Transitions

Overview: The Youth Generation of the 1960s Kennedy's assassination Social issues Sexual revolution Music was a central to the 1960s landscape

Bob Dylan

Early years New York City 1961 March 1962

Bob Dylan The Free-wheelin' Bob Dylan With The Times They Are a-Changin' Dylan warns the establishment Newport Folk Festival Another Side of Bob Dylan Folk rock Like a Rolling Stone

Bob Dylan Dylan seemed to disappear “All Along the Watchtower" Nashville Skyline Dylan after the 1960s

Dyaln’s Significance Lyrics Symbolism, internal ironies, sarcasm, thought-provoking messages, dry wit, surrealism, and graceful flow

Soul And Mowtown: Aretha Franklin

Early years Early 1960s, Aretha pop singer for Columbia Records Wexler and Atlantic Records Songs by some of the finest songwriters Vocal agility

Respect First uptempo hit Emotionally redefined fast soul Transforms sexual machismo Became anthem for women’s movement Interlocked rhythm section

Respect Riffs or sustained chords “Gospel sound” Spelling out RESPECT memorable Verse/refrain has changed Denser textures

What a Friend We Have in Jesus familiar form sixteen measures AABA pattern

What a Friend We Have in Jesus rhythm uncomplicated F major Expands form “freedom” of musical form

What a Friend… fills form with melody Compare the first two measures of the original tune with Aretha’s phrase notes added and rhythms significantly modified some notes falling behind where they “should”; others coming ahead pitch variations “blue note”

What a Friend… Interpolations freedom to add words Melisma: a technique in which one syllable is extended over two or more pitches

Amazing Grace eleven minutes contains many examples of extended melismas Wide range of vocal timbres Shout “What a Friend” “and needles pain” Very breathy tone

San Francisco: Overview 1.Drugs 2.Volume levels at live concerts reached a new high. 3.San Francisco groups often placed considerable emphasis on the instrumentalists 4.Electronic technology

Janis Joplin

Early years Ghet Helms Big Brother

Ball and Chain Stutters, reiterations Melismas, interpolations Hommange to Smith? Hisses “sitting” Necessary embellishments

Ball and Chain Joplin’s voice not as rich as Smith’s Tempo of the song slower Musical space must be filled Progressively less restrained

Pearl Roots in R & B and Gospel Janis was unique Mercedes Benz Parodies hippie values and communalism A cappella

Art Rock And Frank Zappa

In the late 1960s, the creative minds in rock began to expand Just how far can Rock go?

Classical Elements and Rock Elements 1. Quote a classical excerpt in the midst of a rock song. 2. Use a classical melody as the basis of a rock song. 3. Create a series of rock songs conceived as units in a larger form.

Frank Zappa Introduction Offends Early years

Help I’m a Rock A "It can't happen here"—non-metric, non-tonal vocal expanding this lyric B "Who could imagine"—(1) "freak out in Kansas" (followed by improvisation on "Kansas") (2) "freak out in Minnesota" (followed by improvisation on "Minnesota") C: Instrumental section—piano and drums in a fragmented, non-tonal, pointillistic style

Help I’m a Rock B: "Who could imagine"—"freak out in Washington, D.C." (followed by improvisation on "D.C.") A: "It can't happen here"—enters underneath previous section, but begins to dominate D: "I remember"—metric; three phrases

Help I’m a Rock A: "It couldn't happen here"—brief return E: Suzy Creamcheese—dialogue with semi- fictional Zappa character A: "It can't happen here"—brief return; filtered voices

Help I’m a Rock Combines two common classical forms: the arch form and the rondo. C B B A A Improvisation Experimentation with textures

Frank Zappa Drugs Uncle Meat Fillmore East Shut Up Play Yer Guitar