Chapter 10: San Francisco

In the last half of the 1960s, San Francisco was mixed with a wide variety of styles, both musically and culturally. Why such a mix in San Francisco?

During the Johnson administration, the youth sensed a return to “politics as usual” and JFK’s dream was gone

The Vietnam War was escalating Kids continued to “drop out”

San Francisco (and the West Coast) was considered “new America,” representing new thought, new ways, and alternative lifestyles.

By 1967, there were 500-1500 local bands in the Bay Area

By 1970, this wave of bands lost their power to the new music of the 1970s

The San Francisco Sound

How was this mixed society brought together? Rock concerts halls

Bill Graham began presenting rock concerts in auditoriums and theaters beginning in 1965

BY 1970, “Woodstock” and “Altamont” created audiences too large and unruly for small theaters

Concerts then moved to sports arenas and stadiums Radio

FM radio was just beginning to expand as they were prohibited from copying AM programming Created the “progressive rock” format featuring album

tracks, lengthy sets and calmer DJ chatter 1967- Tom Donahue (from a San Francisco FM radio

station) tried the new “progressive rock” format and it worked

The San Francisco Sound (cont.) Many San Francisco bands combined folk music with

British bands’ R&B-derived rock Most San Francisco bands are characterized by:

Drugs Sometimes this music is called “psychedelic rock” or “acid rock” The lyrics became blatantly and explicitly drug oriented

Volume levels reached a new high at rock concerts Groups were now permitted to amplify their sound through walls

of speakers Vibrations were felt in the rib cage and ears were ringing long

after the concert ended Instrumental Emphasis

Long improvisations were common by instrumentalists (even 20-30 min long)

Considered “Musical trips” inspired by drugs Electronic technology

More sound-producing gadgets were used, especially electronic feedback

Jefferson Airplane The first San Francisco band to receive a recording

contract with RCA 1965- lead singer Marty Balin formed the group

Paul Kantner and Jorma Kaukonen on guitar Signe Toly on vocals (female) Jack Casady on bass Skip Spence on drums

Played a mix of folk rock and Beatle-like tunes Their first album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, did

not do well Signe and Spence left to join Moby Grape Grace Slick and Spencer Dryden replaced them

Jefferson Airplane 2nd album: Surrealistic Pillow (1967)

#3 on the album charts Two Top 40 singles

Somebody to Love (#5) Shows the disillusionment of the youth generation

White Rabbit (#8) Has a double meaning; the lyrics evoke images of a psychedelic

Alice in Wonderland

Grace Slick becomes the first female rock star 4th album: Crown of Creation (1968)- mainstream

rock song Chushingura- haunting and tasteful electronic

experimentation

In the early 1970s, members began to leave the group and form other groups, including Jefferson Starship.

Grateful Dead

They combined all major characteristics of the San Francisco style, yet their roots were in folk music

History of the group: Jerry Garcia (born in San Francisco in 1942) became

fascinated with bluegrass music and played banjo in coffeehouses

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan played harmonica Garcia, McKernan and Bob Weir formed Mother

McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions They decided to go electric and play rock and roll “Pigpen” switched to organ Added Bill Kreutzmann (drums) Changed their name to the Warlocks Phil Lesh (violin) then joined

Grateful Dead (cont)

The Warlocks performed at freely-structured parties called Acid Tests Here they were able to experiment freely

Music became louder; harder; more improvisation; longer songs; used electronically generated sounds

They changed their name to Grateful Dead once these parties no longer existed Music consisted of blues, Motown, soul, and Dylan

songs This group was more about live performances, not

studio recordings The Grateful Dead album was released (1967) Mickey Hart (drummer) and Robert Hunter

(lyricist) added to the group

Grateful Dead (cont) 3rd album (double album): Live/Dead (1969)

Live recordings including a 21-minute version of “Dark Star”

“Feedback”- uses electronic experimentation “Turn On Your Lovelight”- blues-based rock and

improvisation 2 albums with simplified, country-oriented sound

reached the Top 30 Workingman’s Dead (1970) – “Cumberland Blues” American Beauty (1970) They both relied on acoustic instruments and a pedal

steel guitar Terrapin Station (1977 album) used a variety of

approaches including horns, strings, and vocal choruses

Janis Joplin Born in Port Arthur, TX in 1943 She was heavily into black R&B styles 1966- she joined the San Francisco band called Big

Brother and the Holding Company as the female lead singer She began to scream and shout her lyrics

1968- Columbia Records offered the group a recording contract

1st album: Cheap Thrills (#1) “Piece of My Heart” (#12) “Ball and Chain” (Big Mama Thornton’s cover) “Summertime” (Gershwin cover)

1969- Janis left for a solo career Had a powerful, sandpaper-raw voice Had a soul-like vocal quality

Janis Joplin (cont) Her last album was Pearl with her group, Full-Tilt Boogie

Mostly recorded during the summer of 1970 Janis was found dead in her hotel before it was released

Died October 4, 1970 at the age of 27 due to a heroin overdose Pearl was #1 for nine weeks “Me and Bobby McGee” was Janis’ only Top 40 hit at #1

Her style: Mainstream rock, even though her roots are in R&B and

gospel Her voice was characteristic of the soul singer, even though

she was white Had a sandpaper voice Dressed like a hooker; hair unkempt; rough complexion; not

attractive Always had liquor or drugs with her

Acid Rock Outside of San Francisco

Summer of Love in 1967 is when San Francisco hit its apex

1968- crime, drugs and racial tensions took over

The Doors Jim Morrison

1943- born in Melbourne, FA Went to UCLA and began to take LSD regularly

He met Ray Manzarek (piano- born in Chicago in 1943)

John Densmore (jazz drummer from L.A.) Robbie Krieger (guitarist from L.A.)

The Doors (cont)

First album: The Doors (1967- #2) Included Krieger’s song, “Light My Fire”

Musical style: Blues-based mainstream rock Morrison had a flat baritone voice with dark tone

quality Very narrow range and quite repetitive

Used minor keys, resulting in the darker sound Lyrics often discussed death, violence, darkness,

menacing kind of sex Second album: Strange Days (#3-1967)

“People Are Strange” (1967-#12) “Love Me Two Times” (1968-#25)

The Doors (cont) Waiting for the Sun (1968) was the only #1 album

Included “Hello, I Love You” (#1) 1969- Morrison developed a serious problem with

alcoholism The Soft Parade- album made the top 10

An acid rock group doing a soft rock album “Touch Me” became #3

Morrison Hotel (1970) was mainstream rock L.A. Woman (1971) was their last album

“Love Her Madly” “Riders on the Storm”

July 3, 1971- Morrison died in Paris due to a heart attack in the bath tub. He was 27 years old.

The Doors disbanded in 1973

Jimi Hendrix

There are connections between Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan Hendrix did not sing much until he heard Bob Dylan Hendrix’s only Top 40 hit was “All Along the

Watchtower,” a Bob Dylan cover (#20) Hendrix influenced post-1968 rock guitar styles just

like Dylan influenced the lyrics of rock music

Born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle Played backup guitar for Little Richard, Ike Turner,

etc 1964- played wit the Isley Brothers in NY 1965-formed his own band called Jimmy James and

the Blue Flames

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Sept. 1966- went to England and recruited Noel Redding (bass) and Mitch Mitchell (drums) to create The Jimi Hendrix Experience This group scored several hits on the British charts:

“Hey Joe” “Purple Haze” “The Wind Cries Mary”

Heavy doze of blues, some soul, and a few originals Began experimenting with feedback, fuzz tone, and

other electronic sounds They frizzed their hair and wore psychedelic

costumes

The Jimi Hendrix Experience (cont) June 1967- American debut, following The Who

Hendrix played his guitar with his teeth and behind his back

He performed Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and Trogg’s “Wild Thing”

He drenched his guitar in lighter fluid and set it on fire Are You Experienced? album was #5 in 1967

Contained hard, raw, blues-based mainstream rock The guitar sounds were unique

Used fuzz box, wah-wah pedal, tremelo bar and other techniques

“Third Stone from the Sun” 3rd album: Electric Ladyland (August 1968)

Was Hendrix’s only #1 album (was a double album) Included “All Along the Watchtower” and “1983”

Jimi Hendrix (cont)

1969- he disbanded the Experience and opened his own recording studio

He died on September 18, 1970, also at the age of 27, from inhalation of vomit resulting from barbiturate intoxication

Hendrix set new styles and new ways of making music with his instrument

He is the link between the 1950s mainstream rockers to the harder rock and heavy metal bands of the 1970s and 1980s

The Art of Improvisation Instrumental improvisation is an important factor in

most rock styles from 1970s on. Prior to that improvisation was limited in rock and roll

Improvise: to compose, or simultaneously compose and perform, on the spur of the moment and without any preparation The improviser must think/feel what to play and play it

within a second Musicians’ rudiments to improvisation:

Must have technically mastered their instrument Must have an absolutely solid feeling for rhythm (must be

internalized) Must thoroughly understand chords and scales

Must know what notes will sound “right” and when Have a general overall idea of their solo: structured length

or open solo