First I'd like to say that i'm fairly confident that many of those in my class are also blogging about The Band and I apologize but also to say that the opportunity is too good to forgo. The Band formed in 1967 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Throughout their prestigious and incredibly successful carrier they backed for the amazing writer (and not so amazing singer) Bob Dylan. Who in turn, when The Band moved on, helped with song writing and mentoring along the way. The Band cannot be categorized and put into just one genre because they contain elements from styles like rock to country to soul to even funk. This is apparent in four of their biggest songs: "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "The Weight," "Up on Cripple Creek," and a cover version of the Marvin Gaye song "Don't Do It." Note all of the videos I chose to show were from the extremely famous "rockumentary " The Last Waltz. All of these performances are live yet still sound extremely amazing simply because they are such talented writers, musicians, and performers, who have been perfecting their craft for decades.
The Band was one of the greatest "classic rock" bands of all time, their storied career is quite an amazing one having great success with pretty much all of their endeavors, gaining many fans from all generations including me. -Brooks Gonzales
After ACL most chatter I was hearing was either about the Chili Peppers, Crystal Castles, or NEEDTOBREATHE. I dismissed this as just talk and went about continuing with my old musical ways. In hindsight, this was a major mistake. NEEDTOBREATHE is definitely not just "talk," but an outstanding compilation of rock, soul, and alternative music. Lead singer, Bear Bryant, named after the lovely man who coached at one of my favorite universities...Alabama. Regardless, he is an amazing singer, his soulful and rough yet extremely smooth voice really make the band what it is.
With songs like "Oohs and Ahhs" off of their latest album, The Reckoning, the slow and almost somber tempo really accentuates the melodic genius that occurs in the song. Not only does it have great vocals but also great lyrics:
"We got oohs, we got ahhs
We got everything a man could need
We got oohs, we got ahhs
Still got a mountain full of mouths to feed
Tear the ocean and the skies apart
Circle up the wagons underneath the stars
Watch us spin around like a meteorite
It goes down and down and down
Cause in our hearts we know it's true..." (chorus)
and a pretty amazing trumpet feature towards the end of the song.
Another really great song is entitled: "Washed by the Water," yet what's even better than the original (in my opinion) is the acoustic version off of their second album: The Heat. Usually I don't really care for acoustic versions of songs mainly because I feel like they are lacking something instrument wise, but this is simply not the case for this song. Because there isn't as much of a melodic influence from the electric instruments, the vocals are much more apparent.
All in all, this band is really quite amazing. With both their amazing style of singing to their true talent for song writing, this band really does have it all.
The modern R&B scene is filled with many superstars like R. Kelly, Chris Brown, and Usher yet there are many underground artists like The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) who have just broken into the music world. At the young age of 22 the young and extremely talented singer out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada created his Alternative/Contemporary R&B solo act. Throughout his career, he released three mixtapes: "House of Balloons," "Thursday," and "Echos of Scilence," yet when he signed with big time record label Universal Republic all three mixtapes were remastered and combined into one giant album (Trilogy) along with 3 new songs. His career launched with his first mixtape yet his features on Drake's album- Take Care. The song "Crew Love," reached the top 10 on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-hop chart. He also appeared on Wiz Khalifa's "Remember You," a few months later.
(Explicit) On "Trilogy" Tesfaye's Trey Songz and The Dreamish like flow and sound contribute to his rapid success. With songs like: "Wicked Guns," "High For This," and "The Morning," all coming from his first mixtape/ first disk on the album: House of Balloons. On the second disk Drake is featured on the song- "The Zone," returning the favor.
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All in all, The Weeknd's somber and soft lyrics really are almost hypnotizing, along with his modern R&B sound rivaling superstars like Trey Songz and The Dream. Because he is so young he has great potential for future success as he eventually transcends into the ranks of the R&B artists we know today.
One of the most influential rap groups in the 90's and 00's was Black Star, a group that consisted of two extremely famous and successful rappers: Mos Def and Talib Kweli. The story behind their name is actually very interesting, Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) More UNIA info , created the Black Star shipping line that was trying to "repatriate blacks to Africa." Not only did this movement inspire their name, it also caused an epiphany within the two rappers that not all African Americans were gangsters in the 90's, making them some of the most intelligent rappers during that decade. Not only did it inspire those thoughts but it also inspired their lyrics to explain things that weren't being told in the communities drawing their sound from rappers of that time like Run D.M.C. and Public Enemy.
Technically Black Star only made one studio album "Black Star" in 1998 but toured and made other music from 1990 to throughout the 2000's. This album, although majorly successful in the "underground" scene, was headed in a completely opposite direction as the hip hop created by artists like Puff Daddy. But this album still had some great tracks on it: "Definition," "Re-Definition," and "Respiration (feat. Common)." The songs "Definition" and "Re-Definition" were in sequential order on the album. Both tracks with a variation of the same hook but with different feels and verses. The song Definition is made to feel more old school in a sense with a lighter and more pop-like beat and dryer verses whereas Re-Definition was much more "new school," adding an instrumental aspect in the background.
Another song that was highly successful off of the album was "Respiration." This song featured the equally famous rapper, Common. All three rappers deliver great and deep verses as shown in the video below.
Overall, they were a great hip-hop duo killing the underground scene throughout the 90's and 00's. Unfortunately the two were only together for about 10 years and never made more than one studio album. I'm very curious as to what they could have created and accomplished for the genre. -Brooks Gonzales
England 1966, a band consisting of the first super trio, Cream, was created. With vocalist- Jack Bruce, drummer- Ginger Baker, and the ever famous guitar legend- Eric Clapton, the group soared to the top of the blues rock and hard rock industry in England. The band's first studio album "Fresh Cream," was a success with songs like "I Feel Free," but the group's second album, "Disraeli Gears," was far more popular.
Their second album, released in November of 1967, is definitely one of the better Cream albums. The songs are superior to those on "Fresh Cream,"lyrically and I personally think that the overall musicianship is better. With songs including the very popular "Sunshine Of Your Love," and "Outside Woman Blues," the album was a huge success.
There are a few things I'd like to say about this video: first- Ginger Baker looks like a red haired caveman with his mouth open like that throughout the video and second: this certain video has an amazing Clapton solo about halfway through the song; during this solo not only does Clapton shred on the guitar, Bruce also kills the bass part as well.
Songs like "We're Going Wrong" and "Outside Women Blues" also showcase Clapton's supreme guitar skills. Although in "We're Going Wrong" he only has about five, 8 second solos, they are extremely skillfully played and preformed. In "We're Going Wrong," Clapton and the guitar play a more involved role within this piece sounding just as amazing.
Even though the band unfortunately was disbanded in 1969, the extremely talented group gave the world 4 full length studio albums. And not only was the band popular by themselves, some could say that they launched Clapton's very successful solo career as well.
This week I'd like to move away from rock a little and transition into a new style- Electronic/Drum'n bass. Pendulum is one of the most popular Drum'n bass acts of the 21st century. This is partly because they're really good but also because the genre hasn't really been "alive" that long. For those of you that don't know what drum'n bass is here's a basic definition: a form of electronic music that is around 160-180 bpm (beats per minute) that incorporates elements from hip-hop, metal, jazz, reggae, and even classical. The group originally consisting of producers Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, was created in 2002 in Australia but based in the UK, eventually adding two more members later in their career. In 2005 they released their first full length album- "Hold Your Colour," featuring hit singles "Tarantula" and "Slam."
But there career really didn't take off and reach its full potential until they made their debut on BBC's radio 1 essential mix in 2005 (for those of you that don't know what an essential mix is it's basically 2 hours of epic electronic music).
Their third full length album, "Immersion," is probably my favorite for various reasons but the biggest one is definitely the quality of songs it contains. A few of these include the very popular "The Island- Pt. I" and "The Island- Pt. II" (part two is just a dubstep remix of part one by the way). Both of these songs are really cool and super chill that create a great party atmosphere.
Another great song off the album (and my personal favorite) is "Salt in the Wounds." Although the song is a little more dubstep oriented at the beginning, it has a really cool melody, and isn't so glaringly obnoxious towards the middle of the song. "Self vs Self" is one of the cooler tracks off of the album because it is not really an electronic song as much as it is a remixed metal song. The song features a band called: In Flames, a heavy metal band out of Sweden with strong Iron Madden and Black Sabbath roots. I feel like the electronic accompaniment goes really well with the electric guitar, creating a really interesting balance between instruments and creating an overall mood that is very unique to this style of music.
Pendulum is a really cool band although they haven't put out anything recently, which is very disappointing, but I'm glad they've recorded what they have because it's really good music. Although they can get a bit repetitive after a while...I can only take so much bass.
Magical Mystery Tour, the Beatles 9th album recorded, was released in the fall of 1967 (November 27). Just like Sgt. Peppers, it was equally as psychedelic and very strange, if not more so. Although it did not keep the theme of a "concept album," like Sgt. Peppers, Magical Mystery Tour was a 6 song EP that eventually bloomed into an 11 song masterpiece. Within the album, John's weirdness combined with his and Paul's masterful song writing makes for a pretty impressive record. Although it was by far the strangest time for the Beatles. Their song writing was heavily influenced by drugs. This also influenced their method of touring...in a giant buss, and their kinda creepy animal costumes that were featured throughout music videos and the album cover.
Although eventually it was a success, it did not sell well in both the United States or in England, as it was first introduced as an EP. Why this occurred is definitely a reason unknown to me because it really is one of their better albums containing many huge hits including: "I Am the Walrus," "Hello Goodbye," "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Penny Lane," and "All You Need Is Love." One of the strangest songs ever sung by John or even that the Beatles ever wrote was "I Am the Walrus." The nonsense lyrics and very odd melody make it unique to something only the Beatles could come up with. There is also a very strange instrumental break about half way into the song along with creepy laughing to complete the "jolly" nature of the song.
Don't worry guys (guys? who am I even talking to? Only like 3 people read this)anyway...I found another Across the Universe clip to share! One of the not as popular songs that I still really enjoy is "The Fool On The Hill," written and recorded by McCartney. The song features a flute in the background throughout the whole piece yet the guitar isn't as prevalent in this song. I really think the vocals are great in this piece partly because halfway through each verse, Paul switches between a major and a minor key. His voice is also really almost calming even though the lyrics are pretty depressing.
"All You Need Is Love" is probably one of the most popular Beatles songs that they have ever made. Lennon backs away from his stranger more electronic tone and brings it back home to almost "old school" Beatles, actually singing nicely (But don't get me wrong, I still definitely like the other side of Lennon too). George also has one of my favorite Beatles guitar solos in this song; another reason I really enjoy it. In my opinion, Magical Mystery Tour, as weird as it is, is a big step up from Sgt. Peppers because of the superior song writing and quality of songs. -Brooks Gonzales
Staying on the topic of rock, Papa Roach, a hard rock band formed in 1993 in Vacaville CA, is definitely one of the pioneers of modern rock. Starting out as a more punk rock and hip-hop influenced band, their first EP's "Potatoes for Christmas," and "Caca Bonita," were released in 1994 and 1995 respectively. Eventually the band lost its hip-hop influence transitioning more into harder rock with definite alternative metal influence.
Their second album "Infest," reached the extremely prestigious level of triple platinum due to the success of its most popular song "Last Resort." The hip-hop element is noticeable with the songs less than melodic verses. Although the guitar is very important in the songs' rock structure.
In their third studio album "Getting Away With Murder," the success of songs like "Getting Away With Murder," and "Scars," helped the album hit platinum. The change from a hip-hop band so to speak to a more conventional rock band is very apparent in this album in both their songs and image. The guitar starts to become a more prominent and center stage role on the tracks, there is also more singing during the verses and not only limited to the chorus.
On October 9th, Papa Roach released their first "real" album in about 4 years and seventh studio album; "THE CONNECTION." The album is strikingly flowing and creates a "balance between its early roots as a nu-metal/rap-rock outfit and its more recent interest in '80s-style Sunset Strip hard rock," (Allmusic). With songs like "Wish You Never Met Me," and "Give Me Back My Life," The Connection is probably their most contemporary sounding album to date.
(Although this isn't the video of the actual song, I thought this guitar cover was pretty cool, enjoy...here's the link to the real song Give Me Back My Life video link).
Papa Roach is one of the most popular and respected rock bands of my generation and hopefully they will continue to make great music for many more years.
On June 1st, 1967, The Beatles released their 8th studio album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," entering the psychedelic era that The Beatles are known so well for. This coming only four years after "Please Please Me," a very drastic change in my opinion. This album really accentuates the "Great Leap Forward," made by their last album (Revolver) including more sophisticated song writing and higher/more unconventional experimentation with lyrics and styles. The album is very different to say the least, but even one who has never studied music or even The Beatles before, could notice that drugs play a huge role in influencing the album. Ringo even says it himself in "With a Little Help From My Friends," in chorus he says: "I get by with a little help from my friends, I get high with a little help from my friends," I'm not sure how much more obvious one could get. But there is also the argument that his friends just make him happy and lift his spirits high...although I'm not buying that scenario. Even with this subliminal messaging of sorts, it doesn't take away anything from this song, and its very catchy melody and overall feeling of an instant classic. Another instant classic and the third track on the album, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," was also heavily influenced by drugs. Is it just merely coincidence that the only three capitalized words in the title first letters spell LSD? Maybe (although probably not), but the song is "trippy" to say the least. Even though some of the lyrics include the images of "the tangerine trees and the marmalade sky," the song is probably the best songs of psychedelia as a whole. The soft and comforting melody emphasized by Lennon's whispery vocals along with the organ in the background makes the song what it is.
Another really trippy song off of the album is "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" Lennon wrote most of the song although Paul is said to have collaborated on the track as well. But the song isn't really a song at all. Shortly after the release of the song, Lennon openly said that the lyrics were taken almost word for word from a poster for a circus from the 1840's. After the first verse there is an instrumental break that encompasses a merry-go-roundish sound creating a "swirl of sound," creating an almost creepy feel.
Regarding the video below: as I was looking for a version of the real song I found this...I'm not sure what to even say at this point except for drugs are bad kids...although my favorite part is most definitely 2:15
Even with it's controversial themes, Sgt. Peppers is still a pretty good album with its first three songs becoming breakout hits. Not my favorite Beatles album but still important nonetheless.
