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.

Whats Going On

Marvin Gaye and Motown was had a completely different look and sound before the release of Whats Going On. Marvin really stepped out there on this record. This was possibly one of the biggest political and social records of the time. He was known as the man who wrote love songs before this record and was considered by many as a sex symbol. Motown was a place that made happy upbeat love songs and this was nowhere near the norm for this label.This was something that the head of Motown was very afraid of. This album was strongly inspired by letters Marvin had received from his brother Frankie who was serving in the Vietnam War at the time. Thees letters had significant impact on Marvin Gaye's views about the world. This album has to be one of the most personal records Marvin had ever did. Marvin Gaye really took this project to heart and was really hands-on in developing the lyrics and music for this album. The recording of this album was handled a lot different then most albums that were recorded back then. One of the main reasons was that Berry Gordy the head of Motown did not want this album to see the light of day. So Marvin and the rest of the band had to sneak and record after hours at the studio. Marvin brought in new musicians to assist him on this project to give a different sound to the album. Even after recording the album Gordy still wanted no part in this album. Marvin threatened Gordy and told him he would never record with Motown again if this album was released. This album is definitely one of my favorite albums. Marvin Gaye really set them apart from other artist of his time. This album was great moment for society because it really left his mark on him. I believe this music is timeless and is still relevant today. I hope that music today can someday do the same for us.

Velvet Underground & Nico

March 1967, The Velvet Underground decides to release their first album "The Velvet Underground and Nico. This album was not the popular to the masses but a select few who took the time to actually listen to the song. Lou Reed and John Cale were the songwriters for the band.They both were inspired by each others style of music. This inspiration was the beginning of a great friendship between the two. Reed was impressed my Cale's style of play on the violin and Cale was inspired by Reeds style of play on the guitar. Where these two artist came from played a major role in how they developed there sound as a band. Reed had a background in English Composition. He studied english at The University of Syracuse and this is also where he was introduced to drugs and lyric writing, Cale background was in classical music he studied at London's Goldsmith College he received the Bernstein Scholarship and traveld to the United States. Next they added Sterling Morrison and Agus MacLise and another important piece of the creation of The Velvet Underground was Pop artist Andy Warhol who became fascinated with their music he became the band's manager in 1965. The band would play in Warhol's studio "The Factory" this helped the band gain some exposure he also was the person who suggested they let Nico sing some vocals on a few tracks. They also gave him producer credits for his work. The music that The Velvet Underground was completely left field from the music that was popular during this time. This album takes you on quite a journey and the music is so moving. It also can seem somewhat dark at times. They really pushed the envelope when it came to lyrics during this time. They spent a lot of time tapping into the drug world and other topics that weren't talked about. This album was said the be the start of the punk movement. Any the beginning this album didn't have a lot of commercial success over the years people began to realize how important this album was to the punk culture and music in general.

Revolver

Love, Love, Love was the them of the Beatles music before August 6,1966 when they released their Revolver album. This album marked a turning point for The Beatles as a group. They were considered a very pop group before this album. Their sound was very clean and really didn't have much edge to it before this album. I believe this had a lot to do with John Lennon and George Harrison beginning to experiment with LSD. The music started resemble that of someone who was tripping on the drug. Harrison not only started to tap into his experiences with LSD but also his love for indian music and can be heard throughout this album. in the song Tomorrow Never Knows it inspiration was driven by a book which is all about LSD " The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead."This album also to a different approach on the production side. Paul and John became a lot more interested in using things such as tape loops in some of the records. The even processed vocals through a Leslie Cabinet to create a very interesting effect on the vocals. This album really represented the process of recording. The Beatles really let you inside of their world throughout this project. From count-ins to us being able to hear them tune up before performing. This album was not about how they could recreate in on stage. More so it was about how can we use the tools around us to create interesting and thought provoking sounds. This album was the beginning of something new for The Beatles. I believe after this album they began to push the limits even further. This album I believe represented creative freedom for the Beatles. I feel after this album they really began to explore what all this thing called music had to offer and made themselves innovators of a new sound and new style. I actually love this album and it is very inspirational.

Pet Sounds

The Location was the beautiful California in the 1960s and the beach boys paint a picture of a lifestyle we all wish we could have.Fast cars, fast women and surfing the day a way. The embodied the idea of having a good time and just relaxing and enjoying the moment. The music was somewhat complex but the theme was somewhat simple and this combination seemed to work very well for them. They immediately drew the attention of teenagers around the world who wanted to be just like The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson was the glue that held everything together for the beach boys.Not only was he a member but he was also The songwriter, arranger and producer so at lot of the ideas began and ended with him. He was considered a very hard worker and the fact that he had perfect pitch only added to his importance when it came to the beach boys. He strived for perfection and would spends nights working hard to find the right song for his group. In the Mid-60s Wilson began to experiment with drugs and this would add a different style to his music. After The Beatles had great success with there album Rubber Soul. Wilson made it his quest to try and top that album to make sure that The Beach Boys stayed relevant . Pet Sounds really intrigued my ears and the instrumentation was very interesting. I feel that The Beach Boys really created the first concept Pop album. This album is said to be heavily inspired by Phil Spector and I think you can feel his inspiration throughout the album. The fact that he used so many musicians in some songs also reflected his influence by Phil Spector.This album just really has a great overall feel to it. I believe that it takes you to a place and allows your ears to sonically run free.

Welcome

Hello World, My name is Phillip Scott I am currently attending Full Sail University working towards my bachelors in Recording Arts. I was born and raised in the Midwest St. Louis Missouri to be exact. I have always dreamed of going to Full Sail it just took me a minute to build up the courage to move a thousand miles away from home and pursue my dream. I started doing music at about 15 and I fell in love with music at about 9 years old. It has always played a major role in my life and I have no plans of that ever changing. I have a few different lanes that I'm interested in in The Music Industry. I am completely in love with the studio and engineering but I also have a interest in working in the A&R department of a major label. I look forward to this class and can't wait to explore new music.