Music Vocab

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“Ohio” (1970)

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Last major protest song—written by Neil Young in response to the Kent State Four providing anepitaph for the movement.

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Santana

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Band that created a highly successful blend of salsa, rock, blues, & jazz fusion—featuring melodic guitar lines set against Latin percussion.

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Prog/Art Rock

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Mostly British attempt to elevate rock to new levels of complexity and artistic credibility, pushing technical and compositional boundaries; arrangements drawing from classical and jazz.

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Heavy Metal

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Style of blues rock from England characterized by its loud, explosive sound, dark imagery and sense of aggression

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Led Zeppelin

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Dynamic British blues rock band that was at the vanguard of the heavy metal trend providing many metal stylistic trait

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Sly and the Family Stone

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Funk-soul-rock fusion band known for their positive messages & for being the first fully integrated pop band.

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George Clinton (b. 1941)

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One of the most important innovators of funk music and the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic

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Disco (1974 –1979

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Dance-oriented pop music rooted in the gay, black and Latino communities, characterized by electronic instrumentation, lush orchestration, Latin-inflected funk and the presence of the insistent beat.

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DJ Kool Herc (b. 1955)

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Hip Hop DJ widely regarded as the founder of Hip Hop music—the originator of break-beat DJing.

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Break-Beat Music

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Short instrumental or percussion break—isolating or sampling of multiple breaks as drum loops in order to build & keep the groove going.

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Rapper’s Delight” (1979)

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Recorded by the group Sugar Hill gang, this song is generally considered to be the song that first popularized rap in the U.S. and around the world.

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Punk Rock

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A reactionary music style with a number of distinct subcultures centered on a common ideological framework: individual freedom, personal choice and a less restricted lifestyle—embraces the DIY (Do It Yourself) ethic.

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Velvet Underground

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NYC anti-commercialism performance art/proto-punk group whose Beat-inspired music spoke of the desperation of NY youth.

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CBGB-OMFUG:

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NYC club that was the first center for punk musical underground, providing earliest performance opportunities.

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Sex Pistols (1975-1978)

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Iconic British punk band credited for initiating U.K. punk movement & known for their near-violent performances & controversial stunts

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New Wave (1977)

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Term that replaced "Punk" as the definition for new underground music in the UK. The music tended toward experimentation, lyrical complexity, polished production.

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The Magnificent 7” (1980)

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Clash song credited as the first attempt by a rock band to write and perform original rap music, and one of the earliest examples of hip hop records with political and social content. It is the first major white rap record.

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“Rapture” (1980)

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Blondie song remembered as the first rap-influenced single to reach number one on the US Billboard Chart.
Def Jam Records (1984)
Indie label owned by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin that helped popularize the new school era of hip hop in the mid- 1980’s.

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ar of a Black Planet (1990)

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Album whose biting social commentary defined PE’s ideology as swinging from revolutionary nationalism to cultural radicalism

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Conscious Hip Hop

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Rap music style promoting Black Nationalism, political awareness, social justice and cultural up-liftment. Two main streams: Political Rap and Conscious Rap

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NWA (Niggaz With Attitude)

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ap group from Compton, recognized as the definitive gangsta rappers—endured controversy due to the explicit nature of their lyrics.

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Straight Outta Compton (1988

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Groundbreaking gangsta rap record concerning the West Coast "gangsta lifestyle."

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Motley Crue

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LA glam metal band that set the scale for decadent rock & roll behavior.

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Thrash Metal

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Sub-genre of heavy metal characterized by its high speed, shattering volume and aggression and non-commercial approach.

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Los Angeles Punk

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Second wave punk characterized by a dressed-down image and faster, more aggressive sound with themes of the California Myth gone sour.

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Black Flag

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Oft-considered the first hardcore punk band—fully embraced the DIY ethic and gave voice to anti-authoritarian, non-conformist message.

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Mudhoney

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Definitive grunge band—major inspiration and influence on many grunge and alternative rock musicians.

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The Ramones

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NYC group considered to be the first punk band, combining a garage rock sound with a 50’s rocker sensibility