Module 6

This week we covered many different styles of music.  The first six examples were all hits from the 1970’s, including: It’s Too Late performed by Carole King in 1971, Superstition performed by Stevie Wonder in 1972, Crocodile Rock performed by Elton John in 1972, Love’s Theme performed by the Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1973, Thank God I’m a Country Boy performed by John Denver in 1975, and Hotel California performed by the Eagles in 1976.  Though these six recordings are all very different, they were all number one hits in the 70’s and represent the wide variety of styles and musicians that took over popular music.  Of these, my personal favorite is the John Denver song Thank God I’m a Country Boy.  John Denver is a personal favorite because you cannot get your undergraduate degree from West Virginia University without loving John Denver and singing Country Roads after every sporting event.  When looking through recordings of Thank God I’m a Country Boy I found a live recording that I particularly enjoyed.

Our next two examples were polar opposites, the first being Stairway to Heaven performed by Led Zeppelin in1971, and Oye Como Va performed by Santana, also performed in 1971.  Stairway to Heaven was Led Zeppelin’s most famous recording, eventually selling 14 million copies.  This was not my favorite listening of the week, as I have never been a huge Led Zeppelin fan, but I can appreciate everything their music did for heavy metal today.  On the other end of the spectrum is Oye Como Va, which was rock with a Latin influence thrown in.  Essentially and electrified version of an Afro-Cuban Dance, Oye Como Va brought in Santana’s signature sound throughout.

We also listened to some popular disco songs, mostly performed by Donna Summer.  These examples were Love to Love You Baby performed by Donna Summer in 1975, Bad Girls performed by Donna Summer in 1979, and Good Times performed by Chic in 1979.  The pounding beat of these three songs, the steady medium-fast tempo, the straightforward forms, straightforward subject matter, and the limited harmonic vocabulary are what clearly make them disco.

We also listened to Poncho and Lefty performed by James Van Zandt in 1972.  James Van Zandt was considered to be a hero in the genre of progressive country, and many popular artists such as Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard covered his songs.  Psycho Killer performed by Talking Heads in 1977, was inspired by the psycho murdered Norman Bates from the Alfred Hitchcock movie Psycho.  This was the only Talking Heads single to appear on the singles charts, and it is recognized almost instantly by David Byrne’s high-pitched voice.

Module 5

This week’s listenings were all about Motown, The British Invasion, and Rock. The Motown songs we listened to were My Girl, performed by the Temptations, and You Can’t Hurry Love, performed by the Supremes.  My Girl is a love ballad written in a straightforward verse-chorus form.  The other Motown example, You Can’t Hurry Love demonstrates the songwriting abilities of the Motown writers to produce a clever, innovative pop song.

The next four songs, all by the Beatles, represent the British Pop Invasion.  The four songs we heard were Please Please Me, A Hard Day’s Night, Yesterday, and Eleanor Rigby.  Please Please Me was the Beatles’ first top 10 hit in Britain and was rather unsuccessful in America.  Re-released later, it shot up the charts.  This song is an up-tempo love song written in typical AABA form.  A Hard Day’s Night was a number one hit in 1964 and was the title song from the Beatles’ first movie.  This song is also in AABA form but each a section is in a 12 bar blues structure.  Yesterday was yet another number one song and is probably the Beatles song with the most wide-ranging and enduring popularity.  It has been performed by many different artists, and employs the standard AABA form.  Yesterday portrays many similarities to the classic Tin Pan Alley form.  The final Beatles example, Eleanor Rigby, was not as popular as the other three songs mentioned.   This song has an unexpected intro, beginning directly with voices, and has the form of a traditional folk ballad.  Of the four Beatles songs, I did not really find one that I truly could consider a favorite.  I’ve never been a huge fan of the Beatles, though I can admit that their music definitely sticks with you.  The one that sticks with me the most is A Hard Day’s Night because I played an arrangement of it in my middle school band.

My favorite listening example from this week was Good Vibrations, performed by the Beach Boys.  This song has no form and is very unconventional to the time.  It has very memorable melodic hooks and a wide array of chords.  It incorporates both minor and major key melodies that serve as landmarks for the listener.  Good Vibrations was considered to be an important milestone in the history of rock production.  Music from the Beach Boys has always stuck with me because of an episode of Full House that I saw them in as a kid, and then my parents would always play their music for me.

                                     

We also listened to two classics of soul music, Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag, performed by James Brown and the Famous Flames, and Respect, performed by Aretha Franklin.  Both of these recordings represent the intense vocals and use of call-and-response techniques used in soul music.  Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag uses the 12 bar blues as a base, breaking up the patterns every once in a while.  Respect was a cover done by Aretha Franklin after it was already a big hit for its composer Otis Redding.  This is a song that Aretha Franklin made her own, easily gaining the respect of everyone who listened to her,

One of our final examples this week was Like a Rolling Stone, written and performed by Bob Dylan.  This recording was one that put an end to existing restrictions on song length, subject matter, and poetic diction.  Like a Rolling Stone also has a very distinct sound, incorporating both keyboard and organ.  Written in strophic form, the lyrics provide a sense of continuing development.

Module 4

Our listenings in Module 4 were all about music from the Postwar Era.  Our first listening piece was Nancy (with the Laughing Face) performed by Frank Sinatra.  This song shows a big change from Sinatra’s Swing Era recordings.  In this new era, there is a heavy focus on string instruments dominating the instrumental accompaniment.  I really enjoyed how smooth and relaxed Sinatra’s voice is in this song.  The accompaniment complements his voice very well throughout the song.  We also listened to some other styles of music within the Postwar era.  Including two songs that helped to popularize the mambo throughout Latin America and the US.  These two songs were Mambo No. 5 performed by Perez Prado and His Orchestra, and Mambo Italiano performed by Rosemary Clooney.

There were many listening examples highlighting Southern Music in the Postwar era as well.  Choo Choo Ch’Boogie performed by Louis Jordan’s Tympany Five was a fun example of the Jump Blues, which was the first successful category of rhythm and blues.  Performers such as Jordan drew in large, diverse audiences.  Because of the divided racial ideas still happening in America at the time, many concert halls stayed segregated for performances such as Jordan’s.  There were also other styles of Southern and Country and Western music such as such as the blues crooner style used in Black Night performed by Charles Brown and His Band, the Chicago Electric Blues style in Hoochie Coochie Man performed by Muddy Waters, bluegrass music from Bill Monroe, Honky-Tonk hits such as The Wild Side of Life performed by Hank Thompson and His Brazos Valley Boys, It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels performed by Kitty Wells, and country classics like I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry and Hey Good Lookin’, both written and performed by Hank Williams.  Of these, my favorite examples were the Hank Williams pieces.  I grew up listening to both Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr. with my parents and I have always enjoyed his music.

The other big style introduced this week was rock ‘n’ roll.  Though the term rock ‘n’ roll was more of a commercial ploy than anything else, there was still some very interesting music to come out of this time period.  We listened to cover songs- the same song, different arrangement, though most of these tended to sound pretty similar to the original.  We listened to the original and cover versions of popular songs such as Shake, Rattle, and Roll, Sh-Boom, and Mystery Train.

Some other important songs of the time were Maybellene by Chuck Berry, Long Tall Sally performed by Little Richard, Don’t Be Cruel by Elvis Presley, and Charlie Brown performed by the Coasters.  Maybellene, a song distantly modeled after the country song called Ida Red, was a shockingly new song on the music scene at the time because of it’s upbeat tempo that was not typical of other rhythm & blues songs.  Long Tall Sally by Little Richard was built on the 12 bar blues style.  When looking up some different recordings of this song, I found a live of that I found particularly enjoyable.  I am a fan of Little Richard’s stage presence, and how relaxed he is and looks like he is always having a good time.

                                          

Another favorite from this listening assignment was Elvis Presley singing Don’t Be Cruel.  I have always had a love-hate relationship with Elvis Presley music.  When I was younger, my dad played it so much that one year at Christmas, he received a new Elvis CD and after listening to it for a solid 3 hours, my brother and I stole it and hid it in a ceiling tile.  To this day, I think it is still there, though we can’t remember which one we hid it behind anymore.  Since then, I’ve grown to appreciate the music of Elvis more (probably because I don’t have to hear it everyday), and I enjoy whenever I do get a chance to listen to him now.  Don’t Be Cruel, based on the 12 bar blues, is reminiscent of western swing music and incorporates some bits of white gospel music as well.  Our final listening this week, Charlie Brown, performed by the Coasters, was the first song where the biggest market of listeners and purchasers were younger, school-aged children.  This is an up tempo song that features King Curtis on a saxophone solo.

Module 3

Our listenings this week focused on the blues, early country music, and the swing era.  Our first major example was the “St. Louis Blues”, written by W.C. Handy and performed by Bessie Smith.  Songs such as Bessie Smith’s 1925 version of St. Louis Blues helped to create a bridge between the black and white communities in America.  St. Louis Blues is a fusion of the blues and Tin Pan Alley songs and depict a love gone wrong and wanting to escape the situation.  I enjoyed the Bessie Smith version of this song.  It was very real and soulful, and it sounded like it was really her seeing, rather than simply for entertainment purposes.

The next three examples were considered to be Country Blues songs.  They were Tom Rushen Blues, written and performed by Charley Patton, That Black Snake Moan, written and performed by Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Cross Road Blues, written and performed by Robert Johnson.  In Tom Rushen Blues, Patton sings in a 12 bar form, with a rough, heavy voice which is typical to the Delta blues style.  There was also a large emphasis on the guitar playing throughout the song.   Blind Lemon Jefferson singing That Black Snake Moan is the opposite of Patton’s song in that Jefferson’s voice has more of a moaning quality, often sounding like speaking instead of singing.  Jefferson’s vocal quality for generally more nasal and clear, and his guitar was used more as an accompaniment than as a feature instrument.  Cross Road Blues was more similar to Tom Rushen Blues, following the Mississippi Delta Style of blues.

In learning about the pioneers of country music, we listened to three recordings by Jimmie Rodgers: Blue Yodel No. 2 ., Waiting for a Train, and Dreaming with Tears in my Eyes.  Jimmie Rodgers the biggest recording start of early country music.  We also listened to Gospel Ship, performed by the Carter Family, and “The Sun Didn’t Shine”, performed by the Golden Gate Quartet.  These two recordings were prime examples of Southern Gospel Music.  The Carter Family was an example of a white, family group performing southern gospel music, and the Golden Gate Quartet, though not a family act was an example of southern black gospel music.  I enjoyed all five of these recordings.  It was interesting to hear the difference between what used to be considered country music compared to what is considered country music now.

We then moved on to the Swing Era, which I think was my favorite part of this week’s listenings.  Our first example was Wrappin’ It Up, performed by Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra.  Henderson’s Orchestra was considerably larger than most dance bands at the time, and their recording of Wrappin’ It Up is an example of the difference between dance band music and swing music.  Dance band music of the 1920’s had more of a two-beat feeling whereas Wrappin’ It Up is more of a smooth, continuous flow.  Taking a Chance on Love, performed by Benny Goodman and his Orchestra is also an example of this newer swing style of music.  As an arrangement done by Fletcher Henderson, Taking A Chance On Love shows a common theme among big band music at the time.  It was simply instrumental versions of famous Tin Pan Alley songs.  This particular example though, also includes the crooner Helen Forrest singing.  I think this was my favorite example this week.  I have always been partial to any music by Benny Goodman.

The next three examples were Caravan, performed by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, One O’Clock Jump, performed by Count Basie and His Orchestra, and In The Mood, performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra.  Of the three, Caravan was definitely the most unique.  With it’s minor-key melody, and interesting instrumental sound effects such as a growling bari sax and trumpet wah-wah, this song had a mysterious feel throughout.  One O’Clock Jump was the opposite in that it has an emphasis on jazz improvisation and consists of ten 12 bar blues choruses.  There is not much in terms of a melody, but rather, involves the use of riffs, call and response patterns, and improvised solos.  The last example of these three was easily the biggest hit record of the Swing Era.  Still considered a classic today, In the Mood alternates between 12 bar blues and an 8 bar bridge similar to Tin Pan Alley songs.  Though predictable, this song gives listeners a sense of familiarity and comfort. 

During the Swing Era, there were also many vocal harmony groups that were popular such as The Mills Brothers recording of Paper Doll.  This song was their biggest hit, selling 6 million copies and staying on the charts for 36 weeks, although part of this success can be attributed to the ban on instrumental music records for a period during the war.

There was also a home for country music in the Swing era, including favorites such as Great Speckled Bird, performed by Roy Acuff and His Crazy Tennesseans, Cool Water, performed by Sons of the Pioneers, and New San Antonio Rose, performed by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys.  Great Speckled Bird was considered to be the national anthem of country and western music.  It follows the tradition of gospel performance and has a religious theme.  Cool Water, also a bestseller in the country market, tells a tale of two cursed souls crawling through the desert, praying for water.   New San Antonio Rose, another bestseller, follows the 32 bar Tin Pan Alley form, and has an interesting blend of styles and instrumentation, including a string band, banjo, three guitars, and a big band.  The A section holds a bouncy dance rhythm, while the B section channels a Mexican mariachi band style.

Our final two listening examples were about Latin Music in the Swing Era.  Brazil, performed by Xavier Cugat and His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra, was made famous with American audiences through a Disney animated feature and a Hollywood Musical.  Brazil was one of the most recorded songs of all-time.  Our final example was Nague, performed by Machito and His Afro-Cubans.  Though not a big hit,  it shows the sense of intensity and rumba-based percussion music that would eventually be known as salsa music.