Throughout the decades the face of rock music has changed drastically because of a series of small events that have occurred for example, the song that saw the birth of early rock music The Comets hit Rocket 66 a 50's classic that endeared audiences with its atypical crunchy guitar tone, this was brought about by Ike Turner who dropped his guitar amplifier outside of the recording studio causing the amplifier to break and distort the sound this small accident caused Rock and Rock if we fast forward around 20 years and you have a young man called Tony Iommi working in a steel factory in Birmingham when he loses concentration severing the tips of two fingers causing him to de-tune his guitar to make it playable for his injured left hand and this spawned the birth of Heavy Metal music or is this all just a music purists point of view? or is there more to this than the cute stories and our perception that all of these outcomes could have been predetermined by previous events? could it be that we as listeners, consumers and human beings have manipulated the evolution of rock music to suit our personal tastes to feed our hunger to feel at one with the music? which leads me to authenticity. A few aspects of the criteria for music to be deemed authentic can be broken down into two main categories these are what sub genre of rock music is it and how is it related to its social class and the common behaviour within that class, for a quick example if The Sex Pistols famed for their bond with the working class turned round only to sport a posh upper/middle class accent would they have been billed as the working class heroes? or would they have been merely cast as posh boys playing loud music but with nothing to shout about. The genres of mu...
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...le genres of music have been accused of selling out during the 80's Heavy Metal and Glam Rock were fused by bands such as Motley Crue and Poison to make Glam Metal which hardcore metal fans hated as it was not deemed authentic due to its over the top and feminine feel.
In conclusion I feel authenticity in rock music has a huge part to play and although it is a very snobby culture of "we will like you until we've had enough" its still personal to every person and they have a choice to decide who fits into their perfect music world.
References
Putman, D. (1990). THE AESTHETIC RELATION OF MUSICAL PERFORMER AND AUDIENCE. British Journal of Aesthetics. 30 (4), 1-2.
Segal, V (1998). NME. London: NME. 34.
True, E. (1990). Melody Maker Spike Island review. Available: http://www.thestoneroses.co.uk/2010/05/melody-maker-spike-island-review. Last accessed 22nd Mar 2011.
to mention the fact that rock music was not just created in the eighties, but has been
In closing, the undoubtable influence of music, more specifically of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society is responsible for a number of changes to the status quo. These range from sexual liberation and racial desegregation all culminating with other influences to create an intergenerational identity. Despite the desperate attempts of older generations to smother these influences, these changes ultimately shaped the years that followed, molding the country into what it is today. Along the way these changes as well as individual involvement in them has also eased the lives of many through empowerment and a feeling of community and purpose. Despite a lull and renewal Rock ‘n’ Roll continues to serve as an agent of influence and change in today’s youth culture and continues to burn in the heart of past generations of loyal fans.
In understanding the art form of expression in various ways like music and play writes, it brings together this sense of self identity that the artist wants to fulfill. Having this understanding about the life behind the scene, screen, and/or stage. My paper will present two art forms music by 50 cent “Many Men” and William Shakespeare play “Macbeth” in which I will describe similarities among the characters. My four categories for 50 cent and Macbeth are as follow Greed, Savage, Survivor and Success.
Rock ‘n’ roll and 20th Century Culture According to Philip Ennis, rock ‘n’ roll emerged from the convergence of social transformations which resulted from World War II (Ryan 927). Despite its pop culture origins, rock music is arguably one of the strongest cultural factors to develop in this century. Artists such as Lennon, McCartney and Dylan defined the emotions of a generation and, in the last decade, it as even been acknowledged by members of the establishment which it hoped to change as a major influence in the country. In order to understand how rock went from a sign of rebellion to a cultural icon, it is necessary to understand where it came from.
“If a great musician plays great music but no one hears it, was he really any good?” (Weingarten, 2007) as Weingarten says in his article ‘Pearls before Breakfast’. An unbiased opinion described well within the narrations of the article allow the reader to understand the situation from various point of views and also recognize the reality regarding priorities of our current generation relating to beauty and art.
Although the style of ‘Rock music’ is easily adaptable to many different sounds, it is still thoroughly identified by its definingly amplified rhythm. The sudden worldwide popularity of rock and roll resulted in an unparalleled social impact. Rock ‘n’ Roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language in a way few other social developments have equaled. The social impact is so large that rock stars are worshipped worldwide. In its early years, many adults condemned the style of music, placing a stigma on its name, and forbid their children from listening and following its ways.
Another reason why classic rock is the best is because you had to be talented to become famous. If you are vocally or musically talented now you have to be physically attractive to make it big. Now if you are pretty and have no musical talent you can throw in a lot of autotune and be “talented”. For example Steven Tyler, he was never really a attractive guy. He couldn’t just wake up one day and be pretty. He made it big for his talent. Same thing with the lead singer of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain. If you’re not attractive you might as well kiss your talent goodbye and find something else to do with your
Composers of distinctively visual texts are able to manipulate the emotions of the audience to influence the response of a collective group. This is demonstrated in John Misto’s play ‘The Shoe-Horn Sonata’ and Jason Van Genderen’s short film ‘Mankind Is No Island’ whereby distinctively visual techniques enable the audience to clearly imagine, form meaning and understand a composer’s unique perspective.
Authenticity within the culture of popular music is an issue that has been discussed for many years as it can be a huge selling point, it can cause society to either loathe or love a performing artist on how 'authentic' their persona and music is. Moore (2002) brings forward this idea in the article ‘Authenticity as Authentication’:
There is a growing body of work in the philosophy of music and musical aesthetics that has considered the various ways that music can be meaningful: music as representational (that is, musical depictions of persons, places, processes, or events); musical as quasi-linguistic reference (as when a musical figure underscores the presence of a character in a film or opera), and most especially, music as emotionally expressive. Here I will focus on the last topic, for I believe it will be useful for researchers in music perception and cognition to avail themselves of the distinctions that aestheticians have worked out regarding the musical expression of emotion.
...to be contradictions on the subject, as well as opinions on when does an alternative rock group stop being or becomes “alternative rock music”? Is it defined by the sound of the music, the image of the group, or both? One can also ask if it’s about the era or time the group existed, just like the genre term of classic rock. Bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, or Pink Floyd weren’t classified as classic rock music when they were forming and popular during their prime. What really defeats the purpose of the common definition of alternative rock music is during the early 1990’s when popular underground bands like Soundgarden and Nirvana were signed to labels and changed the face of rock music and incorporated the traits that defined alternative rock music into mainstream rock that continue to this day. The term “alternative rock music” has really lost its meaning.
performance to a major degree reflects the spirit of the times, and some of today's 'authentic' performances have less to do with historical accuracy, attempting rather to produce a performance which, in John Eliot Gardiner's words, will 'excite modern listeners.' (Sartorius)
In rock music its target audience is the youth. And by youth I am not referring to teenagers, but instead to the mentality of youth, the adults and teens still in the sociological stage between being a ‘kid’ and accepting the responsibilities of ‘adulthood’ [Weinstein pg6] These youth negotiate the genre and change it to their liking. For example both males and females have different subgenres of rock targeted specifically at them. Males are seen from a young age as being naughty and rowdy, not very responsible and thus given more freedom. While girls are seen as quiet and polite, with very low aggression. These traits have reflected in the genres that are targeted at the two genders. Males were targeted with Heavy Metal as it expressed the qualities the very qualities they will have to give up in order to become adults and how they will lose their freedom. While for females rock music is soft and romantic, females will typically grow up faster than males and leave youth behind in order to take up responsibilities. An example of how the music was negotiated to fit the two genders is seem in the 1960s when performers such as Carole king and James Taylor transformed themes of protest into sentimental commentaries, romance and illusions of youth. [Weinstein pg 12-13] While heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath sung about politicians and how disgusting they are for exploiting young people in the name of greed which is shown in the song Wicked World. This very characteristic of rock being created by the youth for the youth is still alive today, for example during the 2004 presidential election Green Day released American Idiot. The song was about how the media and political are brainwashing Americans to remove their individuality. The singer wanted to warn America of this and prevent them from turning into ‘idiots’ and
There is so much information on Rock that I will have to have questions I want to find the answers to about the music. My first question will be, "What instruments are commonly used in a rock band?" This will not be hard to answer as it is a very easy question that has a definite answer. The next question will be, "Who were the first artists to produce Rock music?" This is also an easy question were I will discuss the first Rockers. Continuing on, my next question will ask, "How was the term Rock and Roll' created, and by who?" This may turn out to be a hard question to answer because I am sure there a multiple answers. "Has Rock become more or less popular since its inception?" will be my next question. For this question I will have to look for a survey or poll of some type and present its data. My final question will be, "How has the Music been changed over the years and who changed it?" This will also be an easy question, albeit a long answer. For that question I will be referring to Alternative and Grunge Rock, my preferred form of the music.
Thom, P (1992), For an Audience: A Philosophy of the Performing Arts (Arts and Their Philosophies), Temple University Press