Abbey Road

As said in class before I think that Abbey Road was a very well put together album. I liked it but it was long and rambly and didn't quite have the speed I wanted it to have. The songs were nice and pleasant to listen to, but it didn't have that awesome feeling that Sergeant Peppers had. I really enjoyed Here Comes the Sun and Something, but I didn't like the medley at the end. All in all I think it was a pretty good album, but I would prefer the White ALbum and Sergeant Peppers.

The White Album

I really liked the White Album. In fact I think that it is the best album that we have listened to so far. Although it is really weird and quirky I really liked the variety in songs and the different sounds. Songs such as Dear Prudence are far more different than songs like Obla-Di Obla-Da and Hoey Pie. But that is what I love about this album and the Beatles. In the White Album it seems that the Beatles are at their most creative, musically. They are fractured and falling apart as a group but the distinct sounds of the different group members are clearly seen.

Zeppelin I

I thought that Zeppelin I was okay. I liked Dazed and Confused and Your Time is Gonna Come, but I felt like most of the songs were long and rambly and should have ended sooner than they did. Particularly with the songs You Shook Me and Baby I'm Gonna Leave You, I felt that they were far too long. Altogether I think the album is alright and has some good sides, but it is too long, with too much jamming. I look forward to listening to Zeppelin IV.

How the West Was Won

The documentary How the West Was Won was very interesting. Personally I didn't like the music at all, but the way that Led Zeppelin played their instruments was intense. When Jimmy Page started to use that bow on the guitar my draw dropped. I thought that Jimi Hendrix was insane to be playing the guitar with his teeth, but I feel like Jimmy Page raised the bar with his guitar performances. I like the way that Robert Plant sings on some of the later songs, but on these newer songs I really don't like his rhythm and the way that he fits in with his bandmates playing.

Jack White

I thought that Jack White was weird, but had extremely good guitar playing skills. Particularly the first scene of the documentary where he makes a guitar out of old scraps is a testament to this. I don't like his music but I admire his skill as a musician. He seems to be very versatile. He played many different pieces that ranged from soul to heavy metal to grungy music. I admire his guitar playing.

Jimmy page

In the documentary we watched, Jimmy Page was the most exciting guitar player that I saw. He still sounded the same compared with earlier Led Zepellin albums, and he was definitely the most experienced guitar player there. I admired his versatility, since he played both in Led Zepellin and the Yardbirds, and in one of his earlier videos he even sang. I really liked his guitar playing style, and the way he taught the two other men his skills.

Magical Mystery Tour Album

Magical Mystery was so crazy. Although we have only seen small clips of the movie, the overall madness and drug-fueled music videos are pretty evident from the start. I really like the second half of the album with songs like Hello Goodbye, Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane and I Am the Walrus. I Am Walrus had the weirdest music video I think that I have ever seen in my life. But the overall songs in the album are very good, and I look forward to hearing the rest of the album.

Sergeant Peppers Album

I liked the album Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band a lot. The beginning was very good, the middle of the album was decent, and the end song was very good. Although I think that Pet Sounds was a better album, I liked the good individual songs off of Sergeant Peppers better than the good individual songs off of Pet Sounds. A Day in the Life, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and With A Little Help From My Friends are some of the best songs ever. Though Sergeant Peppers isn't necessarily consistent in quality throughout the entire album it is still very good, and I believe it to be the best Beatles album we have listened to so far.

Instruments in Pet Sounds

I found the instruments in Pet Sounds to be very interesting. The use of the string instruments and the various animal and bell sounds were really weird but cool at the same time. Another really important aspect of these sounds is how much they were copied in the future. In All You Need is Love there is a large orchestral component that I'm sure was copied from this album, and there are many other important songs that were based off of the sounds in this album. The revolutionary sounds found in this album ,aptly named Pet Sounds, are very groundbreaking and as said in class these tracks will always sound cool and hip because of this.

Pet Sounds

I thought that Pet Sounds was a very good album. It had a very unique sound to it. Integrating new instruments and straying away from their usual surfy sound, must have been very hard for the Beach Boys to do. But the album sounded great and was very easy to listen to. I think that my favorite two songs were "Wouldn't it be Nice" and "Sloop John B." although the latter one did not fit into the general vibe of the album at all. I think that Pet Sounds altogether topped Revolver by a lot, and was a little bit better than Rubber Soul, but I don't think that it will be able to compare to the greatness of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Beatles Revolver Album

I thought that Revolver was a pretty decent album. It had a distinctly modernistic sound to it, and at some points I liked it, but at other points I didn't. I really liked the quirkiness of "Yellow Submarine" and the violins in " Eleanor Rigby". However, there were some times where the weird modern approach didn't sound very good, such as in the last song of the album, " Tomorrow Never Knows". I think that the gentle transition in Rubber Soul was better than in Revolver, but Revolver was definitely a very good composition. The one thing I can't wait for now is to listen to Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Beatles Rubber Soul Album

I think that Rubber Soul was a very good album. There was an interesting transition between Help! and Rubber Soul, and I liked the new sound of the Beatles. They seemed a little bit more versatile, especially when they integrated the sitar in "Norwegian Wood" and the piano snippet from "In My Life". Earlier in their career they were still extremely good musicians but in my opinion about 50% of their songs sounded the same. In listening to Rubber Soul this was definitely disproved. The songs all sound unique and this makes it all the more better.  As said in class today, the twist seems to happen within the first two songs of the albums,  "Drive My Car" and "Norwegian Wood". "Drive My Car" is kind of bouncy and fun, whereas "Norwegian Wood" is mellow and a little bit more serious, and also has a sitar playing during the song. I really liked Rubber Soul, and in my opinion it was definitely the best album we have listened to so far this school year.

Thriller

That music video for Thriller was awesome! I thought it was really amazing, well directed, incorporated the song well, and had a really surprise ending. It must have been a huge shock when it came out because of all the "satanic" undertones, even though now a video like that would make a very small splash in the news today. However, the shock element must have contributed greatly to its record sales, and I like the controversial music video.

Help

The movie Help was decent, but had a very confusing plot, and was hard to understand with all the accents and the different characters. But, it was a fairly enjoyable watching experience, and it was interesting. I find it cool that the Beatles actually released movies unlike most any other band I have ever heard of. I think that Hard Day's Night was better, but Help was still alright. The soundtrack for Help, however was better.

With the Beatles

With the Beatles really did seem like a tired and worn out album. I still thought that it was a very good album. Eight Days a Week was really catchy and was unique because it had a fade in and a fade out intro and exit. The songs were mostly originals but I really liked their cover of Rock and Roll Music by Chuck Berry. Altogether it was a very well put together album

The Who

I like The Who a lot. My Generation was a great song and the album was altogether very well done in my opinion. Unlike the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, the Who have something of a heavier sound, and I like the rhythm that ensues. They have less cover songs than the Beatles and the Stones which is also different. They have a wilder approach to music, like bashing all their guitars into the stage after they were done performing. I really like their rebellious music style and their songs.

Beach Boys

The other day after hearing about the Beach Boys during class, I listened to some of their music. Previously I had heard them and thought that it was pleasant and easy to listen to, but I heard them this time and thought that they sounded very good. They have happy songs with good beats and good vocals, and altogether I really like them.

Rolling Stones

I think that the Rolling Stones first album was horrible. Much like what was said in class, they tried too hard to emulate the Beatles. I don't think that their songs are very creative and original, which is funny given that the title of the album is "England's Newest Hitmakers". Mick Jagger sounds terrible and the timing of their guitars doesn't sound very good. I would greatly prefer the Beatles over the Rolling Stones, because most of their sounds are originals and they sound so much more creative.

Beatles Anthology

The early years of the Beatles were very interesting to watch, in the first part of the documentary we watched. I found it interesting how they rose to the top through hard work, and practice. They auditioned and played in clubs, and this ended up jumpstarting their careers. I also thought that it was cool how they ended up coming together as group, kicking out Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe. All in all, their tumultuous early years were intriguing to see.

Bob Dylan

I only like some of Bob Dylan's songs. From what we heard in class I liked The Times They Are A'Changin, and Blowin in the Wind. From what I have heard outside of class I like Like A Rolling Stone and Hurricane. I like the rhythm in his songs, and the beat, and sometimes his voice is tolerable. The worst thing he ever pulls is when he tries to put a harmonica into his songs. It sometimes cancels out the actual quality of the song, and leaves you with a ring in your ears. But besides some of his faults, Bob Dylan's music is powerful and has a lot of meaning to it.

Reggie Watts

I think that Reggie Watts is hilarious. Using music he tells jokes, or makes comical songs with lyrics that don't make any sense. The one song that mentioned pancreases and duodenums was so funny. The reason that I think he is so fun to listen to is that he is really smart but his songs don't make any sense and don't follow any musical patterns. The afro and his knitted sweaters are also super funny. I have watched some more of his videos and really like his standup.

LCD SoundSystem

I really didn't like the music of LCD SoundSystem. I couldn't classify it as techno, rock or alternative. It was a weird mix of all three of those, and sounded odd. The lyrics were repetitive and I didn't think that the lead singer was very good. The documentary itself was pretty interesting. I find it amazing that a band with so much success would simply disband. The story of the lead singer was pretty intriguing since he was old when he started and realized that he needed to settle down and start a family.

Liking the Beatles More

As we have been listening to the Beatles in class, I have grown to like them more and more. One of the reasons I think that I am saying this is that I have heard some of their later music, and it has appealed to me. With the Beatles was kind've a boring album in my opinion, but their later albums like Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band seem pretty good. The other thing that I noticed was how much their style changed over time. Sgt. Peppers album is really weird and drug fueled songs like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and A Day in the Life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bl-pLG7_5E

Hard Day's Night

I though that the movie A Hard Days Night was decent. The humor wasn't really from our time, so I didn't understand many of the subtle jokes in the movie. However, the music and the focus on Beatlemania were very interesting. I hadn't really gotten the perspective of the band before, and this movie was a somewhat unrealistic but insightful view into their life. The Liverpudlian accents were difficult to decipher but gave the movie a more distinct, and original feel. The music fit in well with he script and I liked the spontaneous performances throughout the movie. If I had been a British person living in the 1960's, I think that I would have understood and liked this movie better, but it was still entertaining and funny.

With the Beatles

I really didn't like the album With the Beatles. With the exception of All My Loving I didn't feel that the  individual songs on the album were very good. The covers of other songs that the Beatles did were decent renditions but nothing special. Their original songs were alright but seemed to have the same tune, and convey basically the same message. Although it is an important album I like their other album much better. It is faster paced and has a more distinct sound than With the Beatles. I have started listening a little bit to their later music and it seems so much more upbeat and different than this album. I can understand why it is important, and I think its amazing that they could make an album in such a short time span, but it isn't nearly their best work.

Motown

Last class we learned about Motown Records and the many different artists they recorded and produced with. I had no idea that Diana Ross, and Marvin Gaye were signed by Motown Records. I also didn't realize the scale of their success, but in class it was said that Motown had more bestselling singles or record sales than the Beatles and some other well known bands combined. I like some Motown songs, but I don't like others. However, there is such a variety in the artists that I can pick and choose the songs I like. I think that one of the reasons that Motown flourished was because they offered songs from so many different artists and musical groups. This allowed for greater selection by audiences, and boosted their success. Its very rare for a record label to start a new genre of music, but I can understand how Motown accomplished that feat.

Beatles Work Rate

The work rate of the Beatles was incredible. We talked about how they recorded an album in a single day whereas it takes many artists today weeks and sometimes even months to record an album. The fact that they were able to complete something like this in such a short time span is really cool. The effect on their voices was marked but they still cranked out the album. Their work rate was really amazing.

Beatlemania

In class the other day we talked about Beatlemania and we finished a documentary about the Beatles' 1964 U.S. tour. The hysteria surrounding their concerts and their visit was insane. Fans were waiting at their hotel for them to pop their heads out of their window. People beat on the car that was driving them, and loads of teenage girls passed out at their performances. All of this was just for one band, but it was a band so captivating that everyone in America was totally into it. I think that it is amazing that one band could garner so many supporters. Not even One Direction or Justin Bieber can captivate America like the Beatles did. But with their charisma they managed to pull it off, and I think that that is remarkable.

The Beatle's 1964 tour

The Beatle's 1964 was the craziest thing ever. We talked in class about how they drew huge crowds, teenage girls went insane, and everyone tuned in to listen to them play. I think that it is really cool that they could draw such huge crowds and be so popular that they could make anyone do anything. Those kinds of obsessions still happen today, as with One Direction and Justin Bieber, but the level of fanaticism surrounding them was incredible. I wish that there was still a good band/musician who could do something like they did and captivate so many people.

Elvis Presley

Last class we learned about Elvis Presley. He is definitely one of the most well-known American musicians of all time, but I don't think that he was an amazing good singer. On the other hand he was a really good performer. He was doing things that had never been done before in music. Things like moving his hips and swaying were considered really provocative back then, and he used that to get himself on the national screen. Another thing that we talked about was how we have to take all of his actions into historical context. Today swaying your hips or singing provocative songs isn't considered all that bad. Listening to music from the 1950's and 1960's in class, it seemed pretty conservative and not many people were willing to do things out of the ordinary, so when someone like Elvis came along everyone went crazy.

ACL Setup vs Fun Fun Fun Fest Setup

Today in History of Rock and Roll we discussed whether the setup of ACL or Fun Fun Fun was better.   Often times during ACL two popular musicians play on opposite sides of the concert area in order to reduce crowding. This tactic works well in dispersing large numbers of people but it also angers many others. If two of your favorite groups play at the same time then you have to choose between one of them. On the other hand, the Fun Fun Fun Fest is organized so that each genre has its own stage, which I think is really convenient and helpful. Their is a stage area for hip hop, for indie rock, for metal and for country and other genres. If you are a huge indie rock fan it would mean that you wouldn't have to undergo the hassle of running from place to place trying to find the act you want to. I think that this is so much better than what happens at ACL because it reduces crowd sizes, since people have many different musical tastes, and it lets you see almost every one of the shows that you want to see. Although ACL is planned pretty well, I like the approach and selection options of the Fun Fun Fun Fest.

Jerry Lee Lewis

In class this week we talked about the many great singers of the 1950's. I think that the most interesting one was Jerry Lee Lewis. Not only did we learn that he had eight wives but we also saw a video of him playing the piano, and he was so full of energy and excitement. He was crazy and seemed deranged but I thought it was really cool how excited he was when he played and I wish that there was more of that in today's music. Nowadays all you see is artists in stupid and flamboyant costumes singing mediocre songs on stage. I wish that they could bring as much passion and flair as Jerry Lee Lewis did. I loved the way that he kicked the piano away from his feet and stood up and played. It is just so different from today's musical artists. The class learned that the reason that piano has died out as a rock and roll instrument is the fact that it is stationary but with Jerry Lee Lewis playing it, it is one of the most exciting and captivating instruments in rock and roll.

The Role of Music in My Life

I would consider music a pretty important part of my life. I think that that is true for most people. I use it to calm down, or to raise my energy level, or just when I am sitting around and want to be in my own little world. I primarily listen to rock but sometimes pop songs and indie bands. Some of my favorite artists are the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, AC/DC, and Foster the People. I like the Red Hot Chili Peppers because of their versatility and the different beats and sounds they manage to produce. I love their songs "Under the Bridge," "Can't Stop," "Otherside," and "Dani California" although they all have different rhythms and flows. I like Foster the People and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros because of the cheery mood I get when listening to them. Songs like "Janglin" and "Helena Beat" just pick me up when I am in a bad mood or drowsy. When I really want to get pumped up I will listen to AC/DC because their songs emanate energy and I feel really excited when hearing a song like "Highway to Hell" or "Thunderstruck." Occasionally I will listen to pop, but it is usually overplayed and repeated so often that I get sick of it. For instance, the Adele songs got annoying after a while. Normally, I choose the music I am listening  to depending on the mood that I am in. If I am tired and need to wake up I might listen to AC/DC, and when I am just sitting around at home wanting to relax I usually listen to something milder and less heavy.  Music puts me into a different state of mind that I enjoy and cherish, and that is why it is an integral part of my life. I try to listen to music as much as possible because it just makes me feel so much better.