History of Rock, Part Two

History of Rock, Part Two

Instructor: John Covach

21,519 already enrolled

What you'll learn

Students will be able to summarize and describe how rock music progressed from the early 1970's through the early 1990's.

Skills you'll gain

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Assessments

3 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 7 modules in this course

This course, part 2 of a 2-course sequence, examines the history of rock, primarily as it unfolded in the United States, from the early 1970s to the early 1990s. This course covers the music of Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers, Carole King, Bob Marley, the Sex Pistols, Donna Summer, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Metallica, Run-DMC, and Nirvana, and many more artists, with an emphasis both on cultural context and on the music itself. We will also explore how developments in the music business and in technology helped shape the ways in which styles developed.

Emerging out of the experimental and ambitious years of late-60s psychedelia, rock splintered into a variety of styles in the 1970s as the music business continued to expand. By the end of the decade, punk and disco had challenged the excesses of the hippie aesthetic, as rock became more commercially streamlined and radio friendly. The emergence and rise of MTV transformed pop music and propelled the careers of Michael jackson and Madonna, while heavy metal and hip hop dominated the late 1980s. Nirvana leads alt-rock's return to simplicity in the early 1990s.

What's included

1 video6 readings

A series of styles continue to develop the combinations of late-1960s psychedelia: blues-rock, southern rock, progressive rock, jazz-rock, theatrical rock, country rock, and singer-songwriters. Rock becomes increasingly ambitious. [Read Chapter 8 and work through listening guides for that chapter, viewing dedicated video.]

What's included

9 videos

Moving along a parallel but mostly separate path, black pop develops with the help of James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone. Motown continues, the rise of funk and Blaxploitation films. Bob Marley and reggae. The emergence of disco the reaction of rock fans. [Read Chapter 9 and work through listening guides for that chapter, viewing dedicated video.]

What's included

8 videos1 assignment

8 videosTotal 91 minutes

Black Pop in the 1970s Intro6 minutes
Sly Stone and the Rise of Funk12 minutes
Motown in the 1970s13 minutes
Philadelphia Sound11 minutes
Blaxploitation Soundtracks12 minutes
James Brown George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic10 minutes
The Rise of Reggae8 minutes
Disco18 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

The Growing Rock Monster (1970-77) and Black Pop, Reggae, and the Rise of Disco (1970-79)30 minutes

Rock style from the early 70s are streamlined and labeled corporate rock, as the music business expands even further. The mega-album. Punk reacts with a return to simplicity. New wave develops the punk attitude. [Read Chapter 10 and work through listening guides and dedicated video.]

What's included

9 videos

MTV emerges from a developing cable television industry. Michael Jackson and Thriller. The rise of Madonna, Prince, and Janet Jackson. Does MTV make music more visual than aural? Mainstream rockers continue thrive. [Read Chapter 11 and work through listening guides and dedicated video.]

What's included

8 videos1 assignment

8 videosTotal 100 minutes

The Rise of MTV13 minutes
The Rise of MTV Part Two9 minutes
Michael Jackson and Madonna16 minutes
Prince and Janet Jackson15 minutes
MTV Success Stories12 minutes
New Traditionalists and New Wave14 minutes
New Acts Old Styles and Blue-Eyed Soul9 minutes
Dinosaurs Adapt and Thrive12 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Mainstream Rock, Punk, and New Wave (1975-79) and I Want My MTV (1980-89)30 minutes

Developing out of underground scenes of the late 1970s, heavy metal and hip hop become important mainstream styles in the late 1980s, aided by exposure on MTV. The rock reaction against rap. [Read Chapter 12 and work through listening guides and dedicated video.]

What's included

9 videos

The growth of "classic rock" and the development of the history-of-rock awareness. A survey of artists as they relate to earlier trends in the history of rock, including teen idols, hip-hop, 60s-influenced rock, female singer-songwriters, dance music, indie rock, and heavy metal. [Read Chapters 13 and 14 and work through listening guides and dedicated video.]