ROCKA HISTORY OF THE GENRE.

ORIGIN• It is considered that the Rock genre originated in the late 1940’s

when electric guitars and steady drum beats changed the sound of conventional country and blues songs that most people were accustomed to.

• The Rock genre was primarily influenced by other genres including rhythm/electric and blues, jazz and classical.

• Though it took a few years to have an effect on listeners, the Rock genre was profoundly popular as it created a fresh sound that dared to break the safe, slow-paced song conventions previously. Furthermore, advanced technology meant that new, electric sounds could be implemented.

• The last few years of the 1960’s saw a mixture of traditionalist sounds within the separate genres of Rock. After the renowned ‘British Invasion’ many artists produced records with sounds rooting back to the Rock n’ Roll days.

‘BRITISH INVASION’The term for a phenomenon which happened in the mid 1960’s - a wave of British Rock and Pop stars arrived in America taking the international music industry by storm. Their increasing popularity meant that British culture was creeping into the states and this was reflected in the charts:

• The Beatles landed a total of 20 number 1 hit records in America and are the only band to be featured in America’s Hot 100’s top five simultaneously. So in the week of April 4th, 1964, they ranked at numbers 1 - 5 with the hits ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘She Loves You’, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and ‘Please Please Me’.

• Herman’s Hermits accumulated 4 Top 3 hits in the US in 1965 with ‘Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter’ (No. 1), ‘I’m Henry the Eighth, I Am’ (No. 1), ‘Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat’ (No. 2) and ‘Listen People’ (No. 3).

• Though their records only brought them one US number 1 hit, The Animals nevertheless proved that British artists were dominating the charts overseas, especially bands with young, male members that attracted the female audience.

KEY ARTISTS• Buddy Holly – American musician and singer/songwriter. He was a central,

poignant figure of 1950’s rock and roll who is renowned to have “produced some of the most distinctive and influential work in rock music” according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Holly inspired later hit artists such as Paul McCartney, John Lennon and The Rolling Stones

• Tommy Steele – Regarded as Britain’s first teen idol and Rock and Roll star. Steele was often dubbed as ‘Britain’s Elvis Presley’ and he reached number 1 with “Singing the Blues” in 1957.

• Elvis Presley – The “king” of Rock and Roll; not only one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, but his fresh, unique style influenced teenagers and adults alike, one that included daring clothes and an instantly recognisable quiff – the new Rock and Roll movement had officially taken off.

• The Beatles – Once known as ‘The Quarrymen’, they were influenced by Holly and Presley’s Rock and Roll style which already proved successful. The Beatles are arguably the most famous band in the world, changing the rock genre to fit into new, accessible boundaries for listeners. The Beatles’ Rock music, primarily conceived from 1962 – 1966, originated in Skiffle, beat and Rock and Roll. 16 records from this period were number 1 hits.

KEY ARTISTS• Bruce Springsteen – Known largely for ‘Born in the USA’ and ‘Born to Run’,

Springsteen produces commercially accessible Rock albums, whilst having his origins in more sombre-folk orientated works, evoking the genre itself.

• The Beach Boys – Leading the wave of the emerging ‘California Sound’, the band’s early music gained popularity for distinct vocal harmonies and lyrics that evoked the free-spirited nature of youth culture at the time. They were influenced by Jazz-based vocal groups and 1950’s Rock and Roll. Also, similar to The Beatles, The Beach Boys, headed by Brian Wilson, suggested they should experiment with psychedelia – thus proving the group to be figureheads in the changing music industry, especially considering that they created different, artistic approaches to arranging music production.

• Eagles – Famed for being the most successful Country Rock band as a result of the ‘British Invasion’ in the 1960’s. For a week in May, 1977, ‘Hotel California’ topped the Hot 100 singles chart.

• Eric Clapton – The only member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to have been inducted three times, Clapton is most famous for his Number 4 1992 hit single ‘Layla’. He has presently received 18 Grammy awards.

• REM – Similar to The Lemonheads REM were one of the first, popular Alternative Rock bands famed for their ‘ringing, arpeggiated guitar style’ alongside Michael Stipe's indistinct vocals.

AWARDSThe Grammy Awards are the most prestigious music awards ceremony. There have been 57 ceremonies since 1959 and currently the category awards for the Rock genre are:

• Best Rock Performance – Jack White, ‘Lazretto’ (2015)

• Best Metal Performance – Tenacious D, ‘The Last in Line’ (2015)

• Best Rock Song – Hayley Williams and Taylor York, ‘Ain’t It Fun’ (2015)

• Best Rock Album – Beck, ‘Morning Phase’ (2015)

Current winners:

KEY FEATURES• In the Rock genre, music videos can vary. Generally they conform to the

performance category where the band are shown to be performing their instruments and miming along to the song, for example in ‘American Idiot’ by Green Day (pictured above Foo Fighters) and ‘The Pretender’ by the Foo Fighters (pictured below Green Day). As a result, both bands conform to typical performance conventions, and are starkly similar to each other in terms of location and composition of the camera shots. There are often close-ups of the lead vocalist to clearly portray their identity to the audience, thus increasing sales because the star image is carried through the video. Generally, the camera in both videos films the band at low angles. As a result, this represents the band as dominating figures, conveying the hard attitude of the Rock genre to the audience.

‘The Pretender’, Foo Fighters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBjQ9tuuTJQ‘American Idiot’, Green Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee_uujKuJMI

KEY FEATURES CONTINUED• In the modern era, music videos in the Rock genre have become

noticeably more filmic, with directors incorporating solid storylines that go beyond conventions of the narrative video because actors are now speaking dialogue to try and convey the director’s message. The composition conveys this too, with widescreen formats being used instead of the traditional 16:9 format aswell as compelling camera angles.

In ‘I Always Knew’ by The Vaccines (2012), the actors act out the emotions conveyed by the song through their facial expressions and we are left to interpret the complex feelings that they have through their acting.

‘Wake me up When September Ends’ (2004) by Green Day has a cinematic widescreen format. A total of 2 minutes 52 seconds of the video is taken up by lines of dialogue delivered by the actors, thus challenging typical narrative conventions.

STYLE/CLOTHING/ATTITUDE-PRE CONTEMPORARY

• The primary, more sophisticated figures of the early half of the Rock genre tended to wear smart jackets, denim jackets or casual shirts, such as the artists below. Performers at first presented themselves as respectable figures to the audience because the genre was finding its feet in the industry and with its fans. This ensured their records would sell as it ultimately gave them a professional edge to their style. This was also largely before the ‘British invasion’ phenomenon when bands became more rebellious within their dress code and attitude, such as the lyrics containing more dark themes like in ‘Paint it Black’ by The Rolling Stones. “I see a line of cars and they are painted black” relates to the scenario of his girlfriend’s funeral after which he painted his “door” black, symbolising his heart.

Chubby Checker

The Beatles

Eric Clapton

• ‘Surf music’, a division of the Rock genre, was key in allowing a more mainstream audience to appreciate the sounds of conventional Rock music, with the implementation of a bass, drummer, vocalist and guitarist setup. Bands such as The Beach Boys, influenced by The Beatles, truly broke conventions with their 1966 album ‘Pet Sounds’ which established the possibilities of new sounds to intensify the listeners experience of listening to a more smooth Rock song. Furthermore, part of the popularity of the ‘British Invasion’ was bands, such as The Rolling Stones, being noted for their long hair and sense of rebellion, bringing a fresh, youthful look

STYLE/CLOTHING/ATTITUDE CONTINUED

• However, From around the late 1980’s onwards, the look and attitude of Rock performers began to change.

• Instead of the generic, sophisticated look, artists became more flamboyant and generally adopted a more casual, even ‘slack’ look, such as Coldplay (above right). The fashion included leather jackets, open shirts and wristbands to convey a more care-free attitude. Perhaps this marked the official era when ‘Rock n’ Roll’ became a thing of the past as it gave way to edgy, risqué looks, often reflected in the artist’s imprecise vocals, such as ‘I’m Shipping up to Boston’ (2005) by Celtic Punk Rock band Dropkick Murphys. The line: ‘I’m shipping up to Boston whoa’ is performed in a loud, aggressive manner by lead vocalist Mike McColgan which represents the contrast in attitude as opposed to artists such as The Beatles with Paul’s often light-hearted tones, such as in ‘Penny Lane’ (1967).

Pavement Coldplay

Bruce Springsteen