history of rock n roll

beat

the pulse underlying/implied by the music (not always played directly by an instrument, but what you tap your foot to)

tempo

speed of the pulse/beat

meter

basic organization of beats of a consistent number (typically determined by accent notes; rock is typically in a meter of 4)

measure or bar

a meter

syncopation

rhythm accented between the beats or on the "weak” beats (=backbeats=2 & 4)

backbeat in the 1950’s rock n roll

considered sexually suggestive

pitch

highness/lowness of the sound; determined by frequency/vibration

timbre/tone

quality or nature of a musical sound

articulation

how a note is played

melody

succession of notes

chord

simultaneous sounding of three or more notes

ostinato

regularly repeated musical phrase

antiphony

call and response; the music has two or more alternating parts

race

how the races interact, what they listen to, and how they view each other’s music developed the history of rock n roll

post-war baby boom

the boomers (children of the WWII soldiers) controlled the first 30 years in the history of rock n roll

rebellion

prime motivator in the evolution of rock n roll; due to their sheer size, the boomers had a very influential rebellion

technology

rock n roll has been more influenced by technology than most other genres due to the rapid advancements in technology at the time

record companies

what sells, how it is sold, and who controls what is produced will direct the evolution of music

rock n roll is influenced / directly descended from

blues, created by African American slaves (mostly from West Africa) once trafficked to the US

roles of music in West African culture

-omnipresent

-functional (used to accompany life’s activities/rituals)

-oral society (not written, but kept in songs/myths)

-participatory; thus, providing community

-music and dance are conjoined, as well as music and speech (ex. talking drums)

instrumental characteristics of West African music

-layers of ostinatos, fitting together cohesively

-typically constant volume, steady tempo

-syncopation, all creating a strong, driving, infectious groove

-percussive

-favors rougher timbre rather than clean

vocal characteristics of West African music

-call and response

-rough timbre vocals and effects

-sliding into/between notes; ‘imprecise’ (by Western standards) pitch areas

worksongs

-accompany work of repetitive nature (mining, chopping, etc.)

-sung by group

-steady pulse

-call and response

-coordinate work and make it faster

-uplifting and motivational

field hollers

-accompany nonrepetitive work (plowing, planting, etc.)

-sung by individual

-no steady pulse, no call and response

-make work go faster

-often complaining

blues call and response (derived from worksongs)

between the singer and the instrument

12-bar blues

AAB lyric structure (A=repeated melody about a problem; B=differing melody of resolution); each line rhymes

The Great Migration

-migration of black americans into Northern cities to work in steel mills

-the spread of black music to white ears

—1920-1949 it was called ‘race’ music; changed to Rhythm and Blues in order to get more schmoney to white-owned record labels (coincidentally when rock n roll branched off from black music)

how did RnB reflect the upbeat/optimistic times for AAs in the late 1940s?

-the music was faster and easier to dance to, allowing an escape

-more optimistic tone

-this was around the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement

how were young whites involved in the consumption of RnB?

-transistor radios (could listen privately now; AM radio travels far) and TV later on

why did young whites listen to RnB?

-integration of schools and sharing cultures; possibly rebellion

-they loved the backbeat jitterbug vibes

-nuclear age made the children want to live like theres no tomorrow (because there might not have been)

RnB

-blues but more refined/processed

-more of a pre-jazz swing feel

-more upbeat

-backbeats promoted popular dance of the time (jitterbug)

-marketed to and performed in majority AA neighborhoods

-at first, very limited production bc white-controlled → independent record companies eventually formed

riff

short background ostinato (repeats regularly) usually played by horns

the boomers influence on music

-Brown VS Board 1954?

-huge generation controlling the directionality of music and its sales

-how Rock n Roll evolved from RnB

rock n roll

= AA RnB + young whites (boomers)

-now, black and white audience

-rebellion against 50-60s conformity

-sexual inuendoes

-whites didnt care about social justice until later (not why they listened to rock n roll)

-initially AA slang for sex

Sam Phillips

-Sun Records founder

-had the idea to get a white person (Elvis) to cover black songs

rockabilly / early rock n roll / country-rock

-early Elvis sound

-derogatory of poor Scottish/Irish folks in mountainous areas

Elvis

got popular off of not changing black music (stealing their music AND style)

-first mass-marketed star; first merch; first rock artist marketed on TV; top-selling of all time (1B records worldwide)

-starts rock n roll as a MASS social mvmt (for everybody)

Wall of Sound (Phil Spector)

-multiples of every instrument

-full background sound

Berry Gordy & MoTown

-changed it to horns and strings playing long notes in the background

-punk music also unintentionally uses this technique to make the sound more full

1960s

-protests; 3 major social movements (Civil Rights, Anti-War Movement, and Hippie Counter-Culture)

-early 60s = more peaceful, nonviolent; late 60s = more violent and confrontational

-idealism & optimism

-revival of folk music for the Civil Rights mvmt

-the “We” decade

traditional folk music

-music w a direct link to a particular ethnic group and/or geographical region (conservative in its nature)

-varies little over time (can vary over space though or by group)

-comes from an identifiable community

-origins or authorship are unknown (spread by word of mouth)

-performed by non-professional (people who don’t make a primary living off of it)

-short forms & predictable patterns

-lyrics are not political (just everyday lives of ordinary people)

Bob Dylan

-big effect on rock lyrics

-early phase: finger-pointing songs (protest music)

-late phase: created folk-rock when he electrified the sound using electric guitar

—-was controversial performance

-later: drops care for what people want him to make

British invasion

Why were the early Beatles so popular across such a wide demographic?

1. appearance: cute boys in suits, young, baby faces (freshly shaven), Italian fashion (something new)

2. demeanor (charisma): proper (performing for the royal family), look like theyre having fun, knew how to perform to both the live crowd and the audience at home (thru the cameras), could make people (the establishment) laugh at themselves (peter pan vibes)

3. music (chords, vocals, lyrics): simple harmonizations (far apart; strident sound), upbeat instrumentals and voices, innocent and often romantic lyrics, backbeats, handclaps, catchy bridges with build-up to the chorus, many and unusual chords

4. perfect timing (1964): JFK assassination made people sad & the escalation of the Vietnam war; therefore, time for some go-happy British boys

late Beatles

1. Rubber Soul: psychedelic album cover, experimental sounds and instruments, unclear lyrically, more sophisticated/controversial look, acoustic guitar

2. john lennons song about a trip: no harmonies, so much fucking going on (cut recordings and tape them together), fully electric rock band set up (guitar solo played backwards), achieved a lot by overdubbing (re-imagining of production of songs)

3. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: a concept album (one of the first ever), moved around the source of the sound

   1. they are a different band and this is their music (SPLHCB)

   2. rough recreation of english musical variety show

   3. tunes reference loneliness

important influences of the Beatles

-models of creativity

-introduced new palette of sounds to rock n roll (strings, sitar, sound effects, etc.)

-creative use of recording studio

-concept album (one of the first; Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys is the other one)

-responsible for changing rock n roll image from ‘teen noise’ to art music (rock n roll → rock music)

-became pop icons with the highest visibility & influence

the Rolling Stones

-played blues covers at first

-packaged as an alternative/opposite to the Beatles

Hippie mvmt

• privileged people culturally appropriating

• turned into harder drugs eventually

• 1968 jolted everyone out of complicity about the Vietnam war, violently dislodged protests; MLK assassination;

vietnam war

• most pivotal turning point in the 20th century

• first war the US didnt win lol; 58k Americans dead (only 10k in Afghanistan)

• was about North & South Vietnamese fighting to try to become one; were constantly overtook by other parties

• tried to justify using Domino Theology 

American Blues

• revival of American Blues ironically due to the British invasion

  • Jimmy Hendrix even though hes not british; 1966 festival

• lyrics of Blues have never been political; however, it allowed for personal expression during a rough political period (late 1960s)

• Janis Joplin

Motown

• early civil rights mvmt

• black owned; black musicians

• comes from Detroit, MI

  • known for its car manufacturing (assembly line core)

• wanted to create role models for young AAs

  • had a department to groom the kids & use cultural tactics

  • Bary Gordy, choreographer: worked in an assembly line and adapted that method to recording artists

  • feels like its black music targeted to whites although it did

• specific sound

  • prominent backbeat (2, 4)

  • guitar used as rhythm rather than lead

  • also Wall of Sound

  • inoffensive, nonpolitical, noncontroversial lyrics

• signified black entrepreneurship

Atlantic Records

• later civil rights mvmt

• white owned; black and white musicians

• much more energized & angry

• multiple notes on one syllable

• otis

• secular; “in the midnight hour” goes from religious to an inuendo

• gospel-like

• danced however they felt like in church

1969 festivals

• Woodstock

  • final flowering of the hippie mvmt

  • music, community, drugs, sex

• Altamont

  • seen in negative light bc beatings and death of spectator

  • supposed to be Woodstock of the West Coast

  • prolonged by the rolling stones’ documentary yikes

  • death of hippie mvmt

pessimism at the end of the 60s

• vietnam war tensions

  • national guard (white kids) killed student protestors (white kids) and now white america is woke

• death of many rockstars

  • janice joplin

  • jimmy hendrix

• early 60s: outward, optimistic

• late 60s: inward, pessimistic

70s

• the “Me” decade

  • people started to live for themselves and not for greater change (individualism)

  • 60s hippies turned into 70s yuppies (young urban professionals)

• heavy drug use; different drugs for different reasons (than the 60s)

  • cocaine, more addictive drugs

  • hedonistic escapism > higher collective consciousness & unity

• new advances in technologies (fancy food prep, bigger TVs, garage door buttons), new therapies, etc.

glam rock (70s)

• AKA glitter rock

• David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust), Kiss

• high production value & theatrics

  • like elaborate Broadway stage sets

  • special effects, incredible lighting, becoming characters / performers

mainstream rock (70s)

• FM radio, sometimes called AOR (album of the road) rock

• well composed, sung, and played

  • often based around a hook

  • commercially oriented

  • corporate rock attitude

• ex. “Show me the Way” by Peter Frampton

funk rock (70s)

• black music

  • layers of ostinatos

  • bass and bass drum accent downbeat (beat 1)

  • guitar is rhythmically used (ostinatos)

• traced back to James Brown

  • ex. “Cold Sweat”

  • ex. “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud”

    • call and response, rap

  • didn’t compromise his identity 

  • created slap bass style

disco rock (70s)

• four on the floor

• experienced in dance clubs

• not focused on performers of the music, sometimes no performer (speakers)

• dancers are the performers; there’s an attire: disco chains, bell-bottoms, etc. (the ultimate ME music)

  • show wealth in attire, lighting, dance floors, etc.

    • when disco becomes white

punk (later 70s)

• street clothes, safety pins

• the Ramones

• Sex Pistols

  • ex. “God Save the Queen”

• Talking Heads

  • radio was afraid bc it wasnt “good music by good musicians” just “kids making noise”

  • "ex. “hye ho lets go” song

• basic rock instruments (no horns, strings, or keyboard); simple rhythms, structure (chords), guitar playing (strumming w/ high distortion)

• punk and reggae alliance

Reggae

• out of Jamaica

• punk and reggae alliance

New Wave

• the Police

  • ex. “Roxanne”