Peer Comment

Hello Wes, I read over your blog post about Kraftwerk I felt like it was very well written. I thought it was really interesting how you talked about the creative process for them when making a record. I also thought it was really interesting how you mentioned they used vocoders in their work as well. Its crazy to think that this group was considered the pioneers of electric music. I think its kind of crazy to be pretty much considered to creators of a genre of music. That is such an amazing accomplishment and I can't even begin to imagine what that must feel like. I think you did a great job of covering all aspects of this group and I really enjoyed seating down and reading this assignment.

Podcast 2

Quincy Jones...The Legend

I have decided to do my post on someone I feel has made a major impact on the music world as we know it. That someone goes by the name of Quincy Jones. A man who's stats speak for them self. You take a look at them and all you can think is he has to be one of the greats. Quincy Jones was March 13,1933 in Chicago,Ill this is where it all began. He started playing the trumpet in grade school and this became his instrument of choice. At the age of 10 Jones and his family moved to Seattle,Washington. He never put down his love for music at the age of 14, Quincy would meet a life long friend in Ray Charles who was 17 at the time. In High school he was awarded a scholarship to attend Schillinger House which is now known to the world as Berklee School of Music. But Quincy would trade is studies in the moment he got the offer to go on the road with a band leader by the name of Lionell Hampton. After this tour Jones would to where the work was. He took a trip to New York City and there he began to arrange songs for some of the greats, Sarah Vaughn, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Ray Charles. His next big tour would come in 1956 when he toured as the trumpet player and musical director of Dizzy Gillepse's Band. This was a world to ur they took Jones all throughout the world. After returning to the states after this tour Jones recording career would begin when he received a record deal from ABC-Paramount Records to record his own band. Quincy would go way beyond just being an artist. He would soon become the first african american to ever hold a executive position at any white-owned record label. But that wasn't enough for Quincy he was ready for more challenges. The next challenge was to break through to film scores. He wanted to make scores for movies. The first movie he scored was "The Pawnbroker" after the success of this score Quincy moved out to Los Angeles to be closer to the film world. He would go own to produce 33 major motion picture film scores. This is when his work really started to pick up he produced and arranged for almost every big act that was coming out at the time. He also still managed to keep his own recording career in tact. I think hands down his best claim to fame is The work that he did with Michael Jackson Thriller is hands down one of the best albums to ever touch planet earth.

Minimoog

The impact of the minimoog is probably unknown to many average americans but not to audio professionals. This invention has changed the way we listen to music and the sounds we hear. Even one of the late greats Michael Jackson used the minimoog on his record Thriller. Just imagine the world without Thriller well this album would have never been possible without the minimoog. Another legend that used the minimoog was late great Bob Marley on his record Stir it Up. The minimoog also had a major impact on the world of electronic music. The minimoog was a monophonic synth created by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog in Trumansburg, NY. During its first production run it sold over 13,000 units. This tool was considered the first popular synth and help redefine the sound of music. Robert Moog attended where he received a bachelors degree in physics and also attended Columbia University where he received a bachelor degree in electrical engineering. He would later receive a PHD from Cornell University. I say all of this to say that he was definitely up for the challenge. The thing that made this 44 note instrument different from everything else that was on the market at the time is the fact that it allowed the user to bend the pitch of the notes being played and created sounds that were unheard of. It stepped outside of the usual sounds we were use to hearing from a keyboard and opened our ears to something different. No instrument before it allowed you to alter the sound to the extent that this instrument did. It also included three vcos,one VCA and one VCF. You could create so many different waves it was insane. Its no wonder that the minimoog was such a success. I cannot imagine what music would have been like if minimoog had never been invented. Trying to point each song that utilized this synth would be impossible and I am sure you would loose count after awhile. I believe that the minimoog should go down in history as one of the most influential instruments of our time and I believe that few would argue with me on this suggestion.

Kraftwerk

The creators of Kraftwerk met at school while attending Robert Schumann Hochschule in Germany. After ten years of performing they finally decided to officially form the band Kraftwerk. This group would be revolutionary to the sound music and its influence can be heard throughout music. At the time everyone was copying what American and British bands were trying to accomplish. But Kraftwerk wanted to step outside of the box and create a unique sound. While making there first three albums they used traditional instruments to create the music but added effects and distorted the sound coming out of the instruments. This band always had underground success but there big commercial break came in 1974. Their single “Autobahn” reached number 11 on the Uk charts. This added to listeners for Kraftwerk. This took them from underground to almost mainstream. It also didn't do that bad in the US the same single got as high as 25 on Billboards hot 100. Two big accomplishments for the band especially since what they were doing musically was so different from what was popular at the time. This album was different because it was actually a concept album. A few albums that came after that were actually under the same light. This album interesting because it was all based on traveling the expressways of Germany. This album was innovative on so many levels the technology used to record this album was also very advanced. They used pads, a minimoog synth, and vocoder during the recording process. After going on their world tour they went back to work. They began to work new music. They then released Radio-Activity which really didn't do well anywhere but France. I believe the band expected this album to be a lot better than it was. After this album can one that really didn't do well at first but over time received a lot of credit for being one of the best albums of all time. Rolling Stone ranked this album as one of the 500 greatest albums. I believe this band made a very influential impact on the world of music and as a audio professional I believe that they added new layers to the way we choose to record music. I believe that this band has made its mark on this society of music.

What's Going On Podcast

Peer Comment

Wes, I think you did a great job at describing the development and making of one Mavin Gaye's best albums. You covered all of the problems surrounding the release of this album. You spent a good deal of time talking about how Berry Gordy Ceo of Motown Records. You broke down how this album was very socially based and how the album had a major impact on the music world. I guess I would have liked to hear more about what you felt about the album. It would have been cool to hear more about your personal feelings and what might have been some of your favorite songs on the album.