Wednesday, August 29, 2012
References
Reference Page
Velvet Underground
& Nico
Marvin Gaye’s
What’s Goin On
Electronic Music
Personal Entry Blog
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is a German group that was started by two
men. Ralf Hutter and Florian
Scheider are the backbone of this group.
Their music influenced the new and genre of music that is slowly taking
over the music industry. During
the time period of their early years, many other bands were trying to create a
new form of music. Kraftwerk is
known as the God father of electronic music. The two gentlemen played together in an ensemble called the
Organisation.
Kraftwerks music was entirely made out of electronic
sounds. Their instruments were
custom made and different from sounds experienced at that time. From electronic drums to their vocals
going through a vocoder, Kraftwerk was on a different level from their
competition.
From 1974- 1981 Kraftwerks success shot off like a rocket. In 1974, Kraftwerk release their fourth
album, Autobahn, which was a commercial success. This album established them a pioneers of computer music. The theme of this album was based off
of long road journeys. In 1976,
their fifth album, Radio Activity, wasn’t as successful as Autobahn. The theme of that album was based off
of sounds they found off of the radio waves. In 1978, Kraftwerk released their sixth album, The
Man-Machine. This album was full
of surprising hits. When they
released the single ‘The Model’, it reached the top of the UK charts in
1982. Followed by ‘Showroom
Dummies and ‘Neon Lights’. This
album was a huge success for them.
They were surprised that it did so well. Finally on 1981, they released Computer World. This album
was another one of their commercial success. The theme was based off of
computers taking over the world in the future.
Kraftwerk could be one of the most influential groups of all
times. Their style of music was
ahead of their time. Now, in the
present, technology has found a way to compress their experiments into software
and smaller devices. But if it weren’t for them paving the way for the
electronic age, then we probably would not have advanced on our musical
technology and our understanding of music synthesis.
Ralf Hutter and Florian Scheider left me in amazement when I
first previewed their biography.
As a listener, it was weird listening to their bizarre sounds. Their form of music is hard to
understand and is different to what I have grown up to. As a industry professional, I found
their music extraordinary and brilliant.
Their music was like a computerized ocean that cannot be tamed.
Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground & Nico was conceived in 1966. Their debut album was recorded in April
1966. Velvet Undergrond’s image
was already dark and influential. Their goal was to have a cynical mood or a decadent
feel amongst the people. The young
teenage minds engulfed their music as if it was a message for them. Some said that the Velvet Underground
expressed who they were and how they felt musically. When Nico, a german model/singer/composer, joined the band,
The Velvet Underground became even more enticing. Lead by Andy Warhol, the new band became what is now known
as “punk” rock music today. The
debut album was very dark. It
expressed a lot of sexual fetishes with some German and French influences.
The Velvet Underground had a backbone for their
creativity. Amongst them were Lou
Reed and John Cale. Lou Reed was
the primary songwriter and the lead vocalist of the group. So he had the greatest importance out
of all the members in the group.
While, John Cale, Was the experimental part of he group. His classical background gave the groups
music an exuberant edge. These two
powerhouses had a drive for music, which gave their unique sound. Unfortunately, Lou Reed saw John Cale’s
feel on music a threat towards the band.
Henceforth, Lou Reed threatened to leave the band if John didn’t leave. The rest of the band members sided with
Lou but it’s unclear if Cale was fired or if he quitted from the band.
Even today I can this groups influences. Their music was controversial and
devious. Even though their lyrics
involved drugs and explicit sexual content the band really wasn’t rebellious in
reality. Their image still
seemed pure. As a listener, they
wouldn’t have seemed like the type of band I wanted to follow because their
music didn’t follow their image.
As a professional, they were probably the most ideal performers to work
with.
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye is one of the great pioneers of the R&B
genre. Before he became the
pioneer that he is today, he started out in church. He played piano and sang during the services. His love for music then pushed him into
the direction of R&B and doo-wop. He formed a group called the Marquees, which shed the light
upon him. Harvey Fuqua, his
mentor, brought Marvin along into his new group called, “Harvey & the New
Moonglows”. Other than his mastery
in piano, Gaye had a vocal range of three octaves. Which made him quite talented and valuable. Hence, he left Fuqua’s band to start on
his solo career. Gaye found work
drumming and singing for other artists.
Marvin was also a pretty good drummer. He stared out his career as a studio drummer for the Ann, Harvey,
and Tri-Phi labels. As time went on, Marvin caught the eye
of the CEO of Motown, Berry Gordy, which was the start of his success. He was then crowned the Prince of
Motown and The Prince of Soul due to his solo and duet hits.
When Marvin’s younger brother, Frankie, came back from
Vietnam, Marvin was hurt to see what had become of his brother. His brother was stationed in Vietnam
for three years. Every time Marvin
and Frankie sat down and talked about Frankie’s Vietnam experiences, Frankie
would cry during his reminisced experiences. Marvin was already moved by Frankie’s words but there was
something else that got to Marvin.
It was the little details Frankie told him about the children eating out
of the horrendous Vietnam garbage cans.
Frankie stated that compared to Vietnams garbage cans, America’s garbage
was clean. So Frankie and the
other soldiers use to leave some food on their plates for the children to eat
off of. Also the economic
depression and violence in the streets motivated Marvin to create the hit
single “Whats Going On”
The “Whats Goin On” Album was splendid album in my
opinion. The 60’s and 70’s music
was the most creative time period in music. Usually the regular Motown records were processed but
Marvin’s album felt like it had no filter to it. The “Whats going on” album talked about Marvin’s real
feelings and current situations.
It felt like there were no limitations. That record felt like an extension of Marvin’s persona.
Independent Blog
In my independent blog, I would like to talk about the great
Quincy Delight Jones. He is an
iconic inspiration for trumpeters, producers, arrangers, film composers, and
television producers. Like
most successful artist, Quincy was also someone who was ahead of his time. He was just one of those naturally
talented geniuses who just has a knack for the performing arts. He is considered to be one the greatest
minds in music and television history.
As all great performers, his journey started from young.
From elementary school, Quincy was already fond of
music. In high school, He tried
many instruments to see which one he felt the most but none caught his
passion. Until, he finally
reached for the trumpet and bonded with this specific horn of the brass
family. After finding his future
tool of success, later on he found a friend who had the same interests as
him. This friend was known as Ray
Charles. The two young men joined
together to make a little money on the side performing at gigs.
When Quincy turned 18, he was the lucky person to have won a
scholarship to Schillinger House, which is now Berklee College of Music. But Mr. Jones was given the opportunity
of a lifetime to tour with the bandleader Lionel Hampton. From there Quincy was led to work as a
freelancer arranger. During the
tour, it was discovered Quincy had a good ear for arrangement. An from there, Jones’ career properly
shot off.
From 1963-present, Quincy Jones as accomplished so much with
in his lifetime. He arranged
and produced for some of the most life changing acts of the all time. He worked with Sarah Vaughan, Dinah
Washington, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa and great and closest
friend, Ray Charles. One of
his greatest accomplishments was producing and working with the legendary
Michael Jackson. Jones produced
three albums with the “King of Pop”.
Jones produced “Off The Wall”, “Thriller”, and “Bad”. Quincy also worked with Frank Sinatra a
couple times. He arranged and
conducted when Sinatra, Dean Martin, and others were performing with the Basie
Orchestra in St. Louis, Missouri.
This is just a tip of Quincy Jones success as a
producer/arranger. As a listener
of his music, I am touched by how good it sounds. The three Michael Jackson albums he produced legendary. Up to this day, people of all ages
listen to his music and feel something good from it. His music is quite enjoyable. Now as professional in the industry, he is a legendary
genius. His craft is almost
perfect to the last note. Jones
was a hard working man, to have done so much in the music industry. On top of that, he has done so much in
the movie industy also. Up to this
day, Quincy Delight Jones is still one of the top world class producers.
Monday, August 13, 2012
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