The listening this week covers some of my personal favorites, British Invasion music, as well as Motown. It has been a great pleasure spending time with this music this week and I have enjoyed studying the style more deeply than I have in the past.
I have always been impressed with the arrangements and instrumentation of the early Motown songs, such as "My Girl" and "You Can't Hurry Love." The combination of strings and brass have always added that extra "spark" to the arrangements. I was also struck at how often the singers (other than the lead) are actually singing throughout the tune. So much emphasis is placed on the lead singer that the voices in the background seem to become a part of the instrumentation. I paid special attention to the background voices during my listening and was impressed at how much was going on along with the instrumental accompaniment.
The Beatles are one of my favorite bands of all time. I have always enjoyed their music, whether in their early "British Invasion" years or their later "psychedelic" years. The songs given for our listening list provide a brief snapshot of their repertoire, with varying styles and forms. "Please Please Me" is a relatively short, straightforward song, in the AABA form. One of the more interesting aspects of the vocal line is the oblique motion of the harmony in the opening phrase of each A section.
One of the most talked about aspects of "A Hard Day's Night" is its opening chord. This one chord has been the subject of debate for years. George Harrison has stated (in an online chat) that he played an "F with a G on top (on the 12 string)" but did not (or could not) give any information on Paul McCartney's notes on the bass.
"Yesterday" is a wonderful example of understated musicianship. The song is soft, heavily acoustic, and without drums. The inclusion of the strings in the second A section is a lovely addition. The song never has a feeling of building, yet it still provides a wholly satisfying listening experience. The piece feels like a folk song at times, perhaps written a hundred years earlier. It is one of my favorites.
With "Eleanor Rigby," The Beatles grab the listener immediately, with the strong opening vocal line, with no instrumental introduction. The use of the string orchestration is very effective. The bowing technique used adds a percussive effect throughout and offers a startling contrast to the more legato sections. The text tells a sad story of loneliness among two characters, which is rare for popular music of the 1960s.
The instrumentation of The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" is very unique, especially from a band associated with the "Surf Pop" movement. The inclusion of the Tannerin (also known as the Electro-Theremin) is, in my opinion, the most fascinating aspect of the arrangement. The instrument mimics the sound of the theremin but has a different control mechanism. The form, a sort of ABABCDB with transitions, continually introduces new material. Both the C and D sections sound as though they could be the foundation of their own songs, rather than part of this one.
This has been a fascinating study not only of some of the best music of the 1960s, but the differences in styles that were occurring at the same period in time. Each of these performers/bands achieved mainstream American success. This is a great snapshot of where the American psyche was on the cusp of (and into) the Vietnam War.
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