The Art of Rock Music 107 Spring 2002 class on Mon

The Art of Rock
Music 107 Spring 2002
class on Mon./Wed./Fri.
Room 153, Group 6
Visual & Performing Arts Bldg

Rick Britto, Lecturer
email: [email protected]
Office: Music Dept., Group 6, Room 204
Home Phone: (508) 997-6412

Weeks	Syllabus for Class
1	Mon. 1/28 Instructor unavailable Wed. 1/30 Class Orientation: Video Presentation: “That Rhythm, Those Blues Fri. 2/1 Ch 1. Mass technology and Popular Taste: Tin Pan Alley Era: 15
2	Mon. 2/4 Ch.2: Blues & Country Music: Mass Media and the Construction of Race: 35 Blues and Country: More Equal than Separate: 16 “Race” Music The Popular Sounds of Black America: 21 Wed. 2/6 “Hillbilly”: the Music of the White Working Class: 42 Fri. 2/8 The Dissemination of Blues and Country: More Separate than Equal: 45
3	Mon. 2/11 Ch 3: “Good Rockin’ Tonight”: The Rise of Rhythm and Blues: 53 The Publishers and the Broadcasters: ASCAP Versus BMI: 54 Enter the Deejay: The Broadcasters Versus the AFM: 56 Wed. 2/13 From Big Bands to Solo Singers: 58 The Major Labels Reclaim Country Music: 60 The Independents Promote Rhythm and Blues: 62 Fri. 2/15 High Fidelity/Low Overhead: 68 Independent Radio: Deejays in Your Face: 72
4	Mon. 2/18 Ch 4 Crossing Cultures: The Eruption of Rock ’n’ Roll: 77 Cultural Diversity: The Root of Rock ‘n’ Roll: 78 Structural Changes in the Music Industry: 81 Wed. 2/20 Sounds of the Cities: 84 New Orleans: The Fertile Crescent of Rock 'n' Roll 84 Los Angeles: From Jump Blues to Chicano Rock 89 Chicago: The Blues Electrified 92 Cincinnati: The Crossroads of Blues and Country 95 R&B Sanctified: The Gospel Connection 96 Fri. 2/22 Doo Wop: The Intersection of Gospel, Jazz, and Pop 101 Rockabilly: The Country Strain 110
5	Mon. 2/25 Ch 5 The Empire Strikes Back: The Reaction to Rock ‘N’ Roll 123 The Established Powers Fight Back 125 Covering the Bases 127 Pop Diversions: From Kingston Town to the Kingston Trio 130 Wed. 2/27 Schlock Rock: Enter the White Middle Class 132 132 Television's Greatest Hits 136 The Brill Building: The New Tin Pan Alley 138 Fri. 3/01 The Official Attack on Rock 'n' Roll 140 140 Surf's Up! 145
6	Mon. 3/04 Ch 6 Popular Music and Political Culture: The Sixties 151 The Civil Rights Movement and Popular Music 152 The "Girl Groups " and the Men Behind Them 153 Motown: The Integration of Pop 158 Folk Music: The Voice of Civil Rights 162 16 Wed. 3/06 The British Invasion Occupies the Pop Chart 166 Breaking the Sounds of Silence 174 Folk Rock: Adding Substance to Form 174 Black (Music) Is Beautiful 177 Fri. 3/08 Against the Grain: The Counterculture 181 Blues on Acid: Psychedelic Rock 182 Commercializing the Counterculture: The Monterey Pop Festival 185 Riding the Storm 189 Woodstock and Altamont: Reaching the Heights, Taking the Fall 193
7	Mon. 3/11 Ch 7 Music Versus Markets: The Fragmentation of Pop 199 The Music Industry: A Sound Investment 200 Merger Mania 201 Expanding the Infrastructure: Counterculture as Commodity 202 Creativity and Commerce: Rock as Art 207 Wed. 3/13 Sweeter Soul Music 214 Singer/Songwriters, Soft Rock Solutions, and More 220 Fri. 3/15 No Class SPRING BREAK BEGINS
8	Mon.-Fri. 3/18-24 SPRING BREAK WEEK
9	Mon. 3/25 Women's Music: The Feminist Alternative 228 From Country Rock to Southern Boogie 231 Wed. 3/27 Mad with Power: Heavy Metal 238 All That Glitters Does Not Sell Gold 246 Fri. 3/29 Review of material for mid-term exam
10	Mon. 4/01 MID-TERM EXAM Chapters 1-7 – Bring two No. 2 pencils to class Wed. 4/03 Ch 8 Punk and Disco: The Poles of Pop 249 Punk Versus Disco 251 Punk: Rock as (White) Noise 253 Born in the U.S.A. 255 Anarchy in the U.K. 263 Flirtation with Fascism: The Underbelly of Punk 267 Rock Against Racism: The Progressive Rejoinder 270 Riding the New Wave 273 Fri. 4/05 Disco: The Rhythm Without the Blues 277 Proto-Disco: The Funk Connection 278 Up from the Disco Underground 282 Mainstream Disco: The Bee Gees Boogie Down 285 The Hard-Rock Reaction 288
11	Mon. 4/08 Ch 9 Music Videos, Superstars, and Mega-Events: The Eighties 291 Early Music Television: They Want Their MTV 293 Superstars: The Road to Economic Recovery 301 Wed. 4/10 Charity Rock and Mega-Events: Who Is the World? 311 Christmas in Ethiopia: The Advent of Charity Rock 312 Mega-Events: The Politics of Mass Culture 316 Fri. 4/12 Technology and the New International Music Industry 323
12	Mon. 4/15 NO CLASSES: PATRIOT’S DAY Wed. 4/17 Ch 10 Rap and Metal: Youth Culture and Censorship 325 The Continuing History of Heavy Metal 327 Heavy Metal: The New Wave 327 Metal Fragments 331 Fri. 4/19 Hip Hop, Don't Stop 337 Old School Rap 337 Hip Hop: The Next Generation 340
13	Mon. 4/22 Popular Music and the Politics of Censorship 349 The Parents Music Resource Center 350 The Issues: Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll Revisited 353 Wed. 4/24 CH 11 Alternative to What?: Packaging Pop in the Nineties 365 Alternative as Mainstream 367 Lollapalooza: Mainstreaming Counter-cultural Performance 373 Fri. 4/26 Country and R &B: The Other Alternatives 377
14	Mon. 4/29 Packaging Popular Music 381 Electronic Dance Music: The Next Big Thing 385 Wed. 5/01 The Year(s) of the Woman 392 Fri. 5/03 Teen Pop: Boy Bands and Teen Queens 397
15	Mon. 5/06 The Year of Latin(o) Music(ians) 400 Wed. 5/08 Many Years of Hip Hop 404 Fri. 5/10 The Internet: An Alternative (to the) Music Industry
16	Mon. 5/13 Review of material for final exam Wed. 5/15 No classes– lecturer available for consultation by appointment only Fri. 5/17 Final Exam – Bring two No. 2 pencils to class

CLASS CONSIDERATIONS

There is a “No Eating or Drinking” policy in effect for Room 153, as it is also our best Recital Hall and often hosts off-campus visitors, performers and audiences, as well as the student population.

Please use the trash cans in the lobby or at the door.

“Common courtesy” and “respect” for the professor and your fellow students are requirements of class attendance. If it appears that you have difficulty observing these, you will be asked to leave. If a test is in session, you will not be allowed to make it up.

You will be asked to fill out a short evaluation of the course and the professor near the end of the semester. It is expected that, if you have any questions or feel something is unclear, you will come forward before the end of the semester.

EXAM SCHEDULE

MID-TERM EXAM Monday, April 1st 12:00-1:50 Room 153

FINAL EXAM Friday, May 17th 12:00-1:50 Room 153

Tests are multiple-choice questions, using a computer scantron test sheet.

You need to bring two No. 2 lead pencils with you. An electric pencil sharpener will be provided

GRADING PROCEDURE

Attendance, 10 points per class, 40 classes 400 points

Mid-Term Exam, 50 questions, 2 points each 100 points

Final Exam, 50 questions, 2 points each 100 points

600 points

A 600—540

B 539—480

C 479—360

D 359 – 300

F 299 and below

EXTRA CREDIT?

Available only to students with written excuses from their deans, coaches, doctors or lawyers for three or more absences. What the extra credit work entails will be negotiated with each student on an individual basis.

MISS AN EXAM?

You can make it up if you have an excuse, in writing, acceptable to the instructor.

If you miss the Final Exam, and the instructor is not contacted regarding a makeup within two days of the Final, you will receive an Incomplete for the course. If an Incomplete is not taken care of within a year, you will receive an F for the course.