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Punk Rock and Singer/Songwriters
The sounds of the guitar can never be replicated the way a live recording of a talented musician. A crazy talented singer, songwriter, and musician named Van Morrison was born in Ireland and began his career at an early age of 19. A personal favorite song of mine was released in 1967 under producer Bert Berns and reached the Top 10 Billboard chart a few months later. Taking shots from Bob Dylan’s playbook after the sudden death of Berns, he releases Astral Weeks with a New York group which rooted heavily in jazz, folk, and blues. Van Morrison pushed the limits of R&B in the 70’s after he moves back from the United States to his native country, continuing to fuse poetry and R&B in lieu of his wide success with the album Moondance from 1970.
About five years later, pulling together influences of funk, and R&B similar to the poetic songwriting style of Van Morrison, Earth, Wind & Fire released their first major hit Shining Star. Ever since i was a child back in the 90’s, I would always enjoy listening to this band as it beautifully tied together a live orchestra employed by a mellotron similar to The Moody Blues and Boston, with an upbeat vibe that causes major earworms! As if by the continuing trend, Electric Light Orchestra inspired by The Beatles took Pop a a new level, fusing a band with sampling in a way no one had heard before. Releasing Evil Woman in 1975 was only their first cry to fame, as they pushed up the charts year after year with their biggest hit Mr. Blue Sky in 1977 which is used in media and commercials today.
I love the sound of funk almost as much as I enjoy researching about the roots of artists inspiration as it helps to diversify my own music taste and composing techniques. If music production wasn’t my major, I would be studying music anthropology. Finding out about these artists has refreshed a love for the golden age of music. If I took anything from the study of genres over the years, it was the greater understanding of song forms, harmonies, and arrangement style. Funk tends to stray away from the black and white. With this, comes a more complete sense of artists freedom. These great artists show that with the right influences and skill, music can change the world.
References:
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Van Morrison. (n.d.). Retrieved July 03, 2016, from http://www.ultimateclassicrock.com/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-van-morrison/
Billboard – Music Charts, News, Photos & Video. (n.d.). Retrieved July 03, 2016, from http://www.billboard.com/
Glam Rock and The Emergence of The ‘Musical Alter Ego’
David Bowie was both a talented artist and performer. He spent years building up such a unique and sexy persona that people all over the world soon came to love. The widely touring hippie artist set his eyes on stardom on a pretty, diamond studded path. When you look at his creation of Ziggy Stardust, it brought much attention to the great lengths he went to on forming such an image. It was this key element that allowed David Bowie to capture the audience. It was around this time, when music popularity shifted from the sound and album cover, to the audiovisual response that is heavily implemented today through music videos. The decade before the MTV rise, Bowie had set a standard for show performance, and was looking to bigger things.
Similarly, KISS created a distinct and memorable persona. They embraced their music culture, and let it emirate through their music and their appearance, which was ideal for their rise to fame. Though the members of KISS took their appearance to an extreme, it is very comparable to the way David Bowie created Ziggy Stardust. The importance of an artist or band image became most prevalent in the early 1980’s. Launched in 1981, MTV brought music to the people in brand new way.
Gaining much media over David Bowie calling out MTV for screening out black artists added to his following all the more. In an interview with David Bowie and Mark Goodman of MTV, he tries to bring into light why, that in Prime Time, black artists were statistically aired less. Calling the lack of black artists being broadcast to be “Very Interesting”, you can see in his face, that the Bowie is entertained by Goodman’s avoidance of his questions. He pushes further, arguing that the black music videos were undoubtedly comparable in quality. It is clear in the interview that Bowie isn’t having any of the racial bias. It nonetheless, sparked controversy over the equality of white and black music, and pushed the trend to change MTV into the more culturally diverse station that we know today.
This interview did a couple things for Ziggy. Aside from firmly setting in stone, his position on equality, he showed the world that he wasn’t afraid to speak for justice. It showed David Bowie in a very good position, and that made his persona even more powerful as it now carried a message. He later came out with the song China Girl which was perceived as a love song but carried a message about inequality. It hit the Top 10 Billboard charts for 18 weeks, and put MTV in an uncomfortable spot. What really was causing David Bowie’s rise to fame, was his image that became of him over the decades. In retrospect, he was probably the first artist to make stardom more so out of his persona, than actual music. Despite the fact that Bowie was talented across the board, it was clear that he was adapting with the trends. The times were changing, and an artist had to create both a creative and unique style while building an image of themselves that people can relate and be inspired by. And David Bowie just kept dancing.
References:
David Bowie. (n.d.). Retrieved July 03, 2016, from http://www.billboard.com/artist/300407/david-bowie/chart
H. (2016). David Bowie Criticizes MTV for Not Playing Videos by Black Artists | MTV News. Retrieved July 03, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZGiVzIr8Qg
Kaufman, G. (2016). Watch David Bowie Call MTV Out For Not Playing Black Artists In 1983. Retrieved July 03, 2016, from http://www.mtv.com/news/2726379/david-bowie-calls-mtv-out-black-artists-diversity/
Welcome To My Blog
Hello!
My name is Eric Fortier a.k.a. Muletto a.k.a. überN3XUS. I am a lifelong musician, band geek, athlete, and tech wiz. My career goal is to inspire other artists to make “music” about the music again, not about the paycheck. When I’m not working on school work, you can often find me working on other tracks, or researching more musical applications my equipment and software.
I am currently a senior at Full Sail University, and I have never been so committed or happy to be in school. I have even made plans to go back for a second major. Hopefully one day I can tell my story and inspire others to do what they love, what makes them happy. It was the best decision I’ve made in my life! I hope you will enjoy my work as much as I enjoy giving it my all.
Check out my website https://www.pianoeric.wix.com/mulettomusic
Music Supervisor Assignment
Morning (1970-1975)
From dust to dust, that is what exists.
1 – Into the Mystic (Van Morrison) – 1970 – Morrison serenades us about yearning to return to a lost lover back at home.
2 – ABC (Jackson 5 Band) – 1970 – Putting together the building blocks of life with this Michael Jackson classic.
3 – The Entertainer (Billy Joel) – 1974 – This song speaks to the early career of Billy and it has the listener looking back to simpler times.
4 – Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) – 1975 – With one of the most memorable song intros, this ballad takes you on a journey that starts from the beginning.
5 – Shining Star (Earth, Wind & Fire) – 1975 – Keeping it funky with this uplifting and motivating track that will put a smile on anyones face.
Afternoon (1975-1979)
An artists perspective is always their own.
6 – Walk This Way (Aerosmith) – 1975 – A suggestive rock song off a widely toured-off album that is even used in movies and media today
7 – Village Ghetto Land (Stevie Wonder) – 1976 – Stevie shows us that anything is possible with this beautifully written and sung song by the one and only, which speaks to the world about poverty.
8 – Carry on Wayward Son (Kansas) – 1976 – The immersive sound of the vocals in Wayward Son are an iconic and memorable highlight of the great strides that music took
9 – Play that Funky Music (Wild Cherry) – 1976 – Wild Cherry pushed the limits with studio breakthroughs in the mid to late 70’s on this five minute funk ballad.
10 – Livin’ Thing (Electric Light Orchestra) – 1976 – ELO has shown with this expansive soundscape of a track, that music is all about the artist’s perception.
Late Afternoon (1980-1990)
A dissonant harmony as ‘The Wall of Sound’ emerges.
11 – Another One Bites the Dust (Queen) – 1980 – This song says it all: Total, complete, disorderly, in control.
12 – New Year’s Day (U2) – 1983 – The iconic harmony of U2 in their collage of sound is very evidence with this song.
13 – Overjoyed (Stevie Wonder) – 1985 – You have to give this guy credit, as he delivers this vivid multitrack work of art that combines a live orchestra with a complexity of other sounds and recordings.
14 – Push It (Salt-N-Pepa) – 1986 – This hip hop classic uses heavy lyric sampling that is very uncommon in the 80’s, as it had not yet become what it is today.
15 – Livin’ On A Prayer (Bon Jovi) – 1986 – This hit by Jon Bon Jobi brings a powerful message with a powerful and diverse accompaniment.
Dinner (1990-1999)
Small dreams come and go, but the important life goals are often those that seem unachievable at first.
16 – U Can’t Touch This (MC Hammer) – 1990 – Do you ever have that feeling to get up and just dance?
17 – Street Dreams (Nas) – 1996 – Rap really gave way to the urban hood story rap style that started back in the day around the time of Nas.
18 – Good Riddance (Green Day) – 1997 – Most dreams are about one’s self, while other humble dreams are about being together with a loved one.
19 – Building A Mystery (Sarah McLachlan) – 1997 – A song made out of a story about an obsessed admirer that shows anything can be turned into a hit song if done the right way.
20- The Real Slim Shady (Eminem) – 2000 – If only you knew how hard it was to stand up in the music industry today.
Night Party (Electronic Music)
No one normal person lives without a twinge out of the ordinary.
21 – Drop It Like It’s Hot (Snoog Dogg and Pharrell Williams) – 2004 – Snoop made a culture, and it is not to be reckoned with.
22 – Don’t Stop The Music (Rihanna) – 2005 – Rihanna has been breaking musical barriers and setting trends for years from her originality alone.
23 – Chronicles of a Fallen love (The Bloody Beetroots) – 2013 – This artist spans multiple genres and puts together some incredible instrumental choice..
24 – High You Are [Branchez Remix] (What So Not) – 2014 – A remix can sometimes emirate the message of an artist better than they can themselves.
25 – Emotional (Flux Pavilion)- September 2015 – This song goes to show that a skilled artist can easily adapt in a constantly changing music industry.
26 – Missing (feat. Mingue) {EDX) – There really isn’t any cost to being ordinary, just as long as your take is something expertly and creatively extraordinary.
References
Photos from: Eric Fortier Instagram
Numerous references for song facts from: SongFacts
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