Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Peer Comment 3
Hi Frank,
I really enjoyed reading your post, not only from an informative perspective, but also from hearing your thoughts on The Beatles and Revolver from someone who is not a fan of their music. I personally am a Beatles fan and after hearing Revolver I immediately downloaded the album.
I do completely agree with you that The Beatles would not have been the same band without the influence of George Martin. Without his compositional and production influences I don’t think that The Beatles would have been the super-stars or innovators that the world knows them as today. I also agree that LSD did play a huge role in the transition of The Beatles from a “Teenie-Bop Pop” group to a serious band that would change the world of music forever. I do feel like you insinuated in your blog that without the drug experimentation that they would not have come up with many of their innovations or lyrical content and that very well may be true, but isn’t that fairly common practice for most pop and rock stars.
I also agree that during the recording of this album, that The Beatles and George Martin made very good use of the studio. One of my favorite aspects of the album is the very beginning, when the listener is invited into the studio and you can hear the sounds of the musicians right before laying down the track.
Again, this was a very good read and I am glad that you shared.
Brian Best
Lee "Scratch" Perry and King Tubby
Osbourne Ruddock, aka King Tubby, and Lee Scratch Perry together were instrumental in giving the world two new genres of music, Dub and Reggae. Though the two had very different styles and attitudes, their combined work was revolutionary for Jamaican music and created a worldwide phenomenon. King Tubby’s technical know-how and obsessive perfectionism as a sonic engineer helped him gain notoriety on the small island, so much so that albums were getting sold just because his name was on them[1]. Perry on the other hand was a fiery young songwriter/producer who, through a thick cloud of ganja smoke, let his madness take control of the music he was creating, and in doing so, invented many production techniques that are still heavily used in today’s music, such as sampling and very experimental recording techniques.
Both men came up in Jamaica’s music industry through working with the country’s biggest producers, Perry with Clement “Coxsone” Dodd, and Tubby with Duke Reid, and each gained a great deal of experience and skills with these experiences. In fact, it was while working for Treasure Isle studio under Reid, that King Tubby accidentally stumbled upon the beginnings of Dub. He accidentally left out some of the vocals on a track while cutting the record. He listened to the track, expecting failure, but what he heard was something far different, he realized that the spaciousness that the missing vocals provided actually increased the sonic quality of the track, thus the roots of Dub were born1. During his time at Treasure Island, King Tubby continued to expand his technical abilities due to the fact that sound systems would regularly be damaged or sabotaged by rival companies and need to be repaired. He ultimately was able to design his signature Home Town Hi-Fi system, which included some heavy-duty echo and reverberation effects, which would later be used to craft Dub music.
In 1972 Perry and King Tubby began working together on an album that would effectively put Dub on the map. The album Blackboard Jungle Dub was only released in Jamaica and they only made 300 copies but the techniques used on the album are still evident in much of today’s music[2]. Full of jittery rhythms, sampled audio, growls and screams by Perry, and of course King Tubby’s sonic mastery of the craft of dub, that he was virtually inventing, Blackboard Jungle Dub was the first full Dub album and began a style that would be heavily embraced in Jamaica and techniques that would be used world-wide.
Lee “Scratch” Perry and King Tubby completely changed the face of music in Jamaica and influenced music throughout the world. Tubby provided the sonic and technical know how to effectively use heavy effects to full in the minimalist approach to Dub music and is also known as an innovator of the remix[3]. Perry’s madman approach to creating music helped shaped the more upbeat and jittery sound of Reggae in contrast to earlier forms of Jamaican music. He is also a great innovator in the use of recorded audio samples and some very unique recording techniques that he developed in his home Black Ark Studio.
It is very apparent how the music from both of these men has helped create the styles of Reggae and Dub music. What I appreciate most when listening to their music is their vision. I really like the sample of the baby crying on Perry’s “People Funny Boy”; in fact I myself have used the sounds of my daughter babbling and crying in several of my tracks. I also really like the minimalist vibe of Blackboard Jungle Dub and how it allows the effects to breathe and gives them a sort of life.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is one of the most influential bands to today’s new wave of music. Their experimental approach to music and use of new mechanical instruments, in place of traditional ones, has been a catalyst for many styles of music to flourish and has helped transformed others into what we know today. If you turn on your radio to the top 40’s chart, you will instantly hear sounds that were initially pioneered by Kraftwerk such as synthesizers, sequencers, and vocal transformers, just to name a few.
Two students of the Dusseldorf Conservator, Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider formed Kraftwerk[1]. At first, they were attempting to imitate the pop sound of The Beach Boys, but after initially being unsuccessful, the two young musicians built their own studio and began working on more experimental music using mechanically created sounds. Their first two albums have been described as being Krautrock, a form of experimental pop; however, their fourth album Autobahn was something completely different and had a sound that hadn’t been heard before[2]. It was on this album that the band had completely removed all forms of traditional instrumentation and was purely creating music through the use of machines.
Kraftwerk also had an image that wasn’t a standard for a pop or rock artist of the time. They played shows dressed in vintage suits with short, neatly cut hair, and enjoyed bicycling in their free time rather than partying and running wild. This image was in part due to their background of growing up in Germany and also in part to their idea of acting out their music and simulating robots, as if they were one with the instruments that they had created.
One of the attributes that helped Kraftwerk to become so successful was how they were able to conceptualize entire albums based on a single theme. Autobahn was obviously themed towards motor vehicle travel and the voyage. Their next album, Radio Activity was not an international hit like Autobahn had been, but they still continued to have a theme in their art. Radio Activity however, was a success in Europe and allowed the band to travel the area playing shows and subsequently finding the theme for their next album, Trans-Europe Express, which was a tribute to locomotion. The two albums released in 1978, Man Machine, and 1981, Computer World, showed a shift in the themes to go from something human such as communication and travel to something very non-human in that of technology[3].
Kraftwerk is responsible for not only many innovations, but also influencing the right people to make this electronic form of music more widely popular. The very nature of their robotic, repetitive, yet funky sound was an innovation. In a way it is similar to what The Beatles were experimenting with songs like Tomorrow Never Knows, where the tracks could go on forever and somehow never get old. They also were innovators technologically, creating and using many instruments for the very first time. However, one of their biggest achievements may be the influence that they had on huge names of the time such as Brian Eno and David Bowie. They helped open up a much wider audience for this style of music and helped shape a worldwide love affair with electronic music.
When I listen to Kraftwerk I can definitely hear the way that they have influenced pop music. You can’t turn on the radio anymore without hearing a song that has auto-tune on it, which is basically a form of a vocoder. Electronic drum kits and processed synthesizers are also very common in today’s most popular music.
Gary Numan
Another great innovator in the realm of electronic music is the iconic Gary Numan. His most popular works include “Cars” and his work with Tubeway Army “Are Friends Electric”. Gary Numan is an English born singer, composer, and musician who is most widely known for his use of synthesizers being fed through amps and effects processors designed for electric guitars. He was highly influenced by the band Kraftwerk and it shows through in his music and image.
His sounds were robotic, his image icy and without emotion, and his content was filled with paranoia and lonely darkness. He helped usher in the age of goth rock and the industrial music revolution. In the 90’s it became apparent how important of a role Gary Numan played in the new wave of music being produced when several big names such as Hole, The Foo Fighters, Marilyn Manson, and The Smashing Pumpkins covered many of his songs[1].
His melancholy attitude and industrial sounds being combined with pop beats were what made Gary Numan’s music so innovative. Interestingly enough, the style that Gary Numan is so famous for came as an accident. Before appearing on a television show, “Top of the Pops”, the make up crew had caked his face with make-up, to cover his intense acne, and darkened his eyes so they weren’t lost in the make-up. He then made his appearance, lacking showmanship and full of nerves, and produced a very stiff, robotic performance[2]. The combination of the image and performance stuck with him and thus the goth/emo persona was defined.
Week 2 Peer Comment
Hello Stephany,
Great post! I find it interesting that many of the most influential bands and albums of our time were great musical experimenters, and Kraftwerk was one of the best. It sort of blows my mind that they actually created many of the electronic instruments that they used. I would have to agree with you, that the members of Kraftwerk probably scoff at the luxuries that we producers have in regards to the ease of being able to create electronic sounds with a few clicks of a mouse. At the same time, I would also have to imagine that this fills them with a great sense of pride, because without the innovations that the group formed, many of these tools would not be so widely used. However, even with all of the power of our DAW’s, software instruments, and hardware, we can still think like Kraftwerk and try to find new ways of creating interesting and innovative sounds through musical experimentation.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Tomorrow Never Knows - Podcast
Here is the link to my podcast over some of the innovations brought on by The Beatles Revolver and in particular the track "Tomorrow Never Knows".
Tomorrow Never Knows Podcast
Tomorrow Never Knows Podcast
Monday, January 16, 2012
Peer Comment
Hello Rudolph,
I must admit, I too found it a bit difficult to put on a pair of headphones and really listen to The Velvet Underground and Nico all the way through. However, as I was listening to the album I realized that I was hearing techniques being used that I had just started experimenting with myself, like purposely adding feedback.
I do think you are on to something when you allude to the fact that it helps to be in an altered state of thinking when listening to this album to truly appreciate it. When you can allow yourself to let go and let the music take you wherever it goes, no matter how gruesome or disturbing the path is. When you are sober, the music makes you go crazy, when you are crazy the music takes you on a journey.
Brian Best
The Velvet Underground and Nico
The Velvet Underground and Nico is regarded to some as one of the most influential albums of the twentieth century. This was The Velvet Underground’s first album and was unlike anything that had been commercially reproduced at the time. The music on the album is a mixture of beauty and noise and was created as a form of art more so than a rock album. Much of the subject matter of the album was also shocking to many of the time. What was heard on those tracks is what could be seen walking through the streets of New York City, where drugs and sexual deviance and promiscuity reigned free. Armed with out of tune guitars and strings and fueled by drugs and a rebellious desire to create something other than the “Love and Peace” norm of the time, The Velvet Underground created an album that has influenced western music ever since[1].
The lead writers in The Velvet Underground were Lou Reed and John Cale. Mr. Reed had a background in literature, street pharmacology, and in a sense the Sociology of the streets. He had also studied under poet Delmore Schwartz. He joined up with John Cale through their work with PickWick records. John Cale was a very well trained composer; a graduate at London’s Goldsmith College had; and studied at Tanglewood Music Center[2]. Together, Reed and Cale were the driving creative forces behind The Velvet Underground.
Andy Warhol on the other hand, was the band’s manager, producer, and driving force financially and influentially. He helped them get a recording contract with MGM’s verve records and also featured them performing in his show, Exploding Plastic Inevitable. Warhol was also insistent that German model Nico be featured on their debut album[3].
The Velvet Underground and Nico was a very different sound than anything else that was getting nationally released at the time. Their subject matter focusing on drugs, transvestites, and other sexual deviance combined with the gritty sounds including feedback and detuned instruments was greeted with confusion and initially rejected by the public. However, it is now considered revolutionary in its use of intentionally incorporating unpleasant sounds into music.
I can appreciate The Velvet Underground and Nico for their creative use of noise and dissonance and their bold experimentation in the studio. I do however find it difficult to sit down and really listen to the album in its entirety. There is a lot of tension built into the album and at times I feel that it is just droning on and on.
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
Marvin Gaye’s pinnacle album What’s Going On was a turning point for the artist and for the Motown machine. At the beginning of his musical career, Marvin Gaye began as a session drummer and then was converted to lead vocalist. His early works were standard gospel based R & B tracks that Motown was know for churning out, with subject matter focusing on love. However, after Renaldo Benson had revealed his song “What’s Going on” to Marvin, a spark was lit in him to create something that was a far cry from the status quo.
Marvin Gaye was a strong willed man who, beneath his crooning voice, had many rebellious inclinations that had been brought on by the war and amplified with a string of cultural tragedies in America. His brother, Frankie, had been in Vietnam and had told him of the horrors that he had seen from the gore, to images of children eating out of their garbage cans. At home he would watch from his television the Detroit race riots of ’67, people protesting the Vietnam War, and many other racial and cultural tragedies that seemed all too common. These influences propelled Gaye to overcome the obstacles that were in his way to get What’s Going On released.
The biggest obstacle to overcome in getting the album What’s Going On released was Marvin Gaye’s brother-in-law Berry Gordy Jr. He would not let the album pass through Quality Control stating that it was too political and did not fit into the “Motown Sound”[1]. Even after arguments from Anna, Berry Gordy’s sister, and Harry Balk, a veteran that would oversee Motown’s creative department while Gordy was away, Mr. Gordy stayed true to his decision not to release the album. Fortunately for us, Marvin Gaye was a very stubborn man as well. He refused to work until the album was released. Finally, in January of 1971 the album was released and went on to sell 100,000 copies in the first day[2].The album was a certainly not the typical “Motown Sound” that Detroit had been consistently pumping out. Instead of songs about love, this album discussed issues like war, racism, and a sense of awe about what was going on in the world. There were also many sonic characteristics in the album, which were new for Motown. One of which was having two different versions of Marvin’s vocals playing at the same time on the mix. This happy accident eventually became a staple of Marvin Gaye’s sound. Another unique sonic attribute to this album was the fact that Mr. Gaye used an entire chorus to supplement his vocals rather than the typical 3 backup singers.
When listening to What’s Going On I really appreciate the content of the album. The lyrics are deep, and rather than being a protest album, it seems to be more of an observation and reaction to the situation. Sonically the album is also very well crafted. From the very beginning with the saxophone introduction to “What’s Going On”, the album just seems to invite you in and experience the story.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Revolver Blog
The Beatles Revolver was a groundbreaking album for its time, and continues to influence music today. Prior to the release of Revolver and the Paperback Writer single, the Beatles had maintained a very consistent sound and image. They typically were singing about young love in their typical four-piece arrangement[1]. They were worshiped by their fans and maintained an image of pop icons. Revolver was something completely different from what they had done before, it was massively experimental and a beginning to psychedelic rock. They not only experimented with different instruments, subjects, and styles, but the album also exhibited a great deal of revolutionary production techniques.
There are several outside influences that led the Beatles to such a drastic changes in their image and sound. The two biggest influences in the surge in creativity and artistic expression in the group were a much-needed break and experimentation with hallucinogenic drugs. With time, the band was able to relax and let their creativity flourish. They also experimented with marijuana and LSD, which heavily influenced their music. They began to attempt to create a drug experience through their music and thus began their shift into psychedelic rock.
The Beatles used the studio in a variety of ways during the Revolver sessions. At the very beginning of the album, you are invited into the studio with the count-off to "Taxman"[2]. They also had many revolutionary production techniques using the studio equipment. From reversed birdcalls and guitar licks, to using a Leslie speaker cabinet for John’s voice on “Tomorrow Never Knows”2.
Revolver showcases many innovations to the Beatles sound, which has affected rock and pop music since. This was the first time on an album where the Beatles were able to step up or in some cases step back to let each track speak in its own way. For instance, on Eleanor Rigby there are no drums, bass, or guitars, the Beatles are providing only the vocals with the string octet. The production techniques such as using reversed guitars were also huge innovations. It opened up a world of experimentation that had never been thought of before.
When I listen to Revolver I marvel at how diverse of an album it is, but it all seems to fit together. Like the Beach Boys Pet Sounds I also appreciate the fact that Revolver was such a departure from their previous albums, even though they had found a recipe that was working. I also really enjoy the arrangement of the tracks, from the string octet of “Eleanor Rigby” to the Sitar and drone in “Love You Too” and “Tomorrow Never Knows”.
Pet Sounds Blog
The Beach Boys were one of the biggest and most influential bands of the 20th century, and theireleventh studio album, Pet Sounds, has proven to be one of the most important albums of all time[1]. Pet Sounds introduced many new styles, instrumentation, and subject matter that Beach Boys fans had not heard before. Prior to Pet Sounds, the Beach Boys’ sound was a harmony rich rock style, typically focusing on surfing, cars, and young romance.
The driving influence in the evolution of the Beach Boys sound was their principle writer, producer, arranger, and band mate, Brian Wilson[2]. This overload of responsibilities eventually took its toll on Wilson and near the end of 1964 he announced that he would no longer tour with the band. This sent him back to the studio full time to focus on writing and letting his creativity prosper. Brian had also observed the practices of the great Phil Spector in the studio, which led to the addition of new instrumentation that was not typically associated with rock music, such as accordions and bass harmonicas. Brian Wilson was also greatly influenced by landfall of The Beatles. The two bands were in a direct yet friendly competition to be the number one band, and they were continually pushing each other to achieve new heights. After hearing The Beatles album Rubber Soul, which was released December of 1965 just prior to the Beach Boys Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson has said, “I really wasn't quite ready for the unity. It felt like it all belonged together. Rubber Soul was a collection of songs ... that somehow went together like no album ever made before, and I was very impressed. I said, 'That's it. I really am challenged to do a great album.'”1
When listening to Pet Sounds, I can really admire the inspiration behind it. The instrumentation really sounds out to me now. I can remember hearing some of these songs before and I never noticed how much is going on. I also truly appreciate the content of the album. The Beach Boys new how to sell albums, but with Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson chose to break away from the standard and display a more expressive and artistic side.
References
[2] The Bob Edward’s Interview with Peter Ames Carlin, Author of catch A Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson – August 13, 2009
Revolver Blog
Revolver Blog
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_%28album%29
[2] http://www.prx.org/pieces/15368-everything-was-right-the-beatles-revolver
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
[1] http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/69381-whats-going-on-marvin-gayes-liberation-from-the-motown-sound/
[2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/dec/08/extract1
The Velvet Underground and Nico
[1] The Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground and Nico (33 1/3 Series) (Unabridged) - Joe Harvard – 2009 Audible Inc
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cale
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Velvet_Underground_%26_Nico
Lee "Scratch" Perry and King Tubby
Lee "Scratch" Perry and King Tubby
[1] Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and Their Maverick Recordings – David N. Howard - 2004
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upsetters_14_Dub_Blackboard_Jungle
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Tubby
Welcome
Hello all, my name is Brian Best and I am a music producer, composer, experimenter, arranger, and lover. I am currently enrolled in Full Sail University's online Music Production Bachelor's of Science program and will soon have my degree. I have always had a passion for music and a great deal of interest in writing music. When I was a youth, I was involved in my school band program as well as jazz band, playing the tenor saxophone. In early adulthood I pursued the art of turntablism which ultimately led me to writing my own music. Since I have started the MPBS program at Full Sail, my production and writing skills have improved greatly and I feel like I will be able to make a good career out of my passion. When I graduate I am interested in working in many different fields of music production, from writing scores to feature films, to creating sound effects, to producing library tracks for use with any media.
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