AOS Popular Song Since 1960

STYLE:
The Blues
Artists: Lemon Jefferson Ma Rainey Bessie Smith o o o o o o

FEATURES:
Originated during slave trade. Early Blues = solo singer accompanied by guitar or banjo. Later became an urban form - added jazz instruments; trumpet, clarinet, piano, double bass. 12 bar blues structure in 4/4 time with 12 bars. Only chords are I IV and V. Set pattern repeated. Minor 7ths are added to the chords. Melodies created using the blues scale. Walking Bass Line/ Boogie-Woogie Bass Developed out of a fusion of styles Country n Western and Rhythm n Blues. Country n Western Features = Melodies are memorable and largely diatonic. Rhythm n Blues = Instrumentation: Electric Guitar, Saxophone. 12 bar blues structure but faster and rhythms were tighter.

Rock n Roll 1950s

Examples: Little Richard Tutti Frutti, Bill Haley Shake, Rattle and Roll Elvis Presley Blue Suede Shoes/ Jailhouse Rock

o o o o

1960s Rock and Pop

Examples: Rolling Stones Satisfaction The Who My generation/Tommy Beatles Love me do/Please Please Me/Strawberry Fields

o Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who. o Many influenced by Rock n Roll, Rhythm n Blues, ideas from classical music, folk and non-western Cultures (Eleanor Rigby/Norwegian Wood) o Loudly amplified. o Guitars, Drums, Vocals, o o o o Invented in USA early 20th Century. Performed on stage or film. Story is told through songs. Orchestra/band accompanies and plays incidental music.

Musical Theatre
Composers/Examples: Irving Berlin Cole Porter Rodgers and Hammerstein The Sound of Music Andrew Lloyd Webber Cats, Evita, Joseph, Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar etc. etc.

The Singer-Song Writer/Ballads

Artists/Examples: Carole King Youve got a friend/Its too late Elton John Rocket Man/Daniel Sting Bjork

o o o o o o

Ballads tell stories. Slow and Sad. Each verse has the same rhythm and tune but different lyrics. Different styles of ballad E.g. Rock, Folk. Artists tend to accompany themselves on guitar or piano. Popular with boy/girl bands Take That, Boyzone, Spice Girls, Girls Aloud, Westlife etc. etc.

Ska
Examples: Millie Small My boy lollipop (1960s) Madness Baggy Trousers (1980s)

o 1960s o Developed from Mento, Jazz and American Rhythm n Blues o Lyrics about local issues e.g. Poverty. o Lively tempo, off-beat rhythms (emphasis on 2nd and 4th beats) Instruments Saxophones, Trumpets, Drum Kit, Double Bass (often playing walking bass line). o o o Emerged mid 1960s. Reaction against popularisation of Ska. Slower beat than Ska. Built around electric bass and drums.

Rock Steady
Examples: Jimmy Cliff