The Classic Album Analysis

The album The Dark Side of the Moon, by Pink Floyd was an album that pushed the boundaries on multi-tracking and tape looping, as well as mixing in1973. The engineer, Alan Parsons, use many unusual techniques to help create the sound that we know and love. Which landed the album on the charts for 750 weeks. Dark side of the moon was first lead engineering job Alan had with Pink Floyd and only took a year to record.

The question this paper seeks to answer- Or rather – the topic this paper will attempt to flesh out is how “Rock and Roll Music” has affected, or been affected (by) Social Change or Social Movements. Perhaps the most notable examples of how music has been inextricably linked to the social-political climate of this country, would be The Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War.

During the late 1980s, two brothers from Leith, Scotland, formed a Celtic rock band called The Proclaimers which gained popularity in Europe. After their first hit album, The Proclaimers released a second album called Sunshine on Leith, and from that album came their most famous song, “I’m Gonna Be 500 Miles,” which woul¬¬¬¬d reach number one on the charts in New Zealand and Australia, as well as number 3 on the charts in the United States. Later in 2013, a cover of “I’m Gonna Be 500 Miles” was recorded by Sleeping at Last, an alternative rock band formed in 1999. Both of these covers have distinct and noticeable differences, including, genre, feel, lyrics, and instrumentation. Comparing these two songs, it is easy to see the reflections of the different artists who produced them.

Travis Wall’s contemporary company, Shaping Sound, performed at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts on October 14, 2016. Utilizing this theater's large space and lighting components; Bohemian Rhapsody danced to Queen’s iconic song “Bohemian Rhapsody,” drew the audience into this intense and playful performance.

“Dead Heads” existed in a subculture that was very common in the 1980’s which originated from the band “The Grateful Dead”. This band gave people in America an overall feeling of acceptance and freedom that they found that mainstream music culture could not provide. The culture of the Dead Heads and what drew people to become apart of the culture can be understood using the structural functionalist approach. This culture as based upon freedom, and had very little sense of what was right and wrong. With conventional culture opposing their beliefs and freedom, many individuals began to carry out acts of violation against authority and the people who followed mainstream culture. These scandals included things

Music in The Music Man Music is an element that can modify the atmosphere of anything. Whether it is in a movie, a party, or in a musical, it can change the scene from melancholy to cheerful. In The Music Man by Meredith Wilson and Franklin Lacey, music is the most important element of the production as it drives the plot and changes the emotion of the audience to match what the playwright imagined. I watched this musical in the Performing Arts Center of North Royalton High School, Directed by Megan Dolar.

The alternative rock band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, formed their band in Los Angeles, California in 1983 when signing with EMI, a British record label. The band was not happy with their first few albums and were heavily into drugs, thus having an unsuccessful first tour. The guitarist, Hillel Slovak, died from drug overdose early in their career. After Hillel died, the band saw an increase in their success. Their first, second, third, and fourth albums were not huge hits or big sellers, but in 1989, Mothers Milk, was released and they started to rise in the music world. As the band got more popular, they started to get out of hand with indecent exposure and reckless behavior. When the Red Hot Chili Peppers came out with

Some may think the 1980s was a useless decade in terms of music, but I disagree. Clearly music from this decade has influenced many artists, inspiring them to cover songs from bands of this time period. Whether they did a different take on the song, or stayed true to the original, here are the top ten covers of 80s songs (For more great covers, click here and here.)

I am a huge fan of The Supremes. This song is a classic and could still be played today and people would instantly recognize it. The chorus is very catchy as well:

Sgt Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band is the album that serves as a turning point for The Beatles. It came at a point when the Beatles had already toured the world and were looking for a way to revamp themselves with something new. This album also influenced many pop artists. Before this album, rock artists made music to serve as mild entertainment(Galenson, 2009). After this album, artists wanted to be taken more seriously and make music as art in the best possible form. Part of this change can be attributed to the influence that legendary producer George Martin had on the album. George Martin would be part of the key production personnel along with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

February 14th, 2016 marked the end of a long-awaited journey for Kanye West’s seventh studio album. Originally known as So Help Me God back in November 2013; then changed to SWISH in May 2015; but changed yet again, to Waves in January earlier this year. But due to disagreement with Wiz Khalifa, Kanye finalized the album as T.L.O.P (The Life of Pablo) in February. The album still remains a work in progress, which in other words means The Life of Pablo isn’t over yet. And is actually not for sale; making it the most illegally downloaded album on the charts.

On March 1, 1973, Pink Floyd released what some consider their best and most famous album, “The Dark Side of the Moon.” The album holds the record for time spent on the Billboard Top 200 albums with a total of 861 non-successive weeks, (Billboard) and included prominent songs such as “Time,” “Money,” and “The Great Gig in the Sky.” It is characterized by the cover, which shows a prism separating a stand of light into a rainbow over a black background. When the album was released, the image’s success impacted it by gaining the attention and support of a broader audience. In the recent year of 2011, the album cover proved itself once more when it was ranked the number two album cover of all time by the readers of “Rolling Stone.” (Greene)

Taking a dive into the humble beginning of Chris Browns self-titled album, he introduces himself as a “prissy boy form Tappahannock, Virginia.” He speaks on making his parents proud and touches on God. This type of intro is vital to any debut album because it reveals the artist as a person. Showing that young Chris is rooted in religion and family. The album takes off with his first hit single “Run it” and sets a new tone for the beginning of the album. Focusing on picking up a pretty girl, the rest of the album follows the same concept. When listening to the album straight through it follows the phases of flirting with a girl to being in a relationship and in love, and ends with a breakup. Most top selling albums have an overall concept and when listened to in order, the album will tell a story. Though something special is not only having the story aspect of an album but also being able to play the songs individually and have them stand on their own. This is proven by many of the songs on his album being popular

As a Rolling Stones fan, I thought it would be very interesting to watch and review the documentary Rock of Ages: Rolling Stones. This full length documentary was produced in 2008 and gives a detailed overview of The Rolling Stones story from the very to beginning to the present. As with most documentaries, both the bands hardships and triumphs are portrayed. I really appreciated how the documentary was very raw and shared the major battles the members of The Rolling Stones had with drug addiction and how it effected them both personally and professionally. Even though The Rolling Stones are known to be one of the best bands in the history rock and roll, it was interesting to learn how their struggles helped shaped their

Social inadequacy is an aspect of life that many in today’s world consider a matter of great importance. There is a constant “war” for the apex position on the social hierarchy that has been created as a result of mankind’s strict focus on society. An indie pop band by the name of Fun. have taken this concern and made it the subject of a song called Some Nights. This song depicts and acknowledges the existence of a social hierarchy and the world’s fixation on reaching the top of it. This song also demonstrates the Marxist theory which states that one’s self-conscious is determined by one’s social existence. Simply put, with little social power, one cannot be sure of whom they are. Furthermore, this song illustrates