Analysis of Midterm 2020 Music Examination

Some of our themes that may return on the midterm include: - the collapsing of a segregated music industry - the role of blues, country and pop in the birth of a new rock ‘n’ form - the racial politics of rock - the differences and similarities between Chuck Berry and Elvis - the role of the folk revival in rock’s evolution - the importance of Bob Dylan - the push and pull between a corporate/mainstream music industry and independent/alternative subcultures, labels and artists - the evolution of rock as a musical form - the ideological concerns associated with movements (like the folk revival) and genres (like soul or psychedelic rock) - the importance of Bob Dylan and James Brown - the evolution of the Canadian music industry in the 1960s - the differences and similarities (real and constructed) between Motown and Southern Soul - the differences between craft and art, and the evolution of music production as described in the production techniques of Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and the Beatles. Expect the following kinds of questions: multiple choice, multi-select, fill in the blank, true/false, ordering questions, matching questions and short answer questions. May be asked to match artists to songs, artists to nationality, artists to record company, and artists to genre. Helpful terms and concepts: AABA: Ex. Blueberry hill - fats domino A A B A bridge: acts as a contrast to verses but is usually verse verse Bridge verse not the focal point of the song - Closely related to tin pan alley since it is used most Beat: - The regular rhythmic pulse of a song Beatlemania: - The crazy popularity around the beatles when they came to the states on february 7th 1964 Black musical aesthetic: - Polyrhythmic - Heavy bass - Little melodic variation - DANCE music Ex. james brown kinda music Boogification: - Syncopation Brian Wilson: - Lead singer/songwriter for the beach boys - Nationality: American - Absolutely brilliant but also went kinda insane, lost his mind - Was in a “writing battle” if you will, with paul mccartney Brian Wilson: good vibrations took 6 months to record at a cost of 65 000 in 1966 Brian wilson's production: Using a studio as an instrument in the creative process - Multi track using 8 track recorder - “Bouncing” tracks - Arrange song by tape splicing - Sound effects (tack piano, Leslie speaker) - Record parts dozens of times to reach perfection--spends more time in studio than anyone else - Construct vocal tracks from composites - The way we think of a studio now with the cutting and pasting of sections, is how brian wilson was thinking back in the 60’s as he was physically cutting and pasting tracks Brill building: New york, Manhattan, place with musical culture as well as a genre being mainstream pop of the 1960’s - Carole King and Gery Goffin - the loco-motion, up on the roof ...missed this slide British Invasion: - What are the 2 types of british invasion bands? 1. Beatles-type - Mersey beat. Pop oriented, vocal harmonies - Less blues influence, less prominent electric guitar - 34% of america watched ed sullivan show with the beatles performances that was 2 days after they landed 1963 - love me do 1963 - please please me - Other beatles type bands include--- Dave Clark five, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman’s Hermits, the Hollies 2. The rolling stones-type (Blues type) - John Mayall, fleetwood mac, clapton, jeff beck, THE WIZARD, the yardbirds The stones: Stones - Formed in 1962 as a blues band - member had played with blues incorporated-- brian jones - no intention of writing their own music - early songs are all blues, trying to cover chuck berry and keep it bluesey - it’s all over now - 9 covers and 3 originals - British invasion started the day that the beatles came over to the states, February 7th 1964 Chess Records: Chicago based R&B record label, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Chuck Berry Chicago blues: blues like Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon Chord progression: chords moving in direction Colonel Tom Parker: Dutch guy who managed Elvis Counterculture: subculture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, often in opposition to mainstream cultural mores Craft vs art: music seen as a craft (formulaic method) switching to art (experimentation) Crossover records: tracks that appear on more than one top chart - lists Doo-wop: genre of R&B, originated from 1940s → African-American youth inspired, often simple verse form, series of four chords Fame Studios: Florence Alabama Musical Enterprises → Muscle Shoals, Alabama Folk revival: 1. Community-music making (believed all people could make music, should be played together, shares elements with punk rock) 2. Preservation of folk styles 3. Professional folk industry 4. Topical causes (written about the causes of the day, wars or social conditions) Funk Brothers: backing band for Motown Funky Drummer: James Brown song - beats on drums used by a ton of people Glenbriar Home Hardware: Where American Woman was made and performed - The Guess Who; on Weber St. in Waterloo Glitter: British form of glam, bowie Gospelization: vocal ornamentation (melisma) Guitar gods: Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix Heavy metal: Ozzy, Alice Cooper - dark topics, thick sound, distorted guitar Hippie aesthetic: Songs should stand up to repeated listening, contain meaningful and important topics, artists have a responsibility to produce sophisticated music Hitsville, USA: nickname for Motown Records Hokum Blues: all about sex and violence → muddy waters, white people targeted this music as animalistic Jack London and the Sparrows: Canadian band, Jerry Wexler: “came out” with R&B Les Paul: nastiest guitar made, made by a 1950s artist whose name is Les Paul Measure: it contains the notes that satisfy the time signature → ¾ will have 3 quarter notes per measure Melisma: part of Soul in the sixties, group of notes sung to one syllable of text Moog: Moog analog synthesizer, used in 60s music as a innovative way to make weird ass sounds, like a synthesizer, mini moog Motown: Record Company, based in Detroit, “Hitsville” Muscle Shoals: Alabama, wilson pickett, jim morrison Musique Concrete: base of sounds “concrete” for creation Newport Folk Festival: The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in July 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival. Pet Sounds: Beach Boys Studio Album, Phil Spector: Made the Wall of Sound, famous ass producer, kinda insane Psychedelic rock: Two pieces → through music is the trip, or it enhances the trip, experimentation, improv, R&B: Rhythm & Blues Rave-ups: improvisatory passages performed by the Yardbirds Rhythm: a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound Rockabilly: Attitude, slapping acoustic bass, slap-back delay in voice, clean electric guitar, blues had distorted guitar, heavily influenced by R&B → boogie woogie and 12 bar structure Sam Phillips: artist in 1950s, rockabilly, country, blues, Sam phillips sold elvis contract to the record company RCA Segregated music industry: when black people music wasn't aloud by whites and vice versa, this changed when black artists tried to appeal to whites and vice versa Sgt. Pepper: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band → Beatles, Album (psychedelic) Skiffle: British music inspired by american R&B, folk music Song forms: - Simple Verse (verse has repeating music with non-repeating lyrics, only verses is called simple verse form) Example of simple verse form is a 12 bar blues progression The music stays the same throughout the entire song - Verse: a section with repeating music and non repeating lyrics Doo-wop or “50’s” chord progression Ex. stand by me (not simple verse form) - Often simple verse form - Duke of earl is a perfect of example of doo wop progression - Green day jesus of suburbia - Simple Verse-Chorus (interchanging verse, chorus) Ex. johnny B goode - chuck berry - Music accompaniment remains the same throughout - Adds a repeating chorus section where lyrics (and sometimes melody) differ fro verse Verse: a section with repeating music and non repeating lyrics Chorus: repeating section that is focus of song (catchy, often includes title) - Contrasting Verse-Chorus (verses and choruses employ different music) Ex. California girls - beach boys A B -------A B 1st verse Chorus 2nd verse Chorus … etc - AABA (verse,verse,bridge,verse) Compound AABA (each section of the aaba form is made up of smaller verse and chorus sections) Soul Soulsville, USA: Stax Records Southern Rock: Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals. - Lynyrd Skynyrd, allman brothers Stagger Lee myth: Lee Shelton - killed some guy on Christmas Stax Records: Memphis, TN label Sweet soul: “just a good feelin’ - Leiber and Stoller created this poppier sweet soul, Sam Cooke, Ben E King, the Drifters Teen idols: “Teenage symphonies” thick sound in one speaker inside a car - Phil Spector Timothy Leary: respect prof who gave the students acid, “turn on, tune in, drop out”, wrote the psychedelic experience based on the tibetan book of the dead Tin Pan Alley: collection of music producers in NY, formulaic - epitomizes craft and NOT art Wall of Sound: Phil Spector: Many instruments/ small space, Microphone bleed, Multitrack recording, Doubling instruments, Reverb and echo, One idea is that it is hard to pick out individual instruments, not easy to pick out and it needs to be thick sound What is the “wall of sound”? - Many instruments/small space - microphone bleed - Multitrack recording - Doubling instruments - Reverb and echo It's hard to pick out specific instruments when using the wall of sound technique because there are so many people playing the same thing for that thickkkkkkkkkkkk sound Woodstock: Music festival, lost money, (Bethel, NY) Yorkville: part of Toronto, had its own folk revival, people like Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Young performed there, hub for music Payola - the practice of giving dj’s gifts or cash to play records on their radio, ASCAP and BMI Little richard - “wild man” persona Sun records - memphis, carl perkins, elvis, john cash, jerry lee lewis