Rock Resources Chapter 7 Rock Becomes Established

The 1970s Described by novelist Tom Wolfe as “the Me decade” Saw a turning inward in American culture Americans grew weary of the military conflict in Vietnam Popular attention focused on domestic problems Oil crisis, economic inflation, Watergate hearings, resignation of President Nixon, ideological polarization Nostalgia for the 1970s The film American Graffiti The musical and film Grease TV show Happy Days

The 1970s Death of 1960s musical counterculture icons Jimi Hendix (1970) Janis Joplin (1970) Jim Morrison of the Doors (1971) Breakup of the Beatles (1970) Consolidation of the record industry Six corporations responsible for 80 percent of record sales in the United States Profits from recorded music reached new levels Popularity of prerecorded tapes (cassette and eight-track)

Rock Comes of Age Many progressive rock musicians saw themselves as artists Industry co-opted the appeal of rock, creating hybrid genres Record sales in black community suggested little interest in rock Musicians favored the album format over singles

Rock Comes of Age FM radio developed niche marketing Targeting specific kinds of listeners AOR radio format became more popular Wealth often seen as the best path to artistic success Gave rise to the idea of a “rock star” Lowering of the drinking age to eighteen allowed teenagers to patronize bars Rock became suitable for large venues

The Rock Album Support for the idea of “the record album as a thematically and aesthetically unified work” Examples: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Tommy, and Pet Sounds Musicians treated the time span of an LP (over forty minutes) as a total entity Put more effort into all the songs

The Rock Album Linked songs together, creating an overall progression of peaks and valleys Sequencing was important First two singles were usually the first song on each side Often experimented with studio technology Sound sources could be “moved around” Electronic instruments like the Melotron synthesized strings Multitracking allowed some musicians to play all instruments on a track

The Rock Album Some albums focused on a fictitious character Example: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie Some albums were held together by an emotional, philosophical, or political theme

1970s Concept Albums Joni Mitchell’s Blue Song cycle about the complexities of love Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon Based on the theme of madness Commercially successful despite dark subject and languid pace Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On? Unified by the theme of social justice Combined gospel, soul, and progressive rock

1970s Concept Albums Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s Pictures at an Exhibition Adopted elements of large-scale structure from European classical music Adapted music by Russians Modest Mussorgsky and Pyotr Tchaikovsky Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street Held together by dense, dark texture Often cited as the best album recorded by the Rolling Stones

Rock Culture In the 1960s, rock was part of the counterculture. In the 1970s, the counterculture was part of rock Three prominent expressions of 1970s rock culture were album art, merchandising, and independent rock press Merchandising Included items now called “lifestyle accessories” T-shirts, posters, embossed mirrors, and other souvenirs Appealed to the idea that one’s taste in music reflects an attitude toward life

Album Art LP often treated as an art object Album covers often spoke to a group’s aesthetic aims and personality Sexuality was often emphasized Example: Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers, which included a picture of a man’s crotch with a working zipper Included alternative models of sexuality Dustjacket often included visual analogs to the music inside Included a minimalist approach Example: The Beatles’ monochromatic White Album

Rock Media “Alternative press” developed by counterculture Establishment magazines like Creem and Rolling Stone affected seventies rock Critiqued rock from within

Led Zeppelin and Hard Rock Led Zeppelin formed in 1968 in London with Jimmy Page (guitar) John Bonham (drummer) John Paul Jones (bass and organ) Robert Plant (vocals) Influenced by urban blues, San Francisco psychedelia, and Jimi Hendrix

“Stairway to Heaven” Juxtaposes bone-crushing rock, English and Celtic mythology, and folk-inspired music Text references mythological beings (May Queen and the Piper) Song construction creates continual escalation in density, volume, and speed

“Stairway to Heaven” Presentation includes complex, enigmatic images on the album cover and dustjacket Eight minutes long Most frequently requested song on FM radio during the 1970s Never released as a single

Stadium Rock (a.k.a. Arena Rock) Approach to music prominent in the mid-1970s Grandiose in every way from song structure to general stage craft Goal was creating an exciting audiovisual experience for huge crowds

Peter Frampton Member of British Invasion groups Herd and Humble Pie Had solo success with Frampton Comes Alive (1976) Use of the Heil Talk Box allowed him to “talk” with his guitar

Kiss Known for circus-like stage show Included spitting fake blood and pyrotechnics Each band member had a stage persona Gene Simmons (bass) was “The Demon” Ace Frehley (lead guitarist) was “The Spaceman” Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar) was “The Star Child” Peter Criss (drums) was “The Cat” Wore elaborate stage makeup and costumes Sold action figures, costumes, and comic books about the band

Southern Rock Drew upon blues, boogie-woogie piano, Louisiana Cajun music, and swing “territory bands” Associated with a specifically white southern heritage Use of Confederate iconography Built on a foundation of African American music Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Deliberately old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll band One of the great singles bands Positioned themselves as southern rock stylists despite Bay Area origins First widely successful “roots” rock ’n’ roll band

Allman Brothers Band Connected the blues to mainstream rock and “jam bands” Initially led by guitarist Duane Allman Achieved breakthrough success in 1971 with the live album At Fillmore East Established the genre of southern rock

“Statesboro Blues” Composed by bluesman Blind Willie McTell Became a signature song for the Allman Brothers Features Duane Allman’s soaring guitar playing Allman used a fuzzbox and bass amps Incorporated bottleneck guitar

Jazz Rock Included commercially successful collaborations between jazz and rock musicians Popular bands included: Blood, Sweat and Tears, Chicago (a.k.a. Chicago Transit Authority) The Flock Mahavishnu Orchestra Weather Report

Bitches Brew Fusion album by Miles Davis Combined avant-garde jazz with funky grooves inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone

Chicago Second-most-successful American rock band of all time in terms of album and singles sales Originally specialized in a harder-edged style, later recorded anthemic love songs Rock-oriented sound in the 1970s attributable to guitarist and singer Terry Kath After Kath’s death, moved towards “adult contemporary” sound

Singer-Songwriters and Soft Rock Relaxed style reflects maturing of rock’s Baby Boomer audience Soft rock and singer-songwriter genres have often overlapped Merged folk with Brill Building tradition of songwriting Based on the idea of sincerity from a singer performing songs about his emotional life

Simon and Garfunkel Began as an urban folk duo (represented folk side of genre) “The Sound of Silence” remade to include electric instruments Became a huge hit Paul Simon went on to record world music albums Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints

Eagles California-based country rock band popular in the late 1970s Compilation album Eagles/Their Greatest Hits, 1971–1975 was the first RIAA-certified platinum album Helped keep California at the center of popular music production in the 1970s

“Hotel California” Length, minor-key tonality, and unusual shape evoke songwriting trends of the 1960s About loss and disillusionment, very “1970s theme” Critiques vapid consumerism