Music History 2 Podcast #2

Podcast #2 Mark "Flood" Ellis

Peer Comment

Steve Mckinnon,


Great job on your entry! I feel as though Dr. Dre was a common topic this week. I agree with you on lines such as "Dr. Dre has had a major impact on popular music and all of his listeners" and "His influence is also undeniable in terms of music videos". You can tell that most of the rappers and DJs out there have relied on Dr. Dre for not only musical inspiration, but also for his headphones that he just came out with. He definitely did have a major impact on music videos too because of his flashy cars, girls and parties, which most artists still try and repeat to this day.


I have always been a big fan of Dr. Dre ever since I was young. His records such as "The Chronic" and "2001" have left an everlasting effect on my life and I will always remember the good times I had listening to those albums. 


Overall, this is a very informative entry.


-Phil Jahnke

References

Ankeny, Jason. (n.d.). Artist Direct: Flood. Retrieved from http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/flood/431181

 Flood (producer). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_(producer)

Guitar center interview: Billy Corgan. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://gc.guitarcenter.com/interview/billycorgan/

Mark "Flood" Ellis. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://home.pages.at/blackcel/People/flood.htm

PLASTIQUEGAL. (2008, January 8). Shades of an Audio Dream "Flood". Retrieved from http://audiodaydream.blogspot.com/2008/01/oh- crossovers-continue-as-mark-ellis.html

Mark "Flood" Ellis

Mark "Flood" Ellis is an innovative music producer who gives bands a signature sound with his creative techniques. It's because of his creativity that has gotten him to produce and engineer some of the more popular bands of the 80's, such as U2 and Depeche Mode. The meaning behind the pseudonym FLOOD. Two different stories with the same general concept. Flood would keep himself and everyone in the studio awake with his daily brewing of tea. Future Music Magazine '94 acclaimed that Flood was constantly spilling tea in the studio. What Flood was known for was his creative and innovative recording techniques. He perfected the ability to blend synthetic and organic elements. Depeche Mode's song "Personal Jesus" of their hit album "Violator" is a great example of Flood's use of blending organic elements. The song lacks resonance due to such great clarity, giving it that hard-edge sound. The album itself has a cold, almost impersonal feel to it. Flood recorded a few albums for U2 during the 80s even into the late 90s. The song "Still haven't found what I'm looking for" was a huge smash hit from the band, and Flood was fortunate enough to work with Brian Eno (who he was very inspired by) on engineering the album "The Joshua Tree". They wanted a "very open, ambient (sound) with a real sense of space of the environment that you are in". This was a weird request at the time of the recording.Flood had an almost flawless technique of recording. His albums would come out perfect and pristine. The sounds he created were mysterious yet it seemed to be everywhere at the same time. Flood was able to take what he did and the 80s and early 90s and transfer it over into the present age. One of his more recent successes was the album "This is War" by 30 Seconds To Mars. This album mimicked the sounds of previous bands he worked with, but with chants.

“Flood’s incredible. Flood is a tremendous producer. Flood is very masterful with the sonics, but where he really shines is he’s a great idea person. And I don’t mean like he tells you, “Oh, put this chorus here.” It’s more like he can see an ambiance of the song that you don’t necessarily see and he would really fight with us – not negative a fight, just he would really kind of push us to say there’s another vibe here that you can get to. And I think you can see that when he’s worked with U2 as well. He kind of pushed them to get to a little bit of a tougher vibe” - Billy Corgan

Great producers, such as Mark Ellis only come around once every so often. Since I personally never grew up listening to those post punk bands of the late 80s, I still have an appreciation for this type of music, and what goes into making a great record, such as The Joshua Tree. In the long run, I feel as though he has left an everlasting impression on me as an inspiring recording engineer. 

References

Ankeny, Jason. (2005). Kraftwerk biography. Retrieved from http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Kraftwerk/Biography/


Howard, D. (2004). Sonic Alchemy. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corporation


Kellman, Andy. (n.d.). Konrad plank. Retrieved from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/konrad-plank-p114812/biography

Peer Comment

Carla Gonzalez,

Great job discussing Kraftwerk. I feel like we both have the same opinion on this band. Without the pioneering of Kraftwerk and other artists of this genre we would not have those dance or pop songs that we all grew up to love. We can definitely learn a lot about the music industry and new ways of recording music just by listening to this. 

One thing I do feel like you should have touched on a little more was the actual recording process with producers like Konrad "Conny" Plank. You and I both know that a band's recording is only as good as their producer/engineer. Without his influence and person intake on Kraftwerk's first four albums, they would have been stuck in the college crowds instead of being a world renown name. 

Best of luck on the rest of your assignments for this last week!

-Phil Jahnke

Konrad "Conny" Plank

During a time period of industrial exploration in music, electronics proved to take the part of traditional instrumentation. One of the most well known innovators of this genre of progressive, avant-garde electronic music was Konrad "Conny" Plank. He is best known for his creative sound engineering and producing for such bands/artists as Kraftwerk and David Bowie. During the 1970s Plank had produced and engineered for many of the German experimental bands (known as "Krautrock"). His most noticeable work during this time was the first four Kraftwerk albums entitled Kraftwerk, Kraftwerk 2, Ralf and Florian and Autobahn. Plank was the engineer/producer to anyone who was using a synthesizer in the Cologne-Dusseldorf region. It was his creative thinking that helped Plank create his vision and unique style which he considered to be the "theatre of the mind". His experimentation was fueled by growing up in the psychedelic 60s. Working as an engineer at the West German Radio in Cologne, Plank would work with modern day music of Karlheinz Stockhausen and Mauricio Kagel, and then by night spend hours experimenting with classical musicians. This is where he learned his free-form of composition, utilizing echoes and filter changes throughout his recording. Plank worked on improvisation in the recording studio. 

Working more in the studios gives you a real appreciation for people like Conny Plank. Without his revolutionary style of recordings and helping out Kraftwerk gain their signature sound, music would be much more different. I have always under estimated the older recording of electronic music, seeing as though most of the music sound like a theremin mixed with radio frequency, until I began to gain knowledge on these pioneers of the 1960-1970s. Conny Plank used the skills he picked up from recording classical musicians and the use of new technology to create a ever lasting sound. 

Kraftwerk

In the early 1970s a band from Dusseldorf, Germany would revolutionize music by pioneering electronic music and forming a distinct sound that has a long lasting effect on the modern sound of today. Kraftwerk was formed by Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider, two students from the Robert Schumann Academy in Dusseldorf. Focused on the sounds of the future linked with a notion of space, Hutter and Schneider, with the help of Konrad "Conny" Plank, sought out to achieve the perfect tone. Schneider, whose main instrument  was the flute, would use processed electronic effects coupled with new age instruments such as the early synthesizers and drum machines to create a minimalistic experimental form of rock.  These well organized sounds brought a rhythmic stride with catchy melodies and simple lyrics sung through vocoders and an early form of computer speech, which back then was referred to as "Krautrock". The image that Kraftwerk portrayed was satirical, poking fun of the nerdy, art crowd that seemed to follow the band closely. 

With the release of Autobahn in 1974, Kraftwerk was able to introduce a newer sound with the use of the Minimoog, but yet also bass, guitar and other traditional instruments. It was the bands first concept album, dealing with traveling down the road, or Autobahn. They tried to capture the effect of driving down the Autobahn. With great commercial success and time spent on the charts, Kraftwerk followed up Autobahn with Radio-Activity. With this new album came the building of the bands studio Kling Klang. The album concept dealt with radio communication. To the bands surprise, Radio-Activity was less successful than Autobahn. After only minor success with the Radio-Activity concept album, Kraftwerk began work on Trans-Europe Express at Kling Klang in 1977. This album was the start of a break away from their traditional "Krautrock" style. This album consisted of more melodically driven electronic songs. The electric drum kit used in this album was built by Hutter and Schneider, built originally for the album Autobahn. 

After the success of Trans-Europe Express, Kraftwerk was quick to get back into the studio. 1978 brought the album The Man-Machine. This would be the last album they would release for another three years. 

These albums have inspired a mass amount of artists and bands for generations to come. Brian Eno and David Bowie even traveled out to Germany to study this new technology that had swept through Europe. In later year, their catchy melodies and driving instruments would inspire the sound of the 1980s from rock, pop and even hip-hop. 

Personally, Kraftwerk did not strike my interest at first. It took me a while to get over their monotone videos and songs that seemed to never end. After I got over that and actually started to listen to the instrumentation and consider the fact that every drum machine and electronic drum kit I have ever dealt with was because of this band I did not seem to mind them as much. The more I took interest in this band, the more I saw the real genius in what they accomplished. 

Reference

Edmonds, Ben. (2001, December 8). What went on. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/dec/08/extract


Howard, D. (2004). Sonic Alchemy. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corporation


McNair, Curtis. (Photographer). (1971). Marvin gaye "what's going on". [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.amiright.com/album-covers/marvin-gaye-whats-going-on-parodies/


Olsen, Eric. (2002, August 15). The velvet underground - it began here. Retrieved from http://blogcritics.org/music/article/the-velvet-underground-it-began-here/


Warhol, Andy. (Artist). (1967). The velvet underground & nico. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.alwaysontherun.net/velvet.htm

Music History 2 Podcast The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds"

The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds"

Marvin Gaye - "What's Going On"

Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr was originally a starting member of the doo-wop group The Moonglows. His four octave vocal range was one of a kind in the late 1950s. Songs like "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"(which he refused to take credit for) gained his position as "The King Of Motown" and "Prince of Soul". Soon, this fame would gain recognition of one of the most prolific producers, Berry Gordy, whom signed him to Motown Records. Once apart of the Motown family, Gaye and their producers clashed on his musical direction. Marvin Gaye wanted to go in more of a jazz route, while Motown wanted him to stay more on a rhythm and blues direction. He also became a sessions drummers for such bands as The Miracles.
The lyrical content on Gaye's "What's Going On" was misinterpreted by a lot of his listeners.  Many consumers thought that it was an anti-war song, however, Marvin's intent was to question the state of society in general. Barry Gordy feared that this "protest" song would ruin his sex symbol imagine. The Four Tops, the originators of the song, did not mean for this to be a song of protest, but yet a love song about understanding. They actually wanted to know "what's going on?". Marvin's spiritual, yet rebellious demeanor was the perfect catch for this song. His voice added the spice that this composition needed. Marvin would watch the riots going on in Detroit at the time and become inspired. He was also inspired by the Martin Luther King, Jr and Bobby Kennedy deaths. The moon landing was also another factor that helped Gaye gain inspiration. Stories of the Kent State University helped fuel the song with lines like "Picket lines and picket signs/Don't punish me with brutality". What was going on?
As the record was being put out, Marvin Gaye suffered the horrible death of Tammi Terrell due to a brain tumor. After her death, Gaye promised her dead body that he would never sing a duet nor would he ever perform on stage again. As soon as Barry Gordy heard the record and claimed that it "was the worst record I have ever heard". Through many fights with Gordy, Gaye was able to release his record on his own terms. Despite his "sex symbol" image, Marvin Gaye grew a beard and wanted to make sure that he gave the people something they had never heard before. 
Compared to other Motown artists, Marvin Gaye had the courage to be himself. When Motown wanted rhythm and blues, Gaye gave them soul and jazz. They were singing their hit songs while Gaye sang along to Nat King Cole. The instrumentation was far different from other Motown artists as well. The use of chatter between two football players and first-try horns were ahead of the Motown era's time. The percussions gave the song an unusual feeling and the multilayered vocals added to Marvin Gaye's sound. 
The sound of "What's Going On" left an everlasting impression on me since the first time I heard the song. The sincere vocals coupled with the amazing rhythm section helped create a feeling of sorrow and the need to assist the helpless. His vocal improvisations are very rare to that of a Motown artist, which makes him unique in his own genre.

       Society was undergoing many dramatic changes during the time of the 1960s- the 1970s.  On the cusp of the music scene, consumers were shifting towards a rock sound that had become engulfed by a punk image.  Wearing leather jackets while acting socially unacceptable on and off the stage, the Velvet Underground & Nico were at the head of this movement.  This revolutionary band was composed of Lou Reed (singer/songwriter), John Cale (bassist), Sterling Morrison (guitarist), Maureen Tucker (drummer), and Nico (vocalist) stood out in more than one way.  

       Their image was far more disconsolate that many of the jam and pop bands surrounding the music scene of the sixties and seventies.  The type of music that they showcased was not too far from their image, as they created a sound together that can only be described as raw.  Part of the reason their industrial sound got so popular so quickly was due to the support provided to them via Andy Warhol.  For those who don't know, Andy Warhol was an imaginative, surreal, artistic master who created pieces such as "Campell's Soup" which is still celebrated to this day! He also had a passion for progressive music, which as I stated earlier, was an edgy hard, rock-at this time.  Noticing the talent that the Velvet Underground & Nico harbored, Andy Warhol took them in and became their not only mentor but also their sole producer.  Andy Warhol aided in the success of the Velvet Underground & Nico via pushing them to think out of the box and supporting their extraverted nature.  

       At this time, this was called revolutionary because the Velvet Underground & Nico came out in 1963.  The beginning of the sixties was a time of a poppy, innocent sound including renowned bands such as the Beach Boys and the Supremes.  The Velvet Underground broke out of this conformity and instead of singing songs such as "Build Me Up Buttercup" they preformed hit singles specifically including the notable "Heroin" and "White Light".  In this sense, they broke boundaries for both famous and non-famous musicians showing that expression is not meant to have limits and that these people should not be afraid to test the waters of fame.  Due to the "abnormal sound" of the Velvet Underground & Nico, their breakthrough was not initially respected or even noticed.   This was probably due to the musician’s style of playing, innovating, and creating.  

       Lou Reed formed lyrics in a way that was far more explicit and dissident than the standard lyric of the 1960's.  To cite a specific example within the aforementioned song "White Light/ White Heat":  "Watch that speed freak, watch that speed freak everybody gonna go and make it every week Hmm hmm, White heat, Aww sputter mutter everybody gonna go kill their mother" these were lyrics that naturally took a while to become socially accepted.  But, with the help of Andy Warhol's fame and production know-how coupled with the Velvet Underground & Nico's instrumentation talent, the band had no problem within due time becoming widespread.

        For the reason that the Velvet Underground takes risks, I respect them as one of my favorite bands.  The stood as nothing ready to take on a revolution that made them a historical something.  Any band that can do this leaves an imprint within my top influences.

Peer Comment

Steve McKinnon,

Your blog entry on “Pet Sounds” by The Beach Boys was done quite well. All your facts are correct according to your references, and I am glad to see you actually do enjoy this type of music. It's amazing to see how a 23 year old Californian like Brian Wilson can do such ground breaking work during a time period where rock n' roll was thriving for something new. Unfortunately, your blog seems to have some grammar issues, like run-on sentences and improper punctuation (I understand this is not an English course, but I thought you would just like to know). Good luck on your up and coming assignments and make sure never to lose that "never-settle" mentality.

-Phil Jahnke

References

Edwards, B. (Producer). (2009). Bob edwards podcast [Audio Podcast]. Brian Wilson Podcast.  Retrieved from http://soundcloud.com/chrispyspears/brian-wilson-podcast


Elliott, B. (1998, June). The beach boys pet sounds liner notes. Retrieved from http://www.bradelliott.com/writings/ps.html


Elliott, B. (1999). The beach boys pet sounds liner notes. Retrieved from http://www.bradelliott.com/writings/ps2.html


Howard, D. (2004). Sonic Alchemy. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corporation.

The Beatles - "Revolver"

One of the main, respectable qualities of the Beatles is the fact that they are versatile.  Prior to their recording of the Beatles album “Revolver”, I feel like they were more poppy, catchy, and structured.  Upon the recording of the album “Revolver”, the Beatles had become involved with a few new things.  Not only was there an inclusive presence of the musical instrument the sitar (also previously used in “Rubber Soul”) but also there was an additive political influence within “Revolver”.  On that note, this was an album that had a very serious tone to it.   This was possibly due to the Beatles experience and influence of India, using LSD and Art.  The band used these three components to help create their album taking not only for India’s history, LSD’s experience and the emotional expression of Art.  Using the studio as an instrument was a huge part of what the Beatles were as band. They used ADT (automatic double tracking) to enhance the sound of voices or instruments during the recording process.  I feel that this is a form of instrumentation because it is making an impact on the sound of the song.  Specifically within “Revolver”, the Beatles delayed copy of an audio signal that was then combined with the original to create a term known as tape delay.  John Lennon himself was a huge fan of using something called flanging.  It was said at many points that the Beatles had create this sound effect, however, there is much speculation over whether or not they actually had. This is an intricate process that involves engineer's alternately pressing and releasing his finger against the flange of the supply reel on one of two synchronized tape machines.  At the same time, the audio signal was combined and transferred to a third machine, slightly slowing the machine then allowing it to come back up to speed and in sync with the other.  This creates a fuller effect.  Before doing this essay, “Revolver” was always my favorite album of the Beatles.  Now, knowing more about it, I love it even more.  I feel that everything from their lyrics expression to their vocal tracking, along with their instrumental production and creation is very innovative and would go so far as to say historical.

The Beach Boys - "Pet Sounds"

Prior to “Pet Sounds”, The Beach Boys sound was not nearly as full, nor as experimental. The songs had a simple message, most of which were derived from the lifestyle of southern California during the 1950s, yet had vocal harmonic genius that of the do-wop groups from the late 1940s. The surfer, beach life was definitely portrayed through these young Californians (even though only one of them knew how to actually surf) with tunes like “409” and “Surfin’ USA”. The creativity behind The Beach Boys and all of their hits was due to their founder, producer, composer and engineer Brian Wilson, the oldest of the three Wilson boys. It was from listening to groups like The Four Freshmen that inspired Brian to start a vocal group. His fascination with recording made him one of the first engineers to use “overdubbing”.  Just as Brian and The Beach Boys got their start on this revolutionary style of rock n’ roll, the British invasion hit America with bands like The Beatles. It turns out that Brian Wilson would be so enlightened by The Beatles record “Rubber Soul” that it set his inspiration for the most famous record by The Beach Boys, and maybe of all time. The record “Pet Sounds” was a collaboration of Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, an ad-man who barely knew Brian. Brian Wilson used methods he learned from Phil Spector to record the album, giving it a fuller sound and using the natural room reverb from the studio. The musical arrangement was spectacular, and the vocal harmonies were majestic. Instruments like string section, horn section, bicycle horns/bells and the use of the theremin complimented songs such as “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and the beautiful “God Only Knows”. “Pet Sounds” was one of the first albums to use an actual theme and story in their album, the sense of growing from childhood to adulthood.  These techniques and use of instrumentation were revolutionary during this time period. This album set the bar for so many genres such as psychodelic-rock and other forms of rock n’ roll.

As a lover of music, I feel that “Pet Sounds”, in my eyes, has all the right elements for the music that was being produced back in that day. Having the capability to compose an orchestra and add the most unique instruments are reasons why Brian Wilson will go down in history as one of the greatest producers of all time.  I have learned a lot of good recording techniques just by listening and researching this album.

Welcome to the Phil Jahnke Music History 2 Blog

Hello Blogger! (I assume there is only one of you)

My name is Phil Jahnke, but you can call me Phil. I am currently a student at Full Sail University. Before moving out to Orlando, Fl I was living in Chicago, Il (the place where I call home) with my Mom, Dad, two brothers (both older) and the spoiled golden retriever I have ever seen, Bailey. After high school graduation in 2007 I spent 2 years wondering around Elgin Community College, taking a few classes here and there. During my time at ECC I was informed about Full Sail University and did some research on the school's programs. Less than a year later I was enrolled in the college for the Recording Arts Bachelors program and have been here ever since.

Music has always been the most important part of my life. I never saw myself doing anything else (well, except for winning the lottery and marrying the Playmate of the Year). I have faith in myself and Full Sail that I will be able to enhance my knowledge of music and my love for sound and creating amazing tracks.

I hope you enjoy the opinions I have in my Blog and maybe I'll look back on this and my time at Full Sail and think about all the facts and knowledge I gained.

-Phil