The Early 1960s

A Revolution In Pop Music - 1960s

Deep and revolutionary changes took place in pop music in the 1960s. Mid 50s saw the Rock and Roll revolution and the rise of teenage culture but by 1960 the aggressive edge of early Rock and Roll had worn off and commercialisation led to a more bland variety of white pop music. The spending power of teenagers however, continued to grow and youth culture thus remained its influence on music and fashion. Throughout the 60s much pop music was, of course, made for purely commercial reasons but the vital change that took place was the fact that some pop music started to place artistic considerations above commerciality. The idea that pop music could seen as art came about as a result of three important strands of development: 1. Quality pop producers: Phil Spector 2. British Beat movement 3. Bob Dylan

As the 50s wore on and the raw impact of straight ahead, blues-based Rock and Roll weakened, the influence of songwriters and producers grew. There was still a commercial motivation but the song writing and arrangements/production became more sophisticated vocal harmonies and the use of simple, highly recognisable instrumental motifs or hooks came to the fore Everly Brothers, Drifters, Coasters. Do these trends in pop coincide with any developments in recording technology? Phil Spector most famously developed a comprehensive and creative role for himself as producer considering carefully which songs would be most suitable for the artist, which arrangement would best compliment the song and which recording method would suit the arrangement. He became known for his lavish, multilayered productions the wall of sound (Da Doo Ron Ron by the Crystals and Be My Baby by the Ronettes are classic examples) and was the first producer to the eclipse his artists in terms of fame and prominence. Abandoning the conventional production policy of making as many records as possible as quickly as possible, Spector paid great attention to detail and strove to achieve pop perfection. When the record of which he was most proud River Deep, Mountain High by Ike and Tina Turner failed to achieve the sales 1

Quality Pop

The Early 1960s

or recognition he felt it deserved, Spector retired. A fit of pique perhaps but also a demonstration of how seriously he took his work and how attitudes to pop music were changing. KEY EARLY BLUES ARTISTS & RECORDINGS ARTIST KEY RECORDINGS Ronettes Righteous Brothers Ike & Tina Turner Da Doo Ron Ron Youve Lost That Loving Feeling River Deep, Mountain High

RECORDING DATE 1963 1965 1966

British Beat
Critical awareness of quality above commerciality was also a vital ingredient in the development of the hugely influential British Beat scene in the 60s. For many young British music fans Rock and Roll had opened up the world of Black music. Rejecting the watered down, white Rock and Roll of the late fifties, and often preferring original versions by such performers as Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Fats Domino, they went in search of obscure Blues and RnB records which had little impact on the British charts. This movement represents another important change in pop music during the 60s the development of a minority taste and a rejection of what was being offered by major labels and mainstream radio. British RnB fans discovered American bluesmen like Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Elmore James, John Lee Hooker among many others, as well as the gospel-soul of James Brown, Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson. Bands formed through a love of this music and it was from this generation that hugely influential British RnB or Beat groups the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Jerry & The Pacemakers etc. emerged. KEY BRITISH BEAT ARTISTS & RECORDINGS ARTIST KEY RECORDINGS RECORDING DATE The Beatles Twist And Shout 1962 The Animals House Of The Rising Sun 1964

Parallel to the worlds of Rock and Roll and pop there existed in America a more earnest, politically infused, left wing folk scene and from this movement Bob Dylan emerged. Dylans heavyweight lyrics brought a previously unheard of literary seriousness and political awareness to pop music and his albums The Freewheelin 2

Bob Dylan

The Early 1960s

Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde, Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited (1965), had an enormous impact in the mid-60s. Of course the industry would continue to produce plenty of trivial pop songs, but pop as a whole could never be the same; it was available as a vehicle for serious song writing. (Nickol, Pop Music the Text Book). KEY BOB DYLAN RECORDINGS ARTIST KEY RECORDINGS Bob Dylan Mr Tambourine Man Bob Dylan Like A Rolling Stone

RECORDING DATE 1965 1965

Cool Jazz

Although cool jazz really emerged in the late 1940s it was eventually to span over at least two decades. The style developed as a reaction to the furious tempos, restless chord changes and virtuosic improvising of the Bebop movement of the 19040s (pioneered by Charlie Parker, Dizzie Gillespie and Thelonious Monk). Cool jazz was characterised by laid back tempos and use of more spacious and sometimes modal harmony. KEY COOL JAZZ ARTISTS & RECORDINGS ARTIST KEY RECORDINGS Miles Davis Kind Of Blue MJQ Django

RECORDING DATE 1959 1955