Lecture 5 - American Pop and The British Invasion (early 1960s) Flashcards
Between 1956 and 1972, how many movies did Elvis Presley make? What role did Elvis play in the 60s?
33
reshifting music that was at the periphery to the center
What was the music industry trying to do since Elvis left to make movies?
find another Elvis
Did they find another Elvis?
the music industry took big risks on individuals that tried to ignite the same reaction as Elvis such as Frankie Avalon and Fabian Forte
What was the American Bandstand? What years was it playing? What would performers who came onto this platform do when they appeared on American Bandstand?
Popular daily television program devoted to promoting teen pop and the latest dance craze: the twist, fly, fish, mashed potato, etc.
1952-1989
They would lip-synch to their own pre-recorded voice which was the norm
Who would watch the American Bandstand? Who was also featured on the American Bandstand? What song did he perform?
it was family-friendly entertainment but teens were made at this because part of rock ‘n’ roll was in response to the aggression generations that came before and if the whole family was watching then rock ‘n’ roll would lose its edge
Paul Anka
Lonely Boy
Who was the American Bandstand also about other than the aspiring musicians?
also about the teenagers who were filmed in the studio reacting to the musicians and dancing. This was a dance show and it often featured the dancers and the audience performing the latest dance craze.
What is a producer?
Usually hired by an artist or record company, a producer assists or directs the recording process. Duties may include hiring musicians, finding arrangements, making technical decisions, motivating the artist creatively, helping realize the artist’s vision in a commercially viable way, and staying under budget.
What was the producer’s role in the earlier years of rock ‘n’ roll? How is that different in terms of mainstream pop? How did A&R’s role change in the 60’s?
Country, western, and R&B: songs were often original, and the recording process was driven by the artist rather than the producer so the artists would be leading the recording process and providing guidance in terms of what they want the finished product to look like.
Mainstream pop: songs were usually written by other professionals, and the recording process was industry-driven, often led by the A&R person. Since mainstream pop was reaching a wide audience in the 50’s, the process needed to be driven by other professionals.
The role of A&R in the 50’s was like a producers role and in the 60’s, they became scouts, which is a person who is on the lookout for fresh talent.
What happened to the producers role in the later years of rock ‘n’ roll?
The role of the producer began to develop. This is because producers wanted to leave their mark on their records so that regardless of the artist, if it was produced in their studio or under their leadership and supervision, that as soon as you would hear that record, you would identify to which producer it belonged to. Albums became products of the producer’s vision. Producers oversaw music arrangements, use of technology like microphone placement, and some had experimental, over-arcing visions for the sound of their records.
What happened to live performances in terms of records?
Gone were the days when records were simply recorded versions of live performances; records became performances in their own right because it was almost impossible to recreate the music that was recorded in the studio during a live performance
Who was Phil Spector? Who did he study his craft under?
Spector started out as a performer himself in a group called the Teddy Bears but switched careers to become a producer
under Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
What did Phil Spector like about Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller? What did Phil Spector become in the early 1960s?
that they were songwriting but also maintaining independence within their label
He became the most ambitious producer and the most important producer of all-female vocal groups (so-called “girl groups”) with his indie, Phillies Records
Where did Phil Spector die?
in prison because he was convicted of murder of an actress
Why was Phil Spector so successful?
because there was something about the sound he produced which was called the “wall of sound” by Spector
What is Phil Spector’s “wall of sound”? What 3 elements did it include?
this was achieved through the combination of elements in the studio including:
1.Spillover: Recording many instruments in a small space so that the sound of one instrument would spillover into the microphone of the next and would be mixed together in to a monophonic backing track, increasing texture and density
- doubling: a technique that requires two or more instruments to play exactly the same notes at the same time; he often paired instruments with contrasting timbres (meaning the colour or character of a sound) (for example: a violin and flute)
- echo: Using echo to thicken the overall texture allowing the songs to sound lush and expansive as possible. These were also referred to as “teenage symphonies”
Who did Phil Spector work with to create this sound? Who were they? Did they just work for Spector?
The Wrecking Crew
core group of top-tier musicians who can pick up music easily and sight read with no problem and even on the spot, create their own arrangements on the spot as necessary. They weren’t band members.
No, they worked for others including the Crystals, Frank Sinatra, etc.
Who were the Ronettes? Whose group were they? What song did they make that clearly exemplifies Phil Spector’s ‘wall of sound’?
A girl group consisting of a pair of sisters, Veronica and Estelle Bennett, and their cousin, Nedra Talley
One of Phil Spector’s groups
“Be My Baby”
‘Be My Baby’ - Composed by who? What form? Which instrument is in the introduction? What other instruments throughout the song? What happens in the chorus? What happens in the second verse? How does the song build excitement? What does a partial instrumental verse mean?
Composed by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich, and Jeff Barry
verse-chorus form
Drum which hooks listeners in the introduction which is a trademark of pop hits because it starts with something that immediately grabs our attention
Piano, bass, electric guitar, horns, strings, hand clapping (can be an element for the performers to do), lead and backup vocals, but they’re not all playing and singing all the way through. The texture builds over time. We start with the lead vocals then the backups enter with the saxophones.
It’s only until that first chorus that we have the full texture of singers and players.
In the second verse, we also have a pullback and a reduced texture for that second verse
The form builds excitement because we think we’re done with the song but it comes again
shortened verse
What is the Brill Building? How is it different than Tin Pan Alley? What was the Brill Building practice? What was the Brill Building close to? How was this different that the Brill Building?
Brill Building was a place where many aspiring songwriters and publishers worked and it was a stylistic label (similar to Tin Pan Alley). Songwriters try to write hits and pair it with the right artist and hopefully land on a record and radio.
Tin Pan Alley usually refers to AABA songs whereas the Brill Building appealed to a wide audience where mainstream pop was created (it’s a place but also a style)
- Songwriters composed a song
- A potential hit was matched to an appropriate performer
- A producer organized the recording and the song would be released to labels
Aldon Music
They had another style (different from the Brill Building)
Who worked at Aldon Music? Who did they use as a model and why?
Carole King and Gerry Goffin
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for writing popular songs with social commentary (to say something about social issues)
By the early 1960s, who were many of the songwriting teams at the Brill Building and Aldon Music writing for? Who did Carole King and Gerry Goffin write for?
writing for all-female vocal groups like the Shirelles
the Shirelles
What hit did the Shirelles come up with? What was the song about? What number did it reach on the charts? The Shirelles were the first to do what? With success come imitators, who were they?
‘Will you still love me tomorrow?’
teenage sex
Number 1
First song by a black all girl group to reach number 1 in the US
the Crystals, the Chiffons, the Cookies, the Dixie Cups, etc.
Who were the Shirelles signed with? Where were they based?
Scepter Records
in New York City
Provide 4 reasons why all-female vocal groups were being invested in now.
- They were terrific singers who had often grown up singing Gospel music in church.
- They offered potential in varied textures and their voices were able to blend and they blended beautifully when singing together but were also able to cut down to a pair or soloist.
- The groups lacked leaders allowing the producer to emerge as the star
- That the producers were usually white and male and the members in the groups were usually black and female may have created an appealing power dynamic for some producers (it’s like the producer had the power)
What was Motown Records? Where was it founded? When was it founded? Who was it led by? What did it’s name change to? Why was Motown a success story?
An independent record label
Detroit, Michigan
1959
Berry Gordy Jr.
Hitsville, USA
because it was an African American Business led by an African American who appeals to African American singers but later crossed charts from R&B to the pop charts and reached a wide audience.
What was Motown’s gifted group of musicians called? Who were they? How many was in this group of musicians?
Funk Brothers
in-house group of studio musicians and weren’t shared between labels like the Wrecking Crew was. They were devoted to whoever came through the door at Motown.
a dozen or so performers
