History of Rock and Roll - Chapter 8

Question 0

Manchester Sound

Answer 0

Dark, brooding lyrics about death and despair are trademarks of this mid 1980’s style. It is the influence of the Manchester style of rock and its descendants that ultimately become known as the alternate rock style. The style quickly spread to other industrial cities as far away as Melbourne.
Bands include: Joy Division, New Order, and…
“Nightmare” - Killing Joke
“Double Dare” - Bauhaus

Question 1

Rock Benefit Concerts of the 1980’s

Answer 1

In November 1984, in the midst of the me-generation, British rocker Bob Geldof (Boomtown Rats) persuaded 40 pop stars to record a single Do They Know It’s Christmas?, the proceeds of which would provide famine relieve in Africa. The success of that led Geldof to pit together an international simulcast rock concert, Live Aid on July 13, 1985. The 16 hour event took place simultaneously in Wembly Stadium (U.K.) and Philadelphia and it was telecast in every country of the world.
It hosted soooo many amazing performers! o .o It raised 80 million dollars.

Question 2

Industrial Rock (Late 1980’s)

Answer 2

The sound of power tools, hammers, wrenches, and homemade noise all find their way into Industrial Rock. Lyrics are about postindustrial fears, obsession with death, raw emotions, and anxiety.
Performers: Skinny Puppy, Daisy Chainsaw, Laibach, and…
“12,305 Nacht” - Einstruzente Neubauten
“Down In It” - Nine Inch Nails
“Intolerance” -Tool

Question 3

The Beginnings of Alternative Rock

Answer 3

Sonic Youth was particularly influential for creating an underpinning for 1990’s alternative rock. In 1991, Sonic Youth toured with then relatively unknown Nirvana.
Throughout the mid 1980’s, a cult following formed on post-Velvet Underground such as Joy Division, Thin White Rope, and Killing Joke. There was an interest in unifying elements of Metal, Funk, and Post-Punk with this new aesthetic. One of the most successful to achieve this was Jane’s Addiction. They ignored the refinement and commercialization that rock had in the late 80’s and focused on raw energy, live performances, and outlandish costuming. The 1st Lollapalooza doubled as a farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction as well as the first Alternative Rock Festival. Included NIN, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Henry Rollins Band, Living Colour, and Ice-T.
MTV Unplugged also became popular focusing upon live music.

Question 4

Seattle Grunge/Olympia Washington

Answer 4

Mudhoney, the first Seattle underground band, was formed in 1988. Largely influenced by Mudhoney, Nirvana popularized this subset of alternative rock which became known as Seattle Grunge sound (1991). Trademarks of this sound were the lazy vocal delivery, sparse bass lines and light drumming intermingled with loud thrash guitar interjections.
In Olympia, Washington Molly Neuman formed the group Bratmobile, the first of the Riot-Grrrl bands, an indie-punk feminist movement. In Los Angeles Donita Sparks all girl group, L7 approximates the same attitude.
Performers: Alice In Chains, and…
“Black Hole Sun” - Soundgarden
“Lithium” - Nirvana
“Say Hello 2 Heaven” - Temple of the Dog
“Go” - Pearl Jam

Female Artists: Bratmobile, Bikini Kill, L7

Question 5

Rise of Early 1990’s Rise of Rapcore

Answer 5

In 1992, Rage Against The Machine's self-titled first album fuses funk, hip-hop, punk, and heavy-metal. Other bands who fused diverse rock elements include:
Cypress Hill (Latin Rap), Beastie Boys (Rap/Punk), Kid Rock, Linkin Park, and Run-D.M.C.

Question 6

Generation Y

Answer 6

The 1990’s Generation Y (1981-2000) Takes off. Preteens dominate the pop music market. Boyz II Men set the new record for the longest running #1 single with End Of The Road.

Question 7

Music’s Transition to the Computer

Answer 7

In 1991, Degidesign, a digital audio company, introduced a product called Pro Tools. In 2001, Pro Tools received a Grammy for technical innovation. Currently, Pro Tools is the primary workhorse of the audio industry allowing even amateur musicians the capability of producing a professional sounding final product. mp3 was also created in 1992 to store and manipulate music on home computers. the World Wide Web and HTML give rise to internet browsers in 1993. The advent of consumer grade video recorders gave rise to independent film and video making.
Rap also goes mainstream in 1993 when Dr. Dre’s The Chronic topped the Billboard chart for 8 weeks.
Alternative rock goes mainstream with Green Day’s Dookie becoming the best-sold alternative rock album. At the Height of alternative rock’s acceptance in pop culture, Kurt Cobain commits suicide :c

Question 8

Rock Becomes an Institution

Answer 8

Rock becomes an establishment in 1995 when The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum opens in Cleveland.
In 1995, women writers come to the forefront when Alanis Morissette’s 3rd album, Jagged Little Pill becomes the most popular album of the year. Gwen Stefani becomes a household name with No Doubt’s 3rd album Tragic Kingdom.

Question 9

Third Wave Ska Bands

Answer 9

American 3rd Wave Ska bands recieved chart success in the late 80’s to mid 90’s. The Might Mighty Bosstones and Reel Big Fish are examples. OC was a hotbed for the 3rd Wave Ska revival. The success of No Doubt and Sublime led even more American bands to follow suit.

Question 10

Technology Goes Exponential

Answer 10

In 1996, the DVD is introduced in Japan. Soon the conversion from VHS to DVD gave rise to music videos of new or archival footage being released by every major artist. Every song seemed to need a visual counterpart. Computer instant messaging is introduced and quickly the major players America Online and Yahoo produce messaging clients. Instant messaging gave rise to social networking sites such as My Space and Facebook.

Question 11

The Female Rock Explosion

Answer 11

Between 1995 and 1997, female artists come to the forefront. The success of Alanis Morisette’s Jagged Little Pill (1995) fueled an interest in other female artists and songwriters. In 1997, Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole, Liz Phair, Shawn Colvin, Meredith Brooks, and others performed at Lilith Fair, a festival showcasing female artists.

Question 12

The Boy Group Craze Peaks in 1998

Answer 12

The success of Boyz II Men led to a number of follow-up efforts. Most notably Lou Perlman produced Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync. Ex-mouskateers join the sub-teen market to produce the late 1990’sBubble-Gum revival including Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera.

Question 13

Corporate Mergers

Answer 13

Seagram acquires Polygram and combines MCA and Polygram into the Universal Music Group, which comprises Polygram, MCA, Geffen, Mercury, Polydor, London, Vertigo, Verve, A&M, Island, Motown, Decca, DG.
In 2003, the music world is ruled by 5 majors:
1) Universal Music Group
2) Warner/Elektra/Sire/Atlantic
3) Sony/Columbia/Epic
4) EMI/Virginia/Private/American/Windham Hill
These five “majors” control 95% of the albums sold in the world.

Question 14

The Rise Of File Sharing

Answer 14

In 1999, the file-sharing client Napster goes online. “Illegal” music downloads grow exponentially. The music industry starts to see a decline in revenues. Lawsuits begin to stop or curtail the practice of file sharing.
1999-to present, The Coachella Festival in CA is one of the several regional “fixed site” festivals. Performers featured at Coachella include: Beck, The Chemical Brothers, Tool, Jurassic 5, Bjork, Oasis, Radiohead, NIN, Coldplay, Daft Punk, and Massive Attack.

Question 15

The Decline of the Rock Industry

Answer 15

In 2000, U.S. consumers bought 785 million albums.
In 2006, U.S. consumers bought 588 million albums (this includes downloaded albums)
More than 5,000 record-company employees have been laid off since 2000.
In 2000, the ten top-selling albums in the U.S. sold a combined 60 million copies; in 2006, the top ten sold just 25 million.
In 2006, U.S. consumers bought $600 million worth of ringtones.
More than 5,000 record-company employees have been laid off since 2000.
About 2,700 U.S. record stores have closed across the country since 2003.
In 2006, Tower Records closed its 89 stores (2.5% of the U.S. music sales)
Musicland’s Sam Goody filed for bankruptcy.
65% of all music sales take place in big-box stores such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy, fewer titles, less promotion of new artists.
The move to digital media represents the biggest shift in the recording industry since the 1920’s when records replaced sheet music.
Consumers bought 582 million digital singles in 2006, up 65% from 2005.

Question 16

How the record companies lost control

Answer 16

1) The label’s failure to address online piracy at the beginning by making peace with the first file-sharing service, Napster.
2) When YouTube started showing music videos without permission, all four of the labels made licensing deals instead of suing for copyright violations.
3) In May 2007, one of the four majors, EMI began allowing the iTunes Music Store to sell its catalog without the copy protection that labels have insisted upon for years.

Question 17

Events since 2001 that have shaped Rock

Answer 17

2001: The first Apple iPod was introduced. In 2007 the iPod has total domination of the personal audio market.
2002: The top-selling album of 2002 is a white rap album, Eminem Show.
CD sales decreased 9%
2003: The social networking sites, My Space becomes a household term. In 2007 there are 192 My Space accounts and 34 million for the more college directed Facebook service (lol).
2003: Apple introduces the on-line music service “iTunes”. Today iTunes outsells all brick and mortar music merchants including WalMart and Best Buy.
2006: YouTube, a video uploading site, goes online. Because YouTube’s rankings are largely based on a user feedback loop it is possible for an amateur or entrepreneur to create a video that goes viral; spread by interest users to millions of views within a few days, hours, or even minutes.