1970's Rock

A detailed Summary of 1970's Rock

The seventies were calmer and more individualistic then the sixties. The first British invasion had run its course-the Beatles had disbanded and the who were between projects. Pioneering guitar kings Clapton and Hendrix had given up their thrones, Clapton to heroin and Hendrix to the grim reaper. But Eric Clapton along with the Rolling Stones, Alice Cooper and Kiss continued to score commercial success.

The pop music scene was a jumble of styles from earlier days plus new styles and artists. Many people say that the mainstream styles of popular music in the seventies were generally dull and unimaginative while there were more interesting things happening in the "underground" and progressive movements.

Rock continued to move in several different directions at once. High-energy groups like the Rolling Stones continued to perform in much the same way they did in the sixties.

With song like Satisfaction still in the minds of fans we can see why the Rolling Stones continued to stay popular. They released the live Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out in the fall of 1970. It was their last album for Decca/London. There was more musical influence on 1971's Sticky Fingers. Following its release, the band retreated to France on tax exile, where they

shared a house and recorded a double album, Exile on Main Street.

In the early and mid seventies Disco became a very popular style. Derisive rock fans have often proclaimed its demise, but it continues to be successful in modified forms. The main elements of the disco sound are a heavy beat in an overlay of elaborate brass and string parts, accomplished through the recording studio technique of overdubbing. It is single-purpose music, as is much of contemporary pop music, designed to accompany dancing. The Progressive Rock movement in the seventies was a direct reaction against these styles. Progressive rock groups and artists deliberately set out to compose complicated and sophisticated musical statements. Many rock pieces and albums became large-scale works of art. Much of this music borrowed ideas from the world of classical music as well as the jazz style. Any "traditional" form of rock expression was ignored in favor of the more grandiose expressions of the more polished and expansive ideas of progressive rock. Bands like Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and Gentle Giant were the leading proponents of this approach to rock and they consistently produced music of high quality and standards.

Groups like Alice Cooper and Kiss moved into a bizarre, ghastly style that was more theater than music. And one tries to classify Phil Collins soft rock", also called

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Approximate Word count = 922
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History