EDWARD'S LECTURE NOTES:
More notes at http://tanguay.info/learntracker
C O U R S E
History of Rock, 1970-Present
John Covach, University of Rochester
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C O U R S E L E C T U R E Classic Rock of the 1990s Notes taken on January 17, 2018 by Edward Tanguay |
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the creation of rock history
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classic rock was created in the 1980s as a radio format
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one of the most important changes in the 1980s was the transfer of technologies from analog to digital
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from cassette tapes and vinyl records to CD
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starts to happen in 1982
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Sony and Phillips combined forces to develop and standardize CD technology
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CDs were advertised as high quality and digital so doesn't wear out
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CD re-issuing
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they tried to talk consumers into buying all the music they had on records, now on CD
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this actually worked quite well
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they added bonus tracks, which helped sales
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repackaging older songs worked well e.g. box sets with a booklet, a kind of pop musicology
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this worked well until around 2000 when Napster came along and enabled people to get music for free
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radio consulting
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top 40
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ways to get the maximum audience in order to get maximum advertising
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Lee Abrams
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credited with developing the rock format employed by hundreds of radio stations across the country, as well as co-founding XM Satellite Radio.
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Fred Jacobs
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1985 first classic rock station goes on the air
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by the end of the decade almost every station has a classic rock station
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all songs are four minutes long
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the whole idea of having a format is to keep people listening
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rockumentaries
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early ones
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Bob Dillon
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MTV and VH-1
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lead components of programming that lent itself to historical interest
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facts popping up on videos
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"behind the music" and "legends"
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patterns emerged
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hardly any of the music is included since that would have to be licensed
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every story follows a similar rags-to-riches pattern
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humble beginnings
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early success
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tragedy strikes
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where they are now
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these things are historically flavored entertainment, not really history
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1995
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rock histories released
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PBS and Time-Life
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each 10 episodes
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for people who are interested in the rock history
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Beatles Anthology
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history of the Beatles told by the Beatles
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the sense that rock has a history
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university courses appear
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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
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1983 founded
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1995 building in Cleveland opens
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2000
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Seattle: Experience Music Project
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older musicians were still popular within the 1990s
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The Beatles
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Free as a Bird
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Real Love
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added tracks of John Lennon
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The Rolling Stones
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1994 Voodoo Lounge
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Eric Clapton
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1992 Unplugged
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"Tears in Heaven"
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Peter Gabrial
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1992 Us
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Santana
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1999
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"Smooth"
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Sting
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1993 Ten Summoner's Tale
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Bruce Springsteen
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1995 Greatest Hits
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U2
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1993 Zooropa
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by the mid 1990s every new release didn't just compete with other new releases, they competed with other albums from the 60s, 70s, and 80s
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new artists had to compete with other generations of artists for attention, e.g. with
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Paul McCartney
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Eric Clapton
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Peter Gabriel
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Bruce Springsteen
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so there was a bit of layering
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an interest in history
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rock culture became something that you don't just give up when you get out of your 20s