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 Blaxploitation Soundtracks Notes taken on May 4, 2015 by Edward Tanguay |
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Blaxploitation films
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an important step in film making for African American actors, writers and producers
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if you look at the history of film leading up to the early 1970s
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you will see that while there were in fact black actors who were featured in films
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they didn't have the exposure or important and central roles that the white actors had
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as directors and producers, not active at all
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sitting at the very center of this movement
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1971 Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
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an African American perspective on urban life
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independent film
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cop-action scene
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Martin Van Peebles produced it
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set in Los Angeles
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Sweetback
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charged with a crime against a police officer
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eventually emerges victorious in fleeing to Mexico
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frequently had soundtracks by important groups in the 1970s
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two people got their widespread crossover exposure
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Isaac Hayes
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got his start at Stax
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the voice of Chef on South Park
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1968 Presenting Isaac Hayes
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a bit of a flop
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Stax had lost the Atlantic catalog
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Stax was interested as releasing albums
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pressed Isaac Hayes to produce for them
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1969 Hot Buttered Soul
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has four tracks on it: two on one side, two on the other
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1968 By the Time I Get to Phoenix
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written by Glen Webb
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had been a hit by Glenn Campbell on the country charts
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the Glenn Campbell Good Time Hour
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19 minutes
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first 9 minutes a narration
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ambitious
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like Vanilla Fudge in the psychedelic era
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1968 Walk On By
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stretched it to 12 minutes
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1971 Shaft
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MGM released the movie
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John Shaft in New York City
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like a black James Bond
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Isaac Hayes did the theme song Shaft
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lush string arrangements
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like Philadelphia Sound
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Curtis Mayfield
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1972 Super Fly
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was the soundtrack for the movie Super Fly
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has group Impressions
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1963 It's All Right
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1963 Keep on Pushing
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1965 People Get Ready
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like Brian Wilson and Frankie Valli and Eddie Kendrick from the Temptations
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Super Fly movie (1972)
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cocaine dealer in New York and all his adventures
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1972 Super Fly album
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very successful
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song: Freddy's Dead
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if you were a white rock listener watching variety shows, of the black artists of this era, Stevie Wonder is who you would see on TV often
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Curtis Mayfield was on television very often
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he was a bit of the embodiment of what was happening in black pop music at the time