Chapter 10: Mainstream Rock, Punk, and New Wave

Ace your homework & exams now with Quizwiz!

Punk Structure

- Attacked authority, with difficult-to-discern vocals, sloppy distorted guitars, and loud drums However, because of a return-from-complexity aesthetic, it is fairly conventional in structure - Disrupted the status quo, but the music had connections to early rock

The Clash

- British punk group - The political protestors to the nihilist Sex Pistols - Released The Clash, then Given 'em Enough Rope, then entered US markets with London Calling (radio fav Train in Vain) Wide range of musical styles, with Sandinista! (1980) incorporating R&B, reggae, ska, and other influences Also had the song I fought the law

MC5

- Early aggressive punk group in Detroit - Kick Out the James - Aspect of confrontation key to pop

The Velvet Underground

- Early punk group formed by songwriter/guitarist/singer Lou Reed and composer/bassist/violist John Cale - Associated with Andy Warhol - Also Sterling Morrison on guitar and Maureen Tucker on drums, later added the singer Nico - Avant-garde ideas in a pop context focusing on the darker side of urban life - Aspect of confrontation key to pop

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

- Florida new wave band - Adapted 1960s folk with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, then You're Gonna Get It - Recorded for Shelter, then MCA with Damn the Torpedoes - Marketed as new wave with visual similarity and sonic connection

The Wings

- Formed by Paul McCartney of the Beatles and wife Linda, Denny Laine, and Denny Seiqall - Many successful albums like Band on the Run

Cheap Trick

- Mainstream rock group that appeared in the late 1970s - Combined power-chord guitar with pop hooks like in I Want You to Want Me (1979)

The Buzzcocks

- Pop-influenced British punk group - Successful albums like Another Music in a Different Kitchen and Love Bites

Rush

- Progressive rock group in the mid-late 1970s - Canadian power trio that released 4th album 2112 (concept album) in 1976 and followed with increasingly more popular records - Depended on guitar playing, so avoided classical pretension - High-pitched vocals, virtuosic drumming, and poetic lyrics kept them popular through today

Elton John

- Singer-songwriter active in the 1970s - Explored rock band backing with a string of hit albums and singles like Don't Go Breaking My Heart (1976) with Kiki Dee - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy

Jackson Browne

- Singer-songwriter active in the 1970s - Part of the 1970s country rock scene but released his most memorable music in the late 1970s - The Pretender, Runnin' on Empty, Hold Out

Fleetwood Mac

- Started as a British blues band and had some success - After a lineup change it focused on mainstream rock and ballads - The album Fleetwood Mac hit number one in the US the next year - Then Rumours was even more successful, dominating pop and selling more copies than any other album

Hotel California

- The Eagles' - New Kid in Town, Hotel California, and Life in the Fast Lane - Joe Walsh replaced Bernie Leadon on the album and it was harder rocking and more mainstream

Television

- Beginnings of the New York punk scene - Formed by school friends Richard Hell and Tom Verlaine - Performed at CBGB with the Patti Smith Group - Turned it into the home of the NY punk scene

The Slits

- British punk group - All female trio with Cut

Alan Parsons Project

- Progressive rock in the mid-late 1970s - A recording engineer for the Beatles and Pink Floyd that released a series of concept albums

Bob Dylan

- Singer-songwriter active in the 1970s - Returned to touring with Planet Waves (1974), then released Blood on the Tracks (1975) and toured with the Rolling Thunder Revue - Then he released more albums and went fundamentalist Christian

Mainstream Rock Formula in the 1970s

- Streamlined musical elements - Earlier longer tracks had multiple sections, often with compound AABA formal scheme - Later they were compressed into radio-friendly lengths - Distorted guitar sounds with progressive rock touches

Punk

- 1967 to 1975 - Music seemed pretty static to FM radio listeners until 1977, when punk - It was spearheaded by the Sex Pistols and first came to mainstream attention in the UK - America ignored it, endorsing "new wave" instead - However, the roots of punk were actually American - Many other cities saw a growing punk scene, but it was centered in NY - In the late 1970s the punk subculture became national, with radical clothing/hair and a DIY aesthetic (homemade over professional)

AOR

- Album-oriented rock - FM radio developed into this adult rock in the 1970s - Less freedom for disc jockeys to choose their own music, with program directors - Stations were heavily formatted nad extended tracks nad rock symphonies weren't radio friendly anymore - The ideal length of songs was 4-5 minutes to allow for commercials since young people listened for free - Major corporations bought radio stations and the growing perception was that AOR abandoned rock rebellion and it became corporate rock

Queen

- Beatles-inspired progressive rock group in the mid-late 1970s - Freddie Mercury and Brian May - First UK success was Queen II, first US was Sheer Heart Attack - A Night at the Opera, containing Bohemian Rhapsody (boosted in Wayne's World), established as a cross between David Bowie and progressive rock - Continued their success with A Day at the Races and News of the World, then The Game - Mercury never disclosed his sexual orientation but died of AIDS in 1991, raising public awareness and forcing rock fans to confront sexual stereotypes

Patti Smith Group

- Beginnings of the New York punk scene - Formed by Poet Patti Smith, rock critic Lenny Kaye, and pianist Richard Sohl in 1974 when they released a cover of Hey Joe in 1974 - First band from NY punk to sign a major label record deal - Released Horses late 1975, which charted - Gloria started with a recitation by Smith that seems unrelated but builds in intensity and winds its way to an energetic chorus

New York Dolls

- Beginnings of the New York punk scene - Fronted by David Johansen and incorporated glam (makeup, costumes) into gritty, hard-driving rock (tough image) - Sold poorly but was an important step between art-based experimental Velvet Underground and later punk

More Than a Feeling

- Boston progressive rock song - Compound AABA design - A sections are verse-chorus pairs, B instrumental guitar solo - Harmony guitar parts were progressive rock touches

The Police

- British new wave performer - Debuted with Outlandos d'Amour and became known for complex drumming, literary lyrics, and atmospheric guitar - Not much success with singles until late 1980, but albums like Regatta de Blanc and Zenyatta Mondatta were very popular - Every Breath You Take

Elvis Costello

- British new wave performer - Signed with Stiff and was distributed by Colombia - Known for aggressive and clever attacks on the status quo - My Aim Is True, This Year's Model, Armed Forces

The Jam

- British punk group - Drew from mod and the Kinks and the Who, with In The City Later This Is the Modern World demonstrated blend of hard-driving rhythm with catchy pop hooks Success continued with All Mod Cons, Setting Sons, and Sound Affects, extremely popular in the UK

X-Ray Spex

- British punk group - Fronted by a woman with Germ Free Adolescents

Siouxsie and the Banshees

- British punk group - Signed with Polydor and released Hong Kong Garden - Continued success with covers like Dear Prudence - The first female-fronted punk group

CBGB

- Country, Blue Grass, and Blues: Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers, opened in 1973 and was a form for punk and new wave - Deserted bar in lower Manhattan

Mainstream Rock in the 1970s

- Different rock styles had started to blend together, extending earlier styles and pulling together elements that had previously been used to distinguish among styles - Pushed by corporate rock - Popular groups from the 60s continued success - Miss You (1973, Rolling Stones) - The Joker (Steve Miller Band) - Groups from the early 1970s built their success - KISS reached commercial peak with Alive! and Alive II

Iggy Pop

- Early punk group - An outrageous performer who challenged the audience at performances in Detroit (Fun House) with a very raw sound - Loud guitars, heavy drumming, screaming, I wanna be your dog - Aspect of confrontation key to pop

Feels Like the First Time

- Foreigner progressive rock song - Compound AABA design - Bridge between verse 2 and the chorus in the 2nd A section and no return to the verse in the final A section - High synthesizer arpeggios were progressive rock touches

Doobie Brothers

- Group from the early 1970s that built their success in the later half of the decade - Replaced Tom Johnston with Michael McDonald and added more jazz - Reached their peak with Minute by Minute (1979)

Heart vs. Blondie

- Here debuted with Dreamboat Annie in 1976 and had a harder edge than Blondie - Leader Anne Wilson was tough and powerful, representing mainstream - Debbie Harry of Blondie was more musically limited with way less blues influence (new wave) - Wilson is incredibly forceful with Straight On and Alone, while Harry rejects the hippie aesthetic and is more amateur in Heart of Glass

Talking Heads

- Made ofstudents from the Rhode Island School of Design and was successful at CBGB from the start - Talking Heads in 1977, with a signature spare instrumental accompaniment and spastic vocal delivery - Then More Songs about Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light, growing increasingly successful w/intellectual and artsy character; one song was Psycho Killers - Brian Eno produced, an important rock experimenter

Boston

- Mainstream rock group that appeared in the late 1970s - Blended blues rock and progressive rock and was successful - First album Boston! climbed to number 3 - More Than a Feeling exemplified compact rock song with several highly organized instrumental sections

Foreigner

- Mainstream rock group that appeared in the late 1970s - Established with the albums Foreigner and Double Vision Each member except Lou Gramm had performed professionally - Blues-rock guitar hooks and an R&B-inspired vocal approach - Used keyboards prominently - Feels Like the First Time 1978

Journey

- Mainstream rock group that appeared in the late 1970s - Formed by Neil Schon and Greg Rolie of Santana combining with Ross Valory of Steve Miller and Aynsley Dunbar of Zappa - Moderate success until singer Steve Perry came for album Infinity, which contained Lights and Feelin' That Way (radio successes) - Soaring tenor voice and guitar-driven sound drew on progressive rock

Van Halen

- Mainstream rock group that appeared in the late 1970s - Van Halen and Roth - Showed emerging California metal scene, blending hard-driving rock with blues vocals and futuristic guitar - Radio favorite with the album Van Halen, containing Runnin' with the Devil, and later Van Halen II and Women and Children First

Dream Weaver

- Mainstream rock song released by American Gary Wright in late 1975 - He was originally in a band before going solo - Relies on synthesized sounds with futuristic imagery - Warm timbres saturated with reverb and echo like progressive rock keyboardists - Ultimately optimistic

The B-52s

- More southern new wave band - Gained a national following with The B-52s and performing on SNL - Wild Planet in 1980 only broadened success - Music full of references to pre psychedelic music, with surf-style guitar riffs, electric organ sound, and girl-group vocals - Greatest success in the late 1980s

Progressive Rock in the Late 1970s

- Mostly done by the mid-70s, except Yes - Many older groups disbanded or changed members

Cars

- New wave band in the 1970s - Based in Boston and signed to Elektra, breaking onto FM rock radio with debut release The Cars in 1978 - Followed with Candy-O and continued to top the charts, with early rock styles pervading their music

Blondie

- New wave band in the 1970s - Plastic Letters did well in the UK but Parallel Lines did well in both, and several smash hit singles in the US followed - Music didn't fit American stereotypes of punk - Heart of Glass

The Knack

- New wave band that signed with Capitol - Their album Get the Knack, styled like the Beatles, only gave them limited success

Devo

- New wave band that was the most iconic new age band, with futuristic image - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! was produced by Brian Eno in 1978 and was popular in England, cover of Satisfaction - Popularity in the US came with Freedom of Choice in 1980

My Best Friend's Girl

- New wave song by the Cars - Handclaps reminiscent of girl groups/Beatles - Guitar licks in passages linking choruses - Repeated organ chords like guitar bands - Vocal hiccups like Buddy Holly - Form similar to Boston with simpler material

Cars (song)

- New wave song released in 1979 by Englishman Gary Numan - He was originally in a band before going solo - Relies on synthesized sounds with futuristic imagery - Drier and harsher - Rejects optimistic ideals

New Wave and Rock History

- New wave was fascinated with earlier musical styles, copying previous artists' images and stylistic references even in the music itself - Rock music from psychedelia to late 1970s was based on the hippie aesthetic, dealing with important issues - New wave musicians scaled this back - Thus references were always pre-Sgt. Pepper, not advocating a return but critiquing the present

Frampton Comes Alive!

- Peter Frampton's live album - Approachable, middle of the road rock - Platinum (1 million + copies)

The Blondies

- Played CBGB in 1974 as the Stilettos before changing their names - Released Blondie in 1976, with the song X Offender showing girl-group influences with spoken intro, happy driving beat, backup vocals, although it wasn't successful

Electric Light Orchestra

- Progressive rock group in the mid-late 1970s - Formed out of the British psychedelic band Move and now featured guitarist Jeff Lynne - Rock band with chamber strings accompaniment, Beatles-inspired - Broke through in US with concept album Eldorado, then hit singles

Styx

- Progressive rock group in the mid-late 1970s - Made progressive rock more economic, with progressive topics and lengthy but less complex tracks - The Grand Illusion gave commercial success in 1977 - Also Cornerstone, Paradise Theater, and Kilroy Was Here - Come Sail Away 1977

Kansas

- Progressive rock group in the mid-late 1970s - Moderate success until Leftoverture with Carry On Wayward Son in 1977, which pared progressive music down to 4 minute radio-preferred songs - Best album Point of No Return with Dust in the Wind

The Ramones

- Punk group that played under stage names and produced stripped-down, high-energy rock with short, simple songs played fast - Legally changed their last names to Ramone - Signed with Sire Records and released Ramones in 1976 - Never very popular in the US but succeeded in the UK - Blitzkrieg Bop

Anarchy in the UK

- Punk song by the Sex Pistols - Simple verse structure - Only exceptions are two bridges inserted, but has no solos/riffs - Driving guitar, bass, and drums are clear features of early punk

Bruce Springsteen

- Singer-songwriter active in the 1970s - Backed by the E-Street Band and was established with 3rd album Born to Run - Wrote autobiographical lyrics and embraced rock's past

Bob Seger

- Singer-songwriter active in the 1970s - Fronted the Silver Bullet Band - Broke out with the album Night Moves (Night Moves, Mainstreet) - Style featured folksy lyrics about every problems, gravelly vocals, and memorable rock hooks - Classics like Old Time Rock & Roll and Against the Wind

Paul Simon

- Singer-songwriter active in the 1970s - Played jazz, R&B, and gospel, like in Slip Slidin' Away - One-Trick Pony album was musically complex, but the movie had mixed reviews - Backed up by the Oak Ridge Boys

Billy Joel

- Singer-songwriter active in the 1970s - Second album Piano Man launching his career - Just the Way You Are 1977 - Several years of meh music, then The Stranger and 53nd Street - Piano and vocals as center of attention on ballads and up-tempo rock songs backed by a band - Glass Houses (1980) engaged earlier rock and poop styles - It's Still Rock and Roll to Me discussed older forms of rock nad was musically modeled on late 1950s rock

Singer-Songwriters in the 1970s

- Started to front bands - Explored harder rock while keeping the intimate bond, so bands weren't the focus

The Sex Pistols

- Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Glen Matlock, & John Lydon (called Johnny Rotten) started a band on stolen instruments that McLaren managed/launched - They signed with EMI and released Anarchy in the UK - They cussed on live TV and became notorious, dropped from several labels and paid advance money Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols went straight to #1 - Everywhere they went, more punk bands sprung up It was absolutely hated by the mainstream music industry

Rise of New Wave

- Tamed more aggressive elements of punk and discussed urban alienation - The Sex Pistols toured the American South in late 1977 and made the US aware of punk - Continued with Elvis Costello's breakthrough SNL performance - Punk had a reputation for being dangerous and was rebranded as "new wave" - CBGB bands took advantage and became stars (Blondie, Talking Head, Television but not in US, Patti Smith Group)

Malcolm McLaren

- The UK was having an economic recession and youth had no jobs and were prone to despair that turned to anger - Ended up with greater stylistic range than later UK punk groups - McLaren owned a shop called Let It Rock and relaunched it Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die and befriended the New York Dolls - He was impressed by the NY underground punk scene, especially R. Hell, and renamed his shop Sex to sell leather/fetish clothing - He managed and launched the Sex Pistols

Big Albums

- The growth of hippie culture showed money could be made in rock music - The "big album" emerged as more and more albums became gold (500,000 copies sold) and the RIAA created the platinum award for 1 million copies - Made so much money that corporations brought up record labels - Concerts became larger with major labels (Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan) and musicians began to partake in expensive habits (drugs) - Looking for mega-hit albums encouraged a conservative attitude - Record companies killed the spirit of rock by not taking chances or caring about the music, just caring about money


Related study sets

Chapter 32 pre, post and Chapter test

View Set

Infant and Child Development EXAM 1

View Set

P.E. B Test 4- Conflict Management 2

View Set

Chapter 7: Written Communications

View Set

Chapter 40 Hematology and Blood Transfusions

View Set