Kraftwerk

 The Deutsch Band, or as we say in the U.S. the German band, Kraftwerk was a pioneer in electronic music. Their image was quite different than the other Deutsch (German) bands and changed sometime later when they went to short hair and wearing suits to perform. Their sound right from the start was completely different than anything out in the industry and was not greatly appreciated or very well understood. They are pioneers when it comes to electronic music and played a big part in the sound of the music today. They completed many albums such as "Computer World", "Autobahn" and my favorite "Trans-Europe Express". It is also noted that their albums were conceptual and that really stood out at that time in the music industry. If you look at the span of all their work you can really see how they grew and developed their sound over the years and came into the band we know today. I love how they simulated the sound of a train moving in their music for "Trans-Europe Express and its these creative techniques that made them stand out from their peers in the music industry. Kraftwerk used a lot of synthesizers and various instruments to make their sounds unique to their music. It is my opinion and belief that they were way far ahead of their time and that precisely was the reason they did receive the appreciation they ultimately deserved. The impact that this band has had on music is prevalent today in just about every genre of music. How many other bands can say their music holds this much influence? I am not a huge fan of this band but as an industry professional I can not deny their place in the music industry and the impact they have had on music itself and ultimately its evolution to what we hear today. Simply put this band was a pioneer each member adding to the value and history of the sounds we hear in music today.

Podcast Two KRS ONE - Tha Teacha

                          

                   http://soundcloud.com/gravidy/krs-one-podcast

Eminem

I remember back when MTV was still playing music. I was in high school and was into hip-hop, but until that time there were no notable caucasian emcees. One day I turn on the TV and there is a ruckus about a new caucasian rapper signed by Dr. Dre. Eminem made history that day and earned his place among the best emcees and lyricists of all time. Eminem started off as a "shock rapper", meaning his appeal was you never knew what he was going to say next. Eminem approached his music with a respect for the hip-hop culture and a lyrical wittiness that was rivaled by few. Another characteristic that Eminem brought to the table was that he let everybody into his real life and put all his problems with his family and wife out on the table. He set out to show everybody that he wasn't perfect and had problems and insecurities like the rest of us. This connected him to his audience on such a deep level and set him apart from other emcees. Eminem was also apart of a group from Detroit, Mi called D12. With his success in the music industry he was able to maneuver  himself into a position to where he could bring D12 into the spotlight as well. Eminem saw a lot of success with his albums, The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show. These albums won Grammy awards and made Eminem the first artist to win "Best Rap Album" for three consecutive LPs.  Em went on to win this award again in 2010 with his album "Relapse" and in 2011 with his album "Recovery". Eminem has achieved a great deal as an artist and currently has 13 Grammy Awards from his work. Yes, Eminem has accomplished a lot in his career, however he is not limited to the role of an artist. Em is an artist, as well as producer, and on occasion an actor. Em and Paul Rosenberg went on to create Shady Records under Interscope Records in 1999. Eminem has contributed a lot to the music industry and has set the standard for good music and lyrical content to a high level. Eminem has many achievements but the most important thing he has accomplished is opening up the hip-hop community to caucasians. He is an inspiration to white emcees and has proven that hi-hop is about bridging the gap between races and cultures. As an industry professional myself I love Em's music, mixes, and sound. His lyrical content is on point and rivals the best rappers in the game. He is an inspiration and I will forever remain a loyal fan of the man and his music.

Peer Comment 3

Andrew,

First, I'd like to say excellent choice for a topic! Second, great job on this entry, you certainly know your information when it comes to Dr. Dre. Dre ushered in "G-Funk" and introduced this west coast style to the world. Dre will forever be known as a pioneer in the music industry "G-Funk" and his unique production style. Also, I'm not sure if you know this but he even has appeared in some movies, for example, Training Day. Dre played a crooked detective that was apart of Denzel's character's team. Dr. Dre definitely is a leader in the industry and his praise is well deserved. I am still waiting for his next album "Detox" to finally hit the shelves, I can't wait to see the direction he took with that album. Again great job on this entry, everything seems to be good from format to punctuation. Keep up the great work!

Clifford Thomas

Wu-Tang Clan The RZA

Robert Fitzgerald Diggs or known by all hip-hop heads as The RZA is a music producer, emcee, author, director, actor and screenwriter. If you ever heard any tracks from The Wu-Tang Clan then you have heard is musical genius. Rza has produced almost all of the W-u Tang's albums and has a unique style that sets him apart in the music industry. Rza incorporates digital audio samples from old kung fu movies into his tracks and often makes martial arts references in his lyrics. Inspired by martial artists such as the famous Bruce Lee, Rza wanted to take martial arts philosophy and apply it to his music. You can hear these references not only in the samples of scenes taken from the movies but the asian themed music as well. You will find all these references in every Wu-tang CD from: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) to Wu-Tang Forever. Rza is a leader among his peers and has influenced other artists especially within the Wu-Tang clan. Capadonna and other members have adopted this martial arts theme with various tracks on their albums as well. Rza has even gone onto do a lot of work over seas especially in Germany with artists such as Xavier Naido. A lot of people seem to look down on using samples but the way that Rza does it is so unique that as soon as you hear a Rza track you automatically know its him just because of the sound. I personally love Rza's music and I think the way he adopted Bruce Lee's philosophy of being like water and applied it to his music is just genius. He has inspired me as an artist and I will be happy to end up accomplishing just a fraction of what he has done in his career. The Rza produces classic material and his records will vintage in history, that is for sure!

Peer Comment

Katie,

You did an excellent job on this blog entry. I like how you touched on what inspired the lyrics for the song and the inspiration behind the album. I would also like to add that the political state of the country played a part in the lyrical theme as well. The fact that the U.S. was sending people so young to fight overseas in Vietnam away from their families and the poverty that people were living in back here in the States. These all played a major role in the lyrical development. Marvin Gaye was the "Prince of Soul" the "Prince of Motown" and regardless what type of music you are into, it's hard to deny that Marvin was the best at what he did. Again good Job Katie, keep up the good work!

Clifford Thomas.

Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On

Marvin Gaye was a singer- song writer who carried the title "The Prince of Motown" and "The Prince of Soul". Marvin's sound was unique and set him apart from his peers. Marvin sang from the soul and was undoubtedly one of the best soul singers of all time. There was a lot going on in the world both locally and internationally that sparked the ideas behind this Album. One incident involving police beating on innocent kids sparked some of the lyrics for the song "Whats going on". The poverty people were living in along with the political state of America at the time contributed to the lyrical content as well. Also the Vietnam War contributed to this album and song as well, it was the fact that we were sending people so young, so far from their families to fight in the war. The Album had great studio musicians working on it.  The Funk Brothers played a big part as studio musicians and received an official credit on the album. The sound was amazing and set itself apart from other soul recordings of that time. The lyrical content set this album apart as well. The lyrical content touch on real life issues that were in the public's face at that time. The lyrics brought those issue to light  and really asked "What's goin on" This album is classic and as a music industry student and lover of music myself this album has left a major impression on me. Concious minds make the best music because their  passion for music mixed with relevant topics make the purest music in my opinion. I have nothing but respect for Marvin Gaye and his work, it is no wonder that he is an inspiration for even today's artists. I can not express enough that this album is classic material, the minute it dropped it was a classic in my opinion. Classic!

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground was one of the most influential rock bands of all time. They had that grungy rock image and an almost punkish style to their music. One thing that set them apart was the mixing of music, art and films, giving somewhat of a pop art feel to the band. John Cale came to America in 1963 to study under the Bernstein Scholarship. John played the guitar for the band and he also has worked with La Monte Young which is a notable  and well known composer. John was also a composer himself as well as producer and singer-song writer. John along with Lou Reed were very important to The Velvet Underground. Lou was also a guitarist, photographer, vocalist and principal song writer for the band. Lou and John were the backbone of The Velvet Underground. Andy Wharhol was the ultimate backing force behind this group. Andy promoted and produced the band. Andy was well known in the art world and it was Andy's vision to merge that arts, music and film. This is one key factor that set them apart from the commercial bands that were playing at that time frame. The Velvet Underground had a lot of characteristics  that set them apart from everybody else. One, as I mentioned before, was how they merged music, art and film and another was how their music itself. On their White Light/White Heat album they had a song titled: Sister Ray that was 17 minutes and they recorded it in one take. Something like this was just unheard of in that time period and it completely stood out from the industry standard recordings from the other bands in the music industry at that time. When I, as a student of music, listen to them today I can completely see how they were misunderstood and were ahead of their time. They were under appreciated and misunderstood. I'm not really a fan of their music but even not being a fan I can see how this music was and is an inspiration still to this day. All I have left to say about The Velvet Underground is two words: Classic Material!

Peer Comment

Andrew,
I agree with this post about The Beach Boy's Album: Pet Sounds, it definitely had a different sound than what they previously had. Their whole sound changed down the the lyrical themes dealing with lovers and failed romances. Brian was heavily influenced by The Four Freshmen and when it came to PetSounds The Beatles played a role in the inspiration as well. I like your post, you followed the guidelines of the assignment and your information is correct and concise. Good job Watson! Keep up the good work!

Clifford Thomas

Podcast One Pet Sounds

http://soundcloud.com/gravidy/pet-sounds

                                              

The Beatles' Revolver Entry

The Beatles, an English rock band that stormed the U.S. in the 1960's ultimately had the image of just that, an English rock band. Prior to Revolver they had more of a folk rock sound as heard in their album Rubber Soul, the album that influenced and inspired Brian Wilson to put together Pet Sounds. There were a few non-musical interests that contributed to the lyrical content of this Beatle Album; Revolver. One of these interests for example was their political interests that you can hear in the lyrics and undertones of the album. Another contributing interest that played apart in the lyrical content was the use of marijuana and LSD or "acid". These are just a couple of examples of non-music contributors to the lyrical content of this album.  The Beatles mastered the studio and used it to create new sounds in a way making an instrument of the studio. An example of this was the way they double tracked, which was essentially where the singer would sing over the previously recorded vocals to give it a unique sound. Another example is the backwards tapes, where they would record play it backwards and record it backwards. This technique was done with instruments such as guitar in "I'm only Sleeping" and vocals as well in other songs on other Beatles' albums. In this same way the of utilizing the studio as an instrument through sampling and such The Beatles were innovators of these cutting edge techniques of double taking and backwards tapes. I can appreciate what the Beatles were doing with this album however despite their many innovations and achievements, I have to admit I am not a big fan. I never really got into The Beatles or their style of music but regardless of how I feel about there music, nobody can take away the amazing things they have done and the people they have touched with their music.

The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds Entry

The Beach Boy's image before their album Pet Sounds was that of a typical southern Californian. It was all about the beach, sand, surfing, automobiles and good tunes. Their music was easy going and rich in harmony. Their musical style was the product Brian Wilson, who was the driving force behind the group. Brian was their leader, producer, songwriter, arranger and first and foremost the founding member of the Beach Boys. Brian was influenced by a lot of people in the industry including Phil Spector and The Four Freshmen who ultimately affected Brian's approach to music. Another influence from overseas, The Beatles with their album Rubber Soul, ultimately inspired Brian to create the Beach Boy's album Pet Sounds. There were certain elements of Pet Sounds that stood out from other recordings during that time period. One of these things was the fact that it was not a bunch of songs thrown together with a few singles. This album was complete and each song led into the next there were no need for fillers. This really made it stand out and caught the attention Brian intended. One other element that stood out to make this album different was the lyrical theme, the content. This album took on a much more mature tone dealing with love and relationships compared songs like Surfin' and 409 the difference was night and day. The depth of this album was different than the commercial sounds people expected. Pet Sounds really stood out and caught my attention mostly in part because of the direction that Brian wilson took in putting this album together. This album left me with an impression of awe, this is music my parents listened to and I automatically had written it off as outdated. However when I sit down and really listen to the genius in and behind this music I now understand the appreciation my parents had for this music. It takes me back to my childhood and that longevity is characteristic of classic material and all around great music. I definitely have a new found appreciation for this great music.

Welcome Entry

Hello everybody,

 My name is Clifford Thomas, I am a student in the Recording Arts Bachelors degree program at Full Sail University. I am 28 years old originally from Flint, Mi where I lived most of my life. I joined the Army right after high school and ended up stationed in Germany where I trained soldiers for the Iraqi war and peace keeping missions. I am a poet and an emcee, I am all about expression and my passion shows in my work. My musical interests are Hip-hop and Underground music, they pretty much make up my life. My main focus in the music industry is Hip -hop and anything that has to do with with it. Hip-hop is more than just a genre of music, it is a culture and I am apart of it. That is pretty much me in a nutshell hope whoever reads this enjoys my postings. :)

Clifford Thomas