The 1980s - University of Kansas



The 1980s

I. The 80s sound

A. Compare and contrast Michael Jackson and Prince

B. Michael Jackson – Thriller

a. Style beat – 8 beat, occasionally opening to 16-beat

i. Constantly present in cymbals

b. Instrumentation – drum machine, horns, guitar, synthesizer, bass (synth)

c. Texture

i. Often thin

ii. Thickens through verse

d. Accent on backbeat?

i. Yes

ii. Occasionally

e. Riffs?

i. Riff-based (bass)

ii. Also keyboard, horn riffs in chorus

f. Stylistic influences?

i. Funk – Parliament, specifically

ii. Disco

iii. Gospel

iv. 70s soul – particularly Philadelphia

g. Other

i. Doubling (via overdubs) on hook, significant lines

ii. Polyrhythmic – layered rhythmic ostinati

iii. Melody driven, dramatic vocal style

iv. Reverb

C. Prince – When Doves Cry

a. Style beat - 8 beat

b. Instrumentation – guitar, drum machine, synthesizer, drum,

c. Texture - thin

d. Accent on backbeat?

i. Yes

ii. Rebound backbeat on 2

e. Riffs?

i. Keyboard riffs

f. Stylistic influences?

i. Hard rock

ii. Gospel

iii. Funk

iv. Disco

g. Other

i. Doubling (via overdubs) on hook, significant lines

ii. Polyrhythmic – layered rhythmic ostinati

iii. No bass

iv. Melody driven, dramatic vocal style

v. Reverb

D. Ingredients of the “mainstream” 80s sound

1. “Musical melting pot”

a. All rock styles used as inspiration

i. 70s styles: punk, funk, new wave (still in progress), reggae, black Romantic music

ii. Retro styles: rockabilly, surf music, black rock and roll,

Motown, blues, R&B

aa. Ex. Stray Cat Strut – Stray Cats

bb. Ex. Stevie Ray Vaughn

iii. World music

b. Heard in new and unusual combinations

2. Synthesizers become standard component of rock ensemble

a. Produces artificially generated sound through the manipulation of

electrical currents

i. Create entirely new sounds

ii. Or replicate sound of any instrument

b. How it works

i. Recall – sound travels as wave

ii. Oscillator creates a wave form

iii. Filters modify tone color by subtle alterations to wave form

iv. Synthesizers have feature that maps waveforms onto different pitches on a keyboard

v. Other oscillators or generators manipulate vibrato, attack, sustain, and decay

c. Synthesizers invented in 50s, but limited

i. Expensive

ii. Could only create/play one sound at a time

d. Four and eight voice polyphonic synthesizers introduced in early 1980s

i. Roland

ii.Yamaha DX-7: first inexpensive digital synthesizer

iii. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) [invented 1983]

Makes technology easy to use

3. New media

a. CDs introduced 1984 - though no real advantages

b. MTV

i. Launched 1981

ii. Shortly becomes means of launching new artists, songs

iii. Show clip

II. MTV/Pop rock

A. Madonna

B. Michael Jackson

1. Born 1958

2. Jackson Five formed in late 1960s with brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and

Marlon

a. Motown act

b. Michael records a few solo records as well

3. 1976 Jackson Five leave Motown for Epic – become The Jacksons

4. 1978 Meets Quincy Jones while making The Wiz

a. Becomes producer of next LP

b. 1979 Off the Wall goes multiplantinum

i. Hit singles: Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough, Rock With You

ii. Fusion of rock, soul, and funk grooves

c. Jacksons more or less dissolve

5. 1983 Thriller

a. More than 50 million copies sold to date

b. Six top ten hits, seven of the nine tracks chart

c. Unprecedented fusion of styles

i. Tracks on album

ii. Influences combined on each track

iii. Ex. Beat It

aa. Punk-influenced beat

bb. Funk influences evident

cc. Some input from early hip-hop

dd. Combined with hard rock and heavy metal

C. Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson)

1. Also born 1958

2. First album 1979

a. Plays all instruments on and produces

b. Does so for first five albums

3. Reaches mega-stardom with 1999 (1982)

4. Records with a number of outfits

a. New Power Generation

b. Revolution

5. But elements of style remain consistent

a. Mixes disparate stylistic influences

b. Certain eroticism

c. Strong hooks

d. Melody with wide range over polyrhythmic foundation

e. Ex. Little Red Corvette

D. The Go-Gos and other mainstream of the mainstream acts

1. One of first all-female bands

2. Can stand as prototype of mainstream ‘80s pop

a. “Synth-heavy and ruthlessly stylish new romantic movement”

b. Sleek dance pop

c. “Anyone who puts their minds to it could make ‘80s pop music”

d. Formula –

i. All of the above

ii. Riff less important than groove

aa. Rhythmic feeling created by sum of all layers

bb. Bright, dance-friendly

iii. “Slice of life” lyrics

iv. Flat four/sixteen beat style beat OR saturated eight beat

aa. Accented backbeat

bb. Rebound backbeat favored

v. Catchy melody with memorable hooks

vi. Lots of repetition

3. Ex. We Got the Beat

III. Rock with a Message

A. Minority of groups, artists

1. Many indie or niche groups

2. But also pop rock, mainstream acts

3. Music serves as platform for message

B. Ex. Bruce Springsteen – Born in the USA

1. From album of same name that launches Springsteen into mainstream

a. Recorded a few earlier hits

i. Hungry Heart

ii. Born to Run

b. Also sold number of songs to other artists

c. Springsteen songs you didn’t know you knew…

i. Fire – The Pointer Sisters

ii. Pink Cadillac – Aretha Franklin

iii. Blinded By the Light – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band

iv. Because the Night – Patti Smith Group

2. Born in the USA occasionally misunderstood

3. Overall critique of hardships of mainstream America

4. Born in the USA

a. Opens with synthesizer riff = melody

b. Verse and refrain form

c. Simple bassline: 1 +3 1 +3, drums accent backbeat

d. Thin texture

i. Thickens in second, third verse with more active bassline

ii. Returns to opening texture for bleak final verse

iii. Opposite of end-weighting

e. Eight beat style beat

f. Highly repetitive – like circumstances of protagonist

g. Influences singers-songwriters of 70s, folk music, blues, hard rock,

rockabilly and early rock

C. Ex. U2- Pride (In the Name of Love)

1. 16 beat style beat

a. Choked guitar

i. Less a riff than an ostinati

ii. Two interlocking patterns

b. Contrast to 8 beat style beat in active bass line

c. Double time drum fills

d. Every instrument, part in own register

2. Accented backbeat

3. Instrumental accompaniment for high-pitched vocals – melodic focus

4. Moderate texture, but thins under most significant verses

5. Influences 70s soul, gospel, Celtic music, as well as singer-songwriters

D. Other rock activism of the 80s

1. Band-Aid

a. Benefit recording by British pop and rock stars

i. Do They Know It’s Christmas b/w Feed the World

ii. Written by Bob Geldof (Boomtown Rats) and Midge Ure

(Ultravox)

b. Response to BBC documentary on famine in Ethiopia

c. Geldof hopes to raise £72,000 for charity; makes £8 million

2. USA for Africa

a. US response to Band-Aid

b. “We Are the World” written by Quincy Jones

c. Most of top rock and pop artists participate

3. Live Aid

a. Bi-continental concert held 13 July 1985

b. Also organized by Bob Geldof

c. 68 bands playing in UK (Wembley Stadium) and US (Philadelphia)

d. Raised over $100 million

4. Farm Aid

a. Founded by John Cougar Mellencamp and Willie Nelson

b. To raise awareness about plight of family farms

IV. Heavy Metal in the 1980s

A. Metal stagnates by mid 1970s

B. Reinvents itself in 1980s

1. At least three different streams

2.But with certain commonalities

a. LOUD

b. Distortion still important

c. Riff-driven

d. Instrumental virtuosity becoming more important

i. Primarily for guitar players

ii. Influence of Eddie Van Halen

aa. Guitarist for Van Halen

bb. Fast, brilliant style based on rapid arpeggiation

(borrowed from classical music), extremes of range

and register, wide palate of tone colors

e. Lyrics deal with sex, occult, power, rage, frustration

f. In most respects, replaces punk as music of teenage angst

C. Various grades of “purity”

1. “Pure” Heavy Metal – Metallica, Iron Maiden, AC/DC

2. “Pop” Metal (aka Light Alloy) – Van Halen, Def Leppard, Quiet Riot

3. Hair Metal – Poison, Motley Crüe, Twisted Sister

a. Fusion of heavy metal and glam rock

b. Makeup, big hair, costumes combined with aggressive hard rock

c. Like glam, says more about performance style than music

4. Differences?

i. Metallica – One

ii. Def Leppard – Photograph

iii. Guns and Roses – Welcome to the Jungle

5. One

i. Complex form

ii. Aggressive timekeeping

iii. Extended solos and virtuosic playing

iv. Harmonic and rhythmic complexities

v. Music with a message

6. Photograph

i. Verse (ABC)/refrain form

ii. Short/no solos

iii. Riff-driven

iv. Melody more important

v. Simple harmonies

vi. Catchy hook

vii. More subdued timekeeping, though accented backbeat

viii. Short solo

7. Welcome to the Jungle – middle ground

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