Psychedelic Rock and the Music of Protest MUSC-21600: The Art of Rock Music Prof. Freeze 22–24 October 2016 The San Francisco Scene • Haight-Ashbury district, hippie subculture • Ken Kesey’s acid tests • Fillmore Auditorium, Avalon Ballroom, Carousel ballroom • Conditioned by cultural, economic, and physical conditions The Grateful Dead • Quintessential live band • “Deadheads”—uniquely devoted fans • Music: extended group improvisations (“jams”) • Generally calm, “good trip” music • Play with core melodic ideas and harmonic progressions • Group interaction: exchanging and developing musical ideas • Yielded idiosyncratic business model • “Dark Star” (The Grateful Dead, 1970) • Delicate, unpredictable, long, experimental • Demands listener focus; drug-induced concentration Female Voices in San Francisco Scene • Jefferson Airplane • Psychedelic music goes mainstream • Grace Slick • “White Rabbit” (Jefferson Airplane, 1967; Pop 8) • See listening guide • Janis Joplin • Fused blues, acid rock, and country influences • Monterey International Pop Festival (1967) • “Ball ’n’ Chain” (Janis Joplin, 1967) • See listening guide Increasing Multiculturalism; Los Angeles • Broader multicultural engagement of rock/soul in late 1960s • Carlos Santana • Latin rock fusion • Afro-Cuban rhythm section: congas, complex rhythmic layering • Blues and jazz: Hammond organ, Santana’s guitar style • “Oye Como Va” (Santana, 1971; Pop 13, R&B 32) • Groove-oriented sound • Layers (clave-like organ, bass riffs; guitar riff) • Light guitar style, yet distortion, pedal effects The Los Angeles Scene • Jim Morrison and “The Doors” • Moody, blues-based psychedelia • Lyrics focused on dark corners of our emotional interiors • Distinctive sound: organ instead of bass • “Light My Fire” (The Doors, 1967) • See textbook Open-Air Festivals • Rise of the open-air rock festival • First Monterey International Pop Festival (1967) • Monterey Jazz Festival meets San-Fran hippie concerts • Helped establish Janis Joplin, The Who, Jimi Hendrix • Model for open-air rock festivals • Woodstock (1969) • Peak of outdoor rock festivals • “Three Days of Peace and Music” • Showcased rock music as agent of social change • Altamont Speedway (1969) • Hell’s Angels, death of Meredith Hunter • Symbolic end of the hippie open-air festival Rock Music and Social Revolution? • Rock’s rebellious spirit: against parents (1950s) to anti-Establishment (1960s) • The Establishment vs. Counterculture • Rock as countercultural mouthpiece • “Satisfaction” (The Rolling Stones, 1965) • “Eleanor Rigby” (The Beatles, 1966) • “My Generation” (The Who, 1965) • “Light My Fire” (The Doors, 1967) • “Purple Haze” (Jimi Hendrix, 1967) • Vietnam War = the ultimate symbol of the establishment • Expectation? • Rock music in the 1960s fostered a social revolution, galvanizing activism against the Vietnam War. Rock and Vietnam (at First) • The reality: at first, rock mostly silent about war • General public support for war • Non-rock popular songs supporting war sold well • “Eve of Destruction” (Barry McGuire, 1965) = one of rock’s few successful antiwar songs • “Urban folk = solidly anti-war (but not really popular) • “Masters of War” (Bob Dylan, 1963) • “I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag” (Country Joe MacDonald, 1967) • Initially, “Just another song. It wasn’t much of anything” • 1968 and the Four-Letter Word(s) • 1969 and Woodstock • Concurrent commercialization and trivialization: “selling peace . for $3.98” • Circus-like parody Rock and Vietnam (at Last) • Late 1960s: disenchantment with Vietnam spread • Rock emerges as economic leader of popular music • Rock protest songs become more common • Rock artists recognized songs as commercial opportunities • “Fortunate Son” (Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1969) • Elements of country, folk • Lyrics pertaining to the Vietnam War, both protesting war and supporting soldiers • Constant, un-changing melody, emphasizing the importance of the lyrics • Many factors: business, demographics, politics • Conclusion: rock is part of the establishment?.