What's That Sound? • W. W. Norton and Company, Inc.

Chapter Outline

Chapter 8: The Growing Rock Monster (1970-1975)

The hippie aesthetic

Two important changes occurred in 1970s rock music

Initiated by 1960s pioneers:

Beatles
Beach Boys
Bob Dylan

Rock music shifted from emphasis on the single to the album
Rock shifted from music for dancing to music for listening

The expansion of rock musical styles was accomplished by incorporating other musical styles

Classical music
Electronic music
Jazz

Focus on craft and a distinctly artistic approach to music creation can be called "hippie aesthetic"

Emphasis on studio technology
Rock musician has a responsibility to create sophisticated music using whatever means is available
Music should stand up to repeated listening
Lyrics should deal with important issues
Musical ability is highly valued—fans voted on who is the best in their field:

Best Guitarist
Best Keyboardist
Best Drummer
Best Bassist
Best Vocalist
Typical categories like Best Album and Best New Act

This attitude was common among jazz musicians
Rock musicians now took on the same attitude
The hippie aesthetic unifies many diverse styles through the decade

Yes
Eagles
Allman Brothers Band
Steely Dan
Alice Cooper

Blues-based British rock

Roots in the Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, and Cream

Rolling Stones introduced the Chicago electric blues to white American teenagers in the 1960s

Muddy Waters
Howlin' Wolf

Yardbirds came in the wake of the Stones with talented guitarists

Eric Clapton
Jeff Beck
Jimmy Page

1970s British bands built on the stylistic foundation established by the Stones, the Yardbirds, and Cream

Deep Purple
Led Zeppelin
Black Sabbath

The Stones became extremely successful by returning to their blues roots with hit 1970s albums

Sticky Fingers (p1 uk1, 1971)
Exile on Main Street (p1 uk1, 1971)
Goat's Head Soup (p1 uk1, 1973)

Yardbirds alumni also continued through the 1970s and beyond

Eric Clapton played with Derek and the Dominoes
Went solo and had his first hit with "I Shot the Sheriff" (p1 uk9, 1974)
Jeff Beck fronted several bends that moved toward jazz-fusion approach
Jimmy Page formed the New Yardbirds and renamed the band Led Zeppelin

Focus was put on guitar virtuosity

Jimi Hendrix
Yardbirds guitarists (particularly Clapton)

Led Zeppelin

One of the most successful new British groups in the 1970s

Eight number one albums in the UK
Six number ones in the U.S.
Resisted releasing singles and focused on creating albums

Blend of traditional electric blues, acoustic folk, and psychedelic experimentation
All three styles appear on their first album (actually recorded and released in 1969)

"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" exemplifies acoustic abilities
"Good Times, Bad Times" demonstrates harder blues rock
"Dazed and Confused" is good psychedelic experimentalism
On live performances of "Dazed and Confused" Page uses a violin bow during his solo

"Whole Lotta Love," on the second album, blends harder rock with psychedelia
Their fourth untitled album (p2 uk1, 1972) contained their best example of a blend of all three styles

"Stairway to Heaven"
Acoustic guitar opening backed at first only by recorders
This becomes accompaniment to Plant's vocals
Electric twelve-string guitar is added
Bass and drums are added
Final section moves into heavy rock
Blues-influenced electric guitar solo
High wailing vocals
Lyrics deal with the question of spiritual enlightenment

Led Zeppelin lyrics often dealt overtly with sexuality
Page produced all the albums

Master of layering guitar tracks
"The Song Remains the Same" from Houses of the Holy (p1 uk1, 1973) is a good example

"Kashmir," from Physical Graffiti (p1 uk1, 1975) deals with ancient Eastern spirituality and wisdom

"Whole Lotta Love": Hippie Blues Rock

Adaptation of a Willie Dixon blues number called "You Need Love"

Now credited to Dixon and all four members of Led Zeppelin
Blues is clearly a central component
The song also has elements of psychedelia

Structural elements of "Whole Lotta Love"

The song begins as a simple verse-chorus form
Two verse-chorus pairs based on the same music after the brief guitar-riff introduction
A long central section follows

Distinctively psychedelic flavor to this section

Spacey sounds
Stereo effects
Plant's moaning
Guitar solo displays psychedelic blues-rock virtuosity
Similar to guitar playing by Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix

Song returns to the beginning verse-chorus form
Ends with a coda comprised of Plant's free-form vocalization and fade-out on opening guitar riff
Overall structure is an altered form of the AABA simple verse-chorus:

Verse-chorus pairs are the A section (there are two of these)
Contrasting section in the middle is considered the B section
The A returns after the middle section (B)
Large-scale AABA pattern becomes clear

This large-scale AABA will be called "compound AABA"

This compound AABA is used often by bands in the 1970s
"Whole Lotta Love" exemplifies this altered form that

The basic AABA discussed earlier will still refer to smaller sections within the song

Deep Purple

Formed in London in 1968

Jon Lord (keyboards)
Ritchie Blackmore (guitar)
Ian Paice (drums)
Singer Rod Evans (replaced by Ian Gillan)
Bassist Nick Simper (replaced by Roger Glover)

Number four single in 1968 with a version of Joe South's "Hush"
Mixed its blues-based rock with classical music

One of the first albums to use a symphony orchestra
Concerto for Group and Orchestra (uk26, 1970)

The lineup with Gillan and Glover had several hit albums in the 1970s

Deep Purple in Rock (uk4, 1970)
Fireball (p32 uk1, 1971)
Machine Head (p7 uk1, 1971)
"Smoke on the Water" and "Highway Star" were on Machine Head
These two songs have been staples of rock radio stations ever since

"Highway Star"

Was considered influential in the development of 1970s heavy metal
Also a good example of blending rock and classical music
Also true to the hippie aesthetic: two extended instrumental solos
Solos utilize harmonic concepts similar to Baroque music

"Lazy"—also on the same album—incorporates psychedelic ideas into blues rock

Begins with a moody organ solo
Blend of church music, blues, and a bit of phantom-of-the-opera
Reminiscent of Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
Strong blues solos
Falsetto screams that became the model for much rock singing of the late 1970s and 1980s

Gillan was featured on the concept album Jesus Christ Superstar

Written by Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber
Gillan sang the part of Jesus

Deep Purple members went on to found other groups at the end of the 1970s

Rainbow (Blackmore)
Whitesnake (David Coverdale—he replaced Gillan in 1974)
Gillan

Black Sabbath introduces gothic elements into metal

Started as a blues band
Decided to use horror as a trademark to get noticed
Renamed their band after the Boris Karloff film Black Sabbath

Singer Ozzy Osborne
Guitarist Tony Iommi
Bassist Geezer Butler
Drummer Bill Ward

First track on their first album, Black Sabbath (p23 uk8, 1970), sounds like it belongs in a horror film

Tri-tone riff follows distant church bells
Tri-tone is an interval nicknamed the "devil's interval" because of its dissonant quality

Next album, Paranoid (p12 uk1, 1970) contains "Iron Man"

Begins with ominous low-pitched tolling of guitars
Ozzy's distorted voice intoning, "I am iron man"
The song remains based in blues riffs and structures
Guitar, bass, and voice often perform unison variants of the same riff

Master of Reality (p8 uk5, 1971) and Black Sabbath, Vol. 4 (p13 uk8, 1972) were commercial successes

These four albums made extensive use of darker images "Black Sabbath", "Paranoid", "Master of Reality", and "Black Sabbath Vol. 4".
That idea would become central to subsequent heavy metal music

The Small Faces and Humble Pie

Originally called the Small Faces

Guitarist Steve Marriott
Bassist Ronnie Lane
Drummer Kenney Jones

Several successful albums in the UK and a hit single in the states in the late 1960s

The album Ogden's Nut Gone Flake (uk1, 1968) was a post-Sgt Pepper concept album
"Itchicoo Park" (p16 uk3, 1967) was their only U.S. hit

Marriott left in 1969 to form Humble Pie, a blues-rock band

Small Faces name shortened to just the Faces

Members of Jeff Beck's band were recruited:

Singer Rod Stewart
Stewart's husky gravel voice is one of rock music's great distinctive voices
Guitarist Ron Wood
Wood was playing bass with Jeff Beck's group

Faces began having transatlantic hits

A Nod's as Good as a Wink to a Blind Horse (p6 uk2, 1971)—their third album
"Stay with Me" (p17 uk6, 1971)
The fourth album: Ooh La La (p21 uk1, 1973)
"Cindy Incidentally" (p48 uk2, 1973)

Stewart began releasing hit solo albums and singles during the early 1970s

The album Every Picture Tells a Story (pl uk1, 1971)
Containing the single "Maggie May" (p1 uk1, 1971)
The album Never a Dull Moment (p2 uk1, 1972)
Containing the single "You Wear It Well" (p13 uk1, 1972)
Sing It Again Rod (p1 uk1, 1973)
The album Atlantic Crossing (p9 uk1, 1975)

The Faces disbanded in 1974

Stewart went solo—eventually releasing disco hits
Wood joined the Rolling Stones
Kenny Jones joined the Who after drummer Keith Moon died of an overdose

Humble Pie

Steve Marriott was the leader—voice was similar to Rod Stewart's

Guitarist Peter Frampton
Bassist Greg Ridley
Drummer Jerry Shirley

British hit with "Natural Born Bugie" (uk4, 1969)
Third album Performance—Rockin' the Fillmore (p21 uk32, 1971) was international hit

"I Don't Need No Doctor"
Cover of Ray Charles's "Hallelujah (I Love Her So)"

Frampton then left the band for a solo career (replaced by Dave Clemson)
Continued commercial success through early 1970s

Smokin' (p6 uk28, 1972)
"30 Days in the Hole"
Eat It (p13 uk34, 1973)

American blues and southern rock

Southern rock: a term that originated in the north and on the west coast

Writers and media used the term in conjunction with southeastern bands

Means of categorizing the music from southern states
Served as a means of marketing an image
Musicians themselves didn't necessarily think much about it

Allman Brothers Band and southern rock

Duane Allman: a favorite studio guitarist at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals
Put a band together in 1969

Bassist Barry Oakley
Guitarist Dickey Betts
Drummers Jai Johnny Johnson ("Jaimoe") and Butch Trucks
Brother Gregg Allman on vocals and organ

Three important influences on their music:

Blues
British blues-rock bands
Lengthy improvised solos in the style of the San Francisco psychedelic bands

Allman Brothers Band has an important music industry aspect

Their manager, Phil Walden, established Capricorn Records in Macon, Georgia
Capricorn and Macon became the center for southern rock artists in the 1970s

The band's first successful album was their third—a double live album

Live at the Fillmore East (p13, 1971)
"Whipping Post" (from their first album) exemplifies their live blues soloing abilities
Comparable to Led Zeppelin's augmentation of the blues

Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1971 and Barry Oakley in 1972

Lamar Williams was added on bass
Chuck Leavell was added on piano

Eat a Peach (p4, 1972)

One of their most successful albums
"Ramblin' Man" (p2) by Dickey Betts demonstrates country influences

Win, Lose, or Draw (p5, 1975) was their last successful album with that lineup of band members

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Named after a high school teacher they didn't like—they re-spelled the name
Signed with Al Kooper's label, Sounds of the South, in Atlanta

Kooper had played on most of Bob Dylan's records between 1965 and 1966
The band thought they shouldn't be on the same label as the Allman Brothers
Kooper's production style was more radio friendly than the Allman Brothers' sound

Several successful albums during the 1970s

Songs featured lots of guitar
Clear vocals by Ronnie Van Zant
Lyric topics often focused on stories of life in the south
First album was a hit: nineteen with Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd (p27, 1973)
Last hit album: Street Survivors (p5 uk13, 1977)

Several hit singles

"Sweet Home Alabama" (p8, 1974)
"Saturday Night Special" (p27, 1975)
"What's Your Name" (p13, 1977)
"Free Bird" was on the live album One More from the Road (p9 uk17, 1976)
A staple on rock radio playlists ever since

Ronnie Van Zant was killed in plane crash in 1977 days after the release of Street Survivors

Marshall Tucker Band

Nobody in the band is named Marshall Tucker

Formed in 1971 by two brothers:
Tommy Caldwell (bass)
Toy Caldwell (guitar)

Eight albums in the Top 40 (six with Capricorn and two with Warner Bros.) during the 1970s including:

The Marshall Tucker Band (p29, 1973)
Searchin ' for a Rainbow (p15, 1975)

Their most successful single was "Heard It in a Love Song" (p 14, 1977)

Stronger country influence than blues

Charlie Daniels Band

Daniels had been playing professionally since the late 1950s
Studio musician in Nashville during the 1960s
Played on the Dylan sessions in the late 1960s
Formed his own band in the early 1970s

Style is more country than rock
Daniels is older than the other southern rock musicians
Southern rockers looked up to him as a mentor

Five Top 40 albums between 1975 and 1982

Million Mile Reflections (p5, 1979)
Full Moon (p 11, 1980)

Daniels had a number three hit single in 1979

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia"
That song became Charlie Daniels's trademark song

Other Southern rock bands of mention that had some degree of success

.38 Special

Wild-Eyed Southern Boys (p18, 1981)
Strength in Numbers (p17, 1986)

Wet Willie
Outlaws
Grinderswitch
Blackfoot

American blues-based rock outside the southeastern states

Santana

Emerged from the San Francisco psychedelic scene in 1969
Led by Carlos Santana

Featured organist/vocalist Greg Rolie
Rolie later formed Journey
Gained recognition at the Woodstock festival

Distinctive style that incorporated several influences

Lengthy improvisations based on jazz and blues
Latin rhythms and percussion

Several successful singles and albums during the 1970s

Santana (p4 uk26, 1969)
"Evil Ways" (p9, 1970) was the band's first hit
Abraxas (p1 uk7, 1970)
"Black Magic Woman" (p4, 1970) was on Abraxas
"Oye Como Va" (p13, 1971) Also on Abraxas
Santana III (p1 uk6, 1971)
Caravanserai (p8 uk6, 1972)

Carlos Santana is the Latino answer to Eric Clapton's elevation of blues to the virtuosic level

ZZ Top

Formed in Texas
Heavy reliance on blues; style is considered Texas blues

Guitarist Billy Gibbons,
Bassist Dusty Hill
Drummer Frank Beard

First album didn't chart, but subsequent albums did well through the 1970s into the 1980s

First Album (1971) didn't chart
Tres Hombres fared better (p8 1973)
Fandango! (p10 uk60, 1975)
The Fandango! track "Tush" (p20, 1975) is most representative of their style

Steppenwolf

Formed in Los Angeles in the late 1960s

Singer/guitarist John Kay
Organist Goldy McJohn
Drummer Jerry Edmunton

First album, Steppenwolf (p6, 1968)

Contained the hit single, "Born to Be Wild" (p2, 1968)

Steppenwolf the Second (p3, 1969)

The single "Magic Carpet Ride" (p3, 1968) was on that album

Leader Kay spent time in New York and San Francisco before forming the band in Los Angeles
Definite psychedelic elements are present in the songs
Disbanded after a Valentine's Day concert in 1972

Three Dog Night

Formed in Los Angeles
Early records produced by Brian Wilson
Three lead singers
Several hit songs by up-and-coming songwriters of the time

Harry Nilsson's "One" (p5, 1969)
Laura Nyro's "Eli's Coming" (p10, 1969)
Randy Newman's "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" (p1, 1970)

Grand Funk Railroad

Formed in Flint Michigan in the late 1960s

Guitarist/vocalist Mark Farner and
Drummer/vocalist Don Brewer
Bassist Mel Schacher

The band was successful almost immediately

On Time (p27 1969)

Their next nine albums were in the Billboard Top 10

We're an American Band (p2, 1973)
The single of the same name went to number one in 1973
Shinin On (p5, 1974)
Contained a version of Little Eva's 1962 hit "The Loco-Motion" (p1 1974)
The single "Shinin On" (p11, 1974)
"Some Kind of Wonderful" (p3, 1975) was their last hit

Edgar Winter (and White Trash)

Keyboardist/saxophonist/vocalist Edgar Winter:

Important influence in American blues rock
His band White Trash had a hit album, Roadwork (p23, 1971)

Formed the Edgar Winter Group in 1972
Edgar Winter Group's first album was They Only Come Out at Night (p3, 1972)

That album had the instrumental hit "Frankenstein" (p1 uk18, 1973)
Also on that album was "Free Ride" (p14, 1973)

Shock Treatment (p13, 1974)
Montrose left to form his own band
Added guitarist Rick Derringer (who had played in the McCoys as well as White Trash)

The Doobie Brothers

Based in San Francisco with blues-rock style similar to Edgar Winter and Grand Funk

Heavy rock guitars and drums
1960s black pop influenced vocals
Knack for a good pop hook
Producing rock songs that fit nicely into evolving FM radio formats

The original lineup of the band:

Bassist Tiran Porter
Drummers Dave Shogren and Michael Hossack
Guitarist Pat Simmons
Guitarist/vocalist Tom Johnston

Several hit albums and singles

Toulouse Street (p21, 1972)
Contained the hit "Listen to the Music" (p11, 1972)
The Captain and Me (p7, 1973)
Contained "Long Train Runnin'" (p8, 1973)
Also on that album: "China Grove" (p15, 1973)
What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (p4 uk19, 1974)
Placed on the UK chart
Included the single "Black Water" (p1 1974)

Aerosmith

Comparable to the Rolling Stones

Lead singer Stephen Tyler similar in appearance and stage performance to Jagger
Guitarist Joe Perry's tough-guy demeanor paralleled that of Richards

Gradually rose to consistent hit success

Aerosmith (1973), did not chart
The track "Dream On" only rose as high as number fifty-nine in the United States
Second album, Get Your Wings (p74, 1974) charted low despite well-crafted tracks
"Same Old Song and Dance"
Blues classic "Train Kept a Rollin'"

More successful releases beginning in 1975 promoted FM radio airplay of earlier work

Toys in the Attic (p 11, 1975)
The single "Sweet Emotion" (p36, 1975)
Rocks (p3, 1976)
Re-release of "Walk This Way" (p10, 1976)

J. Geils Band

Another American blues-rock band

Leader/guitarist J. Geils
Vocalist Peter Wolf
Harmonica player Magic Dick

Early work wasn't successful
Gained recognition and success with Bloodshot (p 10, 1973)

Contained the single "Give It to Me" (p30, 1973)

Nightmares (and Other Tales from the Vinyl Jungle) (p26, 1974)

Contained the single "Must of Got Lost" (p 12, 1974)

Progressive rock: Big ideas and high ambition

The differences between blues-rock bands and progressive rock

The hippie aesthetic was applied to blues-rock bands

Some bands blended in classical, folk, or country elements
Others focused on virtuosic soloing influenced by blues and jazz
Some engaged serious issues in their lyrics

Progressive rock bands applied more techniques and concepts found in classical music

Applied psychedelia in a more intellectual way
Less (if any) emphasis on blues as a foundation of the songs

British progressive rock bands embraced the concept album

Elaborate covers inspired by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Lyrics avoided romantic themes or sexual prowess

Lyrics for progressive rock were more philosophical

Religion and spirituality
Politics and power
The forward march of technology
Existential angst

Continued the hippie aesthetic attitude that music should provide a "trip"

The use of classical music with rock

Primary element of 1970s British progressive rock
Some groups attempted to raise rock to the level of classical music

Moody Blues

First success was the single "Go Now" (p10 uk1, 1965)
First classical music concept album: Days of Future Past (p3 uk27, 1967)

Their label, Decca, asked them to record a rock version of Dvorak's "New World Symphony"
Purpose: Stereo demonstration record to sell Decca Stereo units
Result: long suite connected by professionally arranged orchestral interludes

Several hit records followed through the 1970s

A Question of Balance (p3 uk1, 1970)
Every Good Boy Deserves Favor (p2 uk1, 1971)
Seventh Sojourn (p1 uk5, 1972)

Procol Harum

Also blended classical music with rock

"A Whiter Shade of Pale" (p5 uk1, 1967)
Vocal part similar to Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman"
Harmonic progression drawn from a cantata by J. S. Bach

Several successful albums

Salty Dog (p32 uk27, 1969)
Procol Harum in Concert (p5 uk48, 1972)
Grand Hotel (p21, 1973)

The Who and their big projects

They experimented with adding classical music ideas to their music in the 1960s
Two projects laid groundwork for Tommy (p4 uk2, 1969)

"A Quick One While He's Away" from A Quick One (1966)
"Rael" from The Who Sell Out (uk13, 1968)
Encouraged by their manager, Kit Lambert—his father was a classical composer

Tommy

Deaf, dumb, and blind boy Tommy gains spiritual enlightenment through playing pinball
When Tommy is cured he's cast as a guru, with great wisdom
Tells followers they must give up pot and drinking, mute their senses and play pinball
Followers reject him and hard work he requires
The message is that spiritual enlightenment is difficult to attain

Two more large-scale projects were attempted

Lifehouse: a concert album that would somehow combine the audience into an album
It didn't work out, and the tracks were released as Who 's Next (p4 uk1, 1971)
Quadrophenia (p2 uk2, 1973)
Story about a young mod seeking meaning in his life

The Who continued to have commercial success through the 1970s

King Crimson

In the Court of the Crimson King (p28 uk5, 1969) combined many musical concepts

The first influential album on British progressive rock
Harder, dissonant aspects of twentieth-century music
Softer more consonant elements of nineteenth-century classical music
Modern jazz influence
Led by guitarist Robert Fripp
Greg Lake on bass and vocals
Michael Giles on drums
Ian McDonald on keyboards and woodwinds

Opening track is "21-Century Schizoid Man"

Harshly belted vocals
Virtuosic middle section filled with odd rhythmic syncopations and angular melodic riffs

Several personnel changes before the most successful lineup:

Drummer Bill Bruford replaced Michael Giles
Bassist/vocalist John Wetton replaced Greg Lake
Violinist David Cross
Lark's Tongue in Aspic (p61 uk20, 1973)
Red (p66 uk45, 1974)

Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Keith Emerson was the keyboardist for the Nice

Known for elaborate stage presence
Borrowed Jimi Hendrix's idea of breaking up (or seeming to) his instruments
The Nice toured with the Jimi Hendrix Experience in the 1960s

The Nice had two hit albums in the UK in 1969 and 1970

The Nice (uk3, 1969)
Five Bridges Suite (uk2, 1970)

The Nice and King Crimson toured together in the United States during 1969
Emerson and Greg Lake decided to form their own band
Added drummer Carl Palmer from Arthur Brown's band and became Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP)
They created profoundly creative albums, incorporating in reworked classical pieces

Tarkus (p9 uk1, 1971)
All original
Long tracks with extensive virtuosic soloing from Emerson
Pictures at an Exhibition (p 10 uk3, 1971)
Rock version of a large multimovement composition
Original piece was by nineteenth-century composer Modest Mussorgsky

They continued to be counted as one of the most successful bands of the 1970s

Trilogy (p5 uk2, 1972)
Brain Salad Surgery (p11 uk2, 1973)

Jethro Tull

Started as a blues band with many personnel changes
Stand Up (p20 uk1, 1969) was a straightforward blues/folk-oriented album
The lineup that played on most of the conceptual albums was

Leader Ian Anderson (vocals, harmonica, flute, and guitar)—standing on one leg!
Martin Barre (guitar)
John Evans (keyboards)
Barrie Barlow (drums)
Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond (Bass)

Concept albums focused on religion and spirituality, bourgeoisie values, and life after death
Aqualung (p7 uk4, 1971)

Condemns society's treatment of the poor
A bitter indictment of the Church of England

Thick as a Brick (p1 1972)

A setting of a poem by a fictitious child: "Little Milton"
An attack on bourgeois values (including religion)

A Passion Play (p1 uk13, 1973)

Takes on the topic of life after death and reincarnation

Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play are each one continuous track from start to finish

There had to be a break in the middle to turn the record over
All other albums were divided up into individual tracks

Led by vocalist Jon Anderson

Concerned with spirituality inspired by Eastern religious ideas

The third album, Fragile (p4 uk7, 1971), was the first by the band's definitive lineup

Vocalist Anderson
Guitarist Steve Howe
Bassist Chris Squire
Drummer Bill Bruford
Flamboyant multi-keyboardist Rick Wakeman

Most accomplished musicians of the time
Howe, Squire, Wakeman, and Bruford consistently won awards for their playing
Obvious spiritual themes in Close to the Edge (p3 uk4, 1972)

Based in part on Hermann Hesse's novel Siddhartha
The eighteen-minute title track is inspired by the quest for spiritual wisdom
Yes exemplifies the hopeful innocence of psychedelia

Tales from Topographic Oceans (p6 uk1, 1973) is inspired by Eastern scripture

Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi (popular with hippies at the time)
Consists of four tracks on a double album
One track per side

Wakeman left to pursue a solo career in 1973—replaced by Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz
Relayer (p5 uk4, 1974) displayed a blend of virtuosity with heady philosophy

"The Gates of Delirium" filled side one of the three-track album
Lyrics are inspired by Tolstoy's War and Peace

Yes was one of the most commercially successful bands of the 1970s

A look at Yes's use of classical concepts in a rock song: "Roundabout" from the Fragile album

A complex formal structure is made out of shorter familiar sections
Compound AABA form that we saw in Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love"

The A sections are made up of verse-bridge combinations
(Rather than verse-chorus as in the Led Zeppelin)
Begins with a rhythmically free guitar introduction (musicians call this "rubato")
The track launches into the first A section made up of two verses and a bridge
Next follows the second A section made up of a single verse and a bridge
The central B section is made up of a large, fifty-two-bar middle section
Followed by a return to material drawn from the introduction and the bridge during the quiet section
The B section ends with alternating organ and guitar solos
(All played over material drawn from the bridge)
Next is a return to a verse-chorus pair for the last A section
Concludes with a coda, ending with a guitar motive from the end of the introduction

Elements are drawn from classical music concepts

Melody from opening guitar introduction returns during the transition to the second A and B sections
Reusing melodic material in new ways is a central feature of much classical music
There are a number of interesting rhythmic features
Bridge sections cannot be counted according to a simple four-beat pattern
Counting from 1:45, the count is 1234-1234-1234-12 and then 1234-1234-1234-12
This is called "changing meter"—common in twentieth-century classical music and some jazz

Formal patterns are drawn from simpler pop formulae
Melodic development and rhythmic (and metric) variation are drawn from classical music
This exemplifies how progressive rock bands relied on classical and pop traditions
The overall form of "Roundabout" can also be broken up into two large sections

Delineated by the acoustic guitar introduction and its return in the middle and end
Multiple layers of formal structure are also common in classical music

Genesis

Combined elements of theater with progressive rock arrangements

Peter Gabriel: Vocals and theatrics
Phil Collins: Drums
Michael Rutherford: Bass
Tony Banks: Keyboards

Band focused on lengthy, carefully worked out arrangements
Gabriel spun bizarre stories that he acted out onstage

Costumes and props were used
Some costumes were so elaborate that Gabriel had difficulty singing into the mic

The albums were concept albums based on profound sociological scenarios
Nursery Cryme (1971) contains a track called "The Musical Box"

Gabriel portrays a reincarnated spirit that has aged seventy years
Also factored in is seventy years of pent-up sexual frustration

The feature track on Foxtrot (uk1, 1972) is the twenty-minute "Supper's Ready"

Gabriel plays the role of the returning Messiah
In live performance, Gabriel is lifted up off the stage with wires

Continued the hippie aesthetic attitude that music should provide a "trip"

The album The Lamb lies Down on Broadway (p41 uk10, 1974) features a main character named Rael
Rael is wandering the land caught between death and rebirth

Pink Floyd

The band continued the psychedelic era approach in the sounds of their albums
Many of their lyrics dealt with madness, after leader Syd Barrett's mental illness caused him to leave

Roger Waters on bass and vocals
Rick Wright on keyboards
Nick Mason on drums
Guitarist David Gilmour replacing Barrett

Lyricist Waters often crafted lyrics around his father's death in WWII
The band continued into the 1970s with a string of successful albums

Umma Gumma (uk5, 1969)
Atom Heart Mother (uk1, 1970)
Meddle (uk3, 1971)

These albums relied more on electronic effects than virtuosic playing
Stage shows were very elaborate

Stunning light shows
Additional theatrical elements like a crashing airplane or a giant inflatable flying pig

The album they are most identified with is The Dark Side of the Moon (p1 uk2, 1973)

Songs from that album have been a staple of FM radio since the 1970s

Wish You Were Here (p1 uk1, 1975) directly deals with Barrett's mental illness

Clearest reference to that is the track "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"

The album The Wall (p1 uk3, 1979) was another of their most successful projects

References to Waters's father's death can be found in the album
Stage show was one of the most complex ever to accompany a rock band
Themes of alienation and despair are part of the album's theme

Progressive rock overview:

Impressive lighting and prop effects during performances
Rock musicians as virtuoso performers is a

Characteristic that links progressive rock to Hendrix and Clapton
Also links progressive rock to 1970s jazz rock

Progressive rock extends the psychedelic era concepts of the 1960s

Concept albums
Rock operas
Notion of addressing important and serious-minded issues
Roots that extend as far back as the playlets of Leiber and Stoller
Progressive rock remains most faithful to the hippie aesthetic

Jazz-rock fusion

Jazz and the studio musician

Clapton and Hendrix: extended improvisations were a central component of their live shows
1970s progressive rock musicians used classical music as a model for technical virtuosity
Jazz also provided a model for many other musicians
Musical prowess of jazz players has commanded respect for decades
Jazz musicians had set high standards for musical and aesthetic excellence for decades

Charlie Parker
Dizzy Gillespie
John Coltrane
Art Tatum

Emphasis is on the solo in jazz

Highest degree of skill is necessary
Jazz musicians applied that skill to night gigs in live music performances
They often worked during the day as studio musicians
Their skill was applied to the concept of being able to play any style of music

Some of the greatest studio musicians were jazz musicians

The Funk Brothers played on all the Motown recordings
Los Angeles studio guitarist Barney Kessel
Kessel played on everything from Phil Spector records to those by the Monkees

There were jazz-schooled musicians who could read music perfectly

Drummer Steve Gadd
Bassist Tony Levin
Guitarist Lee Ritenour
Guitarist Larry Carlton

Miles Davis and jazz-rock fusion

Trumpeter Miles Davis had been at the forefront of jazz since the 1940s
He noticed that Hendrix and Clapton used extended solos in their shows

Their solos were not so different from jazz solos
Rock audiences actually sat and listened to them
Rock audiences were huge—stadiums and festivals

Davis wanted to put music together that would work for large rock audiences
He formed a band that could do the job and recorded Bitches Brew (p35, 1970)

Guitarist John McLaughlin
Keyboardist Joseph Zawinul
Keyboardist Chick Corea
Keyboardist Herbie Hancock
Saxophonist Wayne Shorter

This was the first jazz-rock fusion album

The Bitches Brew musicians went on to highly successful solo careers

John McLaughlin formed Mahavishnu Orchestra and combined several elements together

Jazz
Rock
Eastern mysticism
Inner Mounting Flame (1972)
Birds of Fire (p15 uk20, 1973)

Herbie Hancock had a hit with Headhunters (p13, 1974)
Chick Corea formed Return to Forever and charted several times

Romantic Warrior (p35, 1976) clearest link to progressive rock

Shorter and Zawinul formed Weather Report

Heavy Weather (p30 uk4, 1977)

Jazz-rock fusion ushered in a renewed appreciation for instrumental music

Jazz-influenced rock

Frank Zappa

Zappa spend his entire career on the fringes of popular music
His style encompasses several diverse aspects

Virtuosity
Satire and humor
Complexity
Compositional sophistication
Occasional bad taste

Zappa began with his band the Mothers of Invention in 1966

Freak Out! (1966) is the first example of his style
We're Only in It for the Money (p30 uk32, 1968) was a send-up of Sgt. Pepper

Zappa frequently changed band members
Had eight more Top 40 albums
Biggest success in UK was Hot Rats (uk9)
Apostrophe (p 1 0, 1974) made the strongest showing in the United States
"I'm the Slime" from Overnight Sensation (p32, 1973) is an example of Zappa's blended style

Jazz-fusion playing
Cartoonish vocals
Satirical lyrics
Bitter critique of television

Zappa preferred that his music not be interpreted

Didn't care if it was commercial, artistic, or relevant

Zappa composed several pieces that are best described as twentieth-century classical music

The return of Traffic

Original members reunited in 1970 and released John Barleycorn Must Die (p 11 uk5, 1970)
Personnel changed in 1971

Drummer Jim Capaldi left
Drummer Jim Gordon joined
Bassist Rick Grech joined
Percussionist Reebop Kwaku-Baah

The Low Spark of the High-Heeled Boys (p7, 1971)

Title cut exemplifies saxophonist Chris Wood's Coltrane-influenced style

Traffic released more successful albums in the 1970s, including

Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory (p6, 1973)
When the Eagle Flies (p9 uk31, 1974)

Winwood went on to pursue a successful solo career in 1975

Steely Dan

Debut album in 1972 Can't Buy a Thrill (p 17, 1972) contained two hits

"Do It Again" (p6, 1972)
"Reelin' in the Years" (p 11, 1972)

Personnel began shifting after the first album

Led by keyboardist/vocalist Donald Fagen
Co-leader bassist/guitarist Walter Becker
Vocalist David Palmer (left—Fagen took over lead vocals)
Guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (left to join the Doobie Brothers)

Fagen and Becker began hiring studio musicians to play on the records

The best musicians money could buy in New York and Los Angeles
Arrangements were all written out
Solos were improvised in the studio

Best example of this approach is the album Aja (p3 uk5, 1977)
Aja included three hit singles

"Peg" (p11, 1977)
"Deacon Blues" (p19, 1978)
"Josie" (p26, 1978)
Guitarist Lee Ritenour's solo was improvised. Everything else was written out

All seven of Steely Dan's albums placed in the Top 40
They had ten Top 40 singles

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Al Kooper formed Blood, Sweat, and Tears

After working with Dylan
Before producing Lynyrd Skynyrd
They released Child Is Father to the Man (uk40, 1968)
Kooper left after the first album to record Super Session with Mike Bloomfield and Steven Stills
Singer David Clayton-Thomas joined when Kooper left

They were successful throughout the rest of the 1960s
The next album, Blood, Sweat, & Tears (p1 uk15, 1969) contained three hit singles

"You've Made Me So Very Happy" (p2 uk35, 1969)
"Spinning Wheel" (p2, 1969)
"And When I Die" (p2, 1969)
The album won a Grammy Award

Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 (p1 uk14, 1970)

Goffin and King's "Hi-De-Ho" (p14, 1970)
"Lucretia MacEvil" (p29, 1970) was written by Clayton-Thomas

The band featured a small horn section made up of permanent members

Made the horns more central to the arrangements
Solo and ensemble playing are influenced by big-band jazz tradition

An example of their style is the arrangement of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil"

Their title: "Sympathy for the Devil/Symphony for the Devil"
Similar to Vanilla Fudge's symphonic-psychedelic approach cover versions
It is an almost eight-minute epic version of the song
Long instrumental passages
Both jazz and avant-garde classical musical practices are used

Chicago

Also featured a horn section in the band
Chicago Transit Authority (p17 uk9, 1969)

"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" (p7, 1970), vocals by keyboardist Robert Lamm
Band mixed jazz arrangements with Beatles-influenced pop vocals and song elements
Song begins with a rhythmic ensemble instrumental introduction
Brief trumpet solo from Lee Loughnane
The horns accompany as Lamm sings verses and chorus
Beatles-styled backup vocals
Jazzy trombone lick at the end by James Pankow

Bassist Peter Cetera has a voice that sounds similar to Paul McCartney's

"If You Leave Me Now," (p1 uk1 1976), Cetera sings the lead vocal

Thirteen Top 40 albums during the 1970s (five of them were Top 40 in the UK)
Twenty-two Top 40 singles (three in the UK)

Jazz-rock fusion controversy

Jazz-rock fusion and progressive rock both ended up being invalidated by jazz and rock purists

Many jazz traditionalists considered jazz-rock a sellout to the pop-music industry
Rock purists thought jazz-rock was too concerned with instrumental virtuosity
Rock purists also rejected progressive rock because it was too complex and self-indulgent

Both styles were a continuation of the hippie aesthetic:

Freely blend styles and forms, and introduce new sounds
Embrace the result of new blends as an advancement process

Later in the decade this attitude died out
The Punk rebellion joined jazz and rock purists in their attack on these styles

Glam rock and rock theater: Shocking characters

Setting the stage for rock musicians who act out a character onstage

Early influences come from Genesis and Pink Floyd

Peter Gabriel used costumes and props to act out characters from songs
Pink Floyd put on elaborate visual stage shows

During the 1970s rock shows were held in stadiums and arenas
Audiences came to expect more spectacle with the music
Imaginary aspects had already been presented in the 1960s:

Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was an album by an imaginary band
The Doors' Jim Morrison assumed the role of the Lizard King on stage and in albums

Alice Cooper

A band of tough-looking hard-drinking men with a front man named Alice

Vocalist Vincent Furnier became Alice onstage
Guitarist Glen Buxton
Guitarist Michael Bruce
Drummer Neal Smith
Bassist Dennis Dunaway

Explored theatrical aspects of horror in their albums and shows
Cooper finished his shows with often gruesome antics

He was hanged
Executed in an electric chair
Beheaded on a guillotine

Jim Morrison befriended and influenced Cooper in the 1960s
First commercial success came with Love It to Death (p35, 1971)

"I'm Eighteen" (p21, 1971) on that album explored teenage depression and anger
Produced by Bob Ezrin (he stayed on through the 1970s as their producer)

Cooper continued to have hit albums and successful tours through the 1970s
Killer (p21 uk27, 1971) featured the semi-autobiographical "Be My Lover" (p47, 1972)
School's Out (p2 uk4, 1972), which contained the single "School's Out" (p7 ukl, 1972)
Billion Dollar Babies (p1 uk1, 1973)
Cooper went solo in 1975, releasing Welcome to My Nightmare (p5 uk19, 1975)

Cooper abandoned horror by this time
Stage persona was more cartoonish than gruesome

Kiss

All four members of the band assumed individual character roles with makeup and costumes

Bassist Gene Simmons
Drummer Peter Criss
Guitarist Paul Stanley
Guitarist Ace Freley

Their characters were based on cartoon-like comic book type figures

They appeared on stage only in costume
For years they kept their identities a secret—which added to the appeal and mystique

Stage shows incorporated elaborate effects and spectacle

Light shows
Flames (as in circus fire-eater techniques)
Explosions

Their music was basically blues rock
Albums were not as successful as their live stage shows

Kiss (p87, 1974)
Hotter Than Hell (pl00, 1974)
Dressed to Kill (p32, 1975)
Live version of "Rock and Roll All Nite" ( p12 1975) was a turning point

The live album Alive (p9 uk49, 1976) bolstered their career

Contained songs from earlier albums
Earlier albums began to sell

They became very successful by the end of the decade

They eventually starred in their own feature film
Marketed Kiss action figures

David Bowie

David Bowie was the only British glam star able to make a significant impact in the United States
His first important success in the UK: the single "Space Oddity" (uk5, 1969)

It eventually placed on U.S. charts (p15, 1973)
Inspired by the Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey

In the early 1970s Bowie formed the Spiders from Mars

Featured Mick Ronson on guitar
He also created the character of Ziggy Stardust for an album:
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (p75 uk5, 1972)
Contained the UK hit "Suffragette City" (uk10, 1972)

Initial success remained in UK through 1973 with several successful albums

Aladdin Sane (p17 uk1, 1973)
Pin-Ups (p23 uk 1, 1973)
Diamond Dogs (uk 1, 1974)

Bowie eventually rose to stardom in the United States

The album David Live (p8 uk2, 1974)
Selection of songs from the earlier Bowie albums
American success continued with Young Americans (p9 uk2, 1975)
That album contained the single "Fame" (p1 uk17, 1975)
Station to Station (p3 uk5, 1976) solidified Bowie's stardom in America

Similarities and the differences between David Bowie and Alice Cooper

Both adopted a stage persona that was based in fantasy
Both pushed the boundaries of sexual and gender identities
Bowie changed characters with every album
Cooper stayed with his Alice character throughout his career

Singer-songwriters

Roots are in folk music of the 1960s (particularly Dylan and late Beatles songs)

Lyrics were meant to appear as though they were from personal experience
These artists were the antithesis of glam and theater rock artists

Glam and theater rock artists were presenting an artificial persona
Singer-songwriters were perceived as genuine observers of the human condition

Focus was on the singer-songwriter rather than elaborate instrumentation or performance

Often these artists concertized by themselves or with minimal backup
Not unusual to see a singer-songwriter alone at a piano or playing acoustic guitar

Both Dylan and John Lennon performed during the 1970s as singer-songwriters
The focus was the singer and the song

James Taylor

One of the first artists signed to the Beatles' new Apple label.

James Taylor (1968) did not chart
It contained "Carolina on My Mind" which became popular later

Sweet Baby James (p3 uk7, 1970) was recorded and released under a new label

Established Taylor on both sides of the Atlantic
Contained the hit "Fire and Rain" (p3, 1970)

Taylor continued his success through the first half of the 1970s

Mud Slide Slim (p2 uk4, 1971)
One Man Dog (p4 uk27, 1972)

Taylor had a hit single with Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" (p1 uk4, 1971)

Carole King

Moved from songwriter into the artist role in the 1970s
Became one of the most important female artists of the 1970s
Several hit albums and singles from those albums

Tapestry (p1 uk4, 1970)
Contained "It's Too Late" (p1 uk6, 1971)
Her own version of "You've Got a Friend"
Also a reinterpretation of her "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"
Music (p1 uk 18, 1972)
Rhymes and Reason (p2 uk40, 1972)

Paul SimonContinued on as a solo singer-songwriter after a successful five years with partner Art Garfunkel

Continued on as a solo singer-songwriter after a successful five years with partner Art Garfunkel
Simon incorporated non-rock styles into his well-crafted songs
Singles were hits that appeared on hit albums

Paul Simon (p4 uk 1, 1972) contained "Mother and Child Reunion" (p4 uk5, 1972)
Jamaican musicians provided backup tracks before reggae was popular

Simon increasingly added jazz elements into his music during the 1970s

There Goes Rhymin ' Simon (p2 uk4, 1973) featured the hit "Kodachrome" (p2, 1973)
Still Crazy after All These Years (p1 uk6, 1975)
"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (p1 uk23, 1975)

"Still Crazy After All These Years" exemplifies the mix of jazz into singer-songwriter style

Sophisticated backup tracks are played by studio musicians
The middle section features a jazz-tinged saxophone solo

Other important American singer-songwriters:

Carly Simon

"That's the Way I Always Heard It Should Be" (p 10, 1971)
"Anticipation" (p13, 1971)
Her album No Secrets (p1 uk3; 1973) stands as the peak of her popular appeal
Contains the single "You're So Vain" (p1 uk3, 1972)
Backup vocals by Mick Jagger (the rumored "you" in the song)

Harry Chapin, had hits with philosophical songs about life's twists and turns

"Taxi" (p24, 1972)
"Cat's in the Cradle" (p 1, 1974)

Don McLean

His song "American Pie" (p1 uk2, 1972) uses symbolism to describe rock music over time
"Vincent" (p12 uk1, 1972) offers a portrait of the painter Vincent Van Gogh

Jim Croce was killed in a plane crash in 1973 with a hit song on the charts at the time

"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" (p1, 1973) was that song
"Time in a Bottle" (p 1, 1974) a reflection on the unwelcome approach of death
Recorded months before the crash

British singer-songwriters

Van Morrison continued his 1960s success

Blend of jazz and rhythm and blues: Moondance (p29, 1970)
Tupelo Honey (p21, 1971)

Cat Stevens

First big hit single "Peace Train" (p7, 1971)
A string of successful albums
Teaser and the Firecat (p2 uk3, 1971)
Catch Bull at Four (p 1 uk2, 1972)
Buddha and the Chocolate Box (p2 uk3, 1974)

Elton John.

First big hit single: "Your Song" (p8 uk7, 1971)
Series of hugely successful albums:
Honky Chateau (p1 uk2, 1972)
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (p1 uk1, 1973),
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (p1 ukl, 1973), and
Caribou (p1 ukl, 1974)

Elton John's songs are all written with lyricist Bernie Taupin
The John-Taupin partnership reflects the Tin Pan Alley/Brill Building songwriting teams
John formed a band in the early 1970s

Drummer Nigel Olsson
Bassist Dee Murray
Guitarist Davey Johnstone

The singer-songwriter fronting a rock band became the model for later singer-songwriters

Billy Joel
Bob Seger
Bruce Springsteen

Canadian singer-songwriters: Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell came through the folk music scene in the 1960s

Judy Collins recorded her song "Both Sides Now" (p8 uk14, 1968)

One of the most eclectic songwriters in the 1970s
Used very talented and often well-known musicians on her albums
Began incorporating jazz into her arrangements
Her biggest commercial success was Court and Spark (p2 uk14, 1974)

Contained the single "Help Me" (p7) and
Featured Tom Scott's LA Express on the album

She explored new stylistic territory with The Hissing of Summer Lawns (p4 uk14, 1975)
She explored esoteric jazz with Mingus (p 1 7 uk24, 1979)

Neil Young

Young was a member of the Buffalo Springfield during the 1960s
Also appeared occasionally with Crosby, Stills and Nash on albums and in concert
Had a very successful solo career with several albums placing high on the charts

Beginning with After the Gold Rush (p8 uk 7, 1970)
Contained "Southern Man"
Lynyrd Skynyrd answered it in the lyrics to "Sweet Home Alabama"

Greatest commercial and critical success with Harvest (p1 uk1, 1972)

Contained the hit "Heart of Gold" (p1 uk1, 1972)

Young's singing style differed from most other singer-songwriters at that time

Young's voice is frequently thin, somewhat out of tune, and seemingly unsure
These traits can be beneficial—suggesting an "everyman" quality

Gordon Lightfoot

Known for more traditional approach to songwriting and singing style
More closely aligned with folk music:

Thoughtful lyrics
Clear baritone voice

Lightfoot had several hits in the 1970s

"If You Could Read My Mind" (p5 uk30, 1971)
"Sundown" (p1 uk33, 1974)
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (p2 uk40, 1976)

Country rock

Why country rock

Simple honesty
Country music has always presented itself as "down-home" music

Reflecting on values and situations shared by people concerned about basic daily life issues
Lyrics are built around direct concepts
Music is easy to remember and learn

In the late 1960s country rock was a reaction against the excesses of psychedelia

The Byrds (and Dylan) go country

The first rock band to record in Nashville was the Byrds

By 1968 most original members had left
Roger McGuinn brought in Gram Parsons
Parsons knew country music
The Nashville project was Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)

Bob Dylan recorded Nashville Skyline (p3 uk1, 1969) in Nashville

Contains a duet version of "Girl form the North Country"
Sung with Johnny Cash

Crosby Stills and Nash (with or without Young)

Blended the folk rock of the Byrds with jazz, country, and blues
David Crosby from the Byrds (before they went to Nashville)
Steven Stills had been in the Buffalo Springfield
Graham Nash left the Hollies
They got together and recorded Crosby Stills and Nash (p6 uk25, 1969)
Neil Young joined them on the next album Deja Vu (pl uk5, 1970)
The following album was the live album, Four Way Street (p1 uk5, 1971)

"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (p21, 1969) was on that album
Good example of the band's blend of a range of musical concepts
Acoustic and electric instruments
Close vocal harmony
Catchy pop songwriting

The Band

They worked with Dylan in Woodstock, New York, during the late 1960s
They recorded Music from Big Pink (p30, 1968)
Canadian musicians who had a deep love for the music of the American south
They released a series of successful albums, including

The Band (p9 uk25, 1970)
Cahoots (p21 uk41, 1971)
Rock of Ages (p6, 1972)

The band's first hit single was "Up on Cripple Creek" (p25, 1970)

"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" was on the B-side
The song tells the story of the fall of the south during the Civil War
Uses country and folk styles

Creedence Clearwater Revival

1960s band from the San Francisco Bay area

John and Tom Foggerty on guitars
Stu Cook on bass
Doug Clifford on drums
John Foggerty's singing sounded black
John Foggerty wrote most of the band's music

Long string of hit singles and albums

Beginning with the single "Suzie Q" (p11, 1968)
"Proud Mary" (p2 uk8, 1969)
"Bad Moon Rising" (p2 uk1, 1969)
The album Green River (p1 uk20, 1969)

Cosmo's Factory (p1 uk1, 1970)
Willy and the Poor Boys (p3 ukl0, 1970)

"Down on the Comer"
"Poor Boy Shuffle"
"Fortunate Son"
Was a concept album similar to Sgt. Pepper
The band became the title characters

The Eagles

California became the home of country rock by the early 1970s
The Eagles were the leading band in the style
The Eagles brought several 1960s elements together

The Eagles were a superb singing group
Primary focus was on the song
They wrote their own music
Played on their own albums
Kept close control of production

Formed by members of Linda Ronstadt's band

Guitarist Glenn Frey
Drummer Don Henley
Randy Meisner joined Ronstadt show
Bernie Leadon joined the Ronstadt show
The band left Ronstadt to form the Eagles
Guitarist Don Felder joined the band after the second album

Their first album, Eagles (p22, 1972), was produced in London by Glyn Johns
They consistently placed albums in the top of the charts

Desperado (p41, 1973), a country-rock concept album about the Old West
On the Border (p1 uk28, 1974)
One of These Nights (p1 uk8, 1975)

The band placed eight singles in the American Top 40 by 1975 including

"Take It Easy" (p12, 1972)
"Best of My Love" (p1, 1974)
"One of These Nights" (p1, 1975)

Guitarist Joe Walsh replaced Leadon in 1975
Band abandoned its country rock sound to become even bigger rock stars

The Eagles' "Take It Easy"

Opening with big, brilliant folk-rock electric guitar chords
Another electric guitar enters imitating the sound of the country steel guitar
First verse begins with a mild western accent on the lead vocal

Beatles/Beach Boys-influenced backup vocals enter
The harmonies are set high in the male voice register

In the second verse, a high harmony is added

Makes the verse a duet
Similar to the Everly Brothers or Lennon and McCartney

More steel guitar references during the solo
Banjo is added in the accompaniment
In the third verse, a new vocal part is added
In the coda the banjo becomes more prominent
The band again showcases their harmony vocals
The song is in simple verse form

Verse structure is more complicated than usual
The verse consists of three, eight-bar sections to total twenty-four bars
Only the first two eight-bar sections are used in the instrumental verse

Overview of the first half of the 1970s

New styles developed out of styles present in the psychedelic era music

There was an overall emphasis on combining styles

Country rock
Progressive rock combined classical music with rock
Jazz rock combined those two styles

The unifying factor is the hippie aesthetic

Dedication to craft
Musical ability
Artistic approach to the creative process
The result had to be enjoyable to listen to

Three things happened that brought on change in the middle of the 1970s:

Multinational corporations got involved in the music business
The punk movement began to form
Disco put dancing back at the center of popular music