Progressive and Glitter Rock Powerpoint

1. Progressive and
Glitter Rock

2. How It Began?
 Inspired by The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
album.
 Other groups during the late 60’s to create concept albums
 The extra effects of that album inspired groups to go above and
beyond what had been done before.
 Creating a sense of randomness
 Each performance of the music was different every time, creating a
“musical happening”. This is called Aleatory or Aleatoric Music.
 “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” and “A Day in the Life” both used
splices of previously recorded music and was spliced together to
create the effects.
 Had the 1st song of the album playing again at the end of album.
This would give “classical” balance to the album, just like Beethoven
and Mozart had done in their music.

3.  Rock musicians began to add influences of art music into their music.
 Use of orchestral instruments such as violin, viola, cello were added. Wind
instruments such as flute were added as well.
 Music being written in multi-movements
 Recording their own versions of classical works
 Experimentation with electronic music and avant-garde
 The biggest difference between Progressive Rock and Glitter Rock is
the glorification and celebration of androgynous sexuality. This
separated the two styles more than any musical characteristic.

4. Rock Bands with Orchestras
 The Moody Blues
 Formed in 1964 by musicians with previous roots in blues and rhythm and
blues bands from England.
 Wrote their own music, but their 1st early big hit was a cover of “Go
Now” by Bessie Banks.
 Modified their sound by incorporating the London Festival Orchestra into
their arrangements.
 “Nights in White Satin” was their most popular recording with the orchestra
 It became difficult to work with a large orchestra for many reasons:
 Rehearsals had to be well organized
 Very expensive to tour with many musicians
 Replaced the orchestra with the mellotron, which could imitate the
sounds of the orchestra.
 The Moody Blues did occasionally work with orchestral musicians, but
never added them to their regular personnel.

5. Genesis
 Formed in 1966 by Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and
Anthony Phillips.
 Eventually added Phil Collins on drums in 1970
 Used multi-movement music with classical overtones along with
elaborate stage acts to create a fantasy world. Gabriel would
often do costume and character changes during a performance to
go along with the music and the fantasy being portrayed.
 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
 After Gabriel’s departure, Phil Collins took over as lead vocalist.
 Moved towards more of a commercial pop sound in the late 70’s.
 Gabriel went on to a successful solo career.

6. Other Rock Groups with Orchestras
 Procol Harum
 Formed 1966
 Greatest Hit “A Whiter Shade of Pale”
 Added to the orchestra by overdubbing instruments such as celeste,
marimba, recorder, conga drums, table, and tambourine.
 Decided that the orchestra members performed better in live situations,
so they recorded a live album.
 Made songs from studio albums more of a hit when re-recorded on the live
album. “Conquistador” became an international hit after the release of the
live album.

7. Other Rock Groups with Orchestras
 Jethro Tull
 Typically played more blue and jazz than anything that would resemble
Progressive Rock. Earliest successful live concerts was at the British
National Jazz and Blues Festival.
 First connection with Progressive Rock was on their 2nd album called
Stand Up, where Ian Anderson (lead singer/flutist) played flute on their
recording of J.S. Bach’s Bouree from the Suite in E Minor.
 Used a technique of humming while playing and also used flutter-tonguing
which gave the music more of an energetic drive. These techniques had
been used by other avant-garde musicians looking for new sounds they
could use on traditional instrument.
 Used their music to make statements about society and politics
 Critical of organized religion
 Anti-drugs
 Anti-nuclear power

8.  Took some time off for salmon fishing
 Regrouped with a modernized blues styled rock that included
distorted guitar sounds.
 Won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance
 Many fans questioned their inclusion in this category
 Still touring and performing, but with less commercial success.
 Anderson works with his other band Rubbing Elbows.

9. Other Rock Groups with Orchestra
 Electric Light Orchestra
 More popular British progressive rock groups of the 70’s
 Founded by Roy Wood (guitarist/singer/writer) and Jeff Lynne
(keyboardist/singer/writer) in 1971.
 Wood and Lynne were part of a band called Move, that dabbled in folk
music to Psychedelic Rock.
 Traditional rock band instrumentation with a scaled down version of an
orchestral string section
 First album released was entitled Move Enterprises Ltd. Presents the
Services of the Electric Light Orchestra. In America, the album was
released as No Answer.
 Wood and Lynne had differences in ideas of how the band should
proceed. Wood wanted the Phil Spector Wall of Sound concept. Lynne
wanted more of a classically oriented sound, modeled after the Beatles
and George Martin. Wood ultimately left ELO.

10.  ELO ended up being guitar, keyboard, drummer, violin, 2 cellos, and
string bass.
 Enabled ELO to create a thick orchestral and vocal sound with a rock
beat.
 Developed their stage show into an elaborate space-age show with
a giant spaceship and laser-light show.

11. Progressive Rock Based on
Classical Forms
 Style mimicked Rock Bands with Orchestra, however required
musicians to have more extensive classical backgrounds.
 Composed music in classical structures, but also recorded own
versions of well-known classical pieces.

12. Groups using the Classical Form
 YES
 Formed by Jon Anderson in 1968
 Interested in creating classically structured music that included full-
group vocal harmonies.
 Used synthesizer to add new timbres and to fill out sound without the use
of an orchestra
 Eventually developed around the virtuosic technical skills of the
instrumentalists instead of concentrating on synthesized orchestral
sounds.
 All members of YES were competent soloists
 Recorded a Suite, which is a multi-movement form, typically based on
dance rhythms and forms.
 Broke up in the early 80’s, but re-grouped with a new guitarist.
Recorded Owner of a Lonely Heart which was a #1 hit for them.

13. Groups using Classical Form
 Emerson, Lake and Palmer
 Known for recording extended classically based works
 Recorded Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, a work based on a
visit to an art gallery. Each section of music depicts a mood of a particular
work of art that was on display. Music is connected by a “Promenade”
which represents the viewer walking from one work to the next.
 Added new “picture” sections: “The Sage”, “The Curse of Baba Yaga”, and
“Blues Variation” as well as lyrics.
 A top-ten hit album for the group