MUSI 1003 Exam 2

Rock Around the Clock

Performed by Bill Haley and the Comets, 1955, rock ‘n’ roll

I Fall to Pieces

Patsy Cline, 1961, nashville sound/country

Surfin’ USA

The Beach Boys, 1963, surf rock/pop

Blowin’ in the Wind

Bob Dylan, 1963, urban folk

I Want To Hold Your Hand

The Beatles, 1964, rock

My Girl

The Temptations, 1964, Motown

A Change Is Gonna Come

Sam Cooke, 1964, Soul

Somebody To Love

Jefferson Airplane, 1967, Psychedelic Rock

Dance to the Music

Sly and the Family Stone, 1967, Funk

Night Fever

The Bees Gees, 1977, Disco

“Jump Bands”

Small instrumental combos associated with early R&B, made up of a rhythm section (piano, drum set, bass) and one or more horn players

Overdubbing

Process of layering recordings, where recorded tracks of tape are played while new ones are played at the same time

Nat “King” Cole

Skilled Pianist and vocal crooner who was one of the first African Americans to cross over to predominantly white pop charts

Doo-wop progression

A popular four-chord progression popularized in early rock ‘n’ roll, aka the “Heart and Soul” progression

Rockabilly

Form of country and western music informed by the rhythms of African American R&B and electric guitar

Elvis Presley

Rock ‘n’ Roll artist famous for rockabilly style, vocal hiccups, and provocative dancing

Chuck Berry

Pioneer in electric guitar playing and early rock ‘n’ roll artist with a heavy R&B influence

Alan Freed

DJ of the 1950s, instrumental in the spread of rock ‘n’ roll, brought R&B to popular mainstream via radio broadcasts

Richie Valens

Mexican American singer and guitar player famous for La Bamba, latin rock, rock’n’ roll, and R&B inlfuence

Phil Spector

Performer, songwriter, and sound producer famous for his “wall of sound” and his obsession to detail, pop and rock

Berry Gordy Jr.

Producer of Motown Music who sought to keep the business under African American control and market that music to all young americans

Verse Chorus form (VCU)

the verse uses the same music with different text, the chorus uses the same music with the same text, and a VCU means one full verse-chorus unit.

Bossa Nova

Music Style that blended west coast jazz characteristics (such as harmony) with Brazillian samba rhythms and Latin Instruments

Brian Wilson (the Beach Boys)

founder of the Beach Boys, Surf music features electric guitar, the “California sound,” rapid descending guitar riffs, and high vocal harmonies

concept album

album conceived as an integrated whole with interrelated songs, often arranged in a certain order

Jefferson Airplane

Nationally successful psychedelic rock band from san fransisco, known for its hard-edged rock style and drug imagery; led by singer grace slick

Jimi Hendrix

electric guitarist whose creative use of feedback and distortion often approached the boundaries of “noise”

blue-eyed soul

soul (or R&B) performed by white arrtists singing styles traditionally associated with african americans

ray charles

early soul artist who enjoyed crossover success starting in 1959; songwriter, keyboard player, and singer with a distinctive gravelly tone

urban folk

eclectic musical style inspired by rural folk music but often performed by urban intellectuals, sometimes with a political or moral message

james brown

later soul artist whose music focused almost exclusively on rhythm and timbre in his instrumental and vocal sounds; known for short, catchy musical hooks

bob dylan

urban folk singer who brought folk music to the rock genre by “going electric”

nashville sound

a more cosmopolitan country style characterized by smoother sounds; background vocals, string instruments, and often a crooning style with less twang

wall of sound

a dense, layered, highly produced texture meant to sound huge and full on recordings. Think many instruments blended into one powerful sonic block.

counterculture

youth-centered set of attitudes and lifestyles that challenged mainstream values

brill building

songwriting/production culture centered on professional pop hitmaking in New York

double tracking

recording the same part twice for a fuller sound

hi-fi

high-fidelity sound reproduction; part of changing listening culture

payola

paying or bribing radio DJs or broadcasters to play certain records

synthesizer

electronic instrument that helped shape later pop/rock sound, especially in the 1970s.

mellotron

keyboard technology associated with rich, experimental rock textures

SRDC

A melodic schema: Statement, Restatement, Departure, Conclusion. A balance of repetition and contrast, often divided into two halves, SR plus DC. In a verse, the first line presents an idea, the second repeats or slightly varies it, the third moves away, and the fourth closes.

Electric Guitar

Not just an instrument, but a major force in rock history. 1920s amplification experiments through Rickenbacker, Gibson, Fender Broadcaster, Precision Bass, Gibson solid-body guitars, and the Stratocaster with three pickups and a vibrato bar. It matters because it made louder bands, stronger solos, and later sound manipulation possible.

Easy listening

Smooth, polished, light, conservative, adult-oriented pop in the post-war era