The 1980s
I. The 80s sound
A. Compare and contrast Michael Jackson and Prince
B. Michael Jackson – Thriller
a. Style beat – 8 beat, occasionally opening to 16-beat
i. Constantly present in cymbals
b. Instrumentation – drum machine, horns, guitar, synthesizer, bass (synth)
c. Texture
i. Often thin
ii. Thickens through verse
d. Accent on backbeat?
i. Yes
ii. Occasionally
e. Riffs?
i. Riff-based (bass)
ii. Also keyboard, horn riffs in chorus
f. Stylistic influences?
i. Funk – Parliament, specifically
ii. Disco
iii. Gospel
iv. 70s soul – particularly Philadelphia
g. Other
i. Doubling (via overdubs) on hook, significant lines
ii. Polyrhythmic – layered rhythmic ostinati
iii. Melody driven, dramatic vocal style
iv. Reverb
C. Prince – When Doves Cry
a. Style beat - 8 beat
b. Instrumentation – guitar, drum machine, synthesizer, drum,
c. Texture - thin
d. Accent on backbeat?
i. Yes
ii. Rebound backbeat on 2
e. Riffs?
i. Keyboard riffs
f. Stylistic influences?
i. Hard rock
ii. Gospel
iii. Funk
iv. Disco
g. Other
i. Doubling (via overdubs) on hook, significant lines
ii. Polyrhythmic – layered rhythmic ostinati
iii. No bass
iv. Melody driven, dramatic vocal style
v. Reverb
D. Ingredients of the “mainstream” 80s sound
1. “Musical melting pot”
a. All rock styles used as inspiration
i. 70s styles: punk, funk, new wave (still in progress), reggae, black Romantic music
ii. Retro styles: rockabilly, surf music, black rock and roll,
Motown, blues, R&B
aa. Ex. Stray Cat Strut – Stray Cats
bb. Ex. Stevie Ray Vaughn
iii. World music
b. Heard in new and unusual combinations
2. Synthesizers become standard component of rock ensemble
a. Produces artificially generated sound through the manipulation of
electrical currents
i. Create entirely new sounds
ii. Or replicate sound of any instrument
b. How it works
i. Recall – sound travels as wave
ii. Oscillator creates a wave form
iii. Filters modify tone color by subtle alterations to wave form
iv. Synthesizers have feature that maps waveforms onto different pitches on a keyboard
v. Other oscillators or generators manipulate vibrato, attack, sustain, and decay
c. Synthesizers invented in 50s, but limited
i. Expensive
ii. Could only create/play one sound at a time
d. Four and eight voice polyphonic synthesizers introduced in early 1980s
i. Roland
ii.Yamaha DX-7: first inexpensive digital synthesizer
iii. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) [invented 1983]
Makes technology easy to use
3. New media
a. CDs introduced 1984 - though no real advantages
b. MTV
i. Launched 1981
ii. Shortly becomes means of launching new artists, songs
iii. Show clip
II. MTV/Pop rock
A. Madonna
B. Michael Jackson
1. Born 1958
2. Jackson Five formed in late 1960s with brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and
Marlon
a. Motown act
b. Michael records a few solo records as well
3. 1976 Jackson Five leave Motown for Epic – become The Jacksons
4. 1978 Meets Quincy Jones while making The Wiz
a. Becomes producer of next LP
b. 1979 Off the Wall goes multiplantinum
i. Hit singles: Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough, Rock With You
ii. Fusion of rock, soul, and funk grooves
c. Jacksons more or less dissolve
5. 1983 Thriller
a. More than 50 million copies sold to date
b. Six top ten hits, seven of the nine tracks chart
c. Unprecedented fusion of styles
i. Tracks on album
ii. Influences combined on each track
iii. Ex. Beat It
aa. Punk-influenced beat
bb. Funk influences evident
cc. Some input from early hip-hop
dd. Combined with hard rock and heavy metal
C. Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson)
1. Also born 1958
2. First album 1979
a. Plays all instruments on and produces
b. Does so for first five albums
3. Reaches mega-stardom with 1999 (1982)
4. Records with a number of outfits
a. New Power Generation
b. Revolution
5. But elements of style remain consistent
a. Mixes disparate stylistic influences
b. Certain eroticism
c. Strong hooks
d. Melody with wide range over polyrhythmic foundation
e. Ex. Little Red Corvette
D. The Go-Gos and other mainstream of the mainstream acts
1. One of first all-female bands
2. Can stand as prototype of mainstream ‘80s pop
a. “Synth-heavy and ruthlessly stylish new romantic movement”
b. Sleek dance pop
c. “Anyone who puts their minds to it could make ‘80s pop music”
d. Formula –
i. All of the above
ii. Riff less important than groove
aa. Rhythmic feeling created by sum of all layers
bb. Bright, dance-friendly
iii. “Slice of life” lyrics
iv. Flat four/sixteen beat style beat OR saturated eight beat
aa. Accented backbeat
bb. Rebound backbeat favored
v. Catchy melody with memorable hooks
vi. Lots of repetition
3. Ex. We Got the Beat
III. Rock with a Message
A. Minority of groups, artists
1. Many indie or niche groups
2. But also pop rock, mainstream acts
3. Music serves as platform for message
B. Ex. Bruce Springsteen – Born in the USA
1. From album of same name that launches Springsteen into mainstream
a. Recorded a few earlier hits
i. Hungry Heart
ii. Born to Run
b. Also sold number of songs to other artists
c. Springsteen songs you didn’t know you knew…
i. Fire – The Pointer Sisters
ii. Pink Cadillac – Aretha Franklin
iii. Blinded By the Light – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
iv. Because the Night – Patti Smith Group
2. Born in the USA occasionally misunderstood
3. Overall critique of hardships of mainstream America
4. Born in the USA
a. Opens with synthesizer riff = melody
b. Verse and refrain form
c. Simple bassline: 1 +3 1 +3, drums accent backbeat
d. Thin texture
i. Thickens in second, third verse with more active bassline
ii. Returns to opening texture for bleak final verse
iii. Opposite of end-weighting
e. Eight beat style beat
f. Highly repetitive – like circumstances of protagonist
g. Influences singers-songwriters of 70s, folk music, blues, hard rock,
rockabilly and early rock
C. Ex. U2- Pride (In the Name of Love)
1. 16 beat style beat
a. Choked guitar
i. Less a riff than an ostinati
ii. Two interlocking patterns
b. Contrast to 8 beat style beat in active bass line
c. Double time drum fills
d. Every instrument, part in own register
2. Accented backbeat
3. Instrumental accompaniment for high-pitched vocals – melodic focus
4. Moderate texture, but thins under most significant verses
5. Influences 70s soul, gospel, Celtic music, as well as singer-songwriters
D. Other rock activism of the 80s
1. Band-Aid
a. Benefit recording by British pop and rock stars
i. Do They Know It’s Christmas b/w Feed the World
ii. Written by Bob Geldof (Boomtown Rats) and Midge Ure
(Ultravox)
b. Response to BBC documentary on famine in Ethiopia
c. Geldof hopes to raise £72,000 for charity; makes £8 million
2. USA for Africa
a. US response to Band-Aid
b. “We Are the World” written by Quincy Jones
c. Most of top rock and pop artists participate
3. Live Aid
a. Bi-continental concert held 13 July 1985
b. Also organized by Bob Geldof
c. 68 bands playing in UK (Wembley Stadium) and US (Philadelphia)
d. Raised over $100 million
4. Farm Aid
a. Founded by John Cougar Mellencamp and Willie Nelson
b. To raise awareness about plight of family farms
IV. Heavy Metal in the 1980s
A. Metal stagnates by mid 1970s
B. Reinvents itself in 1980s
1. At least three different streams
2.But with certain commonalities
a. LOUD
b. Distortion still important
c. Riff-driven
d. Instrumental virtuosity becoming more important
i. Primarily for guitar players
ii. Influence of Eddie Van Halen
aa. Guitarist for Van Halen
bb. Fast, brilliant style based on rapid arpeggiation
(borrowed from classical music), extremes of range
and register, wide palate of tone colors
e. Lyrics deal with sex, occult, power, rage, frustration
f. In most respects, replaces punk as music of teenage angst
C. Various grades of “purity”
1. “Pure” Heavy Metal – Metallica, Iron Maiden, AC/DC
2. “Pop” Metal (aka Light Alloy) – Van Halen, Def Leppard, Quiet Riot
3. Hair Metal – Poison, Motley Crüe, Twisted Sister
a. Fusion of heavy metal and glam rock
b. Makeup, big hair, costumes combined with aggressive hard rock
c. Like glam, says more about performance style than music
4. Differences?
i. Metallica – One
ii. Def Leppard – Photograph
iii. Guns and Roses – Welcome to the Jungle
5. One
i. Complex form
ii. Aggressive timekeeping
iii. Extended solos and virtuosic playing
iv. Harmonic and rhythmic complexities
v. Music with a message
6. Photograph
i. Verse (ABC)/refrain form
ii. Short/no solos
iii. Riff-driven
iv. Melody more important
v. Simple harmonies
vi. Catchy hook
vii. More subdued timekeeping, though accented backbeat
viii. Short solo
7. Welcome to the Jungle – middle ground