| Author | Message | ||
  douglasm (douglasm) 3-Pundit Username: douglasm Post Number: 60 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.113.12.67 |
.....about should we talk (or not talk) about other forms of music on what is basically a soul oriented thread. A little backround. I grew up in the '60's, and could be described as a Keener kid. Looking at a WKNR guide from 6/6/65, I see Barbara Lewis, Four Tops, Jay & The Americans, Johnny Rivers, Rolling Stones, Byrds, Barbara Mason, Ronnie Dove, Jackie DeShannon, Yardbirds, Ian Whitcomb, Marianne Faithful and (gasp) Bobby Goldsboro in the top 13, with the Marvelettes, Montclairs, Donovan, DC-5, and Della Reese in the rest of the chart. This was my basic music education, and (with the exception of "Motown" and to some extent "The British Invasion") it was just called music. No labels, just music. Now it's hard for me to believe that so many different styles were represented on SALES charts like this or the Billboard Hot 100 without someone saying "It worked for them, what if we incorporated some of that into our stuff....", either by design or subconciously. One advantage of growing up in this age WAS the diversity of the music presented under the guize of "Rock And Roll", something not seen on Classical or Jazz stations (for example), and this blend held untill well after the "progressive" music trend took root, when radio's diversity turned into segmentation. I have no problem with the occasional "Blue/Brown/Green eyed" thread, or a Beatles thread or a Pop music thread, as long is it can relate in some way to soul and the music listening experience. Eerrgghh, on the other hand, can show up anytime. You got an opinion on any of this? I'm curious on your take on my view of '60's rock radio. doug | ||
Eva (bigswede2002) 3-Pundit Username: bigswede2002 Post Number: 33 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 81.226.54.68 |
Hi Doug, I didn't grow up in the States, and in fact, even if I did, I would have been too young to experience 60's radio-my teen years was during the 70's, when "progressive" rock had entered the scene. I spent a high school year in the "sticks" outside of Philly in the bicentennial year of 1976, and at that time the radio stations were as segregated as the city itself seemed to me (sorry!). However, a while ago I came across a very interesting book about the relations between the Civil Rights Movement and soul music, "Just My Soul Responding: Rhytm and Blues, Black Consciousness and Race Relations" by musicologist Brian Ward which gave me many insights into the 60's era. In his tome Ward deals extensively with various periods �n soul and rock history, and he claims that during a period in the late 50's and 60's, general musical tastes were more "color blind" and more diversified than they would become in the 70's. He says that white and black "pop" music had a lot in common, and not only did black artists "cross over" to white audiences en masse, but white artists got air play on black stations and even entered the "rhytm and blues" charts. Jerry Lee Lewis hit the top of the black charts with "Great Balls of Fire", and according to statistics cited by Ward, 45 out of 86 top-ten black chart hits were by white artists, In fact, artist like Rick Nelson, Paul Anka, Neil Sedaka and other pop acts regularly charted during the period 1956-1963. I can't really do justice to Wards' discussion, which is based on solid evidence in the form of studies of what kind of music people actually bought and listened to during this period (as reflected in radio playlists and charts) as well as interviews with DJs etc. The gist of his argument seems to be though, that for a while during the period 1956 to 1963, radio stations, regardless of their prime audiences, had a lot more diversified playlists than they would have later on in the sixties and seventies. It would be interesting to have some input from people who actually experienced this era. My impression from reading the posts on this board is that most members, both black and white have very wide and eclectic tastes in music-at least compared to me, who got stuck on sixties/seventies soul at an early age and somehow never moved on!;-) Oh, if anyone is interested in Ward's book, here's a link. I learned *a lot* from it, especially about the Civil Rights Movement. http://www.ucpress.edu/books/p ages/8123.html Eva | ||
Juicefree20 (juicefree20) 5-Doyen Username: juicefree20 Post Number: 406 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 24.46.184.162 |
In my opinion, it's kind of hard not to discuss different music, when speaking of R&B/Soul music. Soul & R&B has borrowed from Pop & vice versa. Both musical forms have had an influence on one another, in one form or fashion. This was especially true in the '60s. The music of Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Solomon Burke, Ray Charles, The Shirelles, The Drifters, The O'Jays, The Supremes, etc borrowed from Pop, Country Western, Latin & in the case of The Toys, borrowed from Classical music. We don't have to discuss the influence of R&B & Soul on Pop music. That's been documented thousands of times & would take too long to delve into here. The point that I'm making is that different musical forms, usually have an incestuous relationship. They influence one another & frequently borrow, or outright steal from one another. This relationship has often had interesting & refreshing results, sometimes adding a new dimension to the sound. To me, music has a symbiotic relationship & as such, all music is fair game for discussion. Peace Juice | ||
Eva (bigswede2002) 3-Pundit Username: bigswede2002 Post Number: 34 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 81.226.54.68 |
Hi again, I wrote: "prime audiences", should be "main or primary audiences" of course, that is, either white or African-American. Eva | ||
douglasm (douglasm) 3-Pundit Username: douglasm Post Number: 63 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.113.12.67 |
Thanks for the link, Eva. That's one I want to get..... | ||
Eva (bigswede2002) 3-Pundit Username: bigswede2002 Post Number: 36 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 81.226.54.68 |
Hi Doug, Ward's book is available at amazon.com. When I surfed over to the amazoncom site, I found another music book that looks very interesting: "What the Music Said: Black Popular Music and Black Public Culture" by Mark Anthony Neal You can get it together with "Just My Soul..." for a packet price! Eva |
