Test 2 Flashcards
Los Angeles in 1960s
Home to Hollywood, television industry
Center of record productions by end of decade
What is the geographic trend in the 1960s?
Gradual shift in music business from East Coast to Los Angeles
Phil Spector
Most influential producer of his era
Eccentric genius, loner
Created girl group genre
Songs Produced by Spector
"To Know Him Is to Love Him" - Self "He's a Rebel" - The Crystals "Da Doo Ron Ron" - The Crystals "Be My Baby" - Ronettes "Leader of the Pack" Shangri-Las
Wall of Sound
Phil Spector large instrumental groups Multi-track overdubbing, reverb Monophonic (not stereo) Gold Star Studios
“You Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”
The Righteous Brothers
Produced by Phil Spector
The Wrecking Crew
LA session musicians used on hundreds of recordings by Spector, the Beach Boys.. Carol Kaye (bass) Hal Blaine (drums) Glen Campbell (guitar) Leon Russell (piano)
Hal Blaine
Played on the most hit records ever
LA Record Companies
Capitol, Liberty, Dot, A&M
A&M
Formed in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, became world’s largest independent label
The Monkees
Group formed for TV show (1966-1968)
11 Top 40 hits
Songs written and produced by top LA pros
Bubblegum Pop
Marketed towards tweens and teens
Vapid, no depth
Surf Culture
Imported to West Coast from Hawaii
Surf subculture, lifestyle, hot rods, vernacular, music, etc.
1959-1963: Hollywood waters down surf in bikini movies
Surf Music
Instrumental, high energy, garage band edgy
Dick Dale and the Del-Tones
King of Surf Guitar
Incorporated effects that emulated his Lebanese culture and sound of the waves
Developed Dual Showman amplifier with Leo Fender
“Miserlou”
Dick Dale, 1962
The Beach Boys
Brian Wilson, Dennis and Carl Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardin
Father abusive, encouraged music
Started as Pendletones
“Surfin’” leads to contract with Capitol (Labor Day 1961)
“Sweet Little Sixteen”
Chuck Berry
“Surfin’ USA”
Beach Boys
“Fun, Fun, Fun”
5, 1964
Early 1960’s Beach Boys
Brian is increasingly influenced by Phil Spector, emerges as creative genius; composer, arranger, producer, singer
“California Girls”
3, 1965
Late 1964 Beach Boys
Brian begins to exhibit emotional problems, stops touring with band, begins abusing drugs
Smile
Unfinished Beach Boys album, released 1997
Late 1960s: Beach Boys
Decline, Dennis Wilson, Charles Manson frienship
Brian reclusive
Carl and Dennis die
“I Got A Woman”
blueprint for soul
Transforms “I got a Savior, Way Over Jordan”
Soul Music
Merges R&B, gospel, secular with the sacred, considered taboo
1954
Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas kick starts the civil rights movement
1964-68
Zenith of Civil Rights Movement, goes into decline after assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr
What does the rise and fall of soul parallel?
The civil rights movement
Ray Charles
1954: signed by Jerry Wexler to Atlantic
“This Little Girl of Mine” Hymns in secular fashion
1959: “What’d I say”
1960: Signs with ABC, #1 hits follow
James Brown
Soul innovator, influential to funk, hip hop
“The Godfather of Soul”, “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business”
Impoverished youth, prison at 16, focuses on music
1956: JB and the Flames sign with King, first hit:
“Please, Please, Please” 1956
late 1950s: develops dynamic stage show with tight band and exciting hits to follow
Live at the Apollo
Establishes James Brown as a soul innovator
“Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag Part 1”
James Brown video
Top 10
1965
“I Got You (I Feel Good)”
Top 10 James Brown
1965
Minimalism
Late 1960s/1970s: becomes a spokesman for the black community
45/68: diffuses tense situation at Boston Garden after assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr
1968: “Say It Out Loud, I’m Black and Proud”
“Cold Sweat”
James Brown
Sam Cooke
Born in Mississippi Delta, son of a preacher
1950: joins popular gospel group Soul Stirrers, develops fan base, easy going charm, crooning style
1956: “crosses over” as Dale Cook
Early 1960s: begins building business empire
12/11/64: Tragic murder in LA
“You Send Me”
1957
Sam Cooke
#1
“Twistin’ the Night Away”
Sam Cooke
“A Change is Gonna Come”
Released posthumously in 1964
Inspired by Bob Dylan
Motown
Formed in 1959 by Berry Gordy
Offices in house on West Grand Blvd, Detroit
Gordy sets up production teams, publishing company, record label
Tightly controlled family business
Weekly production meetings, competitive environment
Nurturing of artists
“Hitsville USA”
Detroit
Assembly Line Production
- Finishing School
- Choreography
- Stage presence
- In House production
- Record distribution
- in-house talent agencies
1964-1967 Motown
14 #1 hit records
Motown Sound
Pop-oriented, smoothing over the rough edges of other soul music
Rock-solid groove, anchored by Benny Benjamin’s drums and James Jamersons’ innovative syncopated electric bass
Motown Producers
Smokey Robinson
Barrett Strong
Norman Whitfield
Ashford and Simpson
Holland/Dozier/Hollan
Most successful songwriting/production team
produce 46 top 40 and 12 #1 hits
“Stop! In the Name of Love”
The Supremes
Memphis
Late 1950s, although a racially segregated city, an open, “transracial” attitude existed
1957
Jim Stewart starts Satellite Records in garage
1958
Jim Stewart’s sister Estelle Axton becomes Jim’s partner
1960
Stax Records is born
move into Capitol Theatre on East McLemore Ave
“Cause I Love You”
1960
Rudus and Carla Thomas cataches attention of Atlantic’s Jerry Wexler
“Last Night”
1961
Royal Spades
“Green Onions”
Booker T. and the MGS
1962
Stax in-house rhythm section
Booker T. and the MGS
Establish Stax sound
Characteristics of the Stax Sound
Raw, gritty, powerful and emotional
Bare bones instrumentation of bass, drums, guitar, piano or organ, horn section
Very tight yet uncluttered groove
Horns play punchy unison lines and chords
Generally, no vocal harmonies or BGVs
Motown
Detroit based, Black Owned All Black performers Records aimed at White audience Rigid, hierarchical organization Assembly line process Producer/Composer most important Smooth, refined, controlled pop sound Wall of Sound background Hitsville, USA
Stax
Memphis, white-owned Integrated performers Records aimed at Black R&B audience Loose, accessible to outside input Spontaneous, loosely organized process Performers most important Unencumbered, raw, closer to R&B Simple rhythm section with clean horns Soulsville, USA
Important Stax Songs
“Green Onions”
“(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay”
“In the Midnight Hour”
“Soul Man”
Sam and Dave #2 1967
Fame Studios
1959: Rick Hall opens Fame Music in Muscle Shoals, IL
1966: “When A Man Loves A Woman” catches attention of Jerry Wexler, who then begin bringing Atlantic artists to Fame
Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
Fame Studios
Aretha Franklin
Born in Memphis, raised in Detroit, father is a preacher
1960: signs with Colombia, 10 unsuccessful pop/jazz albums
1967: Jerry Wexler signs her to Atlanic, records “I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)” at Muscle Shoals in her natural style
“Dr Feelgood”
“Respect”
1967 #1
Aretha Franklin
Early 20th Century
Renewed interest in folk music by:
preservationists such as John and Alan Lomax, who recorded many folksingers such as Leadbelly
political organizations, socialist groups, Communists
labor unions: Wobblies: Little Red Songbook
“Goodnight Irene”
Leadbelly
Woody Guthrie
Wrote songs about the plight of the common man, including “This Land is Your Land”
talking blues vocal style
“Pretty Boy Floyd”
Woody Guthrie
Pete Seeger
Becomes famous as member of the Weavers
songs include “If I Had a Hammer”
“We Shall Overcome”
Pete Seeger
Hootenannies
Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger
1950s folk music
Cold war climate not favorable to folksingers
Guthrie, Seeger fortunes change
Guthrie becomes terminally ill with Huntington’s chorea
Seeger blacklisted; refuses to cooperate w/ HUAAC; cited for contempt of Congress
Senator Joseph McCarthy helps create witch hunt mentality
Late 1950s
Folk becomes popular alternative
Calypso
Kingston Trio
Joan Baez
1959: Performs at first Newport Folk Festival, becomes darling of folk community
1963: tours with and introduces Bob Dylan
“House of the Rising Sun”
Peter, Paul and Mary
1963: record 2 Dylan songs that hit Top 10
“Lemon Tree”
Greenwich Village
Commercial folk
1960s
Bob Dylan
Robert Zimmerman
1959: attends university of Minnesota, becomes Dinkytown fixture
Inspired by beat writers, W Guthrie, changes name
1961: Moves to Greenwich Village, meets Guthrie
NY Times review leads to contract w/ Columbia, John Hammond producing
Bob Dylan
Robert Zimmerman
1959: attends university of Minnesota, becomes Dinkytown fixture
Inspired by beat writers, W Guthrie, changes name
1961: Moves to Greenwich Village, meets Guthrie
NY Times review leads to contract w/ Columbia, John Hammond producing
Bob Dylan (album)
Contains mostly traditional folk songs, sells poorly, becomes known as Hammond’s Folly
“Song to Woody”
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
Mostly original songs, 1963
Bob Dylan 1963
performs with Joan Baez
Newport Folk Festival
March on Washington in August
The Times They Are A Changin’
Bob Dylan
Establishes him as leader of folk community
Contains title cut, songs of protest and social relevance
Another Side of Bob Dylan
1964
Introspective songs, receives lukewarm reviews
1964 Bob Dylan
Famous meeting w/ Beatles at Hotel Delmonico in NYC
Bringing it All Back Home
Side A: rock
Side B: Acoustic
1965
July: Dylan appears at Newport Folk Festival with electric Paul Butterfield Blues band, crowd boos
“Like a Rolling Stone”
Bob Dylan
Criticism of government
“Blonde on Blonde”
1966
Recorded in Nashville
Double album
“Rainy Day Woman”
Don’t Look Back
1967
Documentary film of 1965 Bob Dylan tour of England
1965 Bob Dylan
Family moves to Woodstock, NY
Bob Dylan 7/29/1966
Motorcycle accident, recuperation period follows
1966-67
records new songs with the Band; heavily bootlegged, became known as the Basement Tapes
John Wesley Harding
1968 album
Bob Dylan
Nashville Skyline
Influential to country rock
Bob Dylan album
Bob Dylan Summary
Rock lyrics can be poetic Influence on Beatles Warts and all performer Important influence on folk rock, country music Released more than 60 albums
