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Home , Billy Idol, Peter Gabriel

Chapter 9 Rock Superstars of the

1. 1980s a. Began with an 11 percent a drop in annual record sales b. Profits from the sale of prerecorded music hit bottom in 1982, half a billion dollars lower than in 1978 c. Prices for LPs and cassettes went up d. New radio format of “classic rock” was created e. Record labels became part of transnational corporations f. Reasons cited for the crash of the early ’80s i. Economic policies of Ronald Reagan ii. Competition form new forms of entertainment iii. Decline of disco iv. Pirating onto cassettes g. MTV launched in 1981 i. MTV worked with radio to boost record sales ii. Promoted a second British Invasion with bands like Eurythmics, Billy Idol, , Flock of Seagulls, and Adam Ant iii. Raising of drinking age in many places to twenty-one created new opportunities for televised music iv. Older Baby Boomers often preferred televised music over loud, smoky bars at midnight v. Conceived as the television equivalent of AOR radio 2. MTV as hit-maker: Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” a. Peter Gabriel first achieved celebrity as a member of Genesis b. His fifth solo album was entitled So c. Reflected Gabriel’s knowledge of new digital technologies d. Indebted to 1960s R&B 3. “Sledgehammer” a. Re-creates the spirit of ’60s soul b. Full of sexual double entendres c. Uses twelve-bar blues, call-and-response singing, and funky polyrhythms d. Supported by innovative e. Video incorporated stop-motion techniques 4. The impact of digital technologies a. Analog recording transforms sound waves into physical imprints or electronic waveforms that closely follow the shape of the sound waves themselves b. samples sound waves and breaks them down into a stream of numbers (0s and 1s) c. Analog-to-digital-converter converts analog signals to digital information d. Digital-to-analog converter (DAC) plays back music by converting a stream of numbers back to an analog wave e. Introduction of five-inch compact disc (CD) led to the decline of the vinyl disc f. CDs surpassed vinyl album sales in 1988 g. CDs generated more profits for record companies than did vinyl records (they cost the same to produce but were priced higher) h. Drum machines, sequencers, and samplers using digital technology became popular and affordable i. MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) allowed musical instruments to communicate with one another j. (popularized in the 1970s) allowed musicians to create new sounds 5. Thriller a. Top-selling album in history b. Worldwide sales exceeds 100 million and spawned seven Top 10 singles c. Represented the zenith of ’s career d. Second of three boundary-crossing albums created with producer e. Jackson partnered with white musicians from many genres f. Promoted by high-quality videos receiving heavy airplay on MTV 6. Born in the U.S.A. a. Sold fifteen million copies and spawned seven Top 10 singles b. Drew on different periods of rock’s evolution c. Instrumentation consistent with a ’50s R&B band d. Overall sound suggests the influence of Phil Spector e. Lyrics addressed the lacuna between youthful dreams and adult reality f. Dominated by up-tempo rocking songs with Springsteen’s full, shouting voice g. Included the song “Born in the U.S.A.,” a dystopian portrait of a Vietnam vet trying to rebuild his life frequently misinterpreted as a feel-good anthem 7. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” a. Example of commercial of the early ’80s b. Also exemplifies “synth-pop,” electronic sound dominated pop c. Successful video featuring an androgynous d. Built around a hypnotic digital loop e. Lyrics and texture suggest a sophisticated, world-weary view of love f. “Low-tech” production techniques (like clinking milk bottles) evoke the “do it yourself” ethos of punk 8. Production of celebrity a. Profitability of music industry depended on limited number of multiplatinum artists b. Music was cross-promoted in videos, TV talk shows, films, newspapers, radio interviews, and magazines c. Rooted in the idea that a fan can have a personal relationship with a superstar via information disseminated to millions d. Dominated by well-worn narratives 9. a. Adept at manipulating mass media b. Born in industrial upper Midwest c. Began her career as a dancer and model, later became a musician d. Hit records the result of collaboration with songwriter(s), producers, recording engineers, and studio musicians e. Blurred conventional boundaries of race, religion, and sexuality f. Best-selling female rock artist in history g. Early singles rooted in synth-pop dance music (example: “Holiday”) h. Second album (Like a Virgin) released in 1984 was promoted on MTV with elaborate videos, supported by elaborate concert tour, and paved the way for major film appearances i. Recorded deeper, controversial songs in the late ’80s (examples: “Papa, Don’t Preach” and “Like a Prayer”) j. Both challenged and perpetuated gender stereotypes 10. “Like a Virgin” a. Established core dichotomy of Madonna’s public persona: innocent girl versus sexually experienced woman b. Timbre, texture, and rhythmic momentum are more important than structure c. Heavy reliance on synthesized sound textures d. Madonna’s voice occupies the center of the listener’s attention e. Breathy “little girl” voice alludes to pop culture stereotypes (like Marilyn Monroe) 11. Prince a. Adept at manipulating mass media b. Born in industrial upper Midwest c. Began a professional music career at the age of thirteen d. Blurred conventional boundaries of race, religion, and sexuality e. Much of his material was composed, produced, engineered, and performed solely by himself f. Blurred conventional boundaries of race, religion, and sexuality g. One of the most talented musicians to achieve mass commercial success h. Extremely productive: Averaged over an album a year in the ’80s and ’90s and wrote/produced material for other artists i. Inspired by funk, guitar-based rock, urban folk, new wave, jazz, and psychedelic rock j. Owns his own studio and exerts tight control over his music k. Had his breakthrough in 1980 with the album Dirty Mind l. Drew controversy for the song “Darling Nikki,” causing the album Purple Rain to receive the first “parental advisory” warning m. Changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993 n. Semiautobiographical film Purple Rain established him as a pop superstar 12. “When Doves Cry” a. Last-minute addition to Purple Rain soundtrack b. Much longer (six minutes) than typical Top 40 hits of the ’80s c. Written, produced, performed, and sung by Prince d. Lack of a bass part gives the recording an open feeling e. Uses verse/chorus form, but the melody and harmonies are almost identical in both sections f. Includes virtuosic guitar licks and funk-inspired rhythms g. Presents a complex palette of timbral and textural variations