Midterm 1 Flashcards
1
Q
The Chords - “Sh-Boom”
A
- 1954 doo-wop song originally performed by a black group
- Gospel vocal group style
- R&B instrumentation
- quicker tempo and more R&B than cover version
2
Q
The Crew Cuts - “Sh-Boom”
A
- Cover version by a white group produced for radio
- Directed toward an older white audience
- The singing is less “soulful” … not as much gosepl influence
- Pop instrumentation
3
Q
Doo-wop
A
- Musical genre inspired by gosel quartets in the 1950s
- Remained popular until the 1960s
- Very maintstream … no sexualized lyrics
- Use of vocables … non-lexical syllables… words without meaning “fa la la”
- Originals by black groups and commonly cover versions by white groups were made for mainstream radio
4
Q
Ray Charles - “What’d I say”
A
- 1959 top 10 hit by Ray Charles
- Wasn’t really played on the radio because of the strong sexual ineuendo… moans
- Gospel esctatic style, soulful singing
- Rythym has a Latin-feel
- Gosep influence from Hammond organ and call and response singing style
*
5
Q
Bo Diddley - “Bo Diddley”
A
- 1955 song by Bo Diddley
- Influence from electric blues and afro-cuban music
- The “Bo Diddley” beat is a subtle alteration to the cuban clave beat
- Use of maracas
- Lyrics are inspuired by a childhood lullaby
6
Q
Rockabilly
A
- ALMOST rock music
- A musical genre that came around in 1954 that merged country, R&B, and rock n roll
- “Rock Around the Clock” showcased in Blackboard Jungle
7
Q
Blackboard Jungle
A
- 1954 anti-rock music movie that wrned of ll the “teenage terror” brought on by the new rock n roll music
- Featured “Rock Around the Clock”
8
Q
Elvis Presley - “Heartbreak Hotel”
A
- 1956 #1 hit for Elvis (his first #1)
- This hit lead to numerous TV appearances
- Elvis is the first rock n roll star
9
Q
Jalihouse Rock
A
- 1957 Elvis film
- Featured his song “Jailhouse Rock”D
- Featured Elvis as dangerous and rebellious… influenced his dancing style… known as “Elvis the Pelvis”
- Walking bass line, rythym between shuffle, 8-beat rock
10
Q
Elvis Presley
A
- The King of Rockabilly
- pre-1958 music is rockabilly
- 1956 hit “Heartbreak Hotel”
- Lots of TV appearances… quickly became a crossover movie star
- 1955-58 is his creative peak
- Joined the Army from 1958-60 but when he came back rock music had changed and he never caught up to the changing styles
- focussed on movies for the rest of his career
11
Q
Chuck Berry - “Maybellene”
A
- 1955 hit #5 on the charts
- Static harmony, alternating with a 12-bar blues form
- ALMOST rock
12
Q
Chuck Berry - “Johnny B Goode”
A
- 1958 hit
- Loud, in your face music
- sytle blendng ==>> Rock n Roll
- Backbeat and 8-beat rhythm
- Strong guitars and vocal style
- Lyrics are aimed at the youth, not racial…black and white kids
13
Q
Jerry Lee Lewis - “Great Balls of Fire”
A
- 1957 one hit wonder
- flamboyant pianist
- The song had STRONG, fast rock beat and aggressive piano beat
- Career ended in 1958 when he married his 1st cousin, 13 year old Myra…his 3rd wife by age 23
13
Q
Buddy Holly
A
- Career: from August 1957 until February 59 when he died in a plane crash
- Creates the bridge between “the founders” and rock’s “next generation”
- He pushed rock farther
- Influences… electric blues, create the bridge form, showed that rock could be more than just dance music
14
Q
Buddy Holly - “That’ll Be The Day”
A
- 1957 hit
- conventional… used rockabilly styles to his own use
*
15
Q
Buddy Holly - “Everyday”
A
- 1957 experimental song
- Sounds like something that The Beatles might have done…
16
Q
Buddy Holly - “Not Fade Away”
A
- 1958 song
- More abstract
- Lyrics are starting to pull away from the teeny bopper love-style… “a love that won’t fade away..”
- adopts clave beat
- Abstract story telling
17
Q
Buddy Holly Legacy
A
- Short career, long shadow
- Experimentation
- Showed that rock could be more than just dance music
- Used many different musical styles and pulled from different genres
- Showed that a song can tell a story… expressive lyrics
- Bridge to the next generation of rock music ==> The Beatles, Bob Dylan, etc….
19
Q
The Death of Rock and Roll
A
- Many ppl thought it was “just a fad”
- “The Founders” careers’ are over by the end of the 50s
- Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly
- Buddy Holly dies in 1959 plane crash
- Chuck Berry in jail from 1962-65 for the Mann Act (59) “violation”
- Elvis joins the army
- Ray Charles goes soul and drugs
- Jerry Lee Lewis is blacklisted
20
Q
Roy Orbison
A
- aka “The Voice”
- His music shows blending of all of “the founders’” styles
- Rockabilly roots
- Cultivated 2 different sounds: 1. mellodramatic rock ballads (“Only the Lonely”) and 2. updated rockabilly (“Oh, Pretty Woman”)
21
Q
The Early 1960’s
A
- The evolution of rock and roll is in a bad place because all of the early pre-rock acts are gone
- Roy Orbison and Surf Rock lead the way to the British Invasion
22
Q
Roy Orbison - “Oh, Pretty Woman”
A
- 1964… his biggest hit
- Rock rhythm
- Catchy riffs
- Liberated bass line
- “Updated rockabilly”
23
Q
Surf Rock
A
- The first time music is linked with a place (time, too) ==> Southern California (60s)
- Semiotic
- Beach Boys
- Distinctive gutar sound invented by Dick Dale
24
Q
Dick Dale
A
- Lefty… played his guitar like Jimi Hendrix
- Guitar innovator
- Experimentation
- Intense tremelos
- rapid scale runs
- “wet sound”
- Middle Eastern modal systems
- “Misserlou” (62)
25
Q
Dick Dale - “Misserlou”
A
- Uses a specfic scale called Hijaz bar/Double Harmonic
- Heard in many surf rock songs
26
Q
The Quarry Men
A
- John Lennnon invited Paul McCartney to join the band after a church-like function
- George Harrison joins in 1958
- Evolved from a skiffle group by Lennon
- Represents the fade of skiffle
- Liverpool… key location because it is a port town ==> 1st listen at “the founders” music
