2024-02-14

Wednesday, February 14th, 2024

To enjoy life, we must touch much of it lightly.

— Voltaire

MUS106 Lecture

• TAMI: Teenage Awards Music International
  • October 1964 in Santa Monica (around second British Invasion)
    • concert film release
  • genres
    • British invasion
    • Dylan/Folk (not teenage)
    • Motown
    • First-wave rock
  • Chuck Berry (father of rock and roll) performed “Maybellene” but the crowd was cheering for another British singer that was singing alongside—awkward
  • Beach Boys performed “Surfin’ U.S.A” (recall that Chuck Berry sued Beach Boys for stealing this song in its entirety)—awkward
  • choosing the closer
    • James Brown (1928/33-2006)
      • “godfather of soul"
      • "hardest working man in show business”
      • had such high standards that he kicked Jimi Hendrix out of his band
      • seasoned performer at “Chitlin’ Circuit”: theaters presenting Black performers to Black audiences; audience is very critical of performers
      • Nobody follows James Brown—gave a great set (of songs) acting as a closer that The Rolling Stones couldn’t compare to; final song “Night Train” had great dance moves
    • The Rolling Stones
      • est. 1962
      • still a relatively new band
      • ”Time Is On Our Side”: rose from Pop #80 to Pop #6
      • eventually, TAMI chose The Rolling Stones as the closer because of their popularity, but Rolling Stones felt terrible having to close after James Brown
      • James Brown said to them “welcome to America” after he finished playing
      • Rolling Stones had made a lot of poor decisions, but “Going on after James Brown was the worst mistake the Stones ever made” (Keith Richards)
• Soul
  • genre’s common attributes
    • musical foundation
      • Gospel: call and response
      • Rhythm & Blues: blues scale & 12-bar blues form
    • musical features
      • horns: sax, trumpets, trombone
      • syncopation: rhythmic complexity
      • improvisation: virtuosity
  • Aretha Franklin (1942-2018)
    • raised in Detroit
    • daughter of Rev. C.L. Franklin (famous preacher)
    • “Gospel Caravan” — travels around the country & churches to spread the religion
    • 1st: signed by Columbia Records
      • ”Moon River” (1963): jazz
        • Columbia wanted to make her sing jazz, but Aretha Franklin doesn’t really want to
    • didn’t go to Motown (also in Detroit), because it involves black artists appealing to white pop audience
    • 2nd: Atlantic Records (independent label in NYC)
      • didn’t take her to the NYC recording studio
      • took her to an indie studio called FAME Studios: Aretha’s first Atlantic session
        • Muscle Shoals, AL
        • Rick Hall (owner/producer/engineer)
        • studio band: “The Swampers”
      • returned to gospel roots, which she wanted to sing
      • ”I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” (1967)
      • earned the title “The Queen of Soul”