Post 8 D.C. Talk & Jesus Freak

Jesus Freak! The term was coined in the 1960’s with the Jesus Movement. It was part of a subculture or counterculture of Bible carrying believers. D.C. Talk named their 4^th, out of 5, studio album after this rag-tag hippie group. “Jesus Freak was released in 1995, and it achieved the highest first-week sales of any Christian release in history,[6] reaching No. 16 on the Billboard 200.[11] The album, which was ultimately certified double platinum,[8] was certified gold within thirty days of its release.[12] This album was a fusion of the musical stylings, with a more pop-rock oriented sound combined with hip hop.”*1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Talk#Awards  It is slightly mislabeled by Wikipedia, as it should say alternative-grunge-rock oriented sound. This was at that time the Christian response to the alternative music explosion started by the Nevermind album of Nirvana.

Traditionally, Christian concerts were nice events, sitting and watching a band perform a “churchy,” hymn-like song. They increased their boldness by standing and clapping. When the Jesus Freak tour began, it was an all-out mosh pitting frenzy. Christian music had been hanging on to the 80s stylistically. Toby, Mike, and Kevin had struck a chord in the hearts of the youth. They could be devoted followers of Jesus Christ and be cool. The two usually didn’t coexist (like 99% of the time). This made it easy to advance the cause of doing what was right in high schools and college campuses across the country.

Other bands soon followed suit making harder and harder music. After Jesus Freak the band Payable On Death (P.O.D.) would be the next big hard hit to go mainstream with their Funky Reggae Rap-core. D.C. Talk had also gained an opening act with one of Christian Pop’s biggest performers Michael W. Smith (my personal favorite). Shortly thereafter they would also tour the Billy Graham Crusades. The screamo scene would eventually be shared by Christian and non-Christian bands alike. D.C. Talk, almost single-handedly, changed the face of Christian Music completely. 

Post 7 The Human League

The Human League was formed of Philip Oakey, Philip Wright, Ian Marsh, and Martyn Ware. The only constant band member since 1977 is vocalist and songwriter Philip Oakey. Originally an avant-garde all-male synthesizer-based group, The Human League evolved into a commercially successful synthpop band under Oakey's leadership.* ¹ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Human_League#1978.E2.80.931980:_The_original_Human_League_lineup Two Women, Joanne Catherall and Susan Sulley, joined the Group in 1987 at the end of their string of 6 albums. After the addition of Joanne and Susan the band has released 14 albums. They are most known for “Don’t You Want Me Baby" from their 3^rd album, Dare.*² http://www.humanleague.dk/  They received an award for over 20 million radio plays. That’s incredible. They are kind of a one hit wonder, but they have kept putting out music appealing enough to keep their careers alive and maintain a somewhat large fan base.

They are still very much an electronic band. 80’s Music from the About.com say that there is, “still recognizably haunting tone of the group's synth work.” *³ http://80music.about.com/od/artistsfj/tp/humanleaguesongs.htm They found their place at the forefront of synth music and used it to burn their sound into our ear’s mind forever. Besides the distinct sound that they had discovered and claimed, they used automation to control the ongoing repetitive and various beats, rhythmic melodies, and synthy riffs. They found a formula that they could embrace and still run with it. In my collection of 80’s favorites, in my mind, resides this classic. I love it. They really helped shape the electronic music scene forever.

Another feature of The Human League would be the great bantering between the male and female vocals. “Sulley's lead vocal contribution provides the song with a dynamic he said-she said quality that promotes narrative drama at a rate not often found in pop music.” * ⁴ http://80music.about.com/od/artistsfj/tp/humanleaguesongs.htm

As an individual the band gives me a sense of inspiration to create something that follows their lead. As a professional I see a lot of marketable potential for new artists. There is a ton of sounds that the world has never heard before.

Post 6 Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk is the epitome of nerdy electronic sounds combined with the most ingenious engineered computer generated audio artistry that has ever been created by humans. It was Ralph Hutter and Florian Schneider who brought into the group Henning Schmitz and Stefan Pfaffe. The latter two were only studio musicians at first. Kraftwerk invented the application of electronic sound for music. They pioneered years of original music that captured the attention of fans, artists, and producers. Some of their albums were more successful with fans, and others with producers or artists, who found new ways to build on their musical discoveries. Kraftwerk sowed seeds of sounds that would be used by a multitude of different genres incorporating electronics into music, from pop to punk, rock to funk. They very strongly influenced David Bowie, Brian Eno, Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, and a myriad of others, and even more (indirectly) up to the present day. Half of Germany was Communist and half was free. They successfully marketed the group in both worlds (usually without them knowing it).

The albums released between 1974 and 1981 were first about Europe and travel. The Autobahn album reached number 5 in the U.S. and Canada, and number 4 in the U.K in 1974. It had influences from, and a slight resemblance to, the Beach Boys. It was very strong conceptually as were the next few albums. They contained themes about trains and electronic vocabulary. The albums were focused a little on them being seen as robotic. The Man Machine, the last of this time period was not as strong conceptually. It would also begin to show that they were not man machines and robotic, but more human. *¹ http://www.veoh.com/watch/v17166226D39Jw7dc

There is a cold, rigid feel of some of the music. Their studio was a large warehouse. *² http://www.veoh.com/watch/v17166226D39Jw7dc They created many of their instruments. This was before synthesizers came out. After a few albums they would be begin utilizing the keyboards that had come into existence. The album covers also portrayed this simple cookie cutter look to amplify their concepts for each album, and the band as a whole. Their stage presence was simple, uniform, and robot like.

I have realized that I have some very strong tendencies toward using electronic music in my music creation. I have realized that I have gained most of my influences from Kraftwerk. I have some German in me as well, so I see the similarities in their thought processes. Some of the music I don’t care for much, but I love a lot of it.

Post 5 Marvin Gaye & What's Going On

Marvin Gaye was initially a common Motown recording artist, among what were, most likely hundreds of artists. Seeing his brother return from Vietnam after the war changed him. “The collision of these images of horror and injustice with the sense of righteousness that had been instilled in (or beaten into) him as a child produced an activism of the imagination that, when it found the proper musical context, would move untold millions of people. This new song that had fallen from heaven was just the creative jumpstart he needed.” ²  http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/dec/08/extract He had a new sound and a new look that he was developing. It was more down to earth.

The album exudes a deep sense of something being wrong. The drugs—that everyone was on—never  allowed that to emotionally set in. The lyrics are not reflective of the mood at all. It’s as if it numbs them. “The chatter of happy voices imparts a party-time flavour to a song that is deadly serious. The lyric expresses extreme hurt and anger, yet the song never gives in to either.”* ³  http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/dec/08/extract  The studio was recording what everyone was doing in a live atmosphere. This is very different from the controlled environment of studios up to this recording. It was a little rougher because of this also. The lyrics of this new album were also rougher to give it a different feel than the common Motown feel before this.

Marvin had released enough successful albums that there was an anticipation by the public for another one. There were several studio musicians that had played for musical giants prior to this, which were used in recording this record. His brother-in-law heard What’s Going On and hated it. He held off on the record company releasing it. Marvin decided to play professional football because he was determined to have the studio release the album, or he didn’t want to do music. Finally, someone on the inside, Harry Balk, got the record by accident and sneaked it through. Marvin was there for the final mix. “In the final mix, just as the record was about to fade out, he grabbed the fader and pushed the track back up for a couple of seconds before it ebbed away for good. "It wasn't planned," says Steve Smith, the engineer on the session. "It was something that just happened.”* ⁵  http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/dec/08/extract1

I have the ability to relate greatly to Marvin in my life. I have similarities where this statement is issued: “Seeing a man walk on the moon when there was economic desperation within two miles of his own home was surreal and depressing.”* ¹  http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/dec/08/extract I have seen others thrive, doing little more than having fun, and I have had struggles not near home, but at home. Finally, here is a quote that seems to resonate with my life, concerning a lot of very significant moments for me: “What's Going On was a record in which absolutely nothing could have worked, but everything. For once, the singer's conflicts and contradictions worked to his musical advantage.”*⁴ http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/dec/08/extract

Post 4 The Velvet Underground & The Velvet Underground and Nico

The Velvet Underground. The band consisted of; John Cale (a musical child prodigy), playing viola and bass, Lou Reed (founder and still a professional musician and singer), playing guitar and singing, Sterling Morrison, also on guitar, Maureen Tucker (with no prior experience), on the drums, and Nico, a dark-vocaled German Model.

What can I say?!? It’s a masterpiece nightmare. The band is: erratic pitch, timing, rhythmic, lyrics, panning (and various mixing effects and tricks), and almost completely randomness galore. I’m entertained and horrified. It’s like a comedy with gifted children playing together and separately. The band as a whole didn’t seem to care about becoming famous, much like Nirvana. They didn’t even care if the sounds carried beyond their own ears, unlike Nirvana, who had a special message for those chosen few who thought like they did. “Lou Reed,” however, “Harbored hopes that one of his latest songs was going to become a breakout hit.”*1

Andy Worhol was a pop-art producer who produced The Velvet Underground. He didn’t know much about music production. He wanted to combine art, film, and music. He watched from behind the mixing board, not too involved, but his presence was felt. He incorporated Nico, with “her deadpan Dietrich-like vocals,” giving the band it’s “doomy quality.”* ²

Characteristics of the albums were lighter than a driving rock beat of the day. They were also heavier than the softer feel-good rock of that time. There was also video recording and photographs taken of the band in the studio. The recording process in the studio was for them to play until there was enough material to make an album. Then bam!, just like that, they were done. The lyrics were about everyday happenings. It was as simple as that. People went away from a Velvet Underground concert with a sense of bewilderment, as the band, in a way, was trying to make agitating music.

The band was over, when in late 1968 John Cale decided to quit. He was very stern in his decision to call it done, although he didn’t give any reason why. I suspect it was because of the bands commercial failure. “Reed grew weary of the band’s unrelenting sound.” He was “at odds with Cale’s uncompromising experimental ideas. Convinced the Velvets had lost sight of its original concept and unable to usurp Reed’s leadership, Cale departed the band.”*³

On a side note, there is an order to everything. If you search the world over you will find structure. To break the rules in interesting ways to create something to draw attention is really great. We create extraordinary things, visually and audibly. There are advantages to using random things in creating a piece of music or art, however to throw things together is not using much creativity. If you have money and time to throw away, and don’t care about many people noticing it, sure bang away like a cave man or toddler, but if it is to be used to create income, then use these ideas with caution. Also, if you like randomness to resound, hide structure with your piece to give it solidarity. Over time it will be noticed and appreciated. I am going to attempt to do such things at times with my music.