Ch. 8 the Growing Rock Monster (1970-1975)

Ch. 8 The Growing Rock Monster (1970-1975)

THE HIPPIE AESTHETIC: Psychedelic Legacies

BLUES-BASED BRITISH ROCK: The Stones, Cream, the Yardbirds

Led Zeppelin: Blues, Folk, and Psychedelia

♫ “Whole Lotta Love”

Led Zeppelin

Blues-based British Rock

Deep Purple: Blues, Classical and Psychedelia

♫ “Highway Star”

Deep Purple

Blues-based British Rock

Shift in focus from releasing singles to releasing albums as a whole (inspired by Sgt. Pepper’s)
Incorporating more classical music, electronic music, and jazz
More dependent on the recording studio—the music was harder to reproduce live
“hippie aesthetic”:
Lyrics—important topics and themes
Sophisticated music
Quality—the music can stand up to repeated listening
Focus on instrumental virtuosity
Music awards—“best of” became popular

Based in Chicago electric blues
1970s bands built on the blues foundation set by the Stones, etc.
Introduced blues to white American teens
Stones—one of the most famous bands to successfully transition from the ‘60s to the ‘70s
Yardbirds—become Led Zeppelin
Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton were the guitarists who helped bridge blues and rock

Focused on AOR format
Page wrote the music; Robert Plant wrote the lyrics
Music—blending traditional electric blues, acoustic folk, and experimentation; featured Page’s & Plant’s high wailing vocals; lyrics dealt with spiritual and sexual topics; heavier sound
Page produced and stacked lots of tracks to create the heavier sound
They disbanded after Bonham died of alcohol poisoning in 1980
Career lasted 10 years
“Whole Lotta Love”—psychedelic elements; vocal moaning; aggressive guitar solo; electronic “panning” across the stereo spectrum; compound AABA form; avante-garde techniques

Mixes blues-based rock and classical music (Vivaldi and Bach)
Formed in 1968 with psychedelic roots
One of the first bands to combine a rock band with a symphony orchestra; blends psychedelia with blues-rock
Later works were popular in the U.S. (i.e. Machine Head containing “Smoke on the Water” and “Highway Star”)
Falsetto screams become commonplace throughout ‘70s and ‘80s
Gillan was famous for recording the musical, Jesus Christ Superstar
Members move on to form: Rainbow, Whitesnake, and Gillan

Black Sabbath: British Rock meets the Gothic beginnings of Metal

♫ “Iron Man”

Black Sabbath

Blues-based British Rock

AMERICAN BLUES ROCK & SOUTHERN ROCK

The Allman Brothers Band

♫ “Ramblin’ Man”

The Allman Brothers

Southern Rock

Lynyrd Skynyrd

♫ “Free Bird”

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Southern Rock

Charlie Daniels Band

♫ “Devil Went Down to Georgia”

Charlie Daniels Band

Southern Rock

Texas & South of the Border:

Santana

♫ “Black Magic Woman”

Santana

American Blues-Rock

Started as Earth, then changed to Black Sabbath after seeing a Boris Karloff movie
Sinister riffs, frequent use of the tri-tone (devil’s interval), dissonance, distortion, dark texture
Laid the foundation for heavy metal of the 1980s
Ozzy Osborne goes solo in 1980

influenced by British blues rock
Duane Allman and Oakley both died in motorcycle accidents in 1971 and 1972
“Ramblin’ Man” is a good example of their country influences
Tom Dowd—producer and engineer—used to work for Atlantic records

From Florida
More radio-friendly format than the Allman Brothers
Signed with Sounds of the South in Atlanta
Wrote songs about everyday life in the South
Hits: “What’s Your Name”, “Sweet Home Alabama”, “Saturday Night Special”
1977 plane crash kills three with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant being one of them
Band splits soon after, but later reunites

Guitarist, singer, and fiddler, Charlie Daniels, started as a studio musician in Nashville; performed back-up for Bob Dylan at one point
Music was closely connected to the hippie movement
Other southern rockers looked up to him

“Southern rock”—one definition is rock bands from the south; another definition is music that appealed to or portrayed southern stereotypes of the time (hard-drinking men, pick-up trucks with gun racks, and confederate flags)
Despite these stereotypes, most Southern rockers were politically progressive—unlike their music

Led byMexican-influenced/Mexican-born (Latin rock) guitarist Carlos Santana
Featured the organ playing of Greg Rolie (later joins Journey)
Psychedellic roots; blend of jazz, blues, improvisation, and Latin rhythms and percussion

ZZ Top

♫ “Tush”

ZZ Top

American Blues-Rock

American Bands:

Steppenwolf

♫ “Born to be Wild”

Steppenwolf

American Blues-Rock

Three Dog Night

♫ “Mama Told Me Not to Come”

Three Dog Night

American Blues-Rock

Grand Funk Railroad

♫ “Some Kind of Wonderful”

Grand Funk Railroad

American Blues-Rock

Aerosmith

♫ “Walk This Way”

Aerosmith

American Blues-Rock

PROGRESSIVE ROCK: BIG IDEAS & HIGH AMBITION

Philosophical Lyrics and Concept Albums

The Use of Classical Music with Rock

From Texas
First album didn’t chart, but now played as a rock radio staple
Considered “Texas Blues”—more like Lynyrd Skynyrd than the Allman Brothers

Steppenwolf was started by John Kay—a German singer and guitarist
Named after famous novel by Herman Hesse
Known for gruff vocals, driving guitars and drums, and distortion
Started in Los Angeles in 1967 and broke up in 1972
Also blues-influenced

Los Angeles-based; produced by Brian Wilson (Beach Boys)
Blues-based soul, 3 lead singers, focused on vocals, AM-friendly approach
Broke up in the mid-1970s

From MI
Roots in 1960s pop and soul music
Placed 10 albums in the Billboard top 10
One of the most popular bands in rock music of the early 1970s

Their first album didn’t chart, and “Dream On” only made it to #59 on the U.S. charts
From Boston; similar sound/image to the Rolling Stones
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were going for the rough/tough guy demeanor and appearance
“Walk this Way” helps rap break into the rock audience

Progressive rock bands became obsessed with the “concept album” approach
Great attention was put toward album cover artwork
Concept albums featured lyrics about:
Religion and spirituality
Politics and power
Technological advancements
Existential angst (anxiety, worry, fear)
The music was supposed to provide a trip
Increasingly ambitious; opposite of the singer-songwriter movement of the same time

Started by Moody Blues when Decca asked them to make a rock version of Dvorak’s New World Symphony to sell stereo equipment
Procol Harum mixes Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” with a J.S. Bach cantata

The Who: Townshend’s Big Projects

♫ “We’re Not Gonna Take It”

The Who

Progressive Rock

In the Beginning:

King Crimson

♫ “21st Century Schizoid Man”

King Crimson

Progressive Rock

Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP)

Hippie Spirituality:

Jethro Tull

♫ “Aqualung”

Jethro Tull

Progressive Rock

Yes

♫ “Roundabout”

Yes

Progressive Rock

Tommy—rock opera (1969) about a handicapped boy who reaches enlightenment through pinball.
The point was to convince people that when one puts down the drugs and alcohol, they can still reach true enlightenment; spiritual pursuits require effort and sacrifice
Used recurring material throughout the major work, and it was an opera (commonly used in opera)
Quadrophenia—album about the Brighton Beach riots and Mod culture popular at the end of the 1960s
After this, they moved away from big projects

King Crimson blended harder, more dissonant(inharmonious) 20th century music with the consonant (harmonious) 19th century classical music, and added in modern jazz
Known for aggressive vocals, rhythmic syncopations, and angular melodic riffs
“21st Century Schizoid Man” was their greatest example of this

Emerson came from the band, Nice
Emerson was known for destroying keyboards onstage
Tarkus—album that included long tracks, some lyrical songs, and lots of keyboard instruments
Pictures at an Exhibition—based on Modest Mussorgsky’s classical work of the same name. ELP reworked it and omitted parts to be replaced with their own music
They were popular in both the U.S. and the UK

Jethro Tull—blues-based; focused on religious institutions and traditions
Ian Anderson, frontman for Jethro Tull, was known for playing flute
Aqualung—provided a critique of the Church of England and how they treated the poor
Thick as a Brick—attach on bourgeois values (middle-class)
A Passion Play—about life after death and reincarnation
Some tracks lasted up to 40 minutes

Songs dealt with issues of spirituality; they were inspired by Eastern religion
One of the most accomplished and commercially successful progressive rock bands of the early 1970s
Yes captured the innocence of psychedelia
Album, Close to the Edge, was based on Herman Hesse’s novel, Siddhartha
Song, “Gates of Delerium” was inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s book War and Peace

Symphonic Expansion

Bizarre Tales & Progressive Rock Theatre:

Genesis

♫ “The Musical Box”

Genesis

Progressive Rock Theatre

Pink Floyd in the 1970s

♫ “Wish You Were Here”

Pink Floyd

Progressive Rock Theatre

JAZZ-ROCK FUSION AND JAZZ INFLUENCED ROCK:

Jazz and the Studio Musician

Jazz-Rock Fusion:

Miles Davis and Beyond

♫ “Bitches Brew”

Miles and Beyond

Jazz-Rock Fusion

The idea was to create longer, more intricate arrangements
Reusing melodic material in new ways allowed for this
Inventive/new rhythmic ideas and changing meter
Use of AABA form (sometimes compound AABA)
Draws on classical music and current pop techniques

Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel acted out the stories in their songs by wearing masks and elaborate costumes
Long, complex songs; criticized British life and values with fantastic stories
“The Musical Box” was about a reincarnated spirit who returns sexually frustrated 70 years later

Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother, Meddle, The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, The Wall—Pink Floyd’s albums from the 1970s
Known for being extremely experimental, lots of electronic sounds, instrumental virtuosity, crazy light shows and stage effects—pigs flying & plane crash onstage
Syd Barrett was released from the band because of mental illness

Progressive rock was the genre that remained the most faithful to the hippie aesthetic!!

Focus is on achieving technical master and improvisation methods
Jazz players were hired as studio musicians by day and played jazz in clubs by night
“studio musician”—player fluent in all styles of music, can site read music, and is a professional instrumentalist (not amateur)
Influential jazz musicians of the time include: Steve Gadd, Tony Levin, Larry Carlton (inspired later rockers)

Miles Davis wanted to play jazz music for larger crowds
He connected his music with that of Jimi Hendrix and Cream (especially Eric Clapton)
John McLaughlin, Joseph Zawinul, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter—all famous jazz-rock musicians
Bitches Brew—double album of jazz experimentation pieces that introduced rock audiences to jazz fusion
Instrumental genre—hardly ever any vocals
Members of Miles Davis’ band went on to form their own bands, which had some moderate chart success (compared to regular jazz, they achieved great fame)

Frank Zappa: Satire and Complexity

♫ “You Are What You Is”

Frank Zappa

Jazz-Rock Fusion

Low Sparks and Pretzel Logic:

Traffic

Steely Dan

♫ “Peg”

Steely Dan

Jazz-Influenced Rock

Horn Bands:

Blood, Sweat and Tears

♫ “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”

Blood, Sweat and Tears

Jazz-Influenced Rock

Chicago

♫ “You’re the Inspiration”

Chicago

Jazz-Influenced Rock

GLAM ROCK & ROCK THEATRE: SHOCKING CHARACTER

Dressing Up and Acting Out

Blended satire (sarcasm), musical virtuosity, and sophistication; incorporates cartoonish vocals to critique television
He didn’t care if his music was commercial, artistic, or relevant—he did what he wanted to do
Hot Rats, Apostrophe, Overnite Sensation—famous albums
“You Are What You Is” is one of his best examples of artistic expression

Made a comeback in the early 1970s after taking a hiatus in the late 1960s
Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Chris Wood—important band members
Blend bluesy-vocals with saxophone soloing
Band members change often throughout the early 1970s

Founded by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker—used studio musicians for their backup tracks when they stopped touring
Music was written out before recording began, but solos were typically improvised
“Peg” from Aja album is one of the best examples of their performance style

Jazz rock horn-band
Formed by Al Kooper (previously with Bob Dylan and Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Achieved great success in the U.S. after David Clayton-Thomas joined
Self-titled album won a Grammy in 1970
Made horn section more important in their recordings through solos and ensemble playing (like big band music of the 1930s and 1940s)
“You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” is a good example of their performance style

Blended melodic pop vocals and sophisticated, horn-dominated accompaniment
Popular in the U.S. and the UK
Beatles-influenced pop sound with jazz style horn arrangements
Jazz-Rock fusion was hated by traditionalists because they thought it was a sell out

Formed out of the Rock Theatre movement started by Genesis and Pink Floyd
1970s rock shows moved from theatres and ballrooms (smaller venues) to arenas and stadiums (large venues)
Audiences started expecting bigger shows

Ziggy Played Guitar:

David Bowie

♫ “Fame”

David Bowie

Glam Rock

Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare

♫ “School’s Out”

Alice Cooper

Glam Rock

KISS and Makeup

♫ “Rock and Roll All Night”

KISS

Glam Rock

SINGER-SONGWRITERS: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

James Taylor

♫ “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”

Singer-Songwriter

Carole King

♫ “Too Late”

Singer-Songwriter

Paul Simon

♫ “Still Crazy After All These Years”

Singer-Songwriter

Developed stage characters/stage personalities: David Bowie and Alice Cooper being greatest examples
Inspired by the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s album

UK “glam rock” singer—only UK glam rock singer to achieve significant success in the U.S.
Stage personality was Ziggy Stardust
Androgynous clothing, makeup, sci-fi, topics of alienation (i.e. 2001: A Space Odyssey)

Alice Cooper was the stage persona for Vincent Furnier
Known for dark, gruesome death depicted onstage (goth); depression and anger
Influenced heavily by Jim Morrison (of the Doors)
He used satire so people didn’t take his music too seriously
Went solo and had greater fame as a soloist
Roots in psychedelia: the music was a trip

Whole band had stage characters (not just the lead singer as with the other bands) with costumes and elaborate makeup
Shows included lights, flames, and explosions
Blues-based rock band
Rough start, but once they achieved success with “Rock and Roll All Night” (live version), they re-released older material
Action figures, feature-length film, etc. helped fuel their fame

Derived out of the 1960s folk revival (i.e. Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
Appealed to post-college young adults
Unmediated personal perspectives; authentic; sincere and intimate
Singer/song/text most important, not the instruments

Signed to Apple label in 1968 (the Beatles’ label)
1st album flopped, but signing with Warner saved his career

Started as strictly a songwriter, writing songs for James Taylor and various other artists, then she emerged as one of the most famous performing artists of the 1970s
Multiple successful albums

Formerly of Simon and Garfunkel
Infuses reggae before it became well-known; incorporates jazz elements; used studio band frequently
Subdued, yet sophisticated music

American Poets Society:

Carly Simon

Harry Chapin

Don McLean

Jim Croce

British Singer-Songwriters:

Van Morrison

Cat Stevens

Elton John

Canadian Voices:

Joni Mitchell

♫ “Help Me”

Joni Mitchell

Singer-Songwriter

Neil Young

♫ “Heart of Gold”

Neil Young

Singer-Songwriter

COUNTRY ROCK: The Gift to Be Simple

Confessional songs that were focused on vocals, piano, acoustic guitar and/or strings
Lyrics were about life changes after college
“You’re So Vain” best example

Known for his baritone voice and acoustic guitar
Most famous song “Cat’s in the Cradle”

Known for piano, acoustic guitar, and nostalgic lyrics
Most famous for “American Pie”

Killed in a plane crash in 1973
Ironically, he recorded a song about death right before he died
Most famous for “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”

Van Morrison blends jazz and rhythm and blues
Most notable albums of the 1970s were Moondance, Tupelo Honey

Cat Stevens had a string of hit albums in the U.S. and UK
“Peace Train” was the most famous song

One of the most well-known and most successful singer-songwriters
Teamed up with Bernie Taupin (lyricist) much like the Brill Building songwriting teams
One of most famous singer-songwriter genre songs was “Your Song”
Moves to rock later on

Origins in folk, but experiments with jazz
Used studio musicians for backup
Incorporates avante-garde techniques
One of the most eclectic and experimental singer-songwriters
“Help Me” was her biggest hit

Formerly of Buffalo Springfield and also performed with Crosby, Stills and Nash
Song “Southern Man”—inspired by “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Known for thin voice, somewhat out of tune singing, but he helps make imperfection okay in the rock world

Country music was honest, authentic, simple, down-home music
Centers in Nashville, TN and Bakersfield, CA
The Byrds and Bob Dylan go to Nashville to record

Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young)