The Generation X Blues

1. The Generation X Blues Chpt. 18 MUSH 261: History of Rock and Roll

2. The New Generation • Generation X • Found little stability in families • Baby boomers divorced in the 70’s leaving may post-baby-boomers in single-family households • Turbulent families caused frustration, pain and fear • Abuse in the home

3. Violence • Few economic prospects and painful/brutal home life cause youth to become violent • Youth witnessed violent actions daily on tv

4. Gun Violence • In 1990 more than 4% of all high school students surveyed, carried a gun • Semiautomatic 9- millimeter • Used the guns they carried • Urban gangs • Drawn to a loud aggressive, angry music • Notions of Reagan-era fueled affluence

5. The Hardcore Generation • Rock and Roll reflected the alienation of the post-baby-boom generation • Hardcore: desperate, angry and extreme version of punk • Began in the late 1970’s in Hollywood

6. X • Hyperactive roar of English punk lyrics describing a society degenerated beyond repair • 1980 debut album, Los Angeles, released by Slash Records • “Nausea” • “Sex & Dying in High Society”

7. The Germs • Much darker sound • Ceremoniously burned themselves with cigarettes • One member, Crash, symbolically committed suicide as a tribute to his hero Sid Vicious • “We Must Bleed”

8. Dressed For War • Young middle-class male suburbanites fueled the hardcore explosion • Shaved their heads – avoid hair pulling in mosh pits • Tattoos of band names and logos • Pierced various parts of their body • T-shirts, worn jeans, combat boots, leather jackets with studs

9. Black Flag • Suburbanites/middle class • Songs about personal dysfunction • “Depression” • “Life of Pain”

10. The Dead Kennedys • Embraced British punk • Lyrics that lambasted U.S. imperialism, the Moral Majority and the creeping facism among some hardcore youths, who began to wear Nazi armbands • “Let’s Lynch the Landlord” • “Kill the Poor”

11. The Dils • Political version of Punk • 2 hard hitting singles • “I Hate the Rich” • “Class War”

12. Thrash Metal • Originated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWBHM) • Poor British youths with no apparent future formed bands to express their frustration through a violent, explosive sound

13. Diamond Head • Black Sabbath combined with Robert Plant and John Bonham of Led Zepplin • Had their own label: Happy Face • “Lightning to the Nations”

14. Other Thrash Metal Groups • Modeled on blues-based style • Delivered harsh-sounding, fist-pumping music • Saxon • Venom • Angel Witch

15. Heavy Metal Promotion • Neil kay: Disc Jockey • Promoted the albums of struggling bands like Iron Maiden, at this Heavy Metal Club, Landon’s Soundhouse • Kerrang: Heavy-Metal Magazine • Created underground metal fans and spread the word • Fanzines

16. AC/DC • Blues powered Australian band • Struggled during the mid 1970’s • NWBHM gave exposure and they hit the British top 10 and US top 20 with “Highway to Hell”

17. Metallica • Combined the different elements of the NWBHM to create a new genre called “thrash” or “speed metal” • Swept across Britain & US during the mid 80’s • Instead of going “Please like us” we were like…. “AHHHHHH!! F*** You!” • They were doing something new • “a marvel of precisely channeled aggression”

18. Metallica

19. Metallica • Signed with Metal Underground before being snagged by Megaforce in New York • Recorded Kill Em All, originally titled Metal Up Your Ass  • Ride the Lightning - death and dying • Master of Puppets – manipulation • And Justice for All – American dream doesn’t work out • Metallica – sold 9 million copies

20. Death Metal • Violent, slasher-type lyrics • Nearly incomprehensible growls • Abrupt tempo • Key & time signature changes • Started in Florida with a band called Death

21. Death • Started in 1983 • Scream Bloody Gore – 1987 • Leprosy – 1988 • Human - a more toned down album which brought greater followers and MTV airplay • Philosophy – 1995 • Title song received exposure on the TV Show Beavis & Butthead

22. Cannibal Corpse • Began in Buffalo New York • Most vividly violent, gory lyrics imaginable • Received their big break in 1994 by being featured on the soundtrack for the film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

23. Grindcore • Guttural growls of death metal • Combined with speed of thrash • Add the energy of hardcore punk

24. Napalm Death • British Band-headed the Grindcore Movement • Had their own label: Earache • Distribution deal with Columbia Records • Charted with Utopia Banished • Followed by Fear, Emptiness & Despair • “Twist the Knife (Slowly)”, hit the top 10 in 1995, as part of the soundtrack to the movie Mortal Kombat

25. Industrial Revolution • Industrial Music: wild buzz-saw abandon of thrash metal combined with harsh, dissonant vocals and electronic samples & synthesizers • Roots in post punk pessimism that enveloped England

26. Nine Inch Nails • Added thrashing heavy metal guitar • Made industrial music more accessible to masses of disenchanted youth • “The Perfect Drug”

27. Grunge • Started in Seattle • Combined hardcore and metal • Bruce Pravitt • Started the Fanzine, Subterranean Pop • Hosted a show called Sub Pop U.S.A. • Later turned Sub Pop into a record label • Signed Nirvana

28. Sub Pop Fashion • Created a downtrodden punk/metal fashion unique to the Northwest • Bands dressed in faded flannel shirts or t-shirts, ripped jeans or baggy shorts, worn boots & tennis shoes • Long hair under woolen caps

29. Big Screen Sub Pop • By the end of 1990, Sub Pop created the image of Seattle as the site of an exciting, emerging music scene • ABC – Twin Peaks • Flannel-clad coffee-drinking North westerners • Northern Exposure • extolled the virtues of the Northwest • Singles – Movie • About the punk/metal Seattle Scene

30. Nirvana • Left Sub Pop • Signed with David Geffen’s DGC label • Became a national phenomenon • Nevermind – 1991 • Album went gold before MTV played “Smells Like Teen Spirit” • Appeared on SNL and were featured in Rolling Stone and Spin

31. Pearl Jam • Followed Nirvana to the top of the charts • Ten • Waited 20 weeks to crack the top 20 • Topped the charts in the wake of Nirvana’s success selling 12 million copies

32. Green Day • Signed with Warner-Reprise • Dookie • Offered listeners lyrics of hopelessness behind snappy, bright, 1990’s punk • “Welcome to Paradise” • “Burn Out” • “Basket Case”