Study Notes for Quiz #4

Michael Jackson
Biggest pop star of the 80s
All the tools: great distinctive voice, great dance moves, musical versatility, star power
First Black artist to find stardom on MTV (but they were threatened by CBS if they didn’t play Billie Jean)
Also some bizarre eccentricities
Started singing with Jackson 5 at 5 years old, signed with Motown in 1968 at 11 years old
Went solo in 1971. 1^st #1: "Ben"
4 solo albums on Motown by 1975.
Management contract with Dad expired in 1978.
Met trumpeter/producer Quincy Jones while filming "The Wiz" in 1977
Quincy produced "Off The Wall" in 1979 – 4 top-10 singles. Great combination of funky soul, disco pop, and smooth, lush ballads. (still in the group "Jacksons" on Epic)
"Thriller" 1982 – 7 of the 9 tunes went top-10
Biggest-selling album of all time.
8 Grammies
Guest performers: Vincent Price, Eddie Van Halen, Paul McCartney
Great support with MTV videos and short movies
"Victory" album with Jacksons in 1984
"We Are The World" single for USA for Africa charity in 1985
Acquired the Beatles catalog thru ATV publishing in 1985 (cost friendship with McCartney)
Weird behavior and rumors started: surgeries, Neverland, Bubbles the chimp, skin disorder vertiligo
"Bad" in 1987 – 5 #1s. Huge, successful supporting tour
"Dangerous" released in 1991 without Quincy. Instead, Teddy Riley for hipper feel. Nastier image.
Nirvana’s grunge pushed Dangerous off the charts in 1992.
Molestation charges in 1993 – 18-20 million settlement.
Married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994.
Later, 2 children by nurse Debbie Rowe
More legal and pr problems lately

Prince
Extremely prolific, diverse, experimental and eclectic
Ties together funk, pop and rock
Produces and writes for other artists. Extremely musical and real
Plays his own guitar parts (and writes everything else)
3^rd album was big hit: "1999" in 1982
Prince and the Revolution: (w/female musicians) "Purple Rain" in 1984 – 24 weeks as #1 album
Follow-ups were bizarre psychedelia.
"Sign o The Times" in 1987 and "Lovesexy" in 1988
Soundtrack to "Batman" in 1989
"Diamonds and Pearls in 1991 with New Power Generation
Changed name to ??? in 1993
Contract disputes with Warner Bros in 1994
Became more and more an independent distributor of his own output.

Madonna
Manipulated the media and public with music, videos, publicity, image, movie roles, sexuality. Including dance charts, an insane number of hits.
She maintained complete control over her music and image
Started off in NY as disco dancer and band drummer (good rhythm) Always doing dance music
Signed to Sire in 1982
"Madonna" released 1983
"Borderline" was first Top-10 hit in 1984 (first of string of 17 in a row)
First movie, "Desperately Seeking Susan"
"Like A Virgin" album in 1984
Became superstar in 1985 – songs, videos, movies
Also had erotic film released ("A Certain Sacrifice") and Playboy and Penthouse spreads from 1977.
Married Sean Penn in 1985
Hits keep coming next few years.
First Broadway performance in "Speed The Plow – 1988.
Divorced Penn in 1989
Ultimate house/club tune "Vogue" in 1990
Movie "Dick Tracy" 1990, "A League Of Their Own" 1992
"Sex" book, soft core porn,
Movie "Evita" in 1995
Now children’s books, Kabbala and English gentrification.

Bruce Springsteen
Exuberance of the 50s, thoughtfulness and sensitivity of 70s, style of the 80s
Complicated, very poetic lyrics, high-energy shows and devoted blue-collar following
On the covers of Time and Newsweek in 1975 as the new "savior" of rock music.
Got his first record deal in 1972
"Blinded By The Light" was a bigger hit for Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in 1977
Got the E-Street band together for "Born To Run’ in 1975. Basic R&R in a world of soft rock, metal, punk, club dance and art rock
Stuck in court with a former manager for next 2 years
Similar sounding followers: Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, John Couger (nee Mellencamp)
Low-key "Nebraska" in 1982
"Born In The USA" in 1984 – 7 hit singles
Then goes back to quieter "Tunnel of Love". Often alternates rock albums with filky, singer/songwriter stuff.
"Streets Of Philadelphia" 1993 – Lyrics thru eyes of AIDS victim.
Continues to occasionally reunite the E Street Band. Most recently the 2004 Democratic Presidential campaign

Van Halen
Most popular American R&R band of late 70s/early 80s
Great pop rock with personality (modern Beatles?)
Eddie Van Halen carried on the torch of Hendrix
Great guitar tones and tricks (two-hand tapping, dive bombing) Fabulous rhythm player.
Sound even crossed over into Michael Jackson ("Beat It").
Inspired next generation of rock guitarists (Hair bands, metalheads, etc.)`
Magic but volatile pairing with flamboyant front man David Lee Roth
Gene Simmons of Kiss got them signed in 1977.
Replaced Roth with Sammy Hagar in 1985
Gary Cherone in 1997-199

Heavy Metal
Mostly British origins – Black Sabbath – 1970 – Following Cream, Blue Cheer from 60s
Ozzy Osbourne (gone by 1979), Tommy Iommi
Dark, mysterious, vulgar, slow, heavy bass "Iron Man"
Personnel related to Deep Purple, Rainbow (Dio), and other UK metal bands
Deep Purple – 1972 Coverdale, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan – Early prog period "Smoke On The Water"
Later also featured Tommy Bolin (James Gang), Joe Satriani, Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs)
AC/DC – 1973-1983 Maladjusted punky rock
Angus and Malcolm Young, Bon Scott on drums/vocals
Speed metal a combination of rock, punk, prog
Metallica not until 1986 – "Master Of Puppets"
Most influential metal band of 80s. Growly vocals, hammer-on speed guitar licks
Hetfield, Hammett, Ulrich
Prog period late: "S&M" with San Francisco Symphony – 1999
Big legal dispute with Napster in 2000

American Alternative
Early 80s response to punk and New Wave
Following the chiming guitars of Byrds and Beatles. Good hooks, harmonies, strummy
Big with College radio, the precursor to 90’s Alternative
"Jangle" pop refers to Dylan’s line in Byrds hit "Mr. Tamborine Man" ("jingle-jangle morning")
A new type of Southern Rock - Very DIY
First with Big Star out of Memphis – 1974 "September Gurls"
Then R.E.M. out of Athens, GA in 1982
Peter Buck, Michael Stipe – Quite political, odd stage presence
"The One I Love" 1987,"Losing My Religion" 1991
Rougher versions: Replacements, Husker Du (The Minneapolis" sound)
Also Pixies, Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, Ministry and the Industrial rock crowd
Few UK sound-alikes – perhaps Smiths
This is the "Unplugged" sound
Later, John Mellencamp, Black Crowes (big Stones infl.) Travelling Willburys
Not popular in mainstream
REM a prime influence on Nirvana
Late 80s Seattle: The Slacker generation
Soundgarden, Mudhoneys – then….
Nirvana and Pearl Jam both released 1^st albums in 1991 (Pearl Jam 1 month earlier)
Nirvana: "Nevermind" ("Smells Like Teen Spirit")
Curt Cobain – classic tragic artist figure. Multiple suicide attempts. Association with Courtney Love
Pearl Jam "10" ("Jeremy")
Eddie Vedder
Also funky slacker of Chili Peppers, Primus, Green Day (1994), even lo-fi of Beck

Break Dancing
Grandmaster Flash – Analog sampling
"Hip Hop is CNN for youth"
Run DMC
KRS-1
Public Enemy
Beastie Boys
Don Ellis – Black British producer of the Clash (and others)

Rap
Most popular and influential Black pop music of 80s and 90s
Too harsh, monotonous, lacking in melody? Celebrations of misogyny, drugs and violence?
Perhaps just street poetry you can dance to.
Spoken word over music has been around forever
James Brown did stream of consciousness (freestyle) raps over funk grooves in the late 60s
Gil Scott-Heron rapped poetic social comment over jazz grooves ("The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" 1970, "Whitey On The Moon")
60’s Reggae had "toasters" rapping over records
The Jamaican community in Brooklyn and the Bronx developed turntable technique (DJ Kool Herc was the first) House parties, break dancing, boom boxes
1979 – Novelty success of "Rappers Delight" – Sugarhill Gang Boastful rhymes over basic bass and drums
Kurtis Blow first commercially successful rapper., Connections to Joseph Simmons (DJ later in Run D.M.C.) and his brother, Russell (later of influential Def Jam Records).
Grandmaster Flash – "The Message" in 1982
Run-D.M.C. – "Walk This Way" with Aerosmith (cross-over) in 1986. Basicall positive social activism.
Electronic Techniques: SAMPLING
Late 80s: Gangsta rap – more militant and in-your-face
Public Enemy (Chuck D)
N.W.A. (Ice Cube, Dr. Dre)
Also Ice-T, Tupac and Snoop Dog
Some lighter: Queen Latifah, Salt n Pepa, Fresh Prince, Bobby Brown, MC Hammer
Caused backlash of censorship (PMRC labels on Cds), indecency lawsuits, etc.
But also a cultural lifestyle of music, dress, language

House
Descendent of R&B disco of the 70s. Melodies, backgrounds (mostly electronic and MIDI rather than old school orchestrations)
But people still wanted to dance even after the disco era died.
Think Gloria Gaynor’s "I Will Survive" becomes Madonna’s "Vogue" – Same thing.
Term "house" comes from Frankie Knuckles’ club the Warehouse in Chicago.
Term "garage" house came from Larry Levan’s club "Paradise Garage" in NYC

Techno
Dance music has always been popular (Baroque dance suites by Bach, waltz craze from Strauss, all the dance crazes of the 20^th Century)
House is descended from disco
Techno is descended from funk + electronics
Rave mentality – unrelenting beat – sensory overload to altered state.
More minor keys, melancholy sounds, darker moods
Huge in UK and Europe
Lots of sub genres