Nov 17, 2010

70s Music

There were a few key kinds of music that we will examine from the 70s

General 70s Info?

Disco

Black power and the music of that movement

Vietnam War was still on (US vs Vietnam)

Protests and angry people vs the war

Women were protesting for Equal Rights

Bell bottoms, polyester suits, brown and orange fashion, brutal hair

Gay culture becomes more open (see the movie Milk)

Music becomes HUGE business

Image and Style become more important than the music in some ways

Disco

-     it’s about fashion and dancing

-     the music was repetitive and literally used the same beat over and over

-     the style of music actually comes from one place – Philadelphia

-     it literally came from one place – one pair of guys – Gamble and Hough – they started The Philly Sound

-     many bands came to copy it

-     that became disco

-     a key band that came to Philly and picked it up – The Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive? This was a huge hit, this was the classic Gamble and Hough sound 

the Disco sound –

-     strings in a big sweeping orchestra sound

-     That One Beat – boom tsss

-     Focus on the simple melodies – the songs are repetitive, stick in your head, not interesting or complex in any way – easy to dance to, even for older, white folks

-     Disco goes from underground to mainstream very quickly

-     Catches on and becomes pop

-     As soon as it huge, cool people hate it – it becomes the example of big business jumping in and taking a trend to the sickening point to make money