Fuzz Booklet Final
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The Complete Guide What is Fuzz? It’s a word to symbolize a feeling. A tidy Vietnam. They couldn’t stop “the Man.” label to give to a kind of music that many So maybe instead of trying to change the would define as a subset of “soft rock.” It world, they decided to focus on their own was a type of scene, a kind of aesthetic, pleasure—on getting their kicks while a kind of mentality during the 70s. the getting was good. Over time, as we’ve come to understand There is no real term to describe what it better, it could be the lynchpin to became of the main body of hippie understanding the “masculine mystique” dilettantes during the 70s. Real, devoted, during that decade. Its something so hippies never gave up, but the majority obvious, but it has so far escaped of the youth that had been swept up in critical notice. that movement when it was mainstream was cast adrift. They were left sitting in It’s like a mountain right under our nose. their denim, with their long hair and their It’s titanic. weed wondering “what happened?” Or is it a figment of our imagination? It is our hypothesis that the baby boom- First, let’s set the stage. The 70s were a ers collectively gathered themselves up, complicated time. It was hard getting took off their tie-dye, put on their shades, over the 60s. Famously, in retrospect, it’s hopped in their custom vans, and turned seen that 1968 was a turning point. It was on the 8-track before physically and met- the zenith of the hippie movement. After aphorically heading out on the highway that watershed year, the hippies began to fall in love with a new kind of music to lose their hold on the cutlural zeitgeist. called “soft rock.” In many ways, it’s likely that America’s youth cultural had been surprised by Put simply, “Fuzz” is a term we’ve coined its own strength, but also confounded for this new kind of leisure-suit-loving, by its inability to reach its goals. Baby sensitive but macho, culture that quietly boomers had experienced a cultural took over America the better part of a awakening during the summer of love, decade. The 60s introduced long hair but it was followed close behind by a and shag carpeting, but now the carpet rude awakening into the real world. They was there to help soften the interior of discovered they couldn’t stop the war in the custom van and the hair sprouting from chests and upper lips became an FULL FRONTAL FUZZ emblem of virility. This guide covers everything we know about the So in your imagination, reach out and Fuzz phenomenon, from top to bottom. But if you touch the shag in your own custom van, wanted to boil it down to only two words, those words would be women and vans. run your hands through your hair. And feel the Fuzz. THE MUSIC GENRE SPECTRUM Popular Musical GenreFuzz overlaps with manySpectrum other kinds of music How We Found the Fuzz from the 70s, so you may find songs with multiple [Soft Rock focus - circa 1970s] We stumbled on this idea, this era, this To better understand what Fuzz music is, genres represented in a single song. cultural movement without a name more let’s talk about what it is not. than a decade ago—around the year SAP - This is a term we invented for 2000. We discovered it through the music. the slow, weepy, and overly sensitive It all started when we began to curate music of people like Eric Carmen, Barry a playlist of songs from the 70s that had Manilow, etc. But bands from other genres something in common. They all had a can write a Sap song, too. “Beth” by Kiss similar feeling.They were all soft rock SAP is “Sap.” songs, but they weren’t too soft. They were all well-known, or at least easily YACHT - We didn’t invent this term, but it recognized because they were hits that is the type of soft stuff you could imagine POP YACHT remained in classic rock circulation. But on your sailboat (the van of the sea). they were often by bands with obscure Examples would be Christopher Cross, names that the average guy today might Poco, Toto (Poco’s evil twin) and the not recognize, artists with names like Yacht/Sap crossover, Air Supply. Starbuck, Firefall, Pablo Cruise, Player, and FOLK - This should be pretty obvious. In Ambrosia—even long-winded names like the 70s, this genre was represented by DISCO FOLK Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Climax Blues people like Harry Chapin, Jim Croce, etc. Band, Atlanta Rhythm Section, and England SOUL - This genre would include a lot of Dan and John Ford Coley. R&B as well: Bill Withers, Curtis Mayfield, But all these songs, even if unfamiliar by Spinners, Marvin Gaye, etc. name, are instantly recognizable. They are beyond “one hit wonders.” They are WANK - This is another term we made stitched into the fabric of our classic rock up. It is hard guitar-driven rock by bands FUNK SOUL history, and in most cases—because they like Kiss, Ted Nugent, Slade, Foghat, Thin are so ubiquitous—they transport you Lizzy, Sweet, Billy Squier, etc. WANK back in time to other times you heard FUNK - You know what the funk we’re the songs: in the car, in the pizza parlor, talking about here. in the elevator or the drug store. So it’s DISCO - Again, this genre is obvious, but not exactly accurate to call the songs it’s important to see how it overlaps with “obscure.” Most of them are as familiar Pop, Funk, and Fuzz. This is a continuum. as an old baseball glove. They have been played on FM radio stations now for POP - This brings us back to overlap almost 40 years. with Sap. Want to hear a Pop/Sap cross- over band, turn on Captain & Tenille. MUSIC INDUSTRY BREAKTHROUGHS Radio DJs changed Fuzz Fundamentals from entertainers (Wolfman Jack) to something more like tas- Shag THE PERIODIC TABLE OF FUZZ Cigarettes Vans Eight-track Acoustic carpeting (high-tar) (custom) tape guitar temakers by exposing To understand what kinds of elements go listeners to new artists. Sh 1 into creating the “Fuzz molecule,” study C 2 V 3 Et 4 Ag 5 the table below and practice getting the FM radio also reached maturity in the Denim Hair chemistry just right. Jeans Marijuana Playboy Hi-fi Fat Bass (bell-bottomed) 70s. AM radio had the advantage of broadcast range, but the quality of the 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 D H Jn M Pb Hf Fb audio is generally poor. So broadcasted Polyester Casual sex Mellowness Ramblin’ Sunglasses Cut-offs Tequila Hot tubs Turntable Keyboard music was now more often in stereo and the focus on musical nuance/variety. Py 13 Cs 14 M 15 Ra 16 Su 17 Cu 18 Tq 19 Ho 20 Tu 21 Ke 22 Naugahyde Mustaches Orange Airbrush Iron-on tees Boots (old) Gallo wine Captain’s Headphones Electric guitar (color) artwork chair Ny 23 Mu 24 Or 25 Ai 26 Io 27 Bo 28 Ga 29 Ca 30 He 31 Eg 32 Simulated Breasts Forgotten Trucking English Safari suit Mexican CB Radio Vinyl LPs Ludwig drums woodgrain (natural) underwear Leather food Sw 33 Br 34 Fu 35 Tr 36 En 37 Sf 38 Mx 39 Cb 40 Vy 41 Ld 42 Corduroy Feathered Sunsets Stagflation Hai Karate Platform Fondue Waterbeds FM Radio Saxophone hair shoes Cr 43 Fe 44 Su 45 St 46 Hk 47 Pl 48 Fn 49 Wb 50 Fm 51 Sx 52 Macramé Sideburns Keep-on Cocaine Flokati rugs String art Sitar truckin dude Rh 53 Sb 54 Kt 55 Co 56 Fk 57 Sa 58 Si 59 MATERIALS BODY IDEAS/ACTIVITIES WEARABLES CONSUMABLES VEHICLES/OBJECTS INSTRUMENTS CONFIGURED FOR PLEASURE The invention of the 8-track tape allowed people to play entire albums in their cars. So when you were travelling (or partying) in your mobile pleasure palace, you could enjoy more complex or introspective cuts than the hits you heard on the radio. “LIBRA” custom van layout “TAURUS” “VIRGO” Fuzz Volume 1 (originally compiled – 2000) PABLO CRUISE The band featured the 1 Sundown Gordon Lightfoot most on the second mix 2 Moonlight Feels Right Starbuck is Pablo Cruise with the funky Fuzz crossover tunes 3 I’d Really Love To See You Tonight England Dan & John Ford Coley 6 “Whatcha Gonna Do” and “Love Will Find A Way.” 4 Love Is Alive Gary Wright 5 Just Remember I Love You Firefall 6 I Am So Into You Atlanta Rhythm Section 7 Wishing You Were Here Chicago 8 Alone Again Naturally Gilbert O’Sullivan 9 Rock On David Essex 10 Tin Man America 11 Afternoon Delight Starland Vocal Band 12 Let Your Love Flow Bellamy Brothers 13 Escape (Pina Colada Song) Rupert Holmes Fuzz Volume 2 (originally compiled – 2002) 14 Magnet and Steel Walter Egan 1 Ventura Highway America 15 Summer Breeze Seals & Croft 2 Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) Looking Glass 16 You Are The Woman Firefall 3 Lowdown Boz Skaggs 17 Sentimental Lady Bob Welch 4 On And On Stephen Bishop 18 When You’re In Love With Dr. Hook 4 A Beautiful Woman 5 Kiss You All Over Exile 19 The Air That I Breathe The Hollies 6 Baby Come Back Player 7 Make It With You Bread 8 Miracles Jefferson Starship 9 How Deep Is Your Love? Bee Gees 10 Love Will Find A Way Pablo Cruise 11 Spooky Atlanta Rhythm Section 12 Right Down The Line Gerry Rafferty 4 FIREFALL 13 Sara Smiles Hall & Oates Each of the three CDs has 14 Jackie Blue Ozark Mountain Daredevils an artist that has multiple tracks represented in the 15 Undercover Angel Alan O’Day mix.