alternative rock week 3
DESCRIPTION
Alternative Rock Week 3TRANSCRIPT
Popular Music Studies: Alternative Rock
Week 3
Development of Alt Rock in the UK
Technology
• Has always had an influence on the development of music, particularly popular music…
• Serenade en La
• The electric microphone
Technology
• Multitrack recording – Les Paul
• Sgt. Peppers
• The recording as the ‘primary artefact’ for popular music (Allan Moore)
Technology
• Multitrack recording – Les Paul
• Sgt. Peppers
• The recording as the ‘primary artefact’ for popular music (Allan Moore)
Technology
• Music recordings can bear greater scrutiny
• The recording itself, and process, rather than score
• Rock recording merely offers a facsimile of old musical models – musique concrete, rap…
Alt Rock in the UK
• Mod revival – The Jam
• New-wave, post-punk, synth-pop… Eurythmics, Pet Shop Boys
• UK bands more embracing of synths, technology, influence from outside of rock
Alt Rock in the UK
• Core of guitar, bass, drums, but more likely to have extra instrumentation
• Textural and atmospheric ides
• Alienated, technologically-driven sound vs. clean, rock/folk influenced guitar sound
Cocteau Twins
• Formed 1979
• Signed with 4AD
• Ethereal, dreamy sound, created with vocals, guitars and effects.
Cocteau Twins
• Heaven or Las Vegas (1990, 4AD)
• Later signed with Capitol and Mercury
Creation Records
• Founded by Alan McGee, Dick Green and Joe Foster in 1983
• Initial release was ‘’73 in ‘83’ by The Legend!
• First bands included The Jesus & Mary Chain, Primal Scream…
The Jesus & Mary Chain
• Psychocandy (1985)
Creation Records
• ‘…care less about lyrics and song structure, and more about the sonic texture of the song’.
Primal Scream
• Formed in 1982
• Bobby Gillespie had played drums with The Jesus & Mary Chain, left to focus on this band
• First release with Elevation (Warner Bros. Subsidiary)
My Bloody Valentine
• Creation’s next big hit, signed in 1988
• Isn’t Anything (1988)
My Bloody Valentine
• Loveless (1991)
Creation Records
• Largely bankrupt in 1991
• Sony bought 50% of the company in 1992, enabling it to continue.
Primal Scream
• Screamadelica (Creation, 1991)
‘Madchester’ sound
• The Happy Mondays (1980-93)
• Pills ‘n Thrills and Bellyaches (1990)
• The Stone Roses (1983-1996)
• The Stone Roses (1989)
The Stone Roses
Music Journalism
• Writers and DJs are ‘active in the development of ideological rationalizations of popular music.’
• NME, Melody Maker, etc.
• John Peel and other DJs
Britpop
• Dominated by two bands:
• Blur vs. Oasis
• Stylistically, a return to sixties-influenced guitar rock
• A reaction to US alt rock and grunge which was gaining huge popularity
Blur
• Leisure (1991) showed influence from both shoegaze and Madchester sounds
• Modern Life is Rubbish (1993) was a move towards the Britpop sound
Blur
Blur
• Parklife (1994)
Oasis
• Signed to Creation in 1993, though markedly different to shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine
• Definitely Maybe (1993)
• Distorted guitars, lack of additional orchestration
• Influence of sixties rock bands, post-punk
Oasis
Oasis
• What’s the Story (Morning Glory)? (1995)
Britpop…
Britpop…
Britpop…