Soul and Funk Flashcards
(99 cards)
1
Q
Why is Star Trek notable?
A
Diverse cast, including a black female bridge officer
2
Q
Who . played Lt. Uhura in Star Trek?
A
Michelle Nichols
3
Q
Who convinced Michelle Nichols to stay on Star Trek?
A
MLK Jr
4
Q
What events lead to soul music
A
Growing Civil Rights, rejection of R&B as music of the past/slavery/south. Need a . more optimistic, urban sound
5
Q
What styles is soul a fusion of?
A
Gospel - Vocal Styling
R&B - Rhythm & Backbeat
TPA - Arrangementsand lyrics
6
Q
What sparked the move to TPA lyrics?
A
sense R&B lyrics were too vulgar, want to clean it up a bit
7
Q
What type of labels dominate soul?
A
Small, independent labels
8
Q
What are the two major soul labels?
A
Motown & Stax
9
Q
Where is Motown located?
A
Detroit, MI
10
Q
who founds Motown?
A
Berry Gordy
11
Q
What makes Motown notable?
A
First major label founded by an African American
12
Q
When is Motown founded?
A
1959
13
Q
How is Motown influenced by detroit
A
practices taken from automotive sector:
- get everything needed to make the record under one roof
- division of labour
14
Q
What roles were present in Motown?
A
Songwriters, finishing school, choreographers, house band
15
Q
What was the only thing that changed between motown songs?
A
The singer
16
Q
Who were the songwriters employed by motown?
A
Holland/Dozier/Holland, Smokey Robinson
17
Q
Who ran the finishing school at motown
A
Maxine Powell
18
Q
what criticism was made about motown
A
whitening up the artists
19
Q
Who created choreography for motown
A
Cholly Atkins
20
Q
Who were the house band at Motown?
A
The Funk Brothers
21
Q
What did the house band at Motown do at night?
A
Jazz
22
Q
What are two examples of motown hits
A
You’d better Shop Around, Stop in the Name of Love
23
Q
Who performs “You’d Better Shop Around”?
A
Smokey & the Mirrors
24
Q
when is “You’d Better Shop Around” released?
A
1960
25
What is distinctive about the performance of "You'd Better Shop Around"
restrained conservative approach, with smooth, controlled choreography
26
Who are The Supremes?
Female Vocalist Trio from Motown
27
Who is the Lead Singer of The Supremes?
Diana Ross
28
Why do some suggest Diana Ross was selected as lead singer of The Supremes?
Having an affair with Barry Gordy, voice has a larger appeal because it doesnt have a large gospel sound (appeals to white audiences)
29
What is an example of a Supremes song?
Stop In the Name of Love
30
When is Stop in the Name of Love released?
1965
31
What type of sound did Motown try to avoid?
Gospel (want to appeal to white audiences)
32
What instrument does Stop in The Name of Love Feature?
Vibraphone, Tambourine
33
why does barry gordy love tambourine
Great high end sound. (White people love high end? - R&B likes low end)
34
What genre is the vibraphone associated with?
Jazz
35
What does the inclusion of a vibraphone indicate?
Vibraphone is a symbol of black artistry - white people are taking black art seriously.
36
What areas does Motown focus on with Stop In the Name of Love
arrangement (personally signed off by barry gordy), clarity of sound (especially high end), accuracy of performance (no errors)
37
What practice does motown do to remain relevant
Would regularly listen to top 40 and release any song they have which was similar to current hits
38
When was STAX founded?
founded in 1959 as Satellite Records, changed to STAX in 1961
39
Who are the founding members of STAX?
Jim Stewart (music) & Astell Axton (money)
40
what is STAX's house band?
Booker T & the MGs
41
what is remarkable about Booker T & the MGs?
Integrated band in the south
42
where was STAX located?
Memphis Tennessee
43
what song is Booker T & the MGs known for?
Green Onions
44
What was Stax's approach to recording?
- no multitrack
- voting on which take to use
- emphasis on energy
- less emphasis on arrangement (less background vocals, simpler horns & strings)
45
Who tried to convince Stax to use multitrack?
Atlantic records (sent them a machine, ended up being used as a doorstop)
46
What is an example of a Stax artist?
Otis Redding
47
what is an example of an Otis Redding song?
Try a little tenderness
48
when was try a little tenderness released?
1966
49
why is Otis Redding's sweat important
sweat = emotional investment/ intensity. For Stax, appearance is secondary energy
50
Who originally recorded "Try a little tenderness?"
Bing Crosby, 1933, composed in TPA in the 20s
51
How does Otis Redding's career end?
Plane Crash
52
What is an example of a Sam & Dave song?
Soul Man
53
what is Soul an analogy for?
black culture
54
when was Soul Man released?
1967
55
What range of the audio spectrum is emphasized in Soul Man?
Low end (no high end present)
56
Which labels represented product vs process focus in soul music?
Motown: Product
Stax: Process
57
What events are credited with reducing the optimism in soul music?
Death of Kennedy, stalling of the Civil Rights movement
58
Which Arethra Franklin song did we listen to in class?
"Respect"
59
When was respect released?
1967
60
who originally released respect
Otis Redding
61
What purpose does "Respect" serve?
An athem/ call to arms for civil rights
62
Where does Respect fall between Stax & Motown
In the Middle. Tambourine & arrangement are motown style, gospel influence and vocal power are attributes of stax
63
Who is Soul Brother #1
James Brown
64
What are some nicknames for James Brown
Soul Brother #1, Godfather of Soul, Hearst working Man in Show Business
65
What is James Brown's first hit?
Please, Please, Please - 1965
66
How does james brown shape soul music?
shapes transition from R&B -> soul
67
What is the first album to sell 1M copies?
Live at the Apollo - James Brown (1963)
68
What are some James Brown crossover hits?
Papas got a brand new bag (1965), I feel Good (1964, but released after)
69
What was James Brown's biggest Pop hit?
"I feel good, 1965"
70
How is "I feel Good" structured?
12 bar blues structure, formatted as an AABA (4 bar break, 8 bar bridge in the B section)
71
How did James Brown appeal his music to white audiences?
"Black folks like the blues, White folks something different in the middle"
72
what genre does James Brown invent?
Funk
73
what events embody the frustration at the stalling of civil rights?
Race Riots (1965-1967)
74
What is the largest race riot?
Detroit, 1967
75
When and where is MLK assassinated?
April 4, 1968, Memphis, TN
76
What movement is inspired by the stalling of civil rights?
Black Panther movement (Black Power). seek peaceful resolution but will respond to violence with violence
77
What movement grows in the late 60s
Re-Africanization. Move to adopting traditional clothing, styles, hairstyles, languages and names with goal to break white opression
78
When is Funk created?
1967 (James brown)
79
What is an example of a Funk song?
Get Up ( I feel like a) Sex Machine
80
When is Get up released?
1970
81
How does Funk radically change style?
No real melody, no chord changes. focus on rhythm and articulation. (deprivilege melody & harmony, priviledge rhythm and articulation)
82
What practice is funk based on
Interlock Groove, based on West African drum circles
83
What are the features of a drum circle
Master drummer - sets the pace (count in), every element has a spcifc riff which combines to make the interlock groove
84
What does the master drummer do on top of the interlock groove in a drum circle?
Improvise
85
What features are important in drum circles & funk?
input from the band /circle.
86
What rhythmic form is important in funk music
"The One" - everything syncs up on the downbeat every couple bars to anchor the rhythm
87
How is funk recieved by white audiences
Its not embraced (who cares that's not the point)
88
How is the structure of a song changed from soul -> funk?
Changes a linear progression into a cyclic composition (no progress)
89
What was James Brown's original band called?
Famous Blames
90
How did James Brown get his break?
Impromptu performance at a Little Richard show, impressed Little Richard's manager
91
How did Little Richard affect James Brown's success?
Was a stand in for Little Richard during tour dates after Little Richard got his break
92
When was James Brown's first record released?
1956 (King Records)
93
What style was James Brown's music originally?
Doo-Wop
94
What was James Brown well known for?
aggressive singing, rhythmic groove. Athletic dancing (closing number in which he is exhausted and carried off stage)
95
What distinguishes Brown from Stax & Motown
Stax - tight arrangement, attention to detail.
| Motown - lack of background vocals. energy is produceed by brown
96
Why was James Brown valued as a black artist.
Political lyrics and hard musical style, arranges his own affairs - gives the image of an uncompromising black artist
97
What was the impact of MLK Jr's death on black culturee
Shift away from non-violent ideals, growth of anger
98
What led to the breakup of Stax
Atlantic sold to Warner, realized they didn't own their masters
99
What lead to the decline of Motown
Felt uncomfortable worknig in detroit ? (unclear)
