white radio, too punk rockin' for black") -covered Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" and "Knock Me Down"
Purple Rain
-recorded with touring band, the Revolution -soundtrack LP to the film of the same name -all songs were written and produced by Prince -"When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy" hit #1
Jackson 5
-signed with Motown in 1969 -updated version of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers -"I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save," and "I'll Be There" all went to #1
digital samplers
-synthesizers that digitally record (sample) sounds that can be played back and manipulated from a MIDI instrument -could produce music quicker and cheaper than in commercial studios
Bruce Springsteen
-the savior of rock and roll -casted as hard-working, small town, blue collar -played in Cambridge, MA, heard by John Landau ("I saw rock & roll's future and its name is Bruce Springsteen") -the E Street Band used in the studio and on tours (1974-1989) was a 1960s garage band inspired by Dylan -"Rising" tour sold out in NJ's Giant's stadium, the most tickets ever sold in a concert series at one venue (over half a million)
alternative (characteristics)
-umbrella term encompassing a wide variety of stylistic approaches with a DIY independent attitude -influences from punk, psychedelia, folk, hard rock -lyrics are often angst-ridden of reflecting punk attitudes
Bon Jovi
-wrote song demos at Power Station Studios -"Runaway" began to get airplay -Slippery When Wet