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C O U R S E L E C T U R E 1980's Heavy Metal Notes taken on September 10, 2016 by Edward Tanguay |
because heavy metal became so popular by the end of the 80s
we tend to look back to the late 60s and early 70s and call a lot of that music heavy metal
because it seems to share many of the characteristics
but heavy metal music didn't begin to separate itself out from other blues-based rock music until the end of the 1970s and the early 1980s
at the time when rock music was changing under the influence of corporate rock
heavy metal wanted its own kind of distinctiveness
Ozzie Osborne has criticized it as not a very interesting or flattering term
Steppenwolf "Born to be Wild"
"...heavy metal thunder..."
but here they were talking more about motorcycles
1968 Iron Butterfly, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
at end of 70s, both Ozzie and Black Sabbath attained importance in the growth of Heavy Metal
where grouped in with Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin
all players are making the same sees
typical and original high scream
when they were heavy they were very heavy
theatrical performances
into the bigger venues, e.g. stadiums
the image of Heavy Metal
back in the day and into the 90s
Heavy Metal musicians and fans did not get much respect
the music was thought of as being very simple-minded
the people who listened to it were thought of as being not particularly sophisticated
the music was marked as blue collar, working class
people prone to violence
but as music consumers who were not very sophisticated, they were happy to be called head bangers
positive stereotypes: Wayne's World
honesty, loyalty and unselfish devotion to partying
they are the lovable Heavy Metal fans
not the sharpest knife in the drawer
negative stereotypes: Beavis and Butt-head
ignorant, vulgar, and lazy
these stereotypes can still be used today to indicate a certain personality and place in the culture
the rise of Heavy Metal
1. the United States centered around Los Angeles
if you were an American kid wanted to play guitar in the popular music business at the end of the 70s, you probably ended up going to Los Angeles
it was like every guitar player was in Los Angeles
David Lee Roth on lead vocals
"Why Can't This Be Love"
"Come On Feel the Noize"
2. the UK centered around London and the north of England
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal
replaced him with Ronni James Dio
1977 recruits Randy Rhoads as guitarist
both Black Sabbath and Ozzy leading the way
other bands getting down to the core of what Heavy Metal really was
1968 formed in Birmingham
1979 Hell Bent for Leather
1975 formed in East London
1982 Number of the Beast
1977 formed in Sheffeld, central England
never had the success the other bands had
Lemmy Kilmister, vocalist
à la Ritchie Blackmore, of Deep Purple
and their American cousin Eddie Van Halen
the guitar solos often the showcases of these tracks
unrelentingly heavy drum beats
if you were an American kid wanting to play guitar in the popular music business at the end of the 70s, you ended up going to Los Angeles
fighting to get into groups
provided a fertile ground for groups that rose up
originally done by Slade in the 1970s
1983 Shout at the Devil
imitating singers such as Robert Plant or Ian Gillan
loud, assertive drumming
like an airline cockpit
a unison with anthem-like vocals
setting the stage for stadium sing-alongs
everyone raising their fist and singing along