2 posts tagged “history”

What happened between 1978 and 1989 in the U.S.?

In that period there were no major violent incidents involving schools. I realise this is a topical issue but, since that period there has been at the very least one a year. In 1999 there were at least 7 (including Columbine) and in 2006 there were 8. Between the period '89-'07 there have been at least 41 shooting incidents involving schools.

What has brought this change (from 0 in the 11 year period before hand to 41 in the 17 year period afterwards)? Was it a sudden thing or was it a gradual increase over time? What was the catalyst, what cultures have instigated the change?

I am not an American, nor am I any kind of expert on the topic, so I call for you Americans (or experts, or both) to help me answer this question.

~Shades

The heavy rock era (i.e. the 60’s and 70’s) was a time filled with social upheaval, a period of reform and revolution and the rise of youth. The music of the times also evolved, it evolved to both mirror society and to change it. The events brought society into a new age, an age where the young people challenged the decisions made by the old, an age of social change and activism. The heavy rock genre was used to convey the new ideas and concepts emerging on political, religious, morale and scientific issues. In songs like Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” they discuss the troubling events of the times , and . Black Sabbath discussed issues linked with paganism and the Christian repression of opinion, for example, in their song “Masters of reality” they took on the existence of God and the human superiority complex. In The Who’s rock opera “Tommy” they explore social themes of the day.

From its beginnings, rock and roll has been associated with youth, rebellion, and anti-establishment activities. The combination of the influence of the recently repressed Africa Americans, explicit, threatening and suggestive lyrics, and wild response by youth made rock and roll shocking, threatening and even vulgar to the elders of the community. This newfound ability to musically “kick their parents in the teeth” and to defy the societal concepts of normality in turn became part of the appeal of heavy rock music to young people.

Attempts to control the influence of rock often turned comical, even humorous, for example there were numerous FBI investigations launched into bands and songs which were considered seditious or antisocial. These enquiries came to light several years ago, with the most humorous being a 4 year study into a cover of the song Louie-Louie, because it was thought the lyrics were about the devil. The investigation concluded with the realization that it was impossible to tell what the lyrics were saying and yet they may indeed be referring to the devil, however nothing was ever done about this.

The beginnings of the genre were in bands that migrated from rhythm and blues music, shows like the Jimi Hendrix Experience that, as a part of the psychadelica movement introduced the amplification, the power chords and large drum kits that served as the foundation the heavy rock groups needed to create their heavy sound. These bands still used the blues chord progressions in their music and modern music at large has not really departed wildly from the original characteristics of the original rock patterns, although they have introduced more modern styles and some contemporary chord progressions.

One of commonly used line-ups in heavy rock music is:

• a drummer
• a bass guitarist
• a rhythm guitarist
• a lead guitarist (in early metal bands a single guitarist often sufficed ),
• a singer (who is often one of the instrumentalists)

Sometimes a band can have a keyboard player, horn section or even a whole orchestra.

Guitar playing is very important in heavy metal. Amplification of guitars, as well as innovative effects and electronic processing is used to enrich, thicken and emulsify the sound. The resulting sound is a simple yet powerful musical style with great impact. The vocals can range from mid-range clean to a high-pitched wail to a deep growl, the black and death metal scene tend to use distorted and guttural voices called death grunts. Generally, it is hard to understand what the singer is "singing". Often, the text is considered to be too crude to be spoken out clearly but there are some bands that have their very good lyrics obscured by the style of the singing.

Intricate solos and riffs are a big part of heavy rock music. Guitarists use sweep-picking, tapping and similar techniques to obtain amazingly fast playing. Heavy metal is not limited, however, to the standard outfit of guitars and drums. The Finnish cello quartet, Apocalyptica, have created their own version of heavy metal. This translation is heavily criticised for its unconventional style, however while this style makes it difficult to categorise, they lean towards the darker side of metal. They apply various effects to their sounds such as the all-familiar distortion, chorusing, flanging, etc. to create their music.

The heavy metal scene has incorporated a variety of classical musical styles, although it tends to head towards the Bach and Paganini rather than the Mozart or Franz Liszt, for obvious reason. Though Deep Purple/Rainbow guitarist Ritchie Blackmore had been experimenting with musical figurations borrowed from classical music since the early 1970s, Edward Van Halen's solo cadenza in his song "Eruption" (released on Van Halen's first album in 1978) was one of the most important moments in the early development of heavy rock, showing that the genre was not just about thrashing or noise, that players had talent, even virtuosic ability with their instruments. Following in the footsteps of Van Halen, the "classical" influence in heavy rock guitar during the 1980’s looked to the early 17th century for its model of speed and technique. Indeed, the late Baroque era of western art music was also frequently interpreted through a gothic lens; it is used today in the punk genre and many pop songs, for example, "Mr. Crowley," (1981) by Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Randy Rhoads, uses both a pipe organ and Baroque-inspired guitar solos to create the mood for Osbourne's lyrics.

Many of the early heavy rock musicians were known as hard-drinking, hard-living men, doing drugs and partaking in dangerous and often futile stunts; during the 1960s a specific rock lifestyle was portrayed by the media, aided by the growth of the underground rock press which documented such excesses. Musicians had always attracted attention from the opposite sex; Groupies, girls who followed, spent time with and often did sexual favours for band members, appeared in the 1960’s. Drugs became more socially acceptable (this was boosted by the hippie movement) and parties and raves were rampant. These events went hand in hand with the political activism of the time, young people speaking out against what they believed was the stupidity of their elders.

Heavy rock has been looked upon harshly by many cultures because of the raucousness and the life style it promotes:

“The loud, confrontational aspects of heavy metal have led to friction between fans and mainstream society in many countries. Due to the hedonistic nature promoted by the music and its occasional anti-religious sentiments heavy metal as a sub-culture has come under attack in many Islamic countries where even wearing a black T-shirt can be an arrestable offence. In Europe and , the fan base for heavy metal consists primarily of young white males, many of whom are attracted to heavy metal's overtly anti-social yet fantastical lyrics and extreme volume and tempos. Hence, the stereotype of the spotty-faced, adolescent head banger venting his rebellious urges by listening to preposterously loud, morbid music. This image has been highlighted in popular culture with such television shows and movies as "Beavis and Butthead"" and "Airheads". Heavy metal's bombastic excesses, exemplified by hair metal, have often been parodied, most famously in the film This Is Spinal Tap (see also the phenomenon of the heavy metal umlaut). Douglas Adams neatly satirised the propensity for excessive volume in The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy with the fictional rock band Disaster Area — creators of the loudest sound in the known universe. It should be noted, however, that was satirising Pink Floyd stage shows specifically, rather than heavy metal in general.”

-          quoted from www.wikipedia.org parts in yellow written by Me

The themes that heavy rock concentrates on are generally more morbid than the “happy” pop genre with subjects such as war, nuclear annihilation, environmental issues (often disasters) and political and religious propaganda.

The end of the pure heavy rock genre is probably Iron Maiden. After the demise of this band the genre has been split and bands rush along their separate tracks such as hair metal, speed metal and death metal. We will not forget the bands that blazed the path and laid the foundation for such a diverse and powerful genre: AC\DC, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Metallica and Cream. These bands started a revolution, not just in music but in society. They were (and some still are) controversial and they made bold statements about society, they fought for what they believed in and inspired others to do the same and their music will endure.