Little Richard

The purest prototype of hard, mainstream rock was Little Richard Early years Early years Specialty Records Specialty Records

Tutti Frutti Chorus twelve-bar blues Chorus twelve-bar blues Instrumentation and performers Instrumentation and performers Performance style Performance style Religion Religion

Chuck Berry

Early years Early years Muddy Waters and Chess Records Muddy Waters and Chess Records Musical hits Musical hits

Maybelline Created beat of rock and roll from two blues sources Created beat of rock and roll from two blues sources Backbeat Backbeat Boogie woogie Boogie woogie Little Richards Little Richards Listen for boogie woogie rhythm in electric guitar (normally in pianist) Listen for boogie woogie rhythm in electric guitar (normally in pianist)

Maybelline “Ida Red” “Ida Red” heavy back beat; prominent guitar “voice”; honky-tonk transformed heavy back beat; prominent guitar “voice”; honky-tonk transformed refrain-frame form refrain-frame form one chorus conventional blues one chorus conventional blues verses are interpolated verses are interpolated

Buddy Holly

That’ll be the Day Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene” Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene” Blues chords Blues chords Unusual sequence Unusual sequence

Not Fade Away Not dance music Not dance music 3 regular rhythms 3 regular rhythms unconventional drumming unconventional drumming clave rhythm clave rhythm

Not Fade Away accents play against the beat accents play against the beat backup vocalists backup vocalists strong accent strong accent No bass or rhythm guitar No bass or rhythm guitar

Not Fade Away No one marks time No one marks time Rhythmic bearing Rhythmic bearing Rock and roll can be more than dance music Rock and roll can be more than dance music

Elvis Presley

Mystery Train Rockabilly Rockabilly Two-beat Two-beat Imitation of a locomotive Imitation of a locomotive Perform twice as fast, backbeat Perform twice as fast, backbeat Light instrumentation Light instrumentation

Heartbreak Hotel First RCA session First RCA session Bob Ferris constructed an echo chamber Bob Ferris constructed an echo chamber Label feared it was a terrible mistake Label feared it was a terrible mistake Elvis’ first #1 hit Elvis’ first #1 hit

Heartbreak Hotel Elvis produced and directed almost all his own music Elvis produced and directed almost all his own music Never really interested in trying to improve his playing skills Never really interested in trying to improve his playing skills Unfailing ear Unfailing ear

Revolver Eleanor Rigby

Unprecedented topic Unprecedented topic Broke sharply with pop song conventions Broke sharply with pop song conventions Detached delivery Detached delivery Time passes, without apparent purpose Time passes, without apparent purpose

Revolver Eleanor Rigby Musical setting as bleak as the words Musical setting as bleak as the words String octet (four violins, two violas, two cellos) String octet (four violins, two violas, two cellos) String sound is sparse String sound is sparse

Revolver Eleanor Rigby Chord progressions emulate rock accompaniment Chord progressions emulate rock accompaniment Static melody and harmony Static melody and harmony Repetitive rhythm of accompaniment Repetitive rhythm of accompaniment

Revolver Eleanor Rigby Pop becoming Art? Pop becoming Art? Classical-style string accompaniment Classical-style string accompaniment Comparable to Schubert’s art songs Comparable to Schubert’s art songs

The Rolling Stones

Sympathy for the Devil Basic harmonic vocabulary Basic harmonic vocabulary Chorus consists six phrases Chorus consists six phrases Repetitions Repetitions Five-bar phrase Five-bar phrase

Sympathy for the Devil Intro on drums (add maracas on bar 4) 10 bars Intro on drums (add maracas on bar 4) 10 bars Lead vocal and full accompaniment enter Lead vocal and full accompaniment enter Chorus 1 (aaaa) 17 bars + (bb) 8 bars (fourth statement of a is 5 bars long) Chorus 1 (aaaa) 17 bars + (bb) 8 bars (fourth statement of a is 5 bars long) Chorus 2 (aaaa) 17 bars + (bb) 8 bars Chorus 2 (aaaa) 17 bars + (bb) 8 bars

Sympathy for the Devil Chorus 3 (aaaa) 17 bars + (bb) 8 bars (add background vocals) Chorus 3 (aaaa) 17 bars + (bb) 8 bars (add background vocals) Chorus 4 (aaaa) 17 bars + (bb) 8 bars Chorus 4 (aaaa) 17 bars + (bb) 8 bars (add guitar lead in a-section; lead vocal re-enters in b-section) (add guitar lead in a-section; lead vocal re-enters in b-section) Chorus 5 (aaaa) 17 bars + (bb) 8 bars Chorus 5 (aaaa) 17 bars + (bb) 8 bars

Sympathy for the Devil Closing Section (aa) 8 bars Closing Section (aa) 8 bars Vocal interjections over guitar lead (with piano) Vocal interjections over guitar lead (with piano) Repeat and fade-out Repeat and fade-out

Sympathy for the Devil Samba beat Samba beat Timbral changes Timbral changes Visceral Visceral Stone’s simplicity and repetiveness Stone’s simplicity and repetiveness

Bob Dylan

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

Janis Joplin

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

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

Frank Zappa

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") (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 Washington, D.C." (followed by improvisation on "D.C.") 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. Combines two common classical forms: the arch form and the rondo. C B B B B A A A A Improvisation Improvisation Experimentation with textures Experimentation with textures