12.1 THE 70s PART 3
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In this section, we will look at other trends and bands in that decade, namely progressive rock and heavy metal.
First, click here to download Worksheet 12:
HIS/ROCK WORKSHEET 12.pdf: Download HIS/ROCK WORKSHEET 12.pdf:
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Overview:
As we discussed earlier, the 70s was a time of expansion. New styles and hybrids emerged. In the early part of that decade, these trends emerged: the singer-songwriter, soft rock, continuation of British rock, and reggae music. In the second section, we studied 3 more: jazz-rock, funk music, and British rock. In this module section, we will study Progressive Rock and Heavy Metal.
First, let's take a look at the top selling album for each year, from 1970 to 1975;
1970: Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel
1971: Jesus Christ, Superstar Soundtrack
1972: Harvest Neil Young
1973: The World Is A Ghetto War
1974: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Elton John
1975: Elton John's Greatest Hits Elton John
Progressive Rock
When the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper came out, one observer called it the turning point when rock music was not just music to dance to, it was also music to listen to. The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds was looked at the same way. Progressive rock was an outgrowth of psychedelic bands in the '60s, whereby standard pop traditions and forms were abandoned in favor of composition and instrumentation, and poetic lyrics. The songs were generally longer, and the studio itself was looked upon as an additional tool to achieve this art. Four groups that exemplified this style at the time were Pink Floyd, Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Rush.
Pink Floyd. Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining a following as a psychedelic pop group, they were distinguished for their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows, and became a leading band of the progressive rock genre. One of their most radio-played hits was "Money," a hit in 1973.
What to listen for: (1) A cash register sound as part of the rhythm. (2) The song is in "7." That is, groups of 7 beats played repeatedly. Most pop/rock songs are in "4."
JOURNAL:
120. MONEY - PINK FLOYD
Links to an external site.
Yes. Yes are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968. They are one of the most successful, influential, and longest-lasting progressive rock bands. They have sold 13.5 million albums in the US. The band has undergone throughout its history; nineteen musicians have been full-time members. The band has explored several musical styles over the years, and are most notably regarded as progressive rock pioneers. They were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017. "I've Seen All Good People" was first included on The Yes Album, released in 1971. As with many progressive rock songs, the track consists of multiple distinct movements spliced together to form a cohesive longer work. The tune uses chess as a lyrical metaphor for navigating interpersonal relationships, and contains several allusions to the music of John Lennon (yrics on screen).
JOURNAL:
121. I'VE SEEN ALL GOOD PEOPLE - YES
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Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Also known as ELP, they were yet another band from England, consisting of Keith Emerson The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar), and Carl Palmer (drums) With nine gold albums in the US, and an estimated 48 million records sold worldwide, they were one of the most popular and commercially successful progressive rock bands in the 1970s. With a musical sound including adaptations of classical and jazz elements, dominated by Emerson's flamboyant use of the synthesizer and keyboards. You can really hear the synthesizer on the second half of this recording (lyrics on screen).
JOURNAL:
122. LUCKY MAN - EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER
Links to an external site.
The 3 progressive rock bands we just covered had one thing in common (besides the music genre). What was it?
They all came from England. The last group we will cover in this genre is Rush, who came from Canada.
Rush. Rush was a Canadian band consisting of Geddy Lee (bass, vocals, keyboards, composer), Alex Lifeson (guitars, composer), and Neil Peart (drums, percussion, lyricist). Formed in Toronto in 1968, the band went through several configurations until arriving at its classic lineup with the addition of Peart in 1974,
"Anthem" features a heavier sound with more complex arrangements than previous Rush tracks.[1] Links to an external site. Peart named the track and its lyrics after the novel by Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand, who would become a greater inspiration to lyrics on their later album 2112.
JOURNAL:
123. ANTHEM - RUSH
Links to an external site.
Personal memory: I was in a Michigan based band in 1972, when we played a weekend in Toronto. On a Sunday afternoon, we had time off, and we went to a park in that city. While walking around, we heard the sound of live music, followed it, and found Rush playing outside on wooden stage! This was before Neil Peart joined the group. There was another drummer playing. The reason I remember this, is that Geddy Lee's voice and presence was hard to forget. He was wearing 12" platform shoes and singing in a "wicked witch of the west" voice!
Heavy Metal
With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock, and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and loudness. Most people look at the band Black Sabbath as being the first heavy metal band.
Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath.were an English rock band band formed in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music.
"Iron Man" is a song written and performed by Black Sabbath, released on their 1970 album Paranoid. The lyrics tell the story of a man who time travels into the future and sees the apocalypse. In the process of returning to the present he is turned into steel by a magnetic field, and his attempts to warn the public are ignored and mocked. Feeling shunned and alone, Iron Man plans his revenge on mankind, causing the apocalypse see in his vision. Sounds like a movie, doesn't it?
The song begins with a strong guitar riff that became a popular for guitarists, who were learning to play, to imitate.
VH1 ranked the song as the greatest heavy metal song of all time.
JOURNAL:
124. IRON MAN - BLACK SABBATH
Links to an external site.
Ozzy and the bat. Ozzy Osbourne was eccentric in personality, which was compounded by heavy drug use. One of the controversial things he did was biting the head off a bat while onstage at a concert!
Personal memory. Years ago, I got a telephone call from Black Sabbath's drummer, Bill Ward, He was interested in me transcribing some of his drum charts for a book. At the time, I was writing out drum charts for Modern Drummer magazine. That is probably how he tracked me down. The project never came about - Maybe he didn't like the price I quoted (He's worth 65 million dollars!!!), or maybe I did not show enough enthusiasm, as transcribing those charts is a lot of work!
Deep Purple. This group was another heavy metal band from England. They began in 1968, but did not reach their acclaim until 1972. The song we will cover, "Smoke On The Water," also has an iconic guitar riff, that had guitar players reaching for their instruments.
From Songfacts, here is the story behind the song:
This song took inspiration from a fire in the Casino at Montreux, Switzerland on December 4, 1971. The band was going to start recording their Machine Head album there right after a Frank Zappa concert, but someone fired a flare gun at the ceiling during Zappa's show, which set the place on fire.
Deep Purple was in the audience for the show, and lead singer Ian Gillan recalls two flares being shot by someone sitting behind him that landed in the top corner of the building and quickly set it ablaze. Zappa stopped the show and helped ensure an orderly exit.
Deep Purple watched the blaze from a nearby restaurant, and when the fire died down, a layer of smoke had covered Lake Geneva, which the casino overlooked. This image gave bass player Roger Glover the idea for a song title: "Smoke On The Water," and Gillan wrote the lyric about their saga recording the Machine Head album.
The band was relocated to the Grand Hotel in Montreux, where they recorded the album using the Rolling Stones' mobile studio. They needed one more song, so they put together "Smoke On The Water" using Gillan's lyric and the riff guitarist Ritchie Blackmore came up with. The result was a song telling the story of these strange events just days after they happened.
JOURNAL:
125. SMOKE ON THE WATER - DEEP PURPLE
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ACDC. ACDC is one of 2 groups we cover in this class that came from Australia (The other is the Bee Gees). The group was formed in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been described as blues rock or heavy metal, but the band simply describes their sound as simply rock and roll.
Malcolm and Angus Young developed the idea for the band's name after their sister, Margaret Young, saw the initials "AC/DC" on a sewing machine. "AC/DC" is an abbreviation meaning "alternating current/direct current" electricity. The brothers felt that this name symbolized the band's raw energy, power-driven performances of their music.
Our entry for our journal is "Back In Black," from the album of the same name. The song was released after their lead singer Bon Scott died, and the song
This was released five months after lead singer Bon Scott died. The song (and album) is a tribute to Scott, hence the black cover of the record. The lyrics, "Forget the hearse 'cause I never die" imply that he will live on forever through his music. With Brian Johnson taking over on lead vocals, the Back In Black album proved that AC/DC could indeed carry on without Scott.
JOURNAL:
126. BACK IN BLACK - ACDC
Links to an external site.
To wrap this up, take a listen to one of the most ridiculous and awful covers of this song. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Wing! Don't feel you have to listen to this past a minute. It is "interesting."
FOR FUN:
FOR FUN: BACK IN BLACK - WING
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In this section, we looked at 2 other trends of the 1970s, namely progressive rock and heavy metal. This is the last of our module lessons.
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