icarle – MHS 123: Music and Technology in the Twentieth Century

April 18, 2019April 18, 2019

The Wonder of Sesame Street

Television and media has grown into a major influence through out pop culture. With the power tv has, stations such as pbs, Public Broadcasting Service, grew to become a prominent provider of educational programing. Shows like “Sesame Street” help to expose kids to certain situations providing them with problem solving skills and a stronger sense of social interaction.

Sesame Street began by Joan Ganz Cooney and the Carnegie Corporation’s vice president Lloyd Morrisett. Their goal was to provide educational programs to kids ultimately preparing them for preschool and further social situations. In 1968 the show was funded with an $8 million grant. Provided by Carnegie, the Ford Foundation, and the US govt. Through Cooney’s study, “Television in Preschool Education”, Sesame Street evolved hoping to better prepare young children to the classroom.

Writers of Sesame Street created the goal of appealing to kids at the same time as appealing to adults, “But the rule was you should never go over the heads of the kids. Anything that appealed to adults had to either appeal to the kids too or be something that they didn’t need to know.”

On April 12, 1973, Stevie Wonder visited the famous neighborhood to hang out and perform some music. Having Stevie Wonder on the show the was a huge success because he embodies all the characteristics of the show helps promote the shows goals. He helped to break down racial, gender, and socioeconomic barriers for children and their parents. Stevie wonder not only performed but he interacted with characters such as Grover, trying to help him sing. He also composed a song about the show entitled “123 Sesame Street”. This song featured a talkbox, an instrument/piece of technology that provides an additional timber to your voice similar to a vocoder.

Specifically, the performance of Stevie’s hit song “Superstition” from his recently release album “Talking Book”, provided the viewers with “6 and ½ minutes of concentrated happiness”. In recent and current times of the Vietnam war as well as the cold war, Stevie Wonder was able to transcend happiness through a television screen with his infectious smiles and dancing. Sesame Street was exposing their audience to genuine live music inspiring kids to be creative and happy in their lives. It becomes immediately apparent the importance of community and how to interact and communicate with others. Through communication the band is able to provide a groove that feels good leading to has a climax within the music.

Stevie was a child prodigy himself but at the age of 23 he is able to relate to all the kids on set, all the kids watching, and all the adults, providing inspiration to learn about and perform music. He proves how amazing performing can feel and how fun making music can be. Kids on set are filmed going wild dancing due to the infectious feeling. The prime example is the kid hanging off the fires escape moving uncontrollably. Kids are able to express themselves through dancing in this high-energy environment filled with enthusiasm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFlxh9I6Bw4

Lastly, one of the most powerful parts of this performance was the diversity present on set. Kids of different races were dancing together as if nothing else mattered in the world. Members of the band were different races yet they were coexisting, working together to create something amazing. The setting of the show is in an urban neighborhood implying different economic backgrounds and the leader of the performance is a blind man. Yet, for the 6 and ½ minutes of music nothing else in the world seems to exist. As the viewer you get a “Glimpse into the utopic possibility of a place, neither child- nor adult-oriented but simply human”. The performance teaches kids the power of community and to be accepting of everyone no matter what. The power of music is thoroughly evident.

Through comments on Youtube, you can see the noticeable impact the performance had on others from various parts of the world.

https://slate.com/culture/2016/12/stevie-wonders-1973-performance-of-superstition-on-sesame-street.html
https://www.npr.org/2015/08/24/433512375/in-new-memoir-maria-tells-us-how-she-got-how-she-got-to-sesame-street
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/stevie-wonder-sesame-street/
https://www.biography.com/news/sesame-street-history-hbo
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/03/friendship-files-sesame-street-songwriters-behind-put-down-duckie/585895/

April 2, 2019

Whats going on?…the eternal question.

“What’s Going On?” … a question once asked 48 years ago, still rings out loud and clear. It’s a question that can prompt many different responses, yet it does not just target or point to one answer. This question holds the power to be answered by many in hopes only to bring awareness of your surroundings.

On May 21, 1971 Motown records released the legendary album, “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye. This record pushed boundaries being one of the first of its kind. For Motown records, “What’s Going On” was the first record to print and give credit to all 39 working musicians who were recorded on the album. It was also a first for Motown in the category of a concept album: an album that revolves around a story or message from beginning to end. Artist such as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder were some of the pioneers on the Motown label who pushed for a bigger say as an artist and strived for their personal opinions to be heard. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/whats-going-on-251498/

Marvin’s first big success was with his rendition of “I heard it through the grapevine” in 1968. After reaching top of the charts, Marvin shortly became a recluse from the music world in response to his close friend Tammi Terrell’s death. The most famous recording of theirs being “Aint no mountain high enough”. Around the same time, Marvin’s brother Frankie returned home from Vietnam forcing a new perspective on Marvin. He noticed something was different about Frankie. This new outlook and awareness of the world helped to fuel the upcoming album, “What’s Going On”.

“What’s Going On” served as an anthem of social awareness.”

In reaction to the world around him, Marvin strived to speak the truth and ask others to be aware of the world around them in hopes to improve the situations at hand, “I know is what I know and what I feel I know is truth to me, and that is how I live” .The album itself touches upon issues of the violence and the Vietnam war, pollution of the earth, urban life, and stresses the importance of youth in our nation hoping to preserve the future. Marvin felt he was speaking on be-half of many. He believed in the power of his music and voice in order to expose the observations of life and the conditions of the country. However, through that power he was careful in a sense to not force a right or wrong. In a sense he was only asking for people to take a look a round and “find a way/ to bring some lovin’ here today”.

“It happened through divinity; it was divine.”

The opening title track begins with hoops and hollers of a party welcoming the listener in to a more intimate setting. In the context of the concept album however, the man entering the scene is Frankie, Marvin’s brother. The first verse explains the affect in which the war continues to cause people back home, “Mother, mother/There’s too many of you crying/Brother, brother, brother/There’s far too many of you dying”. Through the smoothness and purity of Marvin’s voice he tries to make people realize the devastation we put friends and family through during times of war and struggle. There is never a sense of anger or aggression in his singing, which creates an even stronger pull on the listener. Next he begins to ask for others to join together and create peace, “You know we’ve got to find a way/To bring some lovin’ here today”. The second verse continues to preach peace with the lines, “we don’t need to escalate/you see, war is not the answer/for only love can conquer hate”. Lastly, the bridge of the song brings forth elements of peaceful protest in hopes that issue can be resolved without violence. The lyrics utilize imagery of “picket lines and picket signs…” in order to create a bigger impact upon the listener. Marvin also touches upon the desire for discussion and for authority to listen and take in to consideration, “…don’t punish me with brutality/ talk to me, so you can see/ oh, what’s going on”. These lyrics above speak from a stance of protests turning violent and authority taking action. He hopes that there is a line of respect for opinions and the right for free speech honored. Through his music and lyrics, Marvin is preaching for peace in hopes that one-day issues can be resolved not at the expense of war.

I believe that this album is so powerful because Marvin talks about personal perspective and experience. He also is able to avoid direct opinions and statements accusing people of being right or wrong. There was never a desire to be a hero with the album. Marvin considered this record to be a “feeler” record. He wanted to avoid being labeled and placed in certain groups. When it first was released, someone labeled it as “a great black album”. Marvin was struck because that was not his intention. He didn’t understand because the word “black” was not stated anywhere in lyrics.

This after thought relates to Ted Gordon’s article regarding Dennis Prager directing the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra. Conflict between Prager and the symphony arise because Prager’s political views do not coincide with what the symphony stands for. Pragers defends himself in the stance that music has the power to bring people together. He wishes that people of the orchestra would tolerate his opinions as he tolerates theirs. It is similar to how Marvin Gaye attempts to create a fluid record. He does not target a specific audience rather he tries to bring people together in hopes they can educate themselves on the world around them. Everyone has a right to his or her own opinion. http://musicologynow.ams-net.org/2017/09/does-music-trump-politics-dennis-prager.html

It’s hard for me to criticize a piece of music using a modern lens if it was written many years ago. Part of Gordon’s article criticizes classical music calling it “ the core of western culture” implying a negative connotation. He is taking music composed in a much more conservative and reserved culture and placing it in a modern environment. I believe it’s unfair to take it out of its societal context. “What’s Going On” is such an amazing record because it is able to defy the context of time. Marvin Gaye was able to create an honest, timeless piece of art that will ring true for years to come. He is preaching to his listeners a message that forces continuous action and thought. There is no one answer.

https://www.npr.org/2000/08/07/1080444/npr-100-whats-going-on
https://www.npr.org/2011/05/21/136459286/marvin-gayes-whats-going-on-songs-we-love
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/whats-going-on-251498/
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/honor-thy-brother-in-law-a-visit-with-marvin-gaye-244223/
http://aln2.albumlinernotes.com/What_s_Going_On.html
https://www.rockhall.com/5-unbelievable-facts-about-marvin-gayes-whats-going
http://musicologynow.ams-net.org/2017/09/does-music-trump-politics-dennis-prager.html

January 31, 2019

Do Drum Machines Have Souls?

That is often the question.

Do drum machines provide a source for “Sexual Healing”? Lets ask Marvin Gaye.

Do drum machines put you in a “Love Lockdown” or say “Welcome to Heartbreak”? Kanye West knows the answer.

Maybe drum machines will have you joining Whitney Houston in saying “I wanna Dance with somebody” or better yet, have you screaming “Yeah!” with Lil Jon and Usher.

In the tracks referenced above, there was one specific drum machine behind it all. The Roland TR-808 revolutionized the way music was created and heard. It provided a whole new interface for artists and producers to be creative. It brought forth an entire soundscape that did not exist prior to 1980 and revolutionized the way we hear rhythm and beats.

History of Roland

Ikutaro Kalehashi, aka Mr. K, was born in Osaka Japan in 1930. As a kid he studied mechanical engineering eventually working for a company called Ace Electronics. There he helped manufacture what were called “Combo Rhythm Units”. These were early drum machines programmed into organs providing the organist with a beat in the case of no other musicians present. Some of the earliest recordings of drum machines were from artists such as Sly and the Family Stone and Timmy Thomas utilizing these rhythm units. In continuing his interests of electronic musical instruments, Mr. K founded the Roland Corporation in 1972. https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/3/15162488/roland-tr-808-music-drum-machine-revolutionized-music

Like anything revolutionary or new, people didn’t understand the TR-808 when first released in 1980. However, the machine was unique to anything else on the market. The sounds produced were synthetic and not natural. They sounded as if from outer space or from the future. People were confused. https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/3/15162488/roland-tr-808-music-drum-machine-revolutionized-music

The New York Scene

In the underground scene of New York City, the sound was about mixing records and spinning vinyl in clubs. In 1981 the game was changed when one man introduces the 808 sounds to the world. Afrika Bambaatta was already mixing artists such as James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, and Kraftwork together through being a dj, and with help of producer, Arthur Baker, the song “Planet Rock” was recorded for Tommy Boy records. Soon, the sounds of the 808 were being played throughout the New York Clubs. The most noticeable sound of the track was the low end of the bass. No one had ever heard a bass sound of that magnitude before the 808.

Sexual Healing

The next major event to occur in the life of the 808 is when Marvin Gaye chooses to make a career move. Struggling with happiness in his life, Gaye decides to move to Belgium and escape the struggles of family, drug abuse, as well as remove himself from the Motown sound. He went into the studio with a new, stripped down writing style, and a vision. With the 808, he created a groove and was adamant about that one sound. After recording his vocals over the 808 loop, Marvin Gaye transformed the 808 sound into his number one selling track of all time helping him receive his only ever Grammy Award. The track “Sexual Healing” helped bring the sounds of the 808 into the pop music world in 1982.

After the breach into the pop music world, the Roland TR-808 sound began to bridge the gap between multitudes of genres and city scenes from the Miami bass music scene, to Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago and even across the seas to Europe. One of the most revolutionary producers to utilize the 808 is Rick Rubin, co-founder of Def Jam Records and co-president of Columbia records. Rubin is known for his discovery of using the 808 for a bass line. He found out a way to maximize the sustain sound and tune the pitches allowing for the creation of a bass line. Artists such as LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and Public Enemy can be attributed to the work of Rick Rubin and the 808. Rubin developed the sound of American hip hop with the help of the iconic drum machine. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rick-Rubin

3 years of never ending influence

Between the year 1980 and 1983, Roland produced and sold 12,000 machines. The way the machine was developed, Mr. K, chose to utilize the defective transistors in the analog circuit because it created a unique buzzing sound. As technology improved, access to these specific transistors diminished. Rather than changing the formula, Mr. K. stopped all production of the TR-808. Even though only a limited amount were created, the Roland TR-808 changed music forever. As a listener you cannot turn on the radio without hearing a track consisting of 808 sounds or influence. Artist still use it today. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/8-ways-the-808-drum-machine-changed-pop-music-249148/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2268622/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl

Back to the original question…you could say maybe the faulty transistor is the soul within the 808 drum machine. Maybe it’s the soul within the artist or producer that shines through. All in all though, with the impact the 808 had on music it is easy to say, it has more soul than a ginger like me…