The American Response to the British Invasion - continued

MUS 1240Fall 2014

Review

• New styles of music created in US by 1965 combining Merseybeat with already popular US styles

• Dylan– 1965 goes electric

• Folk Rock– Byrds (combination of Dylan and the Beatles)– Simon and Garfunkel, Mamas and Papas, The Turtles, etc.

• Beach Boys– 3 developmental stages– Wilson changes direction– Pet Sounds

Sonny and Cher – Folk Rock meets Spector

• Sonny Bono (1935-1998)– Worked in record business since the 1950s, had been assigned to Little Richard when he quit

music for ministry.– Became aide to Phil Spector, sang backup vocals or played percussion instruments on his

recordings at Gold Star Studios.– Would often bring his girlfriend (Cherilyn La Piere) Cher (b. 1946) to sing backup. The dup

sang backup on many Spector hits including “Be My Baby” – Ronettes, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” – The Righteous Brothers

– Began performing together in 1963 under name Caesar and Cleo, had little success. Change to own names in 1964.

– 1965 – “I Got You Babe” hits #1 on US and UK charts– Hippie Fashion – Bono and Cher were some of the first proponents of hippie fashion, being

thrown out of hotels, restaurants, etc. for the way they were dressed. Sonny Bono’s solo hit “Laugh at Me” (1966) is a direct reflection. Insisted they had the right to dress how they chose.

– Bono would become involved in politics later in his life, becoming mayor of Palm Springs, CA from 1988-92, and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from CA from 1994 until his death from a skiing accident.

Gary Lewis and the Playboys

• Gary Lewis was the son of comedian Jerry Lewis, and had worked as a child actor like late 1950s teen idol Ricky Nelson.

• -”This Diamond Ring” #1 US hit from 1965– Arranged by pianist Leon Russell (Wrecking Crew)

and cowritten by Al Kooper (who played on Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and “Positively 4th Street”)

• “She’s Just My Style” – (pop US #3 in 65) heavy Beach Boys influence

The Lovin’ Spoonful

• John Sebastian – lead singer and played autoharp– folk musician who did not leave NYC in the great folk exodus to

LA of 64/65.• Lovin’ Spoonful was inspired by the Beatles, performed at

coffee houses in Greenwich Village. • Signed by a small indie label in NYC (many of the folk

groups that left NYC for LA ironically signed with major NY based labels)

• “Do You Believe in Magic” – summer 1965• “Daydream” – 1966• “Summer in the City” - 1966

The Rascals

• Formed in NYC in 1964• More connected to R&B than Folk, seen as a

precursor to British blues bands more so than as an answer to the Beatles.– Opened for the Beatles’ historic 1965 Shea Stadium

performance.• “Good Lovin’” – 1965 (US #1)• “Groovin’” – 1967 (US #1)• “A Beautiful Mornin’” – 1968 (US #3)

The end of New York’s dominance on the music industry

• New York had been so powerful during the first half of the 1960s with the Brill Building’s hold on the music industry.

• By the middle of the decade, New York’s influence had given way to the growing importance of Hollywood. Many labels and musicians had move out to California

• However, Some groups and producers had success out of New York during this transitional period.– Lieber/Stoller form a new label, Red Bird Records.

• “Chapel of Love” – Dixie Cups• “Leader of the Pack” – Shangri-Las

– The Four Seasons (Frankie Valli)• 1962 – “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Sherry” 1963 – “Walk Like a Man”• 1964 – “Rag Doll” 1965 – “Let’s Hang On”• 1966 – “Workin’ My Way Back to You”• Doo – Wop style; Recorded for Vee-Jay Records• “Jersey Boys” – Broadway show based on their career

Garage Bands• After the success of the Beatles, many young males with very little or

no experience as musicians but with tons of enthusiasm try their hand at starting bands.

• Some have success on a regional and even a national level, but most did not. They often used inexpensive instruments, rehearsed in garages or basements, and recorded albums on simple equipment.

• There is a section of the music collecting world that focuses on the recordings of these “garage bands”. Many of the artists of the 1970s punk movement took inspiration from the amateur attitude created by these groups.

• Most that had success were one-hit wonders…if they did have more than one hit, they often had progressed in their musicianship so much that their past seemed cute and laughable.

The Kingsmen – “Louie Louie”

• Kingsmen – from Portland, OR• “Louie Louie” went to #2 in the US at same time Beatlemania

was runnin’ wild, brother.• Made for $50 in a small Portland studio.• Lyrics were mostly indecipherable, so the rumor was that the

lyrics were pornographic– Governor of Indiana called for an FCC investigation of the song

• After their success in 1964, a wave of garage bands came out of the woodwork– “Land of 1000 Dances” – Cannibal and the Headhunters (1965)– “Mony Mony” – Tommy James and the Shondells (1968)– “Wooly Bully” – Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs (1965)

TV Rock

• The television industry attempts, as they did after the Payola scandals of the late 1950s, to take over and exert their will on what types of rock music would become popular through the television medium.

Paul Revere and the Raiders• Formed in Idaho, but were part of the garage band scene in the

Pacific Northwest.• With help of Dick Clark, become house band of Clark’s CBS variety

show, “Where the Action Is”, a spinoff of American Bandstand.– Other similar shows on the air at the time: ABC’s Shindig! And NBC’s

Hullabaloo– These shows provided exposure for many British Invasion as well as

American bands.• Paul Revere and the Raiders becomes the most successful of all the

garage bands• Hits:

– “Just Like Me” – 1966, “Kicks” – 1966, – “Hungry” – 1966, “Good Thing” - 1966

The Monkees• Most commercially successful answer to the Beatles• Created as a TV band for a weekly TV series on NBC in 1966

– Clearly a response to Beatles’ films “Hard Days Night” and “Help!”• Cast as a band that could be actors primarily, but could also play some music

– Michael Nesmith (guitarist/songwriter)– had played in Texas and L.A. folk clubs– Peter Tork – Greenwich Village folk scene– Mickey Dolenz – actor– Davy Jones – actor (had starred in stage play Oliver! In London)

• They initially only sang on their records, as the production team was more concerned with their acting abilities. The music was left to an old-school process akin to old Brill Building/L.A. studio work– Songs written by Goffin and King, Neil Diamond, etc.– People looked down on the Monkees because of this when it leaked out.

• Band was still a big hit:– “Last Train to Clarksville” US #1 1966, “I’m a Believer” US and UK #1 1966

• They eventually fought for the rights to sing and perform their own music– Nesmith led that charge; he would later be involved in the creation of MTV.– The fact that they were so adamant about their rights to perform showed just how much the Beatles’

approach had changed the music business.

Other TV Rock

• Music exec Don Kirschner promoted several make-believe cartoonish bands such as the Archies

• The Partridge Family -1970s• Much of this type of music was aimed at

younger listeners• Their older siblings were getting into

psychedelia by the late 1960s.