Post-Punk = New Wave: The Talking Heads • 1975: Students at Rhode Island School of Design opened for the Ramones at CBGB
‣ connected punk to the “art” crowd • Deftly integrated musical traditions
‣ gospel
‣ funk/disco Clockwise from left: ‣ W. African rhythm Tina Weymouth (bass), Chris Frantz (drums), ‣ electronic dance music Jerry Harrison (guitar/ ‣ avant-garde/minimalist music keyboards), David Byrne (voice/guitar) Post-Punk = New Wave: Joy Division
• Manchester, 1976: Sumner buys guitar after seeing the Sex Pistols: ‣ “they destroyed the myth of being a pop star, of a musician being some kind of god that you had to worship" — style mattered more than musicianship • Singer Ian Curtis
‣ suffered epilepsy, OCD, depression Clockwise from left: Peter ‣ studied Velvet Underground & U.S. “proto- Hook (bass), Ian Curtis punk” bands MC5 & Roxy Music (voice), Steven Morris (drums), Bernard Sumner (guitar/keyboards) Band name = translation of Nazi term for “prostitution wing” of concentration camps
Savage, Jon (July 1994). "Joy Division: Someone Take These Dreams Away". Mojo. Curtis, Deborah (1995). Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division. London: Faber. Post-Punk = New Wave: Joy Division • 1978 sign with RCA, but quit soon after ‣ partly based on manager’s insistence on synthesizers ‣ partly because Manchester’s Factory Records was more connected to important DJs & journalists • 1980 2nd album Closer adds synthesizers ‣ Songs: “Isolation”, “Love will tear us apart” (not on initial release) ‣ brooding, psychological approach to romantic Clockwise from left: Peter pessimism influences Human League, the Cure, Hook (bass), Ian Curtis Duran Duran, and the Smiths (voice), Steven Morris ‣ Curtis commits suicide in 1980; band continues as (drums), Bernard Sumner New Order (guitar/keyboards)
Savage, Jon (July 1994). "Joy Division: Someone Take These Dreams Away". Mojo. Curtis, Deborah (1995). Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division. London: Faber. 1978-1988: “Post-punk” diversifies
Sonic Youth live in 1986
• In the 1980s, a variety of • Strive to maintain the anti- DIY musicians and “art” authoritarian ideology and urgency of punk educated musicians react against punk’s repackaging • Incorporate some elements of as New Wave for mass “classic rock”: melody, virtuosity, consumption lyrical complexity 1978-1988: “Post-punk” diversifies • 1978: former Roxy Music member and Devo/ Talking Heads/David Bowie producer Brian Eno notices underground NYC bands “Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,” “the Contortions” and “Lydia Lunch”
‣ coins term “No Wave” (as opposed to New Wave, which Eno also helped define)
‣ Produces anthology No New York—the seminal Brian Eno album of the noise rock or simply noise’ scene. • 1981: guitar-centered experimental band Sonic Youth
‣ formed by students of “no wave” composer Glenn Branca, who produced their first album
‣ Toured Europe (’82-83); the first noise band to gained wide appeal and critical acclaim with Bad Moon Rising (’85)
‣ Lead singer Kim Gordon mentored Kurt Sonic Youth Cobain before his rise to fame. 1978-1988: “Post-punk” diversifies
• Minneapolis-based Hüsker Dü (1979-1988):
‣ Blends energy/experimentalism of hardcore punk like Bad Brains and Meat Puppets with lighter, pop melodies. Vicious, emotionally moving, always progressive.
‣ 1984 double-album Zen Arcade sets new standard of complexity and drive for the hard-core sub-genre.
• Their hometown friends, The Replacements (1979-1991):
‣ Wrote melodic, almost folky, extremely personal music that still embraced the punk aesthetic of amateurism and self- destruction. 1978-1988: “Post-punk” diversifies • 1981 (Los Angeles): Black Flag and The Minutemen release debut albums & tour together, both are known for diversifying the hardcore sound with rhythmic complexity and dynamic range. Black Flag • 1983 U2 (Dublin): 3rd album War hits #1 in the UK; and R.E.M. (Athens, GA): debut album Murmur; appear on Letterman --> both feature less aggressive punk- influenced rock important on college radio.
U2 • 1983 (Mid-west): Butthole Surfers (Texas)—harcore parody/satire or an extreme of it? Psychedelic “prog-” punk The Flaming Lips (Oklahoma) gain a cult following. Both bands are highly highly theatrical. The Flaming Lips • 1984: The Cure (W. Sussex) outgrows its gothic phase with The Top, and The Smiths (Manchester) debut album find an audience eager to escape the synth-pop side of U.K. New Wave. The Cure • 1988 (Boston, MA): Dinosaur Jr’s breakthrough 3rd album Bug and The Pixies 1st album Surfer Rosa combine folkie melody & structure with layers of guitar noise: forerunners of 90s alt-rock style. The Pixies ... late 80s: Post-punk falters • U.S. “hardcore” bands are a collective: rely heavily on one another to set up shows, share equipment, couch-surf, etc.
‣ despite millions of devoted fans, revenue was scarce • SST Records—created by Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn featured The Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Bad Brains, Firehose, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, and Hüsker Dü (the label’s biggest seller)
‣ was unable to press high enough quantity of records; bands complained about questionable bookkeeping and payment practices 1988-1991: indy rock sinks and swims with major labels: • The Replacements and Hüsker Dü: break “indie” ranks to sign with Warner Bros. (in 1984 and 1985, respectively)
‣ 1988: After only 2 albums from Warner, Hüsker Dü breaks up
‣ 1990: Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth consults with Hüsker Dü’s Bob Mould, before signing to Geffen.
‣ Fans consider the Replacements’ Warner Bros. albums “lackluster”; what remains of the group eventually breaks up in 1991 • Sonic Youth’s staying power under Geffen earns them a status as godfathers of the indie community.
‣ Mentored Dinosaur Jr (Sonic Youth brought them to SST), and later Mudhoney and Nirvana.
‣ Geffen sees Sonic Youth as a “badge of coolness”—who help them lure Dinosaur Jr and eventually Nirvana—Geffen’s gold mine to the fold. The Last New Pop? • 1990s “INDY” / Alt-Rock ‣ 1989, Cleveland OH: Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nails’ Pretty Hate Machine is the first “independent record” to reach Platinum status
‣ 1991 Seattle, WA: Kurt Cobain / Nirvanna’s Nevermind mixes post- punk sounds of the Pixies and Sonic Youth with sentiments of raw disillusionment and social criticism of 80s consumer culture.
‣ 1992 LA, CA: eponymous debut album of “rap metal” band Rage Against the Machine reaches triple-platinum status and drives the mainstream success of Lollapalooza. Suggested Listening— • Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade (1984) • The Replacements - Let it be (1984) • REM - Reckoning (1984) • Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime (1984) • Dinosaur Jr - You’re Living all over me (1987) • Butthole Surfers - Locust Abortion Technician (1987) • The Pixies - Surfer Rosa (1988) • Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (1988) • The Flaming Lips - In a Priest Driven Ambulance With Silver Sunshine Stares (1990) • My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991) • Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted (1992)