1. Rock in the Nineties and Early Two-Thousands “Nothing separates the generations more than music. By the time a child is eight or nine, he has developed a passion for his own music that is even stronger than his passions for procrastination and weird clothes.” Comedian Bill Cosby McGraw-Hill/IrwinCopyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. 50 th Birthday of Rock Music Exactly when the birthday was, depends on opinions about exactly when rock began Late-forties rhythm and blues performances were leading to the development of fifties rock Rock was well established and gaining widespread popularity by the early-to-mid fifties Many styles of rock music to follow allowed for a greater variety of music than ever to be available today Some of those diverse newer styles are the subject of this last chapter 21-2

3. Grunge Rock Roots and influences: Progressive-influenced punk rock by “no wave” band from New York, Sonic Youth, invited early Seattle bands to play at concerts Seventies British heavy metal vocals and guitar/bass riffs and much distortion Punk intensity and noise level “Grunge” title from loud crunch of guitar sounds Early Seattle bands: Soundgarden Mudhoney Nirvana Pearl Jam 21-3

4. Listening Guide “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana (1991) Tempo: 116 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar Form: 12-bar instrumental introduction, then 16-bar verses or choruses with some 4-bar instrumental introductions The 3 rd verse is instrumental The recording ends with nine repetitions of the words “A denial!” and then a fade out Features: The first 3-bars of the introduction are played by a strummed acoustic guitar Drums enter at bar 4, and fuzztone electric guitar and electric bass guitar come in at the 4 th beat of bar 4 The instruments play a riff pattern that changes pitch as the chords change The 4-bar introductions to verses are somewhat subdued, with a strong backbeat in drums, and the bass playing repeated notes on the half-beats During the instrumental verse, a fuzztone electric guitar plays the verse melody Cobain’s vocals are sometimes sung in a melancholy mood and other times screamed. Lyrics: The lyrics are difficult to understand, but include statements of insecurity and a desire to be with a group where one is accepted. Charts: Pop, #6 21-4

5. Pop Punk An outgrowth of more melodic punk by such bands as the Ramones in songs like “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” Green Day formed in 1988, Oakland, CA After two albums and tours, signed with Reprise Records, a move disliked by hardcore fans, but brought band to mainstream acceptance and a Grammy for Best Rock Album, Dookie (1994) More political on American Idiot (2004) as anti Iraq-war concept album Other pop punk bands: Rancid The Offspring Blink 182 21-5

6. Listening Guide “When I Come Around” by Green Day (1994) Tempo: 100 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar Form: Structure based on repetitions of a 2-bar riff that only breaks during three choruses The riff repeats as an introduction, then vocals enter at the fourth repetition Each of 2 verses is sung through eight repetitions of the riff At each chorus, chords are held and the riff returns at “When I come around.” Features: Instrumentation is guitar with heavy fuzztone, electric bass guitar, and drums Even beat subdivisions Strong backbeat in drums Vocals are almost monotone and the singer sounds quite bored Lyrics: The singer is a promiscuous male who proudly announces he will only visit his girlfriend at his convenience. Charts: Pop #6 21-6

7. Emo Roots and Influences: Ian MacKaye’s bands Minor Threat, Embrace, and Fugazi – punk style with songs that focused on healthy lifestyles Straight Edge movement – rejection of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, irresponsible sex, and, in many cases, eating meat Songs eventually became nostalgic and confessional Movement called “emotional hardcore,” then “emocore,” and finally, emo Early Emo bands: Embrace Rites of Spring Jawbreaker Sunny day Real Estate Later bands: Jimmy Eat World Dashboard Confessional Fall Out Boy 21-7

8. Listening Guide “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World (2001) Tempo: 160 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar Form: 8-bar introduction, verses, and refrains, with a 16-bar instrumental in the middle Features: Instrumentation is voice, guitar, percussion, bass guitar, drums, and “synth emulator” Introduction has a guitar strumming on every half-beat and the bass softly supporting the beat Strong backbeat in drums that enter at the beginning of the first verse Even beat subdivisions Soft vocal responses repeat part of the text in some verses Abrupt ending after final refrain Lyrics: The lyrics encourage listeners to feel all right about themselves and live as well as they can Charts: Modern rock, #1, Hot 100, #5, British hits #26 21-8

9. Jam Bands Musical term “jam” refers to musicians getting together to try things out and play casually Early and very long-lasting jam band – the Grateful Dead, concerts casual without pre-controlled planning of song play lists or events Psychedelic influences include long improvisations Musical styles including country, jazz, blues, folk, and Latin rhythms combined with rock Phish – free-form concerts that combined folk, jazz, country, bluegrass, and pop music along with psychedelic improvisations Dave Matthews Band – long improvisations in concerts, and music that combines folk, country, jazz, and pop with rock Other jam bands: Yonder Mountain String Band String Cheese Incident 21-9

10. Listening Guide “What Would You Say” by the Dave Matthews Band (1994) Tempo: 120 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar, but a few short sections have 3 beats per bar Form: Introduction has two 8-bar sections Most verses have eight 4-beat bars The 1 st, 3 rd, and 6 th verses are followed by sections with four 3-beat bars and four 4-beat bars A 24-bar instrumental section is placed between the 5 th and 6 th verses Features: Matthews’s voice follows the rhythms of the text, sometimes breaking with the beat patterns accompanying it Even beat subdivisions Strong backbeat in drums through most of the recording Group vocals respond to Matthews’s lead vocal lines Instruments take turns playing solos during the improvisational instrumental section The song ends with the question “What would you say? Lyrics: The song reflects a self-consciously philosophical orientation toward life and death Charts: Pop, #22 21-10

11. Alternative Country A variety of styles fall under category Uncle Tupelo, formed in Illinois, 1990 Music combined country, blues, and mid-western post- punk by bands like Hüsker Dü Some songs expressed a cynical attitude about lives going nowhere and drinking to kill the pain Wilco, formed by members of Uncle Tupelo and also blended country, blues, and rock music Wilco later added electronic keyboards and played rhythm and blues and power pop with psychedelic influences 21-11

12. Progressive Rock Developed out of the progressive rock styles of the late sixties and the seventies who used electronic instruments for special effects just as many avant-garde classical composers had Radiohead, formed in Oxford, England, in 1989 Each member plays many instruments and they switch from one to another for recordings and also in their concerts One such instrument is the Ondes-Martenot, an electronic keyboard instrument with a bank of expression keys that affect tone quality and add microtones Song themes of angst and alienation, much like a modern-day Pink Floyd Political criticisms and anti-war statements in songs during the 2000s Other Prog Rock bands: Mars Volta Muse Coheed and Cambria 21-12

13. Listening Guide “Karma Police” by Radiohead (1997) Tempo: 72 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar Form: The recording has two parts: The first is six 8-bar sections including an introduction followed by verses and refrains The second part has four 4-bar sections all with the same text and with repetitions at the end Features: Strong backbeat in drums Acoustic guitar and piano play a riff pattern with accompaniments that include electronic noises An analog synthesizer imitates a choir during the 2 nd and 3 rd verses and during the second part of the recording The second part of the recording is a step higher than the first Electronic sound effects and static ending Lyrics: “karma” refers to the sum of an individual’s past effects. The song conveys a sense that individuals find themselves in conditions that run afoul of the expectations of others contrasted against the possibility of losing oneself, or the karma Charts: Pop, #14, British hits, #8 21-13

14. Rap Rock By the nineties, rap vocals were popular and being used outside the hip-hop culture Red Hot Chili Peppers formed in 1983 in L.A. playing an alternative mixture of funk, metal, and rock, then added rap vocals to that Rage Against the Machine formed in 1991 in L.A. playing a combination of rap, thrash metal, and punk expressing anger at the industrialization of society and unfair treatment of field workers Arrested Development formed in Atlanta in 1988 played a lighter combination of rock and rap music that used folk-related instruments such as banjo and harmonica Outkast formed in 1992 in East Point, Georgia, updating hip-hop with a combination of soul and funk with energetic, fast rapped vocals 21-14

15. Listening Guide “B.O.B.” (Bombs over Baghdad”) by Outkast (2000) Tempo: 156 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar Form: After a 4-bar introduction, the sections that follow are 8 bars each, most of which are paired The ending is extended with repetitions of 2-bar sections of text Features: The rapped vocals are very fast and rhythmic, Dre is the first rapper, then Big Boi, and later both share the vocals Electronic sounds and drums accompany the vocals Steady backbeat in drums Even beat subdivisions Lyrics: The rappers express an ironic indifference toward the world and contemporary events, part detached, part amused, and part appalled Charts: R&B, #69, British hits, #61 21-15

16. Nu Metal Broad range of origins from earlier rock styles: Powerful fuzztone riffs of heavy metal, speed metal, and thrash Funk and hip-hop rhythms Screamed, shouted, or rapped vocals Instruments often include turntables and synthesizers along with more standard rock instruments Depth of extra low sounds created by the use of guitars and basses with added low strings that standard guitars and basses cannot play Nu Metal bands: Korn Limp Bizkit Kid Rock Incubus Slipknot 21-16

17. Listening Guide “Freak on a Leash” by Korn (1998) Tempo: 100 beats per minute, 4 beats per bar Form: Mostly 8-bar sections, with 12 and 13 bar sections of nonsense syllables, and “part of me” repetitions at the end Features: 8-bar instrumental introduction has melodic electronic sounds, strong backbeat in drums, and bass playing uneven beat subdivisions Bass and drums play stop time, then strong backbeat during vocals, then soft electronically affected vocal responses are added Refrains are accompanied by distorted death-metal sounding guitar and distorted electronic sound with an active bass line and drums Pop-sounding electronic riffs enter for the last 12 bars Lyrics: An anguished soul cries out from an earthly hell marked by a sense of being controlled by unseen forces (the leash), and yet something in him resists his condition Charts: Mainstream rock, top 10, Modern rock, top 10 21-17

18. Discussion Questions Is Bill Cosby right in the quote that opens this chapter? Does music really separate the generations? How do bands like Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones, whose music is often popular with both the youngest and oldest rock fans, transcend the generation gap, or do they? What young, new bands today play music that is likely to be enjoyed by many future generations? Singer/songwriters of the seventies and beyond expressed very personal emotions and experiences in their songs. How do today’s singer/songwriters of various genres fit into that tradition? 21-18