Think Rock

Professor Dettmar splits his research and teaching between British & Irish modernism, esp. James Joyce, and contemporary popular music. He is the editor of the Journal of Popular Music Studies, editor for Oxford University Press of the book series Modernist Literature & Culture, and general editor of the Longman Anthology of British Literature.

• Contents 1 The Prehistory of Rock & Roll 2Section 1 What Were the First Influences of Rock & Roll? 4Mongrel Genealogy: The Ancestors of Rock & Roll 4A Sheet-Music Economy and a New Mass-Market 4The “Golden Age” of Tin Pan Alley: 1920s and 1930s 5Section 2 How Did New Technologies Influence Musical Styles? 6Technological Breakthroughs Create a New Audience 6Recording Takes Hold 6Rock Places: Black Swan Records 6Popular Music and the National Scene 7Rock Technology: Electrical Recording 7Section 3 What Musical Styles Prefigured Rock & Roll? 8The Jazz Craze 8The Swing Bands Get in the Mood 9Major Swing Bands and Bandleaders 9Flashpoints: Issues in Rock 9Race Records and the Blues 10Surprise Hits Find a Market 10Country Blues 11“Classic” Blues and the Smoother Sound 12Section 4 How Did Crossover Hits Pave the Way for Rock & Roll? 13Blues Goes Electric 13Folk Begins with the Depression 13Woody Guthrie 13Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! August 11, 1945 13Urban Folk: From Guthrie to Seeger 14Classic Recordings: “Goodnight Irene,” The Weavers (written by Lead Belly) 14The Beginning of Country 15The Carter Family 15Hybrid Styles: Western Swing and Country-Lite 16Bluegrass and Instrumental Proficiency 17Rhythm & Blues 18Rock People: Louis Jordan 18Women and Rhythm & Blues 19Post-war Crossovers Become Rock & Roll 19  2 The “Birth” of Rock & Roll (1951—1955) 23Section 1 Where Did Rock & Roll Come From? 24The History of the Term 24The Evolution of Rock & Roll 251950s America: A Changing Country 25A Changing Music 26Rock Technology: The 45 26Section 2How Did Rock & Roll First Emerge in the United States? 27The First Rock & Roll Records 27“I’ve Got a Woman”: Gospel Meets R&B 27Classic Recordings: “I Got a Woman” 28“Good Rockin’ Tonight”: R&B Meets the Party Animal 28“Rocket ’88”: Rock & Roll Meets the Automobile 28The First Rock & Roll Singers 29The Fabulous Little Richard 29Chuck Berry Plays, Sings, and Duck Walks 30Rock Place: Sun Studio 31Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! 1956 32Elvis Aaron Presley 32Flashpoints: Issues in Rock 34Royalties and Rights 34Jerry Lee Lewis 35Carl Perkins 36Classic Recordings: “That’s All Right”/”Blue Moon of Kentucky” 37Section 3 How Was Rock & Roll Marketed? 37Selling the Music 37AM Radio 37Alan Freed: Finding the Audience 37DJ Dewey Phillips: Finding the Talent 38Rock People: “Colonel” Tom Parker: Selling the Superstar 39  3 The Establishment Strikes Back (1954—1960) 43Section 1 How Did Rock & Roll Divide the Generations? 44Rock Gets Its First “Black Eye” 44Blackboard Jungle 44The Teenage National Anthem 45Top of the Charts: Billboard Top 100, July 9, 1955 46Section 2 What Effect Did Scandals Have on Rock? 46Another “Black Eye” for Rock: ASCAP vs. BMI 46The Payola Scandal 48Alan Freed and Dick Clark 48Flashpoint: Issues in Rock 48The End of Payola 50Section 3 In What Other Ways Was Rock Music Attacked in the 1950s? 51Attack of the Musical Mainstream 51The Plan of Attack 51Classic Recordings: Let’s All Sing with the Chipmunks by Alvin and the Chipmunks 52Rock & Roll and the Red Scare 52Rock Places: Washington, D.C. 53Section 4 What Nearly Killed Rock & Roll? 54Domestication and the Near Death of Rock Music 54Elvis Presley Meets Television 54Classic Recordings: Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley 55“Clean Teens” in Film 56Rock’s Deathbed 56Jerry Lee Lewis 56Rock Technology: Jukebox 57The Day the Music Died 57Rock People: Buddy Holly 58Rock on Hiatus 59  4  American Bandstand, Teen Idols, and Race Lines (1957—1961) 63 Section 1 How Did White Cover Artists “Hijack” Records by African American Artists? 64Cover Versions 64Hijacking Hits 64Pat Boone 65Bill Haley 65Implications of White-Bread Pop 65Flashpoints: Issues in Rock 66Squeaky-Clean Teen Idols 66American Bandstand 67Rock People: Dick Clark 68Section 2 What Was the Impact of Teen Idols? 69Teen Idols 69The Brill Building Bunch 69Top of the Charts: Billboard Hot 100 1959 69Musical Families 70Section 3 What Were the Early Influences of Surf Music? 70Surfing U.S.A. 70Early Surf 71Rock Technology: The Fender Stratocaster, Fender Amp, and Fender Reverb Unit 71Section 4 How Did Motown Originate? 72R&B Lives On 72[huck Berry 72Little Richard 72Etta James 3 73Classic Albums: At Last! by Etta James 73Doo-wop 74One-Hit Wonder Groups 74Beginnings of Motown 75The Sound of Young America 76Rock Places: Detroit 76The Supremes 77The Temptations 77The Four Tops 78Martha and the Vandellas 79The Jackson Five 79  5 Changin’ Times (1962—1966) 83]What Is Folk Music? 84Folk’s Roots 84Folk Crosses the Color Line 84Folk Gets Political 85Woody Guthrie 85Pete Seeger 85The Kingston Trio 86Classic Recordings: Time to Think by the Kingston Trio 86How Did the Spirit of the 1960s Change Folk Music? 87The Folk Revival of the 1960s 87Dylan Embraces Folk 87Rock Places: Greenwich Village, New York City 88Dylan and the Civil Rights Movement 88Rock People: John Hammond 89Joan Baez 89Classic Recordings: I Ain’t Marching Anymore by Phil Ochs 90The Lighter Side of Folk 91Meanwhile, at the Beach 91Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! September 4, 1965 91Jan and Dean 92The Beach Boys 92Classic Recordings: Surfer Girl by the Beach Boys 93Hot-Rod Music 93Section 3 How Did Folk Music Influence Emerging Rock & Roll Genres? 94Folk Collides with Rock 94Flashpoints–Issues in Rock: Dylan Plugs In 94Dylan and the Brits 95The Byrds 95The Turtles 96Simon and Garfunkel 96The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter 97Rock Technology: The Harmonica Neck Rack 97The Canadian Invasion 97Rock Before the Invasion 99  6 The British Invasion (1964—1966) 103  Section 1 How Did British Bands Influence Rock in the 1960s? 104The Skiffle Craze 104Merseybeat 104The Beatles and Beatlemania 105Rock Places: Liverpool 105Origins of the Beatles 106Brian Epstein 106Rock People: George Martin 107The Road to America 107Top of the Charts: Billboard Hot 100 April 4, 1964 108British Invasion Bands of the First Wave 109The Rolling Stones 109Classic Albums: Rubber Soul by the Beatles, Aftermath by the Rolling Stones 111The Kinks 112The Who 112Rock Technology: The Stereo LP 113The Animals 114Herman’s Hermits 114The Zombies 115The Yardbirds 115Individual Performers  116Petula Clark 116Dusty Springfield 116Donovan 117Section 2 What Was the American Reaction to the British Invasion? 118The Colonies Fight Back! 118Flashpoints: Issues in Rock 118Gary Lewis and the Playboys 118Paul Revere and the Raiders 119The Monkees 119Section 3 What Ended the British Invasion? 119  7 The Summer of Love and Psychedelic Rock (1967—1969) 123Section 1 How Did the Hippie Movement Influence Rock Music in the Late 1960s? 124Rock’s Alliance with the Counterculture 124Hippie Opposition to the Vietnam War 124[Section 2] What Patterns Emerge when Comparing the Leading Bands of the 1960s? 125The Grateful Dead 125The Grateful Dead Live 125Jefferson Airplane 126Rock Places: San Francisco 126Moby Grape 127Janis Joplin 127Jimi Hendrix 128The Doors 129Classic Albums: The Doors by the Doors 129Love 130Frank Zappa 130Rock People: Bill Graham 13113th Floor Elevators 131Pink Floyd 132Rock Technology: Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) 132Section 3 How Did Music Festivals Define the Hippie Era? 133Rock and the Counterculture 133Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! November 16, 1968 133The Festivals 133The Human Be-In 133The Monterey International Pop Music Festival 133The Isle of Wight Festivals 133The Woodstock Music & Art Fair 134Flashpoints: Issues in Rock — The 27 Club 135The Altamont Speedway Free Festival 136Section 4 How Did the Rise of Studio Craft Change Rock Music? 137The Rise of Studio Craft 137Pet Sounds 137Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 138A British Blues Revival and Folk Goes Electric 138John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers 139Cream 139Spencer Davis Group and Traffic 139Fairport Convention and Pentangle 139  8 Sirens, Soul Singers, and Sellouts (1967—1975) 143 Section I What Were the Musical Responses Produced by the Social Crises of the Late 1960s? 144Protest Versus Soft Rock 144Easy Listening Artists 144Section 2 Who Took Part in the Soul Revival? 146The Soul Revival Takes Flight 146Wattstax Music Festival 146Riding on the Soul Train 146Aretha Franklin 147Rock Places: Philadelphia 147Section 3 What Were the Early Influences of Glam Rock? 148The Origins of Glam 148The Velvet Underground 148David Bowie 149                                                                                                                                       Flashpoints: Issues in Rock — Rock as Performance Art 149Marc Bolan 150Mott the Hoople 150Rock People: Iggy Pop 150Queen 151Elton John 151Section 4 What Led to the Rise of Heavy Metal and Progressive Rock? 152The Rise of Heavy Metal 152Led Zeppelin 152Classic Albums: Led Zeppelin IV 153Black Sabbath 153Deep Purple 154Progressive Rock 155Progressive Rock and Art Rock 155Yes 156Genesis 156Emerson, Lake and Palmer 157Pink Floyd 157Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! April 28th, 1973 157Mike Oldfield 158Stadium Rock 158Bruce Springsteen: The Future of Rock & Roll? 159Rock Technology: Multitrack Recording 159  9 Disco, Punk & New Wave: Strange Bedfellows (1973—1979) 163  Section 1 How Did Disco Change the Music Scene during the 1970s? 164Disco Dances In164The Producers164Dancing and Disco164Donna Summer: Queen of Disco165Chic165Barry White: The Sultan of Soul165Rock Places: Studio 54 166Saturday Night Fever, Hitmaker167The Village People168Flashpoints: Issues in Rock — Disco vs. Rock & Roll 168Section 2 What Were the Origins of the Punk Movement in American Musical Culture? 169Punk Pre-History169Iggy Pop and the Stooges 169Motor City Five (MC5)170The Velvet Underground170The New York Dolls171Section 3 Where Did Punk Begin? 171New York City171Rock People: Patti Smith 171The Ramones 172London172The Sex Pistols173Classic Albums: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols by the Sex Pistols 173The Clash174Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! April 1, 1978 175Section 4 How Did New Wave Emerge from the Death of Punk? 176New Wave Rears Its Head176Classic Albums: My Aim is True by Elvis Costello 176Public Image Limited (PiL)176Gang of Four177X-Ray Spex 177The Slits177The Au Pairs177Joy Division178Rock Technology: Do It Yourself (DIY) Technology 178The Jam178Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell, and Television 179New Wave Goes Full Circle179  10 New Wave & Synth Pop (1977—1987) 183Section 1 How Did Punk’s Destructive Focus Create New Options for Later Musicians? 184New Wave Takes Shape 184New Wave in New York 185Blondie and Television 185Rock People: Hilly Kristal 186Section 2 What Role Did Britain Play in Crafting the New Wave Sound? 187The British Post-Pistols 187Elvis Costello 187British Successes, Punk Holdouts, and New Wave 188Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! 1977 188Pure Pop in Britain and the United States 189Synth Pop 190Synthetic Dreams 190Welcome to the Machine 191Rock Technology: The Synthesizer 192Die Mensch Maschine: Kraftwerk 193Rock Places: Berlin 193Ultravox 194Section 3 What Was the Place of Dance Music in Postpunk and New Wave? 195Dance Pop: What Have I Done to Deserve This? 195Classic Album: Pet Shop Boys, Actually 195Section 4 How Did MTV Change the Way that Music Was Received? 196I Want My MTV 196Video Made the TV Star 196Video Kills the Radio Star 197Flashpoints: Did Video Kill Rock? 197The Band with a Thorn in its Side: The Smiths 198Formation and Initial Success 198Morrissey’s Controversial Sexuality 199    11 Alternative Rock (1982-1987) 203Section 1 How Did Alternative Rock Get the Word Out? 204Alternative Rock’s Three Trajectories 204Punk Attitude 204College Radio 205Indie Rock 205U2: Band of the 1980s and Today 205Rise to Stardom 205Politics and Popularity 206R.E.M.: Kings of College Rock 207Michael Stipe: Breaking the Rock Star Mold 207Classic Albums: Fables of the Reconstruction by R.E.M. 207Cashing In or Selling Out? 208Rock Places: Athens, Georgia 208Selling Albums without Selling Out: Bruce Springsteen209Section 2 How Did the Rock Underground Influence Rock during the 1980s? 209American Hardcore Shakes Up the Musical Underground 209Sonic Youth: Breaking the Noise Barrier 209Bad Brains: Fusion Punk210Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! August 8, 1987211Teen Idles Kick Off a Movement211Minor Threat: Breaking the Age Limit211Fugazi Takes the Baton212Black Flag Declares War213Rock Technology: The Van213The Minutemen214Husker Dü215England’s Alternative to Alternative Rock216Kate Bush: Literary Pop216Classic Album: Hounds of Love by Kate Bush217Bauhaus Goes Goth217The Cure217Section 3 How Did Alternative Rock Try to Change the World? 218The Rock Benefit Concert218Rock People: Sir Bob Geldof 218Live Aid, Farm Aid, and Band Aid 218Flashpoints: Issues in Rock — Rock with a Purpose 219  12 American Punk: The Second Wave (1987—1994) 223  Section 1 What Elements Did Grunge Borrow from Punk Rock to Make a New Musical Genre? 224Beginnings of a Seattle Scene 224Hardcore Punk and Grunge 224Source of Inspiration: The Pixies 225Abrasive and Melodic 225Alternative Precursors: The Butthole Surfers 226Section 2 What Were the Most Important Bands that Grew Out of the Seattle Scene? 226Seattle Goes Subterranean 226Early Seattle Bands 227The Melvins 227Soundgarden 227Green River and Mudhoney 228Rock People: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman (Sub Pop Records) 228Nirvana 229Nevermind the Labels 229Classic Albums: Nirvana’s Nevermind 230In Utero and Cobain’s Suicide 230Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! — November 6, 1993 230Pearl Jam 231Pearl Jam vs. Nirvana 231Vedder and the Media 231Section 3 How Were Other Simultaneous Movements Affected by Grunge? 232Riot Grrrls 232Rock Places: Olympia, Washington 232Bikini Kill 233Other Seattle Riots 234Oregon Grrrls 234Courtney Love and Hole 235L7 236Huggy Bear 236Flashpoints in Rock: Huggy Bear and the Barbi Twins on the BBC 236Babes in Toyland 236Slacker Rock 237Pavement 237Beck 237Britpop 238Oasis 238Rock Technology: The MP3 238Blur 239Pulp 239  13 Hip-Hop and Rap (1973- ) 243Section 1 How Did Hip Hop Get Its Start? 244What is Hip Hop? 244“The Godfather” of Hip Hop and Hip Hop’s Beginnings 244Old-School Hip Hop (c. 1979-1984) 245Rock Places: South Bronx 246Section 2 How Did Hip Hop Gain Mainstream Recognition? 246Mainstream Recognition for Hip Hop 246New-School Hip Hop (c. 1983)246Rock Technology: “Two Turntables and a Microphone” and “The Wheels of Steel” 247Rap’s Golden Age (late 1980s-early 1990s) 248Classic Albums: Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy 248Section 3 What Are The Different Branches of Hip Hop and Rap? 250Gangsta Rap250Ice-T250N.W.A, Straight Outta Compton (1988) 251Snoop Doggy Dogg252Cypress Hill252Tupac Shakur (a.k.a. 2Pac)252East Coast Figures253The Notorious B.I.G.253Flashpoints: Issues in Rock — The Murder of Tupac Shakur 253Jay-Z254House of Pain254The Wu-Tang Clan254Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! November 28, 1998 254Rock People: Sean “Puffy” Combs 255Pop Rap255DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince255MC Hammer255Vanilla Ice256Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch256Salt-n-Pepa256From Between the Coasts256Atlanta Hip Hop256The Midwest and New Orleans257Across the Atlantic258Trip Hop258Rap Rock, Rap Metal, and Rapcore259  14 Smooth Sounds, Slick Packaging: The Persistence of Pop (1994—) 263Section 1 Why Was 1994 an Important Year in the History of Rock Music? 264The Death of Rock & Roll?2641994: Woodstock’s 25th Anniversary 264Did the Death of Kurt Cobain Equal the Death of Rock?266Since 1994: Three Main Streams in Rock & Roll266Domestication of Rock & Roll266Madonna  267Rock Technology: Pro-Tools and Music Editing in the Recording Studio 267Section 2 How Have Girl Groups and Boy Bands Influenced the History of Rock? 268Girl Groups268Occasional Revivals of the Girl Group268The Spice Girls269Destiny’s Child270Classic Albums: Survivor by Destiny’s Child 270Britney Spears271Christina Aguilera271Jessica Simpson272Flashpoints: Issues in Rock — Lip-Synching 272Boy Bands273Backstreet Boys273N Sync273Rock People: Lou Pearlman 27498 Degrees275Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! 1999 275Westlife276The Pop Idol Phenomenon276Simon Cowell277Section 3 How Has Rock & Roll Been Changed by Aggressive Marketing to Younger Audiences? 278The Disneyfication of Pop Rock278Miley Cyrus278The Jonas Brothers278Rock Places: Los Angeles 279The High School Musical Franchise279  15 Hyphenated-Rock & Explorations of the Postmodern Self (1994—) 283Section 1 How Did a New Generation Update Some Older Styles of Rock & Roll?284Progressive Rock, Reborn284Radiohead284Coldplay285Godspeed You! Black Emperor285Rock Places: Oxford, UK286Sigur Rós286TV on the Radio287Classic Albums: Return to Cookie Mountain by TV on the Radio287Neo-Psychedelia288The Dandy Warhols288The Flaming Lips289Section 2 How Did Rock & Roll Become Even More Personal?289Emo: The New Confessionalism289Pop Successes291Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! — October 8, 2005291Flashpoints: Issues in Rock — Selling Out292Section 3 How Does Rock & Roll Continue to Update Itself?293Nü Metal293Tool294Rage Against the Machine294Godsmack294Classic Albums: Evil Empire by Rage Against the Machine295Korn295Rock People: Marilyn Manson296Slipknot296Linkin Park297Garage Rock Revival297The White Stripes297The Strokes298Babyshambles298The Arctic Monkeys298The Yeah Yeah Yeahs298Defying All Categories: PJ Harvey299  16 Remix Culture 303 Section 1 What Is the Role of Appropriation in Popular Music? 304Remixes and Mashups304Visual Predecessors304Fair Use305Beg, Borrow, and Steal: The Legacy of Appropriation in Popular Music306Cover Songs306Section 2 What Was the Impact of the Digital Sampler? 307A Little Bit of This, a Little Bit of That: Sampling307Sampling in Hip-Hop307Sampling in Electronica308Jailhouse Rock: Legal Roadblocks to Sampling308What Price Beats?309Rock Technology: The MP3 310Section 3 What Was Napster and How Did It Affect Digital Distribution? 311iPod People311Digital Distribution311Rock People: Shawn Fanning 312Mashups313Classic Albums: The Grey Album by Danger Mouse/ Feed the Animals by Girl Talk 315This One’s on Me: More Free Digital Distribution316Mix Tapes to iPod Playlists316Top of the Charts: What’s Hot! September 19, 2009 316Music Festivals316A Return to the 1970s?317Flashpoints: Issues in Rock — RIAA Lawsuits 317Rock Places: Your Parents’ Basement 318Activate Star Power: Rock Band and Guitar Hero319The Rock Nation319