Peer Comment

Hector Morales,

I enjoyed your post and "The Velvet Underground & Nico." You did a good job of introducing the timeline of the band and you addressed all the points for the assignment. The structure of the post is simple and easy to read, while still being very informative. I mostly enjoyed your opinion of the album and the production value, because it definitely has a few spots that are hard to listen to from an engineering perspective. I agree with you there. I feel that if the album could be recorded with a little more attention to details, it would have met a more commercial success, especially having Andy Warhol as an ally and producer. I think that sound just was a little to out there for the masses to enjoy.

-Troy Simpson

What's Going On

"What's Going On" is the eleventh studio album by artist Marvin Gaye. It was released by Tamla Records on May 21st, 1971. The album is famous for it's lyrics focused on drug abuse, poverty, and the Vietnam War. "What's Going On" was both an immediate success commercial and critically upon release. The album has been recognized as a revolutionary and landmark recording in the history of pop music. 

Marvin Gaye's early career was as a studio session drummer for Motown Records before being able to showcase his singing ability. Upon being given the chance by Motown to be a recording artist, he and the label immediately clashed over the type of music he wanted to record. Despite having many hits and finding recognition on the national level, he really hoped to release more of a traditional jazz sound as an artist, much to the opposition of Motown. He also didn't want to just be seen as a "smooth song and dance ladies man."

Before entering the studio to record "What's Going On," Gaye was in a very emotional state and even wanted to quit the recording industry all together. This was mostly from the death of his good friend Tammi Terrell, who died from a brain tumor. He even attempted a tryout for the Detroit Lions in hopes to become an NFL player and leave the music industry. This time in his life led him to decide on how he wanted his music to sound, and the content of the lyrics he wanted to record. Stories from his brother's account of the Vietnam War was a large inspiration for the title track, "What's Going On." The overall theme of the album was based around these type of social problems, including police brutality and drug abuse. Despite Marvin Gaye's interest and faith in the album, his producer Berry Gordy was hesitant and resistant to releasing the album. Gordy eventually let the album be released, even though he was confident the album would flop. His opinion was quickly proven wrong as the single, "What's Going On" sold 100,000 copies on it's first day. 

"What's Going On" is an album that has and will stand the test of time. The instrumentation and the feeling of the album were both revolutionary for the time and did things that were far from common in popular music. One interesting thing is about this album was the timing of it's release, and how ready the world was for it's message. Great albums usually come from a culmination of emotion and talent, and Marvin Gaye's talent was alway there, but when it was paired with a true message was when he truly made something that would stand the test of time. From an engineering point of view, this album is a real innovator in it's composition of pop music, showing that classical and jazz foundations can still find a place for the average listener. That is something I wish modern pop musicians would try to emulate again, since in recent years musician's abilities have take a back seat to record sales. 

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground & Nico is the debut album from the Velvet Underground released in 1967 by Verve Records. The album is recognized as one of the most influential rock albums of all time. Upon release, it was not a commercial success. It has however gained recognition over the years, appearing at number thirteen on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and was added 

to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.

 The band's producer was the famous American artist Andy Warhol, and their debut album was recorded during his Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia tour. The album was recorded with the bands original line-up which consisted of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker. German singer/actress "Nico" also contributed to the album by recording vocals for the tracks "Femme Fatale", "All Tomorrow's Parties", and "I'll Be Your Mirror". Andy Warhol helped propel the band into the spotlight due to his fame, and despite being their producer, he gave them full control over their music. 

The band's lyrical content was mostly written by Lou Reed, drawing inspiration from many different poets and authors. Reed was an English major who studied at Syracuse University and was quoted as saying the joining of dark subject matter and rock and roll was "obvious." The album's lyrics tackle dark themes such as drug abuse, prostitution, and sexual deviancy. The content and lyrics of the album are considered very revolutionary for the time. 

The instrumentation and arrangement of the music was handled by member John Cale. Cale was a classically trained musician who came to the United States to further his music education and work with many renowned composers. Many of the musical concepts of The Velvet Underground was based around using new ways of producing sound, as well as experimenting with unique tuning modes. Cale contributed the "Ostrich" guitar tuning (All notes tuned to same note) for the songs "Venus in Furs" and "All Tomorrow's Parties." He also played viola on a few tracks, using drones to create a unique sound. 

This album has many unique traits that stand out to me as a listener. One track that I really appreciate upon listening to the album closely is "Venus in Furs." The tones that are created by the viola drone create a nice background for all the other instruments. The song has a slight repetitiveness to the melody,  but it manages to create a very visual type of sound. It's easy to feel like your traveling while listening, which is something I really admire and strive for when I create music. I also really enjoy "Heroin" for many of the same reasons. The string drone as the main base of the song manages to drive the song forward, especially mixed with the simple percussion. The lyrics are simple and fit well with the odd arrangement of the song, which continues to build and slow down repeatedly. It is a very unique songwriting style on this song as well as the other songs that made this album revolutionary and an inspiration for many great artists that came after. 

The Beatles "Revolver"

The Beatles 7th studio album "Revolver" was released in 1966. It marked a new generation in their sound and their progression as artists. Prior to this album, the Beatles sound and image was more of a folk-pop type sound and "Revolver" started their path into psychedelic rock. This album was different in multiple ways from past albums due to the expanding genres the Beatles starting to write for. "Revolver" has been regarded as one of the most influential and important albums of all time. Influences for this album come from a wide variety of experiences and items. There are multiple themes for each song some stemming from simple protests against taxes talked about in "Taxman" to more drug-fueled experimentation on tracks like "Tomorrow Never Knows." This album had multiple unique recording techniques to give a special sound to the instruments. One of these techniques is evident on the track "I'm Only Sleeping," which used the reversing of the tape and notes played backwards to create a floaty unique guitar sound. Another unique track that incorporated multiple experimental recording techniques was "Tomorrow Never Knows," which had multiple drones, sound effects, and megaphone vocals. "Yellow Submarine" has an iconic wave and ocean recording as well as laughs and conversations coinciding with the lyrics, which were all highly innovative. "Revolver"The lyrics are also another high point for the album, with multiple layers and philosophical ideas for different listeners to relate too. The track that strikes me as the most impressive is "Eleanor Rigby." I really appreciate a pop song being written with really nothing more than orchestral strings, which is something very difficult to accomplish. I also really appreciate the sound effects and implementation of them in a pop album. Coming from a sound design point of view, their ideas were really original for the time. I also realize after listening to the album multiple times, that many of these techniques have been attempted by other artists but they never stand out as much as the Beatles attempt. This album overall is very interesting from start to finish, although I don't think it's the most fluid and impressive album ever as some have said. I do respect it greatly for the experimentation and risks that they took to record what interested them. 

Beach Boy's "Pet Sounds"

The 1966 album "Pet Sounds" by the Beach Boys is recognized as one of the most important and influential pop albums in recording history. The Beach Boys started their rise to fame with catchy surf rock tunes with complicated harmonies. "Pet Sounds" was their eleventh studio album and is recognized as a strong critical success. Brian Wilson, the main composer and arranger for the band, was able to craft and capture unique sounds and really push the boundaries on what studio recording had accomplished. Brian's influences and friendly rivalry with the Beatles helped fuel his drive to record Pet Sounds. His admiration for Phil Spector was evident in his detailed studio work and experimentation. The recording of "Pet Sounds" was a very unique and time consuming process. Brian Wilson used some influences from his mentor, Phil Spector, in the recording process and focused on using the studio as an instrument itself. Backing tracks and unique instruments were mixed by Wilson as they were recorded. So much planning was necessary when tracking with 8 track recorders, and this album shows how far that planning can take an album. "Pet Sounds" was not an immediate commercial success but with time it has been recognized for it's impressive innovations in what studio recording was capable of. The Beach Boys are unique to me in the sense that they had a band member that worked in the studio and wrote music, whether or not the band was on tour. This dedication to song writing and studio experimentation led to the memorable style and arrangement of "Pet Sounds." Listening to this album, the first thing I recognize is the wide array of instruments used. It's almost impossible to tell by ear all the different instruments but the final product does not come off over produced. Each of these instruments and recordings fit nicely together and create a truly memorable album. It always impresses me when a band or album can come around and have such a unique sound but still appeal to so many people, and the Beach Boys are a perfect example of this event.

Welcome!

I'm Troy Simpson and this is my Music History Blog. I am from Pensacola, FL and attend full-time at Full Sail University.  I focus on sound design and composing music for film/television/video games. I am graduating in December of 2011 and hope too move to Los Angeles shortly after to pursue a career in post-production.