HISTORY OF ROCK

What‘s Rock?• Rock music is a

contemporary musical genre aimed at encompass all of the musical genres derived from rock and roll. Usually played, with guitar, bass and drums, many other instruments are added occasionally with guitar, bass and drums. Many styles of rock music also use keyboard instruments such as organ, piano, or synthesizers. Rock music usually has a strong off beat, and often focuses on guitar, both electric and acoustic.

• Primitive rock stems from a lot of sources, primarily blues, rhythm and blues and country, but also gospel, jazz and folk. All these influences combined in a simple, blues-based musical structure "that was fast, danceable and catchy''.

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HISTORY OF ROCK AND ROLL• Rock and Roll, or merely rock

genre, derived from a mixture of various genres of American folklore (rhythm and blues, hillbilly, country western and the most prominent) and popularized since the 1950's.

• The word "rock" to stem from the term rock and roll and today still has two meanings according to the Royal Spanish Academy, "a distinctive musical genre and popularized in the 50’s (which corresponds to the definition of rock and roll) and each various musical genres derived from rock and roll, (which is the definition of contemporary rock music genre, and historically came fulfilling the term rock and roll). However, in practice there are many artists in rock music, rock and roll without making the 50’s, terming continue their music "rock and roll".

The main Performers• Some people date the

origins of rock and roll back to 1954 with the released album by Bill Haley and his group Bill Haley and the Haley's Comets, especially with the album Crazy man crazy (1954) and its successful number one single Rock Around the Clock (1955), which would go on to influence much of John Lennon’s work.

• Others consider as creator Little Richard or Elvis Presley chosen as the start date rock'n'roll in 1954 the year in which Presley released his first album. Notable musicians of the time you can mention Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, among others.

Chuck Berry• Charles Edward Anderson a.k.a

"Chuck" Berry (Saint Louis, Missouri, October 18, 1926) was an influential composer, performer and guitarist African American Rock and Roll guitarist of the United States , he was influential figure and one of the pioneers of Rock and Roll . In the 50s, Berry played songs like "Roll Over Beethoven", "Rock and Roll Music", "Route 66" by Nat King Cole, "Johnny B. Goode" and "Maybelline" .He won a Grammy in 1984 . In 1989 he published his autobiography.

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Gene Vincent• Known as the "Black Prince" (for his

black leather outfit from head to toe) or "Hamlet rock and roll", represented the genuine rocker, messy quiff, tormented face, motorcycle jacket and black leather, and is one of the figures most revered by rock and roll fans. His influence has been great, influenced artists like Jeff Beck (who in 1996 released an album, "Crazy legs", only versions of his time with Cliff Gallup), Ian Dury (who dedicated the song "Sweet Gene Vincent"), Robert Gordon (who did the same with the theme "the catman"), and finally Billy Idol and Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats (had perfoming many of his works throughout his career).

Elvis Presley• Elvis Aaron Presley (Tupelo,

Mississippi, January 8, 1935 - Memphis, Tennessee, August 16, 1977), was American rock singer and icon of popular music of the twentieth century. He inspired many singers both within and outside the genre Rock. He was considered the King of Rock and Roll, he also starred in numerous films, many of which were devoted to his songs. He is often simply called Elvis or "The King" .Despite his death, Elvis is still selling records and now has surpassed 1,000 million albums sold.

John Lennon• In The Beatles, Lennon sang and

mostly played rhythm guitar, harmonica and piano, and other keyboard instruments, the banjo, and also wrote most of the material with his partner Paul McCartney, although in reality in most cases they worked separately. Many of these compositions, given the global impact of the group, have become some of the most popular tunes of the twentieth century.

• The same can be said of the songs from his solo career, among which include "Imagine", which was in a pacifist anthem known around the world right from the start. Lennon was killed by a fan in 1980.

Little Richard• His first recordings in the

50's were a mix of blues and rhythm and blues, with a strong influence from Gospel, performed with such a skill that definitely marked a new kind of music. Himself has said he is regarded as the "architect" of rock and roll, but the color of his skin took away from his glory monopolized by Elvis and others.

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EvolutionRock music has its origins in the era of rock and roll and the rockabilly in 1950s. In the late 1960s, rock music was blended with folk music to create folk rock; with blues to create Blues rock; with jazz to create Jazz rock fusion, and without a time signature to create psychedelic rock. In the 1970s, rock absorved influences from Soul, Funk, and Latin music. Also in the 1970s, rock developed a number of sub genres, such as soft rock, hard rock, progressive Rock, Metal and Heavy punk. Rock subgenres in 1980s includes new wave, new romantic, glam metal, synth rock thrash metal, hardcore punk and alternative rock. The subgenres of rock in 1990s was a grunge style which includes brit pop, indie rock, piano rock, or nu metal.

Blues rock

• Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining elements of blues and rock and roll, emphasizing the use of the electric guitar. This genre was developed in England and the United States in the mid 1960s by groups such as Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, which experimented and innovated from music bluesmen like Elmore James, Howlin 'Wolf and Muddy Waters.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience• The Jimi Hendrix Experience was an

American rock group of the late 1960s. Despite their short life, they had a decisive influence on the subsequent development of rock. Mainly highlighted by the virtuosity of their lead guitarist, Jimi Hendrix, who is usually considered the greatest guitarist of all time. The most popular songs of the only three studio albums of the group are "Purple Haze," "Foxy Lady," "Hey Joe," "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)," "All Along The Watchtower" (a version of the title track of Bob Dylan), "Red house" Little Wing or Angel. If Hendrix was indeed the leader and focus of the group, the other two members were vital and played a great importance in the success of the group.

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ELMORE JAMES• He began his musical career in

Mississippi, together with harmonica player Rice Miller (aka Sonny Boy Williamson), with whom he remained for several years until he got his first record deal in 1951 when he moved to Chicago, where he began his solo career, accompanied by the group "The Broomdusters". He died on May 24, 1963 of a heart attack.

MUDDY WATERS

• Muddy Waters way of playing is highly characteristic given his use of slide. His first recording for Chess Records showed Waters on guitar and vocals, supported by a bass. He later added Little Walter, an harmonica and percussion to complete his classical blues training.

Punk• What’s this?• Bands:

- Sex Pistols- La polla

Records- Los Ramones

What’s that?Punk is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s characterized in the music industry by its independent and amateur attitude. In the beginning, punk was a very simple and crude, sometimes neglected music: a singular type of rock, with simple melodies of short durations, noisy sound or poorly controlled amplified guitars, very few arrangements and instruments, and generally composed with off-beats and fast tempos. The guitar track can be recognize by their simplicity and rawness of amplified sound, often creating a noisy or aggressive sound environment inherited from garage rock. The bass, usually just follows the line of the chord and does not seek to embellish the melody octaves or arrangements. The drum in turn leads a fast tempo, with a simple rock rhythms. The voices range from strong and even violent expressions or torn expressive caricatures sung in conventional parameters that alter the action of the singer, to more melodic and elaborate forms.

PUNK PHILOSOPHYIn the original concepts, punk culture has been primarily about individual freedom, which tends to create belief in concepts such as individualism, anti-authoritarianism, anarchism and free thought. The punk ideology often contains a critical view of the world, seeing modern societies as placing limits on humanity. This ideology is usually expressed through punk music. In the early 70's, the "punks" had a very different philosophy to now, was the idea of being that "There is no future" (no future, no future). That concept was pessimistic, hopeless, destructive and aggressive towards society. It boils down to "do it yourself", "have it your way" (in English "Do It Yourself"). Reject dogmas, and don’t seek a single truth. Question and contradict everything around you. Do not act on fashion and media manipulation besides being against consumerism. Think for yourself. The punk, although in some shades started being somewhat aggressive, is consolidated by its current features into a form of social consciousness, philosophical and idealistic and not at all current.

Sex pistolsThe Sex Pistols were an iconic and influential rock/ punk band active during the first wave of British punk. During their brief existence, from 1975 to 1979 in which they released only four singles and one album, they became the backbone of the genre in England and their mere existence led to the formation of hundreds of other groups. The Pistols are often credited as the pioneers of the punk movement in the United Kingdom and the creators of the first generation gap in rock and roll. The band was formed by John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) on vocals, Steve Jones on guitar, Paul Cook on drums and Glen Matlock on bass (later replaced by Sid Vicious).

La Polla Records• La Polla Records was formed in 1979 in Salvatierra-Agurain

province of Álava, by Evaristo (vocals), Fernandito on drums, Maleguin on bass, lead guitar Txarly and Sume on the other guitar. The band name is controversial and shocking because in Spain "cock" is the word commonly used for penis. According to Evaristo they initially used to play in garages or bars. The first time they played it was in the friends bars , but it wasn’t until 1983 when they released their first album "Now what?" which contained just four songs under the independent label "Oihuka" . However, in 1984 they released a full album of 19 songs called "Salve". In their lyrics they make strong criticisms against fascism, capitalism, nationalism, authoritarianism, Catholicism, politics, alienation, fashion, and other factors in society, something that would characterize their whole career.

The Ramones• The Ramones led the first wave of punk in New

York, sharing the stage of CBGB with Patti Smith, Television, Talking Heads, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Blondie and Richard Hell, among others, and serving as an inspiration for most of the punk bands emerged in the early 70’s As one of the most important bands in rock history, their influence can be felt in almost all formations of later punk.

Progressive Rock

• What’s that?• Exponent:– King Crimson– Pink Floyd– Deep Purple

• It is difficult to find the exact origin of the genre. Some sources mention a ''In the Court of the Crimson King'', the debut of King Crimson, as the first progressive rock album, however others maintain that the first recording of the genre was the soundtrack to the film ''Tonite Let's All Make Love In London'' by Pink Floyd. However, traits of this genre appear

• in previous albums of bands such as''Deep Purple'', ''Procol Harum'' and ''The Nice'‘.

King Crimson• King Crimson were an British

musical group formed in 1968 by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles. They’re considered one of the most influential forrunners of the progressive rock movement. The name king Crimson was an idea which came from Peter Sinfield, it’s a synonym for Beelzebub, prince of demons. According to Fripp, Beelzebub is an anglicized B'il Sabab an Arabic phrase which means "the man with an aim."

PINK FLOYD• Pink Floyd was a British rock

band that earned recognition for their psychedelic pop music, which over time, evolved into progressive rock and symphonic rock. They are particularly known for philosophical lyrics, sonic instrumentation, innovative album cover art, and to be elaborated live shows. They were one of the biggest bands of the rock on the scene with more than 200 million albums sold all around the world, 74.5 million of them in the United States..

• Deep Purple are a hard rock band formed in Hertfordshire, England, in 1968, who were considered not only one of the pioneers of heavy metal and hard rock, but they also incorporated elements of progressive rock and pop. Throughout their career they have sold upwards of 100 million albums worldwide, and they were recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the loudest band in the world in the 70s.

• What’s that?• Bands:

- Iron Maiden- Judas Priest- Black Sabbath

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What’s that?• The origin of the term "heavy metal" is not very

clear. One version suggests it was coined by writer William S. Burroughs, who, in his 1961 novel The Soft Machine includes a character "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid" (Uranian Willy, the boy "Heavy Metal".) In his next novel, 1964, entitled Nova Express, He develops the concept further of "heavy metal", making it into a metaphor for additive drugs. One of the remarkable aspects of these novels is their frequent use of sound as a relief agent from the alienation caused by an increasingly mechanical world.

IRON MAIDEN

• Iron Maiden's story begins in 1974 when Steve Harris 17 years old, inspired by Wishbone Ash, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, etc. He acquired a copy of a Precision Bass for 40 quid. Steve initially had the dream of being a football player at West Ham, however, there were a lot quality players and only a few were becoming professionals. Despite this, he continued to train. After some seriousl soul searching, he gave up all hopes of ever becoming a professional player, so he began to devote all his efforts to his other passion, Music. This led to the formation of a musical group called "Influence" which would later be called ''Gypsy's Kiss'', which would go on to become ''Iron Maiden''.

JUDAS PRIEST

• Sin duda esta es una de las bandas más importantes e influyentes del heavy metal de los ’70, liderando la llamada New Wave Of British Heavy Metal con su imagen de cueros y cadenas y con un sonido que fusionaba la oscuridad gótica heredada de Black Sabbath, con la rapidez y clase de los riffs de Deep Purple y Led Zeppelin, pero aumentados por la potencia de dos guitarras. De esta forma construyeron mucho para que el heavy metal se hiciera popular entre 1975 y 1985 y plantaron los cimientos para el speed y el death metal de los ’80.

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Black Sabbath• The large legacy left by Black Sabbath to break with the late

70s, has not gone unnoticed. So much so that bands like Motorhead, Judas Priest, Pantera, Megadeth, Soundgarden, Slayer and Metallica mainly discussed taking this dark, oppressive, heavy and obviously hard music, which freed itself from its contemporaries. Their compositions were about sinister and demonic atmospheres apocalyptic announcements, which made Black Sabbath remain overshadowed by the massive popularity of their contemporaries Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple. But the legacy of Black Sabbath exerted a powerful lesson on most artists and groups in subsequent decades (Iron Maiden and Judas Priest the strongest), while it provided features that would become the definition of heavy metal. Evidence of this are the covers of the latter.

GRUNGE

• What’s this?

• Bands:– Nirvana– Pearl Jam– Green River

What’s that?

• As a musical genre, is characterized by distorted guitars, heavy drums and repetitive melodies of punk and heavy metal heritage, being more complex than the punk melodies but without the heaviness of metal. Several independent music labels were those that allowed to bring this style of music to the public in their origins. Many of the most successful bands of the time were associated with the independent record label Sub Pop in Seattle; however, other independent labels that city also won recognition, including Kill Rock Stars K Records. The executive David Geffen also had an important role in the marketing of grunge.

NIRVANA• Nirvana was an American grunge group, from

Aberdeen, Washington. With the hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from the album Nevermind, Nirvana climbed the charts around the world and started the explosion of what was until now the underground punk and alternative rock in the world music scene, in a movement which the mass media of the moment would refer to as "grunge". Other bands from the Seattle music scene as Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden also gained popularity and as a result, alternative rock became a dominant genre on radio and music television during the first half of the 1990s .

Pearl Jam• Pearl Jam is an American rock band, formed in Seattle,

Washington in 1990.They are considered by some critics as the most important band of the 1990s, although that title may deserve more groups. From their debut, the group has sold 30 million albums in the United States, and an estimated 60 million worldwide.To date, the band has sold more than 31.5 million records in the U.S, and an estimated 60 million worldwide. Pearl Jam has outlasted and outsold many of its contemporaries from the alternative rock breakthrough of the early 1990s, and is considered one of the most influential bands of the decade.Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic referred to Pearl Jam as "the most popular American rock & roll band of the '90s.

GREEN RIVER• Green River was an influential rock

band originally from Seattle, United States, remains active between 1984 and 1987 Although it did not achieve significant commercial impact, Green River is perhaps one of the bands that strongly influenced the later development of the music scene in the city of Seattle and which ultimately would be dubbed Grunge. His influence can be seen in both groups would be formed in this scene and in the groups that would form its members, once dissolved, mainly Mudhoney and Pearl Jam. Arguably Green River is the first group of Grunge in recording and releasing an album.

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Alternative Rock

• What’s that?

• Bands:– Muse– Radiohead– Placebo

What’s that?• Alternative is a term that established at late 80s and early 90s. I think

that in those days nobody really knew or care about what alternative is. I think that alternative was the new rock bands that were against "the old" rock.

• Different definitions of alternative-rock or alternative music in general were linked to different eras of time. For instance, during the 1980s, it was a term coined to define the music that was punk-rock inspired but didn't fit in to the mainstream genre but as music. It was also linked to the music of underground rock bands during the 1980s. During the 90s to present alternative music generally defines rock music that is an offshoot of the several spinoffs of rock music during the 80s like punk-rock, college rock, indie rock and etc.

Muse• Muse is an alternative rock band from the town of Teignmouth, Devon (England)

formed in 1994 by Matthew Bellamy (vocals, guitar, and keyboards), Dominic Howard (drums) and Chris Wolstenholme (bass, keyboards, vocals). The three were friends from school and changed the name of the band on several times (Ghotic Plage, Fixed Penalty and Rocket Baby Dolls) before adopting the Muse. Their sound is a blend of alternative rock and electronic, with influences from classical music and progressive rock, sometimes including metal and Spanish guitar. Normally use the bass line as the dominant force, adding distortions and similar effects for a more forceful sound, allowing the guitar away from the main melody and achieve higher notes; another peculiarity of Muse's piano style in most of his songs, and his music is inspired by the works of Romantic pianist-composers such as Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky and Liszt, resulting in a modern fusion of Romantic style and rock . The band is known for their energetic live performances and the interests of the Matthew Bellamy's eccentric leader in global conspiracy, extraterrestrial life, theology and the apocalypse that are usually present in the lyrics of the group. Muse has six studio albums on the market - Showbiz (1999), Origin of Symmetry (2001), Absolution (2003), Black Holes and Revelations (2006), The Resistance (2009) and The 2nd Law (2012).

Radiohead• Radiohead is a British group (Oxford, England) alternative rock that emerged in

1988 when a young man called Thom Yorke (vocals, rhythm guitar and piano) and Colin Greenwood (bass, keyboards, synthesizer and sampler) decided to form a group, which first called TNT. Jointed after Ed O'Brien (guitar, percussion, sound effects and voice.), Philip Selway (drums, percussion) and Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, analog circuit, Martenot waves, toy piano, glockenspiel, Kaoss Pad , door knob and wireless mouse), and changed their name to ''on a Friday'' (days which they used to practice) with which they released an album of demos that never was released officially. In late 1991 ''On a Friday'' draws attention from record labels, signing with EMI; here they begins a long relationship which they lasted until 2007 where they released their ''In Rainbows'' with XL Recordings. EMI suggested renaming them, and inspired by a song by Talking Heads: Radio Head, choose: Radiohead. Already with EMI, Radiohead released their first album called Pablo Honey album with a clear and strong presence of guitars, falling within the classic English Rock indie rock.

Placebo• Placebo was formed when Brian Molko, after attempting to enter to the

theater career, he chanced to meet Stefan Olsdal in South Kensington London Underground station in 1994. Molko and Olsdal had gone to the same school, but oddly never crossed a word until those meeting, in which they realized that they shared musical tastes. It was then decided to form a band. The first name of the band was ''Ashtray Heart'' but they soon became the name of Placebo. Molko's first choice to complete the group was drummer Steve Hewitt, another acquaintance who immediately became interested in the project, but at the time Hewitt was already in London Breed group which Robert Schultzberg initially alternated with Hewitt battery place in the group, however Hewitt and actively involved with Placebo. When they got their first contract in 1996, Hewitt did not appear as a member. Instead Schultzberg recorded with Molko and Olsdal group's first album, the eponymous Placebo that year. Shortly after Molko and Olsdal began to have differences with Schultzberg who left the band. That was how Hewitt became the third component of Placebo before concluding 1996.