OVERVIEW: In the early 1950’s British music was taking its cue from American popular music. Although Britain had its own pop stars, American performers such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Doris Day, and Dean Martin frequently led the hit parade. The first American rock and roll entries were Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” (10/1955) and Carl Perkins’s “Blue Suede Shoes” (5/1956). Britain’s first rock performers, not surprisingly, imitated American rockers. Elvis imitators such as Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele tried to capture Elvis’s aggressive stance while retaining the respectability of Eddie Fisher. In many ways, the British musical establishment thought that rock and roll was just another dance step such as the cha-cha or mambo. British interest in rock and roll was also fostered through American rock and roll tours by such performers as Bill Haley and the Comets. Major Rock centers of 1960’s Liverpool Manchester London Belfast, Northern Ireland 1 ercn oc nes te . ercn ocers tor. e rts sc estsent fabricates its own “rock stars” 2 he Skiffle Crae (195-5) Skiffle, a rough euivalent to American ug-Band of the 1920’s and 1930’s, swept Great Britain in 1956. Spearheaded by singer/guitarist onnie onegan, skiffle ands formed throughout England. Skiffle sensitied British youth to American folk music and the lues. nstruments used were simple, sometimes homemade washoards, tu ass, and twanging guitars. hen rock and roll emerged in England, many of these skiffle ands “traded-in” their skiffle instruments for electric guitars, asses and drums forming such ands as King-sie Taylor and the ominoes, he Rockin’ Rhythm Coasters, and Rory Storm and the Hurricanes e kiffe rae 956- was insire b erican Fok Music and Blues of the 1930’s nstrents ince bass Wastb bass wasboar rt itar aronica kiffe bans conerte to ock bans 3 Lonnie Donegan led the Skiffle Craze (1956-1957) Notice the Pye Label ieool nland – on the Mese ie, hoe of the Beatles e and the Paceaes and the Meseeat sound 4 Liver oups Hurricanes Kin Dominoes Peter Gordon Gerr Pacemakers ver 196 ueed by the ecitement of merican roc and ro, hundreds of these siffe bands began paying roc and ro. n actie ierpoo cub scene deeoped 1961 with approimatey 300 cubs and about 25 oca bands. he Beates caing themsees the uarrymen and then seera other names ohnny and the oondogs, the Sier Beetes, the Beates were among these conerted siffe bands. Since ondon was the musica capita of Engand, few ierpoo bands eer thought that anything woud come of this oca scene. When the Beates captured nationa attention in 1963, ondon record producers headed to ierpoo to sign new acts. 5 rs irst wave British roc can be diided into two main styes or schoos ierpoo Pop/Roc and ondon Art Schoo Bues. he ierpoo sound, due party to the success of the Beates, came into popuarity sighty ahead of the ondon stye. Merseybeat Sound To eep trac of a the ierpoo groups a fan magaine, he erseybeat, emerged taing its name from the ersey Rier which fows west of ierpoo. he erseybeat sound, is popish, well-produced, and with catchy “sing- songy”melodies. he production stye is reminiscent of the Bri Pop writtendown formuaic arrangements, vioins and a ery poished sound. Many of the groups such as Peter and Gordon, and Chad and eremy, and the Hollies hae tight voca harmonies. Athough the eary Beates were a ierpoo band with some of the same aesthetics as the erseybeat bands, they soon outgrew the confines of predictabe pop tunes that defined the erseybeat sound. eat Sound: 1.Sing-songy ouncy 2.Senti cs 3.Well-produced shed mances 4.Formulai eminisc he Bril 5.Danceable 6 Londo Ro Blue 57-65) n 1962 leis Korner and yril Dais started a rhythm and lues asement clu in the ondon suur o Ealing hey oth played in the house and, lues ncorporated Soon young disciples started sitting in with the and mong them were ic agger, harlie Watts, and uture memers o the nimals, the Kins, and Cream. Alexis encouraged these young “bohemian” musicians to start there own ands lthough they called o themseles ands, they were, in act, more inluenced y hicago lues heir music ound a loyal ollowing among the tough, worldly ondon rt chool and college students he lyrics and stance were reellious and intentionally crude. As the Beatles led the way for British acts’ entry into the merican op maret, these ondon ands soon ound acceptance and airplay on merican charts The “London Sound” is characterized by stripped-down garage and oriented instrumentation, angular melodic lines and ery rhythms, chant-lie acup ocaliing and aggressie ocal deliery. Br Internationa ords start licensed recordings from American labels including Chicago’s Chess Records. 7 he aling lues Club- 1962 - ae eens ic ecsall-mih Aleis orner ac ruce ic agger Cril aies he olling ones - ill Wman ic agger, rian ones Charlie as eih ichards 8 ric urdon of he Animals he ins (1962) embers ay aies lead ocals and guitar ae aies guitar ocals eter uaife bass ic Amory drums The Kins were one of the most aggressie of the London bands. Very angular guitar bloc chords and blues inspired guitar soloing. ritty abrasie lead ocals chant-lie bacground ocals. aor hits included “You Really Got Me”, “All Day And All Of The Night”, “A Well-Respected Man”, “Sunny Afternoon”, and “Lola” 9 ondon Ar chool sle feaures 1. Angular er rhhms 2. rimiie roducion sle 3. uiar band forma 4. mroised guiar solos 5. Chan-lie bacu ocals 6. anceable 7. Lrics based on he blues hemes he ierool ound ondon Ar chool sle: (ersebea) 1. Cue singable melodies 1. Angular er rhhms 2. enimenal charming lrics 2. rimiie roducion sle 3. Polished o erformances 3. uiar band forma 4. nfluenced b rill uilding 4. mroised guiar solos Po music 5. Chan-lie bacu ocals 5. Due harmon is common 6. anceable 6. anceable 7. lues hemes he earl eales he earl olling ones irs ae riish nasion (1964-1965) 10 The eatles (1959) Meers ohn Lennon d , ocal, rhyth guitar aul Mcartney, ocal, ass George arrison d , lead guitar, occasional ocal and Ringo Starr, drus, occasional ocal The eatles ere the ost celerated and critically acclaied and of the roc genre The eatles redefined the pop usic Their Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album (1967) was not only a usical onuent ut also a orldide cultural phenoenon Sgt Pepper announced the arrial of roc and roll as a full-fledged conteporary art for road conceptual and usical ariation, etended fors, eperiental techniues, and huge orchestral scoring etended the oundaries of roc into uncharted territory. he iler eeles L-R: ohn ennon eorge arrison ee est Paul cCarne u ucliffe 11 Pee est, eorge arrison Paul cCarne ohn ennon a he Caern Club Hamburg’s Rrba (Rght sr 12 amaa ss 1964 H Puar r as in the ars bar H ar r 1965 Can’t o al) Twit n hot (Tollie) h o o (Sa Want To o Yo an al) Plea Plea (Vee a a tann r al) o To Yo (Vee a Do Yo Want To no Sect (Vee a on al) Yo Can’t Do That al) o thon al) Than Yo (Vee a 13 atls ouu a b ivided into r dstinct ss pass: ar atls 62-64) Influenced by 1950’s American rock and roll and 1960’s black music. Their primary influences were Little Richard, the Chuck rr ud Hll a Evr rrs Midd atls 65-1966 bggs us urg midd atls wer b a Amra Fol movm a rmaion. a atls 67-1969 s s pr w atls a spped tourg s s arar b suo rrg echniqus asr mssm a ar-r-art’s-sake concepua abums. a a-a as – Slg rur to a ss rma syle Jo Lennon/Pau Mcar sgrg am s uara ua and quantity. A short list of their U.S. number one hits include “Love Me Do”, “She Loves You”, “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “Eight Days in A Week”, “Ticket To Ride”, “Help”, “Yesterday”, “Penny Lane”, “Strawberry Fields”, “All You Need is Love”, “Hey Jude”, and “Let It Be” a at (1962-64) Al Please Please Me an With The Beatles hot ana on Tn ont on on aont subjt att Co nt oth-t haon nn an o h a Ch an tt hard nn an poton o an oton 14 The Beatles Middle Period Albums Rubber Soul and Revolver Increasing influence of Folk Music, Bob Dylan and message songs Longer, less danceable pieces Lyrics become more introspective Lyrics become political Drug eperimentation and psychedelics Tomorrow Never Knows Turn o o n a an o onta t not n t not n a on a thoht Surn to th oid t hnn t hnn That o a th ann o withn t n t n That o a an o everon t non t non D Toth ary 15 Th at at 1967-1969) Albums t epper to th ht bum “Art for Art’s Sake” attitude to thnques nt oaoaton aon members Abb oa to t t “Back to Basic” rock at nta aoah to sic Catn t with an t 16 is Sgt. Pepper ortat Why is St Peer ortat Soe of sos ae otig to do it ock ad o as a ste te au eaded te oudaries of o usic e au roided icreased freedo for oter artists to eore ad ioate ritics ee Beates detractors praised it ore maturit i te riti ste soisticated arraeents icudi eotic istruets ad full orcestra Deostrates te ccica ature of Po usic fok usic s art music Try to realie it's all within yourself no one else ca make you change iti ou itout You And to see youre really only very small and life flows on within you and without you eorge Harrison We were talking We were talking about the space between us all about the love thats gone so cold and people who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion and the people who gain the world never glimpse the truth then its far too late and lose their soul when they pass away They dont know, they cant see We were talking about the love we all could share Are you one of them When we find it to try our best to hold it there When youve seen beyond yourself with our love, with our love we could save the world then you may find if they only knew peace of mind is waiting there And the time will come when you see were all one and life flows on within you and without you eorge Harrison playing a sitar Taa Taura 17 Taura Taa eore arriso plai a sitar Seected Beates Aus Album Year Notes Please Please Me 1963 The Beatles first British Album.