Rock Final Flashcards
1
Q
Black Sabbath - “War Pigs”
A
- first full-on metal band
- power trio + Ozzy Osbourne (lyrics)
- disregard harmony
- does not represent the virtuosic aspect of metal
- prominent drums
- lyrics - social commentary, war, occult images
2
Q
Cake - “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”
A
- alternative rock
- distinctive style –> heavy bassline, manachi trumpet
- dry, sarcastic humor
- prominent bassline
- call and response
- choked repetitive, catchy guitar riff
- sounds like a party
- lyrics - paradox/contradiction
3
Q
John Denver - “Take Me Home, Country Roads”
A
- singer-songwriter
- tuneful melody with tinge of melancholy
- written about Maryland backroads
- lyrics - nostalgia for home
- folk <==> country rock
4
Q
The Doors - “Riders on the Storm”
A
- bluesy sound
- keyboards
- lyrics - existentialism, dark, relfect Morrison’s poetic/philosophical interests
- off of LA Woman (71) –> last album before Morrison died
- utilized groundbreaking recording techniques
- laidback tempo
5
Q
The Doors - “The End”
A
- blues
- from The Doors (67)
- lyrics - existentialism
- instruments introduced stepwise
- Morrison’s vocals dominate
- keyboards
- experimental - sounds, form, length
6
Q
Snoop Dogg - “Who Am I? (What’s My Name)”
A
- rap
7
Q
Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five - “The Message”
A
- innovator/pinoneer in rap music
- turntable techniques that would revolutionize rap - the sound collage
- completely recontextualized cut and pasted sound clips
- presents a brutal picture of life in the ghetto
- shows that rap music was more than just party music and could be serious social commentary
- 16-beat rhythms
- electronically generated sounds
- rapping - no singing
8
Q
Jimi Hendrix Experience - “Voodoo child”
A
- power trio
- virtuosic soloing
9
Q
Michael Jackson - “Thriller”
A
- black pop
- Thriller (82) album and three music videos
- helped transform the music video from a song-with-video into a mini-film that used a song as the focal point
- denced with virtuosity and expressiveness
- four-on-the-floor bass drum - heavy backbeat
- busy rhythms
- spooky music
- extensive use of electronic instruments in combo with conventional instruments
- denser, more complex texture than disco
- expansive form allows the action in the video to unfold
10
Q
Jane’s Addiction - “Jane Says”
A
- The founding fathers of “Alt Nation”
11
Q
Jefferson Airplane - “White Rabbit”
A
- underground acid rock
- first San Fran band to break into the mainstream
- spanish tinge
- crescendo
- psychedelic sound <==> LSD
- lyrics - repetitive, about drugs, psychedelic images
12
Q
Janis Joplin - “Ball and Chain”
A
- blues rock
- born in Texas in 1943 –> Cali
- Big Brother and the Holding Company–>San Fran, huge hit at Monteray Pop Festival
- died from heroin OD at age 27
- woman empowerment songs
- recorded at Monteray Pop Festival on June 18, 1967
- serious blues influence in this recording
13
Q
Lady Gaga - “Paparazzi”
A
- pop
14
Q
Led Zeppelin - “The Immigrant Song”
A
- hard rock <==> metal
- bluesy
- proto-metal
- fantasy elements
- from Led Zeppelin III (70)
- simultaneous guitar/bass riff emphasizes the beat
- talented musicians
- loud, strong beat
15
Q
Madonna - “Express Yourself”
A
- sexy pop
- combines provacative, shocking and controversial themes and images with bright, accesible music
- shows rapid evolution of the music video
- simple, catchy melody
- trendy sounds and rhythms
- skillful production
- club music
- complete control over her career –> making key decisions about every aspect of production and promotion
16
Q
Metallica - “Master of Puppets”
A
- 80’s trash metal
- also popular outside of core metal cultures
- style changes thruout career
- virtuosic playing
- LOUD
- extended instrumental “solos”
- sectionalized form
- speedy, dark sound
- lyrics - about how drugs can effect your life
- updated metal sounds
- almost no exposure on radio or television
17
Q
Bob Marley and the Wailers - “Get Up, Stand Up”
A
- reggae
- brought international awareness to the reggae genre and its message
- rastafarianism
- the plight of Jamaican people
- choked guitar
- percussive “riffs”
- shows Marley’s political side
- last verse–>speak-singing style is a precursor to rap
18
Q
Nine Inch Nails - “The Day the World Went Away”
A
- industrial rock = pre-existing sounds + white noise
- Trent Reznor - only official member
- strong new-wave synth pop influence
- dynamic contrasts–>high to low
- simple
- fins “the groove”
- depressed, melancholy feeling
- anger–>heavy distortion
- lyrics - one verse, about death?
19
Q
Nine Inch Nails - “Mr. Sef Destruct”
A
- industrial rock = pre-existing sounds + white noise
- new-wave synth pop influence
- intro is a sound sample from a George Lucas film
- dynamic contrasts
- HEAVY, electric distortion
- in-your-face screaming vs whisper-singing
- lyrics - speak to the potential self-destruction in all of us
- sets up the concept of the “downward spiral”