1. Music Appreciation: The History of Rock
Chapter 20: Fusions

2. Fusions….
Fusion refers to the hybrid musical style created through the merging of jazz and rock and is often considered a jazz style rather than a rock style.

3. Jazz Rock Jazz influence on:
Early western music- Bill Haley and the Comets
Early rock and roll- Chuck Berry
Psychedelic music- Jerry Garcia/Grateful Dead
England Blues scene- Stones, Beatles, Who
Funk Groups- Kool and the Gang, Earth, Wind and Fire.

4. First groups to combine elements
Electric Flag- centered around Blues style, jump horn sections, solo sections.
Horns punctuated background riffs, but also provided a countermelody.
Heavy influence on Blood, Sweat and Tears, Chicago, Chase, The Ides of March.

5. Blood, Sweat and Tears
Their second album, self-titled, had a hit with Spinning Wheel and covers of God Bless the Child by Billie Holliday and also Laura Nyro’s And When I Die.
Lucretia MacEvil was also a huge hit.

6. Chicago
First album was Chicago Transit Authority and featured these traits:
Hard-Edged rock guitar with distortion
Tightly-structured horn arrangements
Extended improvisation
Ensemble harmony vocals

7. Chicago…continued
After being threatened with a lawsuit by the Mayor of Chicago, their name was changed to Chicago.
Popular songs included:
Colour My World
25 or 6 to 4
Hard to Say I’m Sorry
You’re the Inspiration

8. Tower of Power
Tower of Power was seen as an alternative to psychedelic rock of the Bay area of San Francisco.
The band is a collection of the soul, jazz, blues, rock and latin styles of other groups.
Tower of Power is also linked to funk bands like Earth, Wind and Fire.
Hit song was What is Hip?

9. Steely Dan First two albums represented a strong jazz influence
Many personnel changes, including two who went to start the Doobie Brothers
Later albums were very rock and jazz oriented.
Hits include Peg, Josie, Deacon Blues

10. Art Rock Combined classical music elements with rock music elements.
Also called art rock, classical-rock, eclectic rock and progressive rock
The terms are more often seen in a positive light as being experimental and using the language to create art rather than sticking with the classical rock tradition.

11. Art Rock influences
Practically every rock source states the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album as being the first significant album in the art rock vein because it was the first concept album.
The first band to consistently experiment with classical/rock styles was the Moody Blues.

12. Moody Blues British beat group originally
Worked with the London Festival Orchestra to create the album Days of Future Passed.
The orchestra provides occasional emphasis on a passage, but mostly provides transitional music between the songs.
Best known song is Nights in White Satin.

13. Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Formed in England in 1970 from other bands.
Started by arranging and recording several pieces by classical composers for a rock quartet.
Released a three-part work titled Karn Evil 9

14. Yes
Originally described as a collection of Beatles and the Byrds covers expanded to almost unrecognizable extravaganzas.
Roundabout was the first successful top 20 single for Yes in 1972.
Lasted into the 80’s with a hit called Owner of Lonely Heart.

15. Rick Wakeman
Originally part of Yes, left to pursue a very successful solo career.
Incredibly talented musician and recorded with David Bowie, T.Rex, Al Stewart and Cat Stevens.
The hit Chamber of Horrors was a somewhat programmatic expression of the famous wax museum in London.

16. Pink Floyd
Songs tended to be in the psychedelic style, using much electronic distortion, image-laden lyrics, a generally distorted, fuzzy recording quality, the use of feedback, free improvisation and some drug references in the lyrics.
Candy and a Currant Bun represents this sound.

17. Pink Floyd
David Gilmour eventually replaced Syd Barrett on guitar and vocals
The song, A Saucerful of Secrets, was a build up to the album Dark Side of the Moon.
The songs on Dark Side are studies in the side of human nature that is usually kept hidden.

18. Dark Side of the Moon songs
Brain Damage- deals with the question of insanity and the fear that material things can be lost with a sudden change of fortune. Ultimately, everything good can be suddenly and inexplicably overshadowed by bad.
Eclipse

19. Later albums Wish You Were Here (1975) Animals (1977)
The Wall (1979)…film in 1982
The Final Cut (1983)
Still recording….