Midterm 2 (Part 3) Flashcards
Alternative Rock Rebellion (2 responses)
Feeling that Rock had become too mainstream yielded 2 response:
1. Punk = simple, back to basics rock/anti-authority lyrics
2. New Wave = experimental rock
The Velvet Underground
Garage band who took the New Wave route
- Anti-commercial, focus on dark subjects
Velvet in Furs (The Velvet Underground)
Emblematic of Velvet Underground sound (anti-commercial)
- Theme: Sexual bondage
- Single cover like Led Zepp 4 (no labels)
The Stooges
Garage band who took the Punk route
1969 (The Stooges)
Emblematic of The Stooges sound (back to basics, anti-authority lyrics)
- Flat lyric presentation
CBGB & OMFUG (Country, Bluegrass, Blues and Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers)
Music clubs in Manhattan which seeked to showcase alternative rock groups
- Ex. Ramones = first punk group to perform → got a record contract (Talk Heads = same situation!)
Ramones
Punk band; took the ‘back to basics’ approach in all respects!
- 50s outfits
- Loud, fast, energetic (Chuck Berry!)
I Wanna Be Sedated (The Ramones)
Punk song; famous for cynical lyrics (only solution to drug-induced insanity is drug-induced paralysis!)
- Basic, ‘boring’ bridge and key change
The Talking Heads
New Wave band; famous for nerdy image
- Funk achieved with minimalism and layering
Psycho Killer (The Talking Heads)
New wave song emblematic of their funk sound
- Inventive stereo use (sound alternates in L&R speakers)
- Byne’s Vocals: hard R’s, shift to speaking, switch to french, strange noises (all represent mind of Norman Bates)
Emergence of Funk in Early 70s
A back to basics approach (like Punk) to the dance crazes of the 60s
Characteristics of Funk
- Catchy melodies
- Syncopation = groove
- Rhythm AND horn sections
- Call + Response b/w instruments
Parliament
Funk group
- Originally an acapella group
- Joined forces with Funkadelic on tour = Parliament-Funkadelic (P-Funk)
George Clinton
Funk innovator → formed both Parliament and Funkadelic
Give Up The Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker) (Parliament)
Funk song; exemplifies all the characteristics of funk (except call+response):
- Catchy melody, syncopation created by layering, horns in rhythm section
- Voice acts as bass at start of song
Trinity of Funk
James Brown, George Clinton, Sly Stone
Sly Stone
Frontman of Sly and the Family Stone
- Central aim = uniting audiences
- Diverse background (gospel singer –. DJ at R+B station)
- Unique expanded funk style allowed him to top both R+B (black) and Pop (white charts) with same song
Sly Stone
Frontman of Sly and the Family Stone
- Central aim = uniting audiences
- Diverse background (gospel singer –. DJ at R+B station)
- Unique expanded funk style allowed him to top both R+B (black) and Pop (white charts) with same song
Sly and the Family Stone
Significance of name (not because Sly’s brother in band)
- Aimed at uniting diverse audiences → reflected in band makeup (symbolic of overcoming differences)
Everyday People (Sly and the Family Stone)
Funk song; band arrangement reflects their band goal (work as unified rhythmic machine)
- Entire song = single chord = UNITY
- Theme: we are all just people, segregation is absurd!
Family Affair (Sly and the Family Stone)
Group’s most successful song; funk sound more mature (complex polyrhythms, wah wah pedal)
- Theme: Commonalities that unify people
Origins of Hip-Hop
Intersection between Africa and America music
Characteristics of Hip-Hop
- Rap = form of expression (local identities, underrepresented)
- Built on culture beyond rap (dance, dress, speech)
Microphone Evolution (DJ Kool Herc)
Rhymes that would be spoken over breakbeats
DJ Kool Herc (& Technique)
DJ who introduced hip hop in the New York scene
1. Noticed that dancers responded best to dance breaks in songs
2. Coined breakbeat music = backspin one record to beginning of break while the other’s break plays through
3. Scratching
Toasts/Toasting
Storytelling as the ‘rhyme over backbeats’
- Trickster Tales of West Africa
MC
Person who would perform a toast
Hustler’s Convention (Jalaluddin Mansur Nurridin OR Lighting’ Rod)
Hip-Hop template album; Toasts written and performed by a prisoner on top of a funk/jazz backbeat
- Not commercial success; later sampled by Wu Tang Clan, Beastie Boys, Naz
Rapper’s Delight (Sugarhill Gang)
***”Hip-hop, hippity hop”
First song to bring Rap to national conscious
- Sampled “Good Times” (CHIC) → lawsuit ended up in CHIC founder getting credits
- Each member gets turn at MC
- Lyrics = improvised, funny
The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)
First honest depiction of life in the urban ghettos to reach national conscious
- Established cannon of realness
Sociopolitical Context of the 80s
- Reagan Era and Reaganomics
- Tax breaks to wealthy, military spending (arms race), - Deregulation of the music industry - Musicians challenging dominant conservative attitude
Economics of the Music Industry in 80s
Economic recession as a result of deregulation of the industry:
1. Competition among sources (TV, videos, gaming)
2. Death of disco
3. Piracy
New Technologies of the 80s
Walkman, CD, synthesizers, drum machines…
MTV
Cable TV channel which acted as a promotional vehicle for music
- Superstars promoted on the channel credited for bringing industry out of recession
Second British Invasion
Primary included New Wave/Synth Pop artists
- Promoted heavily on MTV
Racism Critique of MTV
Channel mainly focused on promotion of white artists (like AOR of the 70s)
- Only 2% of videos in first 2 years by African American artists
How Thriller Changed MTV
- Hit singles forced MTV to take advantage
- Columbia (Jackson’s record label) threatens to pull white rock from channel
Debate Between Analog and Digital (80s Technology)
Analog = soundwaves made physical imprint (LP)
Digital = soundwaves converted into electric wave forms (Cassettes?, CDs)
- Questions include: do they sound different? Which is better?
Synthesizers (80s Technology)
Theramin, Hammond Organ, keyboard synthesizer
MIDI (80s Technology)
Musical Instrument Digital Interface; allows the communication between different musical devices
- Connected samplers, sequencers, drum machines
Kenny Rogers
Place in the adult contemporary genre (not fully Country)
- Inoffensive love songs for middle age
Lady (Kenny Rogers)
Written/produced by Lionel Ritchie, became a huge crossover hit (pop, country and R&B)
- Inoffensive lyric (19th century Knight in shining armor)
- Traditional form (AABA)
- Country sound? = steel guitar
Kenny Rogers Compilation Album
Album which contained crossover hit ‘Lady’
- Why Lionel Ritchie agree to project (guaranteed $$)
Tina Turner
First black woman to achieve success in rock
- In 60s, member of Ike and Tina Turner Revue
- Launched solo career in 80s (songs linked to intimate biography)
What’s Love Got To Do With It? (Tina Turner)
Off first solo album Private Dancer, became a huge crossover hit (pop, R&B)
***Instrumentation mirrors lyrics
- Verse = overwhelming sexual attraction (rich texture of flute & stings)
- Chorus = cynical view on love (bass and guitar create reggae grove)
Eurythmics
Annie Lennox + Dave Stuart; part of 2nd British Invasion
- Similar sexual ambiguity to Bowie
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (Euthymics)
New wave/synth pop of the second British invasion; experimental sound became commercial as a result of global corporate consolidation
1. Tech features (hypnotic loop, overdubbed harmonies)
2. Instrumentation mirrors lyric (verse = dark, cynical → chorus = hopeful)
3. Do-It-Yourself Production
Why Metal Initially Declined in Late 70s
Audience (mostly teenage, white males) seen as an embarrassment
Jump (Van Halen)
Hit which brought metal back into the 80s mainstream
- Virtuoso guitar methods (pull offs, tapping)
- Synth replaces lead guitar (dialogue between tradition and future)
Thriller (Michael Jackson)
Unprecedented, boundary-crossing album (many genres)
- Similar to Barry Gordy goal, aimed at creating African American pop for white (& black audiences)
The Girl is Mine (Michael Jackson feat. Paul McCartney)
Adult contemporary/soft rock/R&B
- Theme: White and Black man argue over affections of same woman → black man wins!
Beat It (Michael Jackson feat. Van Halen)
Metal with synth pop (guitar virtuoso skills again demonstrated during solo)
Thriller (Micheal Jackson)
The ‘caters to all genres’ song, without guests!
- Haunting voice = Vincent Price
Madonna
Famous for her challenging of conservative ideas and heavy self-promotion (reinventing herself and maintaining artistic control)
Madonna’s Two ‘Conflicting Images’
Innocent/Vulnerable/Cheerful
VS
Tough minded, sexually experienced
***Sparked controversy = interest!
Like a Virgin (Madonna)
Showcased her ‘conflicting images’ through voice
- ‘Innocent’ = soft, breathy tones (playing off Hollywood female stereotypes)
- ‘In charge’ = belt, throaty tones
Madonna’s MTV Awards Performance
Showed her ‘conflicting images’ through riving around on the floor in a wedding dress
Prince
Comparable to Stevie Wonder, superstar who took charge of his musical vision (Paisley Park Studios, Minneapolis)
- Multiple influencing genres
- Like Madonna, constantly reinvented himself (flower child → sexual deviant)
Prince’s Battle With Warner Bros
Warner Bros = record label which produced Prince’s early albums
- Felt like a slave of WB, who he claimed used his name as a marketing tool
- Legally changed his name to unpronounceable symbol (‘The Artist Formerly Known As Prince’)
Parental Advisory (PMRC)
Assigned to songs with explicit themes
First song to receive warning: ‘Darling Nikki’ (Prince)
When Doves Cry (Prince)
Accompanied the movie ‘Purple Rain’ (walked balance of b/w public and private)
1. Verse + Chorus
- Rhythmic sameness
- No bass (ungrounded feel)
- Voice = only harmonic accompaniment
2. Repeated Groove Ending
- Texture thickens to reach climax
- End = melodic flourish
