[May 16th
marked the 50th
anniversary of the releases of Pet Sounds
and Blonde on Blonde, two iconic
1960s rock albums. So this week I’ve AmericanStudied those artists and other
60s rock icons and songs. This way cool crowd-sourced post is drawn from the
responses of fellow RockStudiers—share your own in comments, man (used in a
gender-neutral way)!]
On Twitter, Kendra Leonard asks a vital
question for the whole series: “Do ppl in American Studies programs working on
music get musicological training, historical or theoretical or ethno?” And in
terms of additional topics, she adds, “I'd love to know more about non-Southern
US roots rock, especially women creators.”
Following up
Monday’s post, Jeff
Renye notes that La Salle University has a special
collection of Bob Dylan material. Jeff also shares
the acclaimed documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, and highlights The Doors, who “certainly added a darker
voice to the mid/late-60s west coast sounds of, for instance, Haight-Ashbury.”
Olivia
Wirtanen writes about Dylan, “He is a classic
American singer. He's not the greatest vocalist but his lyrics are timeless.
Very poetic as well.”
Maria DiFrancesco shares this interesting
article on Pet Sounds. Beazley Kanost adds, “The Beach Boys also makes me think
of surer music--not the sweet harmonies Brian Wilson produced, but stuff like
the Ventures'
‘Wild Things.’ If I understand it correctly,
it's a kind of noir genre.”
Followng up Thursday’s post, Susan Williams writes, “Love it. I still listen to Joan Baez
almost daily (I'm a child of the 60s). Along with her, I would nominate Judy
Collins, Peter Paul & Mary, Phil Ochs, Tim Hardin, Buffy Ste. Marie, and
Leonard Cohen. All masters of the
protest songs that still resonate today.”
Responses to my requests for additional topics to
RockStudy:
My colleague DeMisty
Bellinger-Delfeld writes, “I would like to see
something on protest music. I think we're heading back to music as message, but
we seem to have collectively lost it there for a while. That, or women in rock
in that time period. Was Grace Slick about yet? Yeah, because Jefferson Airplane was all
psychedelic.”
Kelly Johnson echoes, “Protest rock for sure. I mean, good god man,
what is it good for?!”
Philip Opere writes, “What about Hugh Hefner
and Playboy's influence on the cultural and sexual revolutions?”
Ian James highlights, “Iggy and the Stooges. The contrast in style, culture, philosophy, and
everything between what they were doing and the biggest music of the day, the
Beatles, is incredible.” And Kate Wells adds, “Garage
rock in general as a precursor to 70s punk,” and
mentions, “Please include my favorite, ’96 Tears’!”
Kate also goes in a different direction, focusing on “Exploitation and B movies—depictions of juvenile delinquents: Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill; Easy
Rider; Wild in the Streets; Night of the Living Dead, anything by Herschell Gordon Lewis.”
Mike Parker writes, “If you go late 60s, you can see the beginnings
of heavy metal. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple, all formed in
1968 and all from England. Must be something in the water over there I tell
you.”
Roi Aloupis Armstrong highlights Neil Young.
Jason Flinkstrom asks, “Was Captain Beefheart in the 60s?” [He was!], adding, “So, Zappa
culture with an in-depth analysis of madness is
my suggestion.”
Justin Mason writes, “I think Doo-Wop is often overlooked because the rise of groups like
Beatles, rock bands like The Doors, Hendrix, etc. However groups such as The Coasters are still around today and have left a lasting legacy on
music.”
Cynthia
Lynn Lyerly reminds us to consider “how music
was categorized and labeled...and how race played a role.”
Rob Gosselin notes, “I
always thought the Velvet
Underground to be in need of more attention.
Their sound is timeless, and it was rare in the early sixties for a rock band
to have a woman drummer: Maureen (Moe) Tucker.”
Michele Townes responds to many of those suggestions, writing, “Looked
at all the cool music suggestions here and smiled. How about some of the ‘cornier’
ones...Surf music like Beach Boys or music that stemmed from TV pop culture
like Davy Jones, The Monkees, Partridge Family, etc. Not the music that left an
indelible mark from an artistic standpoint, but that shows trends of white
teenage pop culture. Conversely, doo wop and the rise of Motown for a different
teen demographic.”
Beazley
Kanost highlights, “Motown: the music, the
dancing, the economic and creative independence from exploitative white big
business. Girl groups--Ronnettes, Supremes. The Philadelphia sound. The mellow
strain: Lovin Spoonful, Simon and Garfunkel, etc. Grace Slick. The Velvet
Underground--Warhol's
POPism
tells how the VU and his ethos/aesthetic (pale, all in black, on speed) clashed
with the San Francisco flower power summer of love stoned stuff when they all
went to CA. Enough stuff for years.” She adds, “To get outside of the US,
looking into it, there's that early 60s generation of British rockers who came
into music through a passion for Rhythm and Blues artists like Muddy Waters, T
Bone Walker, Howlin' Wolf. It starts in the 40s and 50s. Transatlantic. Then
the Beatles and Stones could become mega-stars with a ‘British Invasion’ of
middle America. … Then look at American rock in Vietnam during the war. I was
living on Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. We got rock and soul from the
Armed Forces Radio Service--and not really from anywhere else, for the most
part. It would be interesting to explore from a Vietnamese point of view. We
went to Hong Kong in 1970 and American soul music floated out of the clubs
where GIs were on R&R.”
Finally, on the
weekend of FSU’s
graduation, a special mini-Guest Post on the Beatles and America from one
of our wonderful graduating English Studies majors, Sara Moller:
“On February 9th,
1964, The Beatles debuted their music on The Ed Sullivan Show
for a record 73 million viewers and introduced themselves to America, changing
the course of history along the way. American culture had already been big in
their lives, they frequently cited American artists when asked who their
favorites were, and now they were ready to shape the culture themselves with
their catchy lyrics, superb instrument playing, and charming looks. This day
didn’t come without some trepidation going in. The four of them, John Lennon,
Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, insisted on having a number
one record over here before they would cross the pond. That record was ‘I Want
to Hold Your Hand’ and it started a chain of hit singles for the Fab Four. They
would tour all across both America and the world from this point on until their
last scheduled live
performance in 1966 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California.
While the group was together the
four lived in England so they had easy access to Abbey Road Studios, but after
their split in the late 60’s/early 70’s America became more a permeant fixture
in their lives. Paul McCartney married American photographer Linda Eastman in
March 1969 and after her passing in April 1998, he eventually married another
American, Nancy Shevell, in 2011. John Lennon and his wife, avant garde artist
Yoko Ono, moved to New York City in August 1971 and Lennon soon felt more at
home there than he ever did in London. He lived in various apartment in the
city before finally settling on The Dakota until he was murdered in December
1980. Ringo Starr married American actress Barbara Bach and currently
frequently divides his time between living in London and California. George
Harrison had less of a life associated with America after the break-up, his
only connection was his older sister who still resides in Benton, Illinois to
this day, and instead expanded his interests in Indian culture.
Americans
and American culture were forever shaped by The Beatles’ music. They were the first
group to play at various baseball stadiums, now a staple for a lot of tour
stops. They stole the hearts of a generation who fell for their good looks and
talent, often causing high amounts of shrieking and running into the streets
for a chance to see their favorite member. Their music broke dozens of chart
records and continues to be introduced to new generations, through parents
playing their records, video games being developed based on the band, and their
catalogue getting reissued first on CD, then on vinyl again, followed by
digital copies, as released on iTunes. Numerous contemporary artists cite The
Beatles as one of their musical influences. Without The Beatles and their touch
on American culture, a lot of history would be altered.”
Next series
starts Monday,
Ben
PS. What do you
think? Responses to these thoughts or other RockStudyings you’d share?
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