Lecture 8 - Punk, Reggae, and Rap (more 1970s) Flashcards
(119 cards)
1
Q
What year did Punk start in the US and through what bands?
A
In 1965 through Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, New York Dolls, and the Ramones.
2
Q
What band made punk more popular across the US in the 1970s?
A
The Sex Pistols
3
Q
What were these early punk bands pushing back against?
A
pushing against corporate-led pop and rock (where artists were the ones being told what to do).
They wanted to implement their own creative visions instead of being told what to do.
4
Q
What kinds of songs were punk bands writing? Directed towards who?
A
They were writing simple songs for nonconformist youth.
These groups were drawn to artists who were approaching things differently and pursuing music in a different way that was off the tried and tested trail
5
Q
How was the punk band called ‘The Ramones’ reception like in the States?
A
It was not particularly warm and welcoming in the States
6
Q
Where were the Ramones from?
Where did they find a better reception? Why did they receive a better reception here?
A
They were from America
The found an audience in the UK much easier because the UK already had a punk following with those Sex Pistols and other bands as well
7
Q
What kind of rock did the Ramones produce?
A
produced a stripped-down, high-energy style of rock
8
Q
What did the Ramones focus on ?
A
Short, fast, simple songs
9
Q
What label were the Ramones signed with?
A
Sire Records (New York Label)
10
Q
What song is a representation of what kind of songs the Ramones were popular for
A
Blitzkrieg Bop
11
Q
What kind of sound can be found in the Ramones “I Wanna Be Sedated” at the beginning of the song?
A
There’s a wall of sound in this song which attacks us from the beginning, short chunks of music that get repeated, catchy, short, sweet
12
Q
“I Want to be Sedated” by the Ramones- What form?
A
Simple Verse form with each verse consisting of two short, related musical motives with lots of repeated notes
13
Q
What can be said about each section in “I Want to be Sedated”?
A
each section being very short and the verse can subdivide into 2 sections but they are so closely related.
14
Q
What can be said about the chords and the rhythm of “I want to be Sedated”?
A
Simple, repetitive chords and simple, repetitive rhythms
15
Q
What can be said about the beat of “I want to be Sedated”
A
Lively, relentless, and catchy. Relentless meaning that that beat keeps charging forward.
16
Q
How is the level of performance for the Ramones?
A
- Amateur level of performance
-not providing opportunities for virtuosic display
-giving the singers a break and changing the texture for a small moment
17
Q
What can be said about “I want to be sedated”?
A
there is modulation
the song is short in length overall
repetitive
vague lyrics
18
Q
What does note repetition allow for in “I want to be sedated”?
A
-get words out faster; appealing element for composers and performers
19
Q
What is the vocal embellishment ‘loco’ for in the song “I want to be sedated”?
A
Meant to appeal to the nonconformist youth who wanted something different and thought ‘to hell with musical sophistication’
20
Q
How can punk lyrics be?
A
Punk lyrics are very simple, vague, evasive or really in your face
21
Q
What can punk in the UK be linked to?
A
can be linked to specific socioeconomic circumstances (in the mid-1970s, the UK was suffering an economic recession).
British youth were struggling because of things like recession, lack of job opportunities so young people were not left with much to do with their time so the music became an outlet to voice their frustration and anger
22
Q
“The Sex Pistols” signed with …
A
EMI in 1976
23
Q
What was ‘The Sex Pistols’ first single?
A
“Anarchy in the UK”
24
Q
Why did EMI end up dropping ‘The Sex Pistols’?
A
-caused a scandal on British TV
-showed up high
-swore a lot, showed a swastika
25
Which label picked up 'The Sex Pistols' and then dropped them?
A&M picked them up and then dropped them
26
Which label signed "The Sex Pistols" after the second drop?
Virgin Records
27
What first album did "The Sex Pistols" release with Virgin Records?
'Never Mind the Bollocks'
28
What form is "Anarchy in the UK" by the Sex Pistols?
Modified verse-chorus form with instrumental bridges featuring simple guitar solos
29
What instruments are used in "Anarchy in the UK"
-electric guitars
-bass
-drums
-lead and backup vocals
30
What was the timbre of "Anarchy in the UK" and what was the studio effect?
Raw, urgent, unpolished vocal timbre.
Studio effect is like a DIY aesthetic rather than going for lush instrumentals and a really polished studio sound
31
What was the return to simplicity aesthetic?
eliminated the complexity and expansiveness that psychedelic rock and urban folk had honed.
This was supposed to sound like it was recorded in someone's basement or garage so its a real return to simplicity in the face of some of the really complex music that was going on at this time
32
Why did the lyrics of "Anarchy in the UK" shock some 1970s British Audiences?
things like "I'm an antichrist" were said
- the lyrics are potent but that is what punk audiences liked
33
Why is the form of "Anarchy in the UK" modified?
-the refrain is really embedded within the verse and isn't long enough to be a standalone chorus
-the chorus isn't long enough to be on its own
34
What can be found at the end of the "Anarchy in the UK"
Instrumental bridges
repetition of the refrain to mark things off at the end
35
Why is it called a refrain in "Anarchy in the UK"?
The refrain ‘cause I wanna be anarchy” is referred to as the refrain because it's modified and how this one single section incorporates both the verse and the chorus (chorus and refrain mean the same thing) so we refer to that as the refrain, we hear it at the end of our verses every time more or less and it's something we can sing along with
36
What was the picture on the vinyl on"God Save the Queen" in by the Sex Pistols
-picture of the queen with a piercing and a safety pin on her face and a child-like scroll of text around her crown
37
What were the lyrics of "God Save the Queen" meant to do?
Meant to shock people
AND IT DIDDDD
38
What can be said about the melodic lines of "God Save the Queen"?
they included a lot of repeated notes
39
There's repetition in the music of 'God Save the Queen' but also what else? What is this a gesture of?
The melodic lines have repeated notes as well. This is a characteristic of a lot of rock music as we move forward; that melody isn’t important anymore at least with some types of music. Here, the lyrics are sometimes being shouted or screamed and not much melodic variation and when we do have call and response, there's a bit between the lead singer and the instruments
also in the lyrics so were getting whole chunks of verses with the same lyrics repeated which is another gesture of oversimplifying things
40
What are 9 general characteristics of punk?
1. Simple, repetitive approach to musical elements: form, melodies, rhythms, harmonies, lyrics, performance style (Were not dealing with nearly as many chords as we have in recent times with other genres and earlier types of music; we have a much smaller palette of chords and we’re not incorporating any sort of unusual, sophisticated chords but maybe just a little bit of modulation which is more of an excuse to repeat familiar material)
2. Outrageous, vulgar performances
3. Raw timbres that assault the senses
4. Screaming vocals, sometimes laced with profanities
5. Extremely loud, often distorted guitars (adds to the garage band aesthetic)
6. Unpolished, sloppy singing and playing
7. Heavy, relentless drumming
8. Hyper, aggressive music and performance style
9. Do-it-yourself aesthetic trumps professionalism
41
How did punks use their physical appearances to shock others?
1. Clothing: Ripped jeans, leather jackets, chains, and safety pins (these were an emblem of this movement) worn fastened to clothes and as piercings
2. Hairstyles: Unusual colours, ”Mohawks” and long hair to whip around
3. DIY, homemade approach to recording, distribution, album art, and promotional materials:
42
What are the differences between Punk and Disco?
These two musical trends both emerged in the 1970s and occupy virtual opposite ends on the spectrum of popular music but they differ with timbre, use of technology, instrumentation, clothing, dance, audiences
43
What is the difference in general tone between punk and disco?
General tone:
Punk: Deliberately discordant and abrasive
Disco: euphonic and pleasing to the ear
44
What is the difference in vocals between punk and disco?
Vocals
Punk: untrained, raw timbre, sometimes screaming
Disco: professional, elegant, gentle timbre and sometimes incorporates improvisation
45
What is the difference in melody between punk and disco?
Melody
Punk: lots of repeated notes, narrow range
Disco: melodic variety, wider ranges
46
What is the difference in rhythm between punk and disco?
Rhythm
Punk: lots of repetitive rhythms that emphasize the main beats of the bar (beats 1 and 3 in a standard 4/4 time)
Disco: Emphasis on every beat for dancing with some rhythmic variety and syncopation
47
What is the difference in harmony between punk and disco?
Harmony
Punk: lots of repetitive chords
Disco: harmonic variety
48
What is the difference in instrumentation?
Instrumentation
Punk: conventional rock band with guitars, drums and vocals and short instrumental sections and simple solos
Disco: thick textures with synthesizers and orchestral instruments like strings and elaborate instrumental sections and solos
49
What is the difference in overall sound with punk and disco?
Overall sound
Punk: DIY approach and attempts to eliminate older traditions
Disco: polished and roots in R&B and soul
50
What is the difference in performers and audience?
Performers and Audience
Punk: caucasian, male
Disco: black, hispanic, wider range of genders and preferences
51
What are the similarities between punk and disco?
They're both coming from a place of wanting to be different to the popular mainstream (both on the periphery); punk claiming to happily exist there and stay there but some of the more popular punk performers ended up being pushed to the mainstream like the Sex Pistols
The radio tended to ignore the both of these for some time and so you had to go to clubs and those places to hear this music and find the albums, at least when they were first emerging in the 70s
52
"Do the Reggay" was by:
and who is the frontman
Toots and Maytals
Frederick "Toots" Hibbert
53
Who coined the term reggae and what does it mean?
Frederick "Toots" HIbbert
it means regular
54
Where was the word reggae being used?
used in Jamaica
crops up in some of the lyrics in the "Do the Reggay"
55
What did "Do the Reggay" help do ?
helped familiarize audiences with the word reggae
56
Where did reggae music start?
started in Kingston, Jamaica
57
How did this music migrate to the US?
migrated to the US through its music, distribution of records, but also through film
58
What is reggae in terms of music?
It is the combination of Caribbean folk music and the music of American rhythm & blues stars like Fats Domino and Louis Jordan. so you can think of Jamaica as its own melting pot of different types of music that were coexisting and cross fertilizing in which reggae emerged.
59
How did Reggae become really popular in the US?
Reggae became really popular in the US with the Jamaican film ‘The Harder They Come’ from 1973 that featured consistently terrific reggae music by a number of different Jamaican artists of the day and that really helped situate this genre in the US in the pop music landscape and was met with enthusiasm by a much wider audience
60
Where did reggae come from:
What kinds of music did Jamaican musicians draw on?
What were the two most important streams of Jamaican music that led to the development of reggae?
Jamaican musicians drew on rural folk music traditions, religious music, and American R&B styles.
The two most important streams of Jamaican music that led to the development of reggae were ska and rocksteady
61
Who played SKA?
Groups like Toots and the Maytals played ska
62
What is SKA?
based on a rhythm that emphasizes the backbeats 2 and 4 in a 1,2,3,4 bar
63
What is a backbeat?
backbeats are beats that don't usually get the emphasis
64
How was SKA usually played?
usually played at fast tempos with the bass playing the steady 4-beat pattern and the piano, guitar and drums emphasizing backbeats
65
What were the lyrics about in SKA?
Lyrics about conventional topics like love and heartbreak (about issues affecting young love)
66
What instrument came to dominate solo sections in SKA and why?
the trombone
the Jamaican virtuoso Don Drummond rose to prominence playing The Skatalites
The trombone's prominence was unique to the player and spread through this particular genre
67
The horn and trumpets faded from the texture in SKA. What were they replaced by?
What genre did this lead to the creation of?
they were replaced by the more conventional guitar and we have the guitar and the drum and bass line really locking together
a genre called rocksteady
68
What is rocksteady?
Ska was followed in the mid-1960s by rocksteady, characterized by a much slower tempo, anchored by a drum and bassline
69
What became the most prominent instrument of the rocksteady ensemble?
The electric bass guitar
70
Who was the most famous guitar player to come out of the rocksteady genre?
Why does this genre sound a lot more like reggae than SKA?
Leroy Sibbles
because we have that strong electric bass groove that’s prominent and provides the foundation of the reggae bass aesthetic. The electric bass was like a talking drum that played a definite rhythm but didn’t necessarily play a distinct melodic line. It was there to lock in with drums to create that rhythm section and that main groove that would be the common thread through the song
71
What is Rastafarianism?
a movement and also religion that developed in poor, impoverished communities in the 30s
in Jamaica in reaction to British colonialism
Reggae came a few years after independence was gained in 1962
72
Who was Josiah Marcus Garvey?
led the "Back to Africa" movement of the 1920s where Rastafarianism finds its roots
73
What did Rastafarians invent as a result of Josiah Marcus Garvey's prediction?
invented:
- traditions
- rituals
- verbal expressions
- symbols, including the green, yellow, and red colours of the Ethiopian flag
- dreadlock hairstyles
- the use of mind-altering drugs like marijuana
- music like reggae
74
What did Josiah Marcus Garvey predict?
Predicted that there would be a second coming of christ or a crowning of a black leader
he believed this would eliminate oppression for black people
75
Who became the figure in this new movement of music (reggae)?
What was the creation of the lion a symbol of during this movement?
Bob Marley
The lion has to do with the emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie
76
Who was Hailee Selassie?
What is he regarded as to the 1 million "Rastas" worldwide?
What did many Rastafarians believe about his crowning as an emperor?
Where did the name 'Rastafari' come from?
Halie Selassie was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930-1974 and a member of the Ethiopian Christian Church
the Second Coming of Christ
Many Rastafarians around the world believed that his crowning as emperor of Ethiopia was a manifestation of Garvey’s prediction, that that event was going to lead to a breaking of the bonds of British colonialism and a real freedom for black people around the world
derives from Selassie’s early title (“Ras” meaning duke or prince) and his birth name, Tafari Makonnen
77
What musical styles were associated with Rastafarianism?
Afro-Jamaican drumming, rural mento music (a rural folk tradition related to calypso), jazz, and rhythm & blues
78
What 2 musical styles emerged in Jamaica?
What did these musical styles both do?
What musical genre became the marker of of that proud post-independent state that came along in the 60s?
SKA and Rocksteady
together they captivated Jamaica and helped launch a proud post-independence (1962) cultural identity
Reggae. As the development of reggae followed, a connection grew between the music and the Rastafarian movement
79
What are the musical characteristics of reggae?
1. emphasis on backbeats
2. “Riddins,” referring to interlocking rhythmic patterns played by the guitar, bass, and drums (This means instruments working together and forming their own sentences. So one instrument provides a few words then another instrument adds another few and together piece by piece interlocking - we have the creation of melodic phrases.)
3. Guitar plays short, choppy chords on the backbeats, giving the music a bouncy, up-and-down feeling
4. Gritty lyrics of social protest, including struggles against oppression, injustice, and racism (Reggae music pushes beyond the love and heartbreak of some of those earlier reggae predecessors like SKA. Lyrics that talk about much more serious issues. This is a vehicle for social protest)
5. Call-and-response between lead and backup singers
80
Who was Bob Marley?
He was the first what?
What band did Bob Marley start off with and was the leader of?
Chris Blackwell signed this band to which label?
Where did Chris Blackwell let them record?
Jamaican singer-songwriter, guitarist, bandleader, and political activist
the first black international superstar
leader of the trio and band, Bob Marley and the Wailers
Island Records
Tuff Gong studios in Jamaica
81
What did Bob Marley and the Wailers add to reggae?
What kind of voice did Bob Marley have?
What was Bob Marley's trademark?
they accelerated the reggae tempo (made it faster), added blues-heavy, amplified rock guitar, and a gospel-inflected female trio as backup (where you could have call and response texture to create variety. This goes back to the gospel music/religious music and have those three singers singing a gospel style in harmony and provide this musical punctuation at the ends of phrases or sing along with him and just thicken the texture and make his phrases that much more persuasive)
piercing tenor voice that was able to really emote a lot of different styles and include a lot of expression in his voice
trills, yodels and scat vocalisms (so he was able to just use his voice and improvise with it just as you would another instrument like a trumpet or a guitar)
82
What is a trill?
Bob Marley would sometimes incorporate vocal exclamations like trills so a trill would be vibrato on steroids by alternating between two notes back and forth so we had the alternation for a trill between the yodel and scat vocalism/ vocables
83
Bob Marley built a worldwide following for what?
How old was he when he died?
How did he die?
built a worldwide following for reggae and his hypnotic performances and revolutionary anthems
36
He was wounded in an assassination attempt a couple of years before his death and then he ended up dying of colon cancer
84
"I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley and the Wailers
What characteristics are prevalent in this song?
What element is there in this song?
What instruments are adding to the reggae flavour?
1. Rhythmic intensity
2. Prominent bass and percussion
3. High range of Marley’s voice generates urgency
We heard a story, there's a ballad element to his singing and his songwriting that he's often setting the scene and as we work our way through the verses, the narrative emerges
There's instruments like the organ and a timbre that’s adding to the reggae flavor
85
Who cashed in on the popularity of reggae and did a cover of "I Shot the Sheriff"?
What is different about his cover?
Eric Clapton
At this point in Eric Clapton’s career, he doesn’t have the range/voice that Bob Marley has and he's relying a lot on those backup singers to not just fill in the gaps but lead the vocal line because he's focusing on the guitar playing and then he's adapting the vocal line to suit his instruments and voice and letting those backup singers to really shine and bring forth the song
86
In the 1970s, a cultural complex called _____ first emerged as a local phenomenon.
Where was this genre first pioneered?
What was this area home to?
Hip Hop
in the Bronx, a borough of NYC
was home to urban African American, Puerto Rican American, and Caribbean American youth
87
What does Hip Hop include?
includes types of graffiti, street dance styles like breakdancing, special clothing trends, and speech
88
What is Rap?
What is Rap a vital link between?
What does Rap derive in part from?
What does Rap give a voice to?
How is Rap a global musical phenomenon?
Rap is a genre of music associated with hip hop culture
A vital link between Africa and the Americas
Rap derives in part from African musical and verbal traditions with its rhythmic momentum (getting all of those words in quickly in a novel/creative/inventive way so as to create rhymes that often surprise us and delight us), improvisations, dense textures, and approaches to musical technologies
gives a voice to injustices and racism experienced by oppressed groups and voicing the injustices, poverty, racism that these oppressed groups have experienced and singing about them instead of love and heartbreak
Rap’s origins flow from black culture but the genre has become multiracial, multicultural, and transnational
89
Who is Kool Herc?
Who were the other DJ's like him?
What did Kool Herc popularize the technique of?
was a disc jockey (DJ) who spun records at parties and clubs. He was one of the earliest hip hop musicians and rappers. He worked as a DJ and he soon became very popular because he was so good at finding the right songs and playing them in such a way, often with a lot of repetition (kind of manual looping) but doing it with his hands and his turntables so as to create the best music and mood for his audience
Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa; these are other DJs who got their start at this time and helped make and popularize this music
he popularized the technique of mixing
90
What is mixing?
when a DJ uses 2 turntables to create a smooth transition between records
91
What genres of music did Kool Herc specialize in playing?
playing R&B, Latin jazz, and funk like James Brown’s “Get on the Good Foot” and “Clap Your Hands, Stomp Your Feet”
92
What is funk?
An African American popular music style with interlocking rhythm patterns, extended riffs, strong bass lines, vocal exclamations and outbursts, and lyrics dealing with social commentary
93
As the sound of early hip hop began to take shape, what transformed from a medium for playing records to a musical instrument?
the turntable
94
What did Kool Herc specialize in creating in terms of the turntable?
Kool Herc specialized in creating backspin
95
What is backspin?
What did this allow Kool Herc to do?
happens when a DJ switches back and forth between 2 turntables playing copies of the same song. Kool Herc would backspin on one disc (turn it backwards) while the other continued playing.
allowed him to repeat a given break over and over by switching back and forth and layering breaks. It allowed him to repeat any given section over and over again and he referred to those sections as breaks
96
What is a break?
The break is an instrumental section when the vocals and melodic instruments drop out to feature the rhythm section
97
What is backspin also called?
also called merry-go-round
98
What did a backspin/merry-go-round/playing a section over and over start being called later on?
looping
99
What is scratching?
the scratchy, percussive sound effect that comes from turning a disc counterclockwise
100
Who was scratching created by?
Gradmaster Flash's protégé, Theodore
101
What happens when scratching?
Scratching became an important part of what sound?
a record can be rotated back and forth quickly and repeatedly to create a distinctive rhythm
Scratching became an important part of the hip hop sound. Even today, rap records sometimes include this sound as a way to signal a connection to “old school” hip hop
102
The rise of the microphone: How did DJ's start using the microphone?
to make announcements
103
Who was the first to start reciting rhyming phrases, "raps" into the microphone?
Kool Herc
104
What did DJs start doing as a result of "reciting" into the microphone to provide vocal entertainment?
In larger venues, DJs started to recruit others to serve as vocal performers to provide vocal entertainment
105
What were these (microphone) performers called?
master of ceremonies (MC's)
106
What would the master of ceremonies do while performing?
They come in groups and perform and pass the microphone to one another/take turns to perform raps and have a healthy competitiveness to one up one another
107
Who do we get our first rappers from?
From MC’s is where we get our first rappers
108
What was the first commercially successful rap single? By who?
"Rapper's Delight" by the SugarHill Gang
109
How many copies did "Rapper's Delight" by the SugarHIll Gang sell?
2 million copies
110
In rap, the voice doesn't provide what anymore? What does the voice do now?
voice isn't providing melody
voice is doing something different, rapping
111
What is there an absence of while rapping? What is the focus on?
absence of pitch
focus is on lyrics and beat and the way they line up with eachother
112
What are rappers working with when creating the lyrics for "Rapper's Delight" by the SugarHIll Gang ?
working with different repetitive textural devices and saturating the lyrics with the same sounds without it being obvious
113
What did this many copies of a rap single "Rapper's Delight" by the SugarHIll Gang signal?
What did this band prove with this song about rap?
When it sold 2 million copies, it signaled to the music industry to pay attention to rap
Sugar Hill Gang with their song proved that rap didn’t have to stay local and at this point it was still centered and had a small audience and it was the next track that really changed the game
114
Who is "The Message" by
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
115
What kind of lyrics is "The Message" getting into?
grim portrayal of life in the South Bronx
more potent lyrics
116
What's happening with the lyrics?
What are the lyrics becoming here?
We have a refrain (the lyrics) that keeps running through; we keep hearing the same words coming back over and over again
The lyrics feature humorous wordplay alongside images of desperation (threatening bill collectors, a homeless woman “living in a bag,” violent encounters, the deteriorating public school system)
Here the lyrics are becoming extremely sophisticated
117
what sound effects are shown in "The Message"
shattering glass (Produced on the drum machine)
118
WHat is happening in the begining of "the Message"
long instrumental introduction and repetition at the beginning and once the voice comes in
our attention is drawn by the barrelling of lyrics so quickly
119
Listen to:
'Do the Reggay' by Toots and the Maytals
*'I Shot the Sheriff' by Bob Marley and the Wailers
*'I Wanna be Sedated' by the Ramones
*'Anarchy in the U.K.' by the Sex Pistols
'God Save the Queen' by the Sex Pistols
'Get on the Good Foot' by James Brown
*'Rapper's Delight' by Sugarhill Gang
*'The Message' by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
