Sly and the Family Stone: A very sly band indeed

        Personally, it isn't my cup of tea. The sound is a little too funky and soulful for my taste. But saying that, I think there are multiple reasons that make this band a really great and inspirational band.
        As we said in class, they were technically the first multi-racial rock band. This was a huge movement at the time, considering that their albums were released during the late 60's and early 70's. This band, I would think, would be a huge symbol of hope to the colored people of the United States at the time. It showed them that white and color can work together and neither is better than the other. Plus, the beliefs of the band shined brightly through their music. Many of their songs revolved around inspirational messages of hope and determination. These themes and ideas were especially apparent on their album Stand! which was released in 1969. Songs on the album such as "Stand!," "You Can Make it If You Try," and "Everybody's People," really show the bands opinion on the political dificulties that the United States was facing at this time. Though, it makes me wonder (Ha, Stairway to Heaven reference) that if this band was releasing these motivational messages that went against the laws of the country if the government at all felt threatened to destroy them as a band. You hear and read about dystopian books where the people make a rebellious movement and the government immediately feels threaten and executes all of the suspects that had anything to do with the rebellion. The most recent book being "The Hunger Games." I do realized that these are fictitious stories and that they are not true, but I wonder if the government at all felt threatened by this band. Maybe it caused some concern that this would spur a rebellion. I am also aware that there were many rebellions against the laws of discrimination, regardless of them having anything to do with this band. I just begin to question if such messages from a popular, well-known band, would be of any worry to the government.
         I kind of went off-topic a little bit, but overall I think this band impacted the political and cultural aspects of this time period.     

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Though I do love the holidays and everything that comes along with them, there is one thing that really gets on my nerve. Christmas music. It can be so cheesy and groany and it really gets annoying. They are all about the same thing... Gathering under the mistletoe, seeing family, opening presents, gathering around the fire... By the 900th song, I think I get the point that the holidays are all about celebrating. I don't need to hear it 'round the clock until my ears bleed. But there is one band/orchestra that will make me drool. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra is one of the best creations/musical groups/orchestras ever created. They are the one Christmas group that I will blast when they come on the radio. The idea is so creative and original. It brings life to old Christmas tunes that have become boring and drab. I don't care if you are Jewish or Hindu or Islamic or aethist or whatever religion you follow. This band is super talented and you have to listen to a least one of their songs. And maybe it won't be as meaningful to you as it is to someone who would recognize the tunes, you can still appreciate the amount of talent that goes into making these master pieces of art.

My favorite song they play is definently Christmas Canon. I know I was saying how I like how this orchestra brings a newer look on songs and they do on most of the other ones, but this one just is truly a classic. It is so elegant and and the simplicity of it makes it incredible.

No doubt it is an incredible song. The vocal ability of these children is just mind-blowing and they perform the song very well.

Here is Wizards in Winter: This is my FAVORITE of their upbeat songs.



Here is the song again, just with a really neat twist

Here are some other great hits:

Christmas/Sarajevo 12/24

A Mad Russian's Christmas

This band is a great addition to music, even if they are religion specific. I really recommend that you check out all of their songs.

Led Zeppelin

I will admit, I was pleasantly suprised when I listened to Led Zeppelin. I thought they were a cliche screaming band that is talentless and obnoxious. To my suprise, they were actually decent. I think they are still are a bit too over-the-top for me at times - I am still adjusting to the new era of rock 'n' roll, where people do a lot more screaming. As Mr. A said, they are absolutely TALENTLESS when it comes to writing lyrics. It's funny if you think about it. They are really talented musically, especially when it comes to playing instruments. But then they just SUCK at songwriting. It makes me wonder if they are the kind of people who use the right side of their brain more, making them very creative. And then it seems as if they have no ability what-so-ever to activate their left side of their brain to think logically.

Squeeze my lemon till the juice runs down my leg.
Squeeze it so hard I fall right outta bed.
You gotta...Squeeeeze my lemon...till the juice runs down my leg
(I-wonder-if-you-know-what-I'm-talkin-about)
Oh the way you squeeze it gal - I know I'll all right outta bed

I mean seriously? Is it really that hard? Even The Band, who had an obsurd way of coming up with lyrics wrote songs that were ten times better than this.

One thing that is a negative is all of their songs blur together in my mind. I remember hearing parts of songs that I really liked and I would have liked to link them down below, but I honestly have no clue as to which songs they were. Plus the fact that the songs are so long. Even if I try and listen to them, I just end up tuning out by the 4th minute.

Overall, I think they are a band I will keep an eye out for as we continue to move on into the 70's. They have good songs and have some killer instrumentalists. They aren't a bad that I think I will ever love, but I can see some potential and hopefully they will continue to improve their lyrics.

Florence + the Machine

I am in love with this women. Her vocals are so good she makes me want to cry. Her voice is so motivating and powerful, it makes me want to get up and run a marathon. Before I say anymore, I really want you to listen to this song:

If you haven't fallen in love with that voice, I am sorry that you are missing out on a such an incredible talent. The way she starts with that powerful intro really sets a great mood for the song. I love it when artists make statements like that. From the very beginning, they give it all they have rather than just slowly climbing to their climax.

Florence + The Machine are a British indie, rock band that consists of Florence Welch and Isabella Summers and a variety of artists are used as their back up music. Her recent album, Ceremonials, is a really emotional and empowering album with tribals sounds and a variety of music influences. In some songs, I see influences from maybe African tribes and in others, I see influences from Egypt and the Middle East. Florence Welch has the same classy sound as Kate Nash, but Nash's sound is much softer, while Welch's is full of energy and anger, which really brings life into her music.

This song is a very good example of how she incorperates different sounds into her songs. What I love about her songs is when the song begins, I feel like it has a set path. Rather than bouncing everywhere and being jumbled, it is very organized and together, building at the right times and softening at others.

Here are some other songs of Florence that I love:

No Light, No Light

Bedroom Hymns

Heartlines

Strangeness and Charm

If you have time, I really urge you to listen to as many of her songs as possible. She is a really talented and inspiring artist and I feel like she has a lot to offer in the world of music!



Woodstock Festival

It is quite a shame, but before this class, I never knew what Woodstock was. It was mentioned from time to time, but I had no clue what it was. Little did I know it was one of the most important musical events in history. It is estimated that 500,000 people (or some call them hippies) showed up for the festival. They only prepared for 50,000, a mere 450,000 less.

As we were watching the documentary on Woodstock, the thing that effected me the most wasn't the acts that were playing; it was the scenery and culture of everyone and everything. I have never seen a documentary that shows the culture during this time period and I thought this movie was really eye-opening. For instance, you can't even compare the way they dress to our fashions today. The way Janice Joplin dressed is just something you don't see everyday.

Plus everyone has this really chill look about them. I realize they were probably all super high and in completely different worlds, but it is good to be shown and exposed to how some people really did live. I am also aware of the fact that these 500,000 people represent a small population of the millions of Americans during this time period. Meaning that just because they dressed this way doesn't mean others did. I just think it looks like a really happy time. It is as if everyone left their cares and worries outside of the fences of Woodstock. Thats not saying I would want to be there. It seemed like a drug crazy, no limits, sex everyday kinda festival. But I do think it shaped our music today. I think it brought new ideas to the world, like the idea of having a multi-day music festival with a large lineup, so that your audience had a variety of artists to hear. It would draw in more crowds, creating large amounts of revenue and it would be advertisment for your city. It is also more appealing for the audience and spectators because instead of paying $50 (more or less) per concert, they could pay $300 (again more or less) to listen to 30+ artists. It was a brilliant idea. Also labor costs would somewhat decrease (maybe) because instead of unsetting and setting the stages everytime a band would perform maybe every other week or something, you could just leave the stage up all the time because there would always be someone playing. Sure you would have to pay for managers and sound people and many more, but I think the revenue brought in would cover that.

Woodstock was a reveloutionary event, that I think has influenced music in a very postive way and it gave a new light to rising and hopeful artists, as well as the experienced well-known ones.

The Band

So funny story. We were listening to "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down" on youtube and I read the title of the music video and it read The Last Waltz - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. So I thought that there was a band called The Last Waltz and that they had covered The Band's song. I really enjoyed this so-called "cover" and I thought it was even better then the original... But when I typed it into iTunes and allmusic.com, all that came up was an album made by The Band. I was super confused, until I then realized the "cover" we watched was actually The Band singing THEIR song. I was kind of disappointed because I really liked the sound of this so-called "band," The Last Waltz. But it just means like The Bands sound.

One thing I really enjoy about The Band is I feel like their music isn't as harsh sounding as some rock artists during this time. I am a fan of rock, but when it gets too hard, it begins to sound like a jumble of loud music and I don't like it. My favorite song, by far is "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down."

This is such a stellar performance made by The Band. It is very well rehearsed and everyone compliments each others sounds, creating great harmonies. That is one area I feel that The Band is really strong in. Their harmonies are on par with The Beatles' harmonies. It is as if these guys were made to sing together.

My one complaint is sometimes the lead vocalist sounds like he is straining to get that note out. Almost as if he is groaning, which isn't the most pleasant to listen to. But in some songs, where the notes don't go as high, it works out fine. The song I really noticed it in was "Jemima Surrender." He really has to push to get those words out.

On a good note, The Band has a nice little piece of country twang in it. I usually don't like country music, and I know Mr. A will hate that I don't like that genre because all music is related, but it just doesn't float my boat. Maybe it is because the only country I have heard is the new stuff that is all about love, getting drunk and trucks. They have really put a heavy accent on every single word and it is so annoying. But I do like the little hint that The Band puts into their songs. It adds a nice touch. Overall I do like The Band, and I think their songs are really well put together. AND I LOVE THEIR METHOD OF GETTING LYRICS! I think there should be a challenge among celebrity bands (or any band) to try producing lyrics this way. I think it would be really neat to see how they compare!

Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey is your typical American beauty queen - She has thick red hair, a good body, has American pride, she is gorgeous... The only difference is she can actually sing. Lana Del Rey's music has an alternative/pop sound with aspects that were seen in music around the 50's and 60's. She is like many other artists in the sense that she basically sings about whatever she wants, regardless if it is offensive, innapropriate, or down right disgusting. But she gets away with it and she does it well. Her voice is very smokey, though it isn't as harsh sounding as Adele's. She has a very vintage sound, different from most of the artists today. With every song, there is a different motive or idea - She never keeps things the same, which is part of the reason she keeps people's attention. One song might be about heartbreak and the next is about doing "things." As for her image, she comes off as a very strong and independent women, and unlike Janice Joplin, she doesn't need to scream all of her songs to prove it.

Her first major single was "Video Games," which was released in 2011.

My favorite song off her album Born to Die would probably be the song Born to Die. It has a great theme and the sound is irresistible. 

I also am in love with "Radio" off of this album.

Just earlier this November, Lana Del Rey released her new album called Paradise.

Ride is a great track off of her album.

American is also one of my favorites.

In one of her new songs off of Paradise, the song Body Electric had some really creative lyrics that I really enjoyed.



Elvis is my daddy,

Marilyn’s my mother,

Jesus is my bestest friend.

               ...

Whitman is my daddy,

Monaco’s my mother,

Diamonds are my bestest friend.

Heaven is my baby, suicide’s her father,

Opulence is the end.

I honestlly would recommend listening to all of her songs. She was the first artist who actually got my attention and kept it throughout the whole album. She is really talented and I can't wait to see what she does next.

Read more: LANA DEL REY - BODY ELECTRIC LYRICS