Exhaustive Notes on the History of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal

Origins and Defining Characteristics of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal

• Conceptual Development: Both hard rock and heavy metal are characterized as loud, powerful, and aggressive styles. They emerged from the sounds of the 1960s British blues revival bands, specifically the Rolling Stones, Cream, and the Yardbirds, with significant secondary influences from the Who and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
• Distinctions Between Styles: While overlap exists, the two genres remained distinct through the 1970s and 1980s:
  • Hard Rock: Maintained closer ties to blues and folk-rock roots. Hard-rock singers were versatile, capable of singing both ballads and loud, heavy-rock songs. Instrumentation often included acoustic guitars with folk-style strumming or plucking, and eventually incorporated synthesizers.
  • Heavy Metal: Concentrated on power and volume. Singers often utilized a screaming vocal style with lyrics that were frequently obscured by the intensity of the sound. Instrumentation typically followed the electric guitar, bass, and drums model pioneered by Cream and Led Zeppelin. Heavy metal was aggressive and "macho," emphasizing rebellion among young men and employing symbols of death and destruction to challenge authority.
• Themes and Gender: Hard-rock bands generally expressed themes of love and human relationships, facilitating the success of female performers. In contrast, heavy metal remained male-dominated due to its aggressive, theatrical, and often hostile themes.
• Technical Innovations:
  • Distortion and Feedback: First recorded by Link Wray in "Rumble" ($1958$) by poking a pencil through an amplifier speaker. The Kinks achieved a similar sound in "You Really Got Me" ($1964$) by cutting a speaker cone with a razor blade.
  • Electronic Devices: Fuzzboxes (used by the Rolling Stones in "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction") and other foot pedals allowed musicians to control distortion.
  • Feedback: Achieved by holding a vibrating guitar in front of an amplifier; used by the Beatles ("I Feel Fine", $1964$), the Who ("My Generation", $1965$), and the Yardbirds ("Shapes of Things", $1966$).
  • Power Chords: Unlike traditional chords, these consist of two bass notes separated by the interval of a perfect fourth or a perfect fifth (e.g., $G$ on the sixth string with $C$ or $D$ on the fifth string). They add depth and weight to the metal sound. Heavy-metal groups also frequently tuned instruments down a half-step or whole-step to achieve a heavier timbre.

Early Influences and the Power Trio

• Cream: Originally a Chicago-blues revival trio focused on classics like Willie Dixon’s "Spoonful" and Muddy Waters’s "Rollin’ and Tumblin’". They evolved to include distortion and extended improvisations.
• The Bass Riff: On the album Disraeli Gears ($1967$), "Sunshine of Your Love" introduced the bass riff—a short, low, repeated melody. This became a fundamental characteristic of hard rock and heavy metal. It provided a stable musical footing for lead guitar and vocal improvisation.
• Ginger Baker: Influenced the genre’s "bottom-heavy" sound by utilizing two bass drums.

Key Figures in Hard Rock

• Free: Formed in $1968$ in London's pubs; notable for "All Right Now" ($1970$). The band featured heavy distortion and a strong backbeat but did not maintain riffs as central themes as strictly as heavy metal bands did.
• Bad Company: Formed by Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke of Free. They utilized riffs and strong backbeats but avoided heavy metal's rebellious themes. They eventually experimented with synthesizers and new-wave influences in "Rock and Roll Fantasy" ($1979$).
• Steppenwolf: Formed in $1967$; their song "Born to Be Wild" ($1968$) contained the phrase "heavy metal" in reference to a motorcycle, giving the genre its name. Leader John Kay (Joachim Krauledat) was the only original member to stay into the $2000s$.
• Heart: Evolved from a Seattle group called "the Army" (formed $1963$). Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson brought folk and folk-rock backgrounds to early hard-rock hits like "Crazy on You" and "Magic Man" ($1976$). Over time, their sound became more aggressive.

British Heavy Metal Evolution

• Primary Focus: British heavy metal prioritized "power." Riffs usually started on high notes and ended on low notes for a heavy effect, often dropping out during middle-section instrumental improvisations.
• Led Zeppelin: Essential to heavy metal development. They utilized descending bass riffs ("Dazed and Confused", $1969$) and extended improvisations reminiscent of psychedelic music.
  • Ethical/Legal Issues: Chicago blues writer Willie Dixon sued for the use of "You Need Love" as the basis for "Whole Lotta Love". The settlement helped fund the "Blues Heaven Foundation."
  • Diversification: By the early $1970s$, they incorporated Celtic folk and English Renaissance elements ("Stairway to Heaven"). Their live shows often included acoustic sets to create intimacy.
• Black Sabbath: Led by Ozzy Osbourne (John Michael Osbourne). They took the hypnotic riff style further and utilized imagery of witchcraft and death. While initial songs were about the fear of evil, parents often perceived them as satanic. Later albums like Volume 4 ($1972$) included ballads like "Changes" featuring piano and mellotron.
  • Ozzy Osbourne's Solo Career: Formed Blizzard of Ozz with guitarist Randy Rhoads. Osbourne was notorious for his "wild madman" image, including biting heads off doves and bats. He faced a lawsuit over "Suicide Solution," which he claimed was actually an anti-alcoholism song regarding the death of AC/DC’s Bon Scott.
• Deep Purple: Combined heavy metal with progressive or art rock. Keyboardist Jon Lord, classically trained, wrote a concerto for the band and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ($1969$). Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore led the shift toward riff-based heavy metal, exemplified by "Smoke on the Water" ($1972$).
• Judas Priest: Symbolized the $1980s$ British heavy metal sound. They expanded the genre by adding a second lead guitarist for parallel lines. Their image popularized leather, chains, and metal (the "tough guy" biker look).
  • Lawsuit: In $1986$, they were sued for allegedly placing backmasked subliminal messages ("do it") in the song "Better By You, Better Than Me" on the album Stained Class ($1978$). The case was dismissed.
• Scorpions: Formed by brothers Rudolf and Michael Schenker in West Germany ($1965$). Lead singer Klaus Meine underwent surgery for vocal cord nodes and subsequently took voice lessons from a classical teacher. They were the first heavy-metal band to tour the Soviet Union ($1988$).
• Iron Maiden: Known for themes of death, destruction, and medieval torture (named after a torture device). They used a rotting corpse as a symbol and were criticized for "The Number of the Beast" ($1982$), though the song actually projected fear of the Antichrist.
• Def Leppard: Formed in $1977$; featured double lead guitars. Their drummer, Rick Allen, lost his left arm in a $1983$ car accident but continued playing with a custom electronic pedal rig. Their album Hysteria ($1987$) was a massive success.

Regional and Variations of Heavy Metal

• AC/DC (Australia): Formed in $1973$ by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Their style was riff-based but used riffs primarily for introductions and endings. Themes often centered on sex and violence. Following singer Bon Scott's death in $1980$, Brian Johnson took over.
• Iron Butterfly (USA): One of the first American bands to use distortion and riffs ("In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", $1968$). They emphasized electric organ alongside distorted guitar.
• Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier): Notable for theatrical "shock rock" involving snakes and staged executions. Songs like "School's Out" ($1972$) centered on themes relevant to teenagers (the end of the school term) rather than mythological death.
• Ted Nugent: Known as the "Motor City Madman." He utilized heavy feedback with hollow-body electric guitars and a four-finger lead technique. He was outspoken against drugs and pro-gun possession.
• Aerosmith: Styled themselves after the Rolling Stones. Singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry combined hard rhythm and blues with folk and country influences. Their $1986$ collaboration with Run-D.M.C. on "Walk This Way" introduced them to a new generation.

Van Halen and Technical Mastery

• Background: Formed by brothers Edward and Alex Van Halen in $1974$. Both had classical piano training.
• Eddie Van Halen’s Innovations:
  • Natural and artificial harmonics.
  • Combining slurring and hammering patterns (tapping) with both hands on the guitar neck.
• Career Shifts: David Lee Roth was the original charismatic singer; he was replaced in $1985$ by Sammy Hagar, which marked a more commercially successful period. Eddie Van Halen eventually integrated synthesizers spectacularly in the hit "Jump" ($1984$).

Glam Metal

• Style: Focused on a flamboyant, androgynous image with makeup and colorful outfits.
• Kiss: Represented themselves as comic book characters with specific personas: Paul Stanley (Star Child), Gene Simmons (Demon), Ace Frehley (Spaceman), and Peter Criss (Catman). While famous for heavy metal rockers like "Rock and Roll All Nite," their highest-charting hit was the ballad "Beth" ($1976$).
• Hair Bands: Eighties bands like Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, and Poison, known for long, feminine hair and a lighter, "party-centric" take on heavy metal themes.

Listening Guides and Analysis

• "Sunshine of Your Love" (Cream, $1967$):
  • Tempo: Approximately $116 \, \text{bpm}$.
  • Riff: Two bars long, based on a single chord. Included string bending resulting in "blue notes."
  • Unique Feature: Ginger Baker accents beats $1$ and $3$ (unusual for rock).
  • Solo: Eric Clapton quotes the song "Blue Moon."
• "Magic Man" (Heart, $1976$):
  • Tempo: Approximately $100 \, \text{bpm}$.
  • Lyrics: Story of a charming older male taking a young girl away.
  • Structure: Basic rhythm section repeats a two-bar pattern.
• "Whole Lotta Love" (Led Zeppelin, $1969$):
  • Tempo: Approximately $168 \, \text{bpm}$.
  • Instrumentation: Jimmy Page uses an electronic instrument called a theremin during a free psychedelic improvisation.
  • Vocals: Robert Plant switches between bluesy moans and high-pitched screams.
• "Paranoid" (Black Sabbath, $1970$):
  • Tempo: Approximately $164 \, \text{bpm}$.
  • Themes: Mental illness and the inability to feel happiness.
  • Musical Detail: Pounding bass drum and bass guitar on each beat.
• "Victim of Changes" (Judas Priest, $1976$):
  • Tempo: Approximately $84 \, \text{bpm}$ with a double-time feel.
  • Technique: Utilization of "stop time" where instruments fall silent to emphasize vocals.
• "School's Out" (Alice Cooper, $1972$):
  • Tempo: Approximately $132 \, \text{bpm}$.
  • Features: Uneven beat subdivisions. The opening two-bar riff repeats during A sections but is absent during the rest of the song.
• "You Really Got Me" (Van Halen, $1978$):
  • Tempo: Approximately $138 \, \text{bpm}$.
  • Technique: Abrupt key changes between sections (A to B is a whole-step; B to C is a fourth higher).
  • Vocal: Shifting accents (e.g., accenting "really" and "me" instead of natural speech patterns).
• "Rock and Roll All Nite (live)" (Kiss, $1975$):
  • Tempo: Approximately $144 \, \text{bpm}$.
  • Themes: Partying, dancing, and sex (using the old euphemism "rocking and rolling").

Questions & Discussion

• Question 1: Heavy metal music developed out of the music of Blues Revival bands in the late $1960s$. What characteristics of the blues can you hear in early heavy metal? What is it about heavy metal that is different from the blues?
• Question 2: There have been lawsuits against heavy metal bands claiming that something in song lyrics caused some young fans to commit suicide. Can lyrics, either obvious or subliminal, really affect the behavior of listeners? In what ways might there be an effect?
• Question 3: Much heavy metal is full of images and sounds of power. The glam metal bands are loud too, but the images are quite different. Compare the sounds and images of the heavy metal bands to those of the glam metal bands and guess at what kinds of fans like either one.