ROCK

OF THE 1960S AND 1970S

What is rock music?

Listen to Purple Haze by Jimmy Hendrix Write observations under the following headings:

Rhythm

and metre Harmony and tonality Texture and melody Timbre and dynamics Structure and form

How would you now describe rock music?

Psychedelic Rock

This style of rock emerged in the 1960s Listen to A Day In The Life by the Beatles its taken from what is considered to be the first psychedelic rock album Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

o Can you hear anything you would consider

psychedelic? o Now listen to Paper Sun what are the elements of psychedelia can you hear?

Progressive Rock

Also emerged in the late 60s. Extends songs to 15 minutes or more! Listen to Fanfare for the Common Man by Emerson, Lake and Palmer This uses a classical piece of music by a composer called Copland What elements of rock can you hear? Now listen to On The Run by Pink Floyd and do the listening quiz on p 71of your text book. Progressive rock groups like psychedelic rock groups also created concept albums one of the most famous is Pink Floyds The Wall all about the walls individuals put up around themselves.

Hard Rock
Hard Rock emphasises the solo guitar. It also uses different tonalities including modes What are modes? Hard rock also usually uses keyboards (electronic organ or synthesiser). Listen to Child in Time by Deep Purple you can hear the modal tonality in the opening organ riff.

PUNK ROCK

Punk developed during the mid 1970s and was a reaction against the establishment It saw a return to a raw sound the simple chords and structures of rock n roll Audiences loved the rebellious attitudes of its performers. Listen to London Calling by The Clash can you hear the simple, repetitive chords and anti-establishment lyrics? Punk also came with its own fashion take a look at the photo on page 71 too.

GLAM ROCK

Glam rock describes itself in its title! Its performers wore outlandish costumes and vast amounts of make up and many of the themes were about out of world topics etherial or just about having a good time! Listen to Life on Mars by David Bowie and do observations based on our 5 AoS. What are the obvious differences between glam and other types of rock? Now listen to Tiger Feet by Mud this is much more up-beat and feel-good.

1980s Goth and more Heavy Metal

Growing out of the punk movement, gothic rock (or goth rock, or simply goth) is separated from punk due to its dark and introspective, often depressing lyrics, and keyboardheavy backing; a far cry from punks buzzing guitars and politically aware lyrics.

Listen to A Forest by the Cure. Can you the hear the typical doleful, repetitive guitars and sound effects and the vocals take a while to enter.

A new wave of heavy metal emerged and grew in popularity at the beginning of the 80s. Epitomised by bands such as Motrhead, Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, this new take on an established style incorporated elements of punk, adopted a tougher sound and increased the tempo.

This was followed later in the decade by slightly more accessible band such as Guns n Roses. Listen to Sweet Child O Mine by Guns n Roses.

1990s Grunge and Britpop

Emerging in the mid 1980s but only gaining major popularity in the early 90s, the Seattle sound, or grunge, was inspired by local punk and heavy metal (particularly that of the Melvins). It shared the characteristics of:

heavily distorted guitars, adding contrasting dynamics, a slower tempo, more complex harmonies, angstfilled lyrics a generally unkempt appearance with an understated performance.

Often celebrated as the first grunge recording, Touch Me Im Sick by Mudhoney features the grunge dirty sound trademarks of snarling vocals, energetic drumming and fuzzy guitars.

The rise in popularity at the beginning of the 90s was largely due to the release of Nirvanas Nevermind album in 1991 and Pearl Jams Ten in the same year. Listen to Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana Comment on:

The

dynamics The use of the guitar The lyrics The tonality The structure

Britpop was a direct reaction against the American grunge type of music and the main two bands were Oasis and Blur. There was a battle for the top in 1995 between the two bands and people generally liked one or the other! It was a very British style, heavily influenced by the Beatles and the Kinks from the 1960s. Other bands include Suede and Pulp. Listen to Parklife by Blur you can hear the same repetitive riffs and British subjects you heard in the Kinks. Oasis were much more influenced by the Beatles as this song shows Dont Look Back in Anger

HOMEWORK
In your books research two modern rock bands and see which 60s and 70s bands influences them. They may admit it or you may have to listen to their track and find similarities between the music Make sure you describe how the band was influenced