Chapter 7 The 1970s: Rock Becomes Established 1. The 1970s a. Described by novelist Tom Wolfe as “the Me decade” b. Saw a turning inward in American culture c. Americans grew weary of the military conflict in Vietnam d. Popular attention focused on domestic problems e. Death of many 1960s musical counterculture icons f. Consolidation of the record industry 2. Rock comes of age a. Many progressive rock musicians saw themselves as artists b. Industry co-opted the appeal of rock, creating hybrid genres c. Record sales in black community suggested little interest in rock d. Musicians favored the album format over singles e. FM radio developed niche marketing f. Wealth often seen as the best path to artistic success g. Lowering of the drinking age to eighteen allowed teenagers to patronize bars h. Rock became suitable for large venues 3. The rock album a. Support for the idea of “the record album as a thematically and aesthetically unified work” b. Musicians treated the time span of an LP (over forty minutes) as a total entity c. Put more effort into all the songs d. Linked songs together, creating an overall progression of peaks and valleys e. Sequencing was important f. Often experimented with studio technology g. Some albums focused on a fictitious character h. Some albums were held together by an emotional, philosophical, or political theme 4. Rock culture a. In the 1960s rock was part of the counterculture; in the 1970s the counterculture was part of rock b. Three prominent expressions of 1970s rock culture were album art, merchandising, and independent rock press c. Merchandizing i. Included items now called “lifestyle accessories” ii. Appealed to the idea that one’s taste in music reflects an attitude toward life d. Album art i. LP often treated as an art object ii. Album covers often spoke to a group’s aesthetic aims and personality iii. Sexuality was often emphasized iv. Dustjacket often included visual analogs to the music inside v. Included a minimalist approach e. Rock media i. “Alternative press” developed by counterculture ii. Establishment magazines like Creem and Rolling Stone affected seventies Rock iii. Critiqued rock from within 5. Led Zeppelin and hard rock a. Led Zeppelin formed 1968 in London with Jimmy Page (guitar), John Bonham (drummer), John Paul Jones (bass and organ), and Robert Plant (vocals) b. Influenced by urban blues, San Francisco psychedelia, and Jimi Hendrix c. “Stairway to Heaven” is their most famous recording 6. Stadium rock (a.k.a. arena rock) a. Approach to music prominent in the mid-1970s b. Grandiose in every way from song structure to general stagecraft c. Goal was creating an exciting audiovisual experience to huge crowds d. Peter Frampton i. Member of British Invasion group Herd and Humble Pie ii. Had solo success with Frampton Comes Alive (1976) iii. Used of the Heil Talk Box allowing him to “talk” with his guitar e. Kiss i. Known for circus-like stage show ii. Each band member had a stage persona 1. Gene Simmons (bass) was “The Demon” 2. Ace Frehley (lead guitarist) was “The Spaceman” 3. Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar) was “The Star Child” 4. Peter Criss (drums) was “The Cat” iii. They wore elaborate stage make-up and costumes iv. Sold action figures, costumes, and comic books about the band 7. Southern rock a. Drew upon blues, boogie-woogie piano, Louisiana Cajun music, and swing “territory bands” b. Associated with a specifically white southern heritage c. Built on a foundation of African American music d. Creedence Clearwater Revival i. Deliberately old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll band ii. One of the great singles bands iii. Positioned themselves as southern rock stylists despite Bay Area origins iv. First widely successful “roots” rock ’n’ roll band e. Allman Brothers Band i. Connected the blues to mainstream rock and “jam bands” ii. Initially lead by guitarist Duane Allman iii. Achieved breakthrough success in 1971 with the live album At Fillmore East iv. Established the genre of southern rock f. “Statesboro Blues” i. Composed by bluesman Blind Willie McTell ii. Became a signature song for the Allman Brothers iii. Features Duane Allman’s soaring guitar playing 8. Jazz rock a. Included commercially successful collaborations between jazz and rock musicians i. Bitches Brew 1. Fusion album by Miles Davis 2. Combined avant-garde jazz with funky grooves inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone ii. Chicago 1. Second-most-successful American rock band of all time in terms of album and singles sales 2. Originally specialized in a harder-edged style, later recorded anthemic love songs 3. Rock oriented sound in the 1970s attributable to guitarist and singer Terry Kath a. After Kath’s death, moved toward “adult contemporary” sound 9. Singer-songwriters and soft rock a. Relaxed style reflects maturing of rock’s Baby Boomer audience b. Soft rock and singer-songwriter genres has often overlapped c. Merged folk with Brill Building tradition of songwriting d. Based on the idea of sincerity from a singer performing songs about his emotional life e. Simon and Garfunkel i. Began as an urban folk duo (represent folk side of genre) ii. “The Sound of Silence” remade to include electric instruments 1. Became a huge hit iii. Paul Simon went on to record world music albums Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints f. Carole King i. Began her career as a songwriter at the Brill Building ii. Had solo success in 1971 with the album Tapestry 1. Songs reveal a maturity beyond “teenage love” 2. Emotions evoked are emblematic of the 1970s (i.e., mature reevaluation on choices made in the 1960s) iii. Her success encouraged songwriters to perform their own material 10. The Eagles a. California-based country rock band popular in the late 1970s b. Compilation album Eagles/Their Greatest Hits, 1971–1975 was the first RIAA-certified platinum album c. Helped keep California at the center of popular music production in the 1970s 11. “Hotel California” (by the Eagles) a. Length, minor-key tonality, and unusual shape evoke songwriting trends of the 1960s b. Critiques vapid consumerism .