alternative rock week 3

Popular Music Studies: Alternative Rock

Week 3

Development of Alt Rock in the UK

Technology

• Has always had an influence on the development of music, particularly popular music…

• Serenade en La

• The electric microphone

Technology

• Multitrack recording – Les Paul

• Sgt. Peppers

• The recording as the ‘primary artefact’ for popular music (Allan Moore)

Technology

• Multitrack recording – Les Paul

• Sgt. Peppers

• The recording as the ‘primary artefact’ for popular music (Allan Moore)

Technology

• Music recordings can bear greater scrutiny

• The recording itself, and process, rather than score

• Rock recording merely offers a facsimile of old musical models – musique concrete, rap…

Alt Rock in the UK

• Mod revival – The Jam

• New-wave, post-punk, synth-pop… Eurythmics, Pet Shop Boys

• UK bands more embracing of synths, technology, influence from outside of rock

Alt Rock in the UK

• Core of guitar, bass, drums, but more likely to have extra instrumentation

• Textural and atmospheric ides

• Alienated, technologically-driven sound vs. clean, rock/folk influenced guitar sound

Cocteau Twins

• Formed 1979

• Signed with 4AD

• Ethereal, dreamy sound, created with vocals, guitars and effects.

Cocteau Twins

• Heaven or Las Vegas (1990, 4AD)

• Later signed with Capitol and Mercury

Creation Records

• Founded by Alan McGee, Dick Green and Joe Foster in 1983

• Initial release was ‘’73 in ‘83’ by The Legend!

• First bands included The Jesus & Mary Chain, Primal Scream…

The Jesus & Mary Chain

• Psychocandy (1985)

Creation Records

• ‘…care less about lyrics and song structure, and more about the sonic texture of the song’.

Primal Scream

• Formed in 1982

• Bobby Gillespie had played drums with The Jesus & Mary Chain, left to focus on this band

• First release with Elevation (Warner Bros. Subsidiary)

My Bloody Valentine

• Creation’s next big hit, signed in 1988

• Isn’t Anything (1988)

My Bloody Valentine

• Loveless (1991)

Creation Records

• Largely bankrupt in 1991

• Sony bought 50% of the company in 1992, enabling it to continue.

khenniga@tcd.ie

Primal Scream

• Screamadelica (Creation, 1991)

‘Madchester’ sound

• The Happy Mondays (1980-93)

• Pills ‘n Thrills and Bellyaches (1990)

• The Stone Roses (1983-1996)

• The Stone Roses (1989)

The Stone Roses

Music Journalism

• Writers and DJs are ‘active in the development of ideological rationalizations of popular music.’

• NME, Melody Maker, etc.

• John Peel and other DJs

Britpop

• Dominated by two bands:

• Blur vs. Oasis

• Stylistically, a return to sixties-influenced guitar rock

• A reaction to US alt rock and grunge which was gaining huge popularity

Blur

• Leisure (1991) showed influence from both shoegaze and Madchester sounds

• Modern Life is Rubbish (1993) was a move towards the Britpop sound

Blur

Blur

• Parklife (1994)

Oasis

• Signed to Creation in 1993, though markedly different to shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine

• Definitely Maybe (1993)

• Distorted guitars, lack of additional orchestration

• Influence of sixties rock bands, post-punk

Oasis

Oasis

• What’s the Story (Morning Glory)? (1995)

Britpop…

Britpop…

Britpop…