This is How Pop music In the 60’s Influenced Todays Music.
Here’s my arrangement of Tears For Fears hit song “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”.
Since the 60’s, pop music has seen so many song writers pump out an astonishing and mind boggling number of songs every year but among that avalanche of creativity there was always going to be a range of quality with that much music.
So obviously there are songs that are good… while others are just ok… but then there are the “standouts” and “Everybody Wants to Rule The World” is one such standout.
I’ve always had a keen interest in the pop music of the 60’s.
It was a very interesting time for so many reasons and the title of James Wierzbicki’s book, I think, is very appropriate – “When Music Mattered: American Music In The 60’s”.
It guides the reader through 5 musical genres Folk, Pop, Rock, Jazz and Avant-garde.
The genres contextualise what happened in music with the events taking place in America during the 60’s.
While so much was going on in America in the 60’s there was equally as much going on elsewhere, especially London.
For me one of the standout songs of the 60’s is “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys.
When the Beatles released their landmark album “Revolver” it transformed the recording studio into an instrument.
Beatles Innovations
Traditionally musicians would play together live into the microphone; multitracking had been around from the 40’s but the Beatles took it and turned it into an art form.
While the Beatles were busily transforming recording practices in London, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys was taking notes and getting ideas.
He responded to the Beatles innovations with a few of his own and came up with the concept that became “Pet Sounds” with great songs like “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows”.
“Pet Sounds” is seen as a pivotal album but then Wilson followed up with the monster hit “Good Vibrations” and the Beatles were then inspired to create a pivotal album of their own “Sgt Peppers” so the innovations in recording and sound production kept coming.
There are so many interesting stories from the 60’s like “Mickey Most” London’s gun record producer of whom it’s said produced more no 1 hits than any other record producer.
Working with acts like The Animals, Herman’s Hermits, Donovan, Suzie Quattro, Hot Chocolate & The Yardbirds with their three superstar guitar players Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck (sadly passed recently) and Jimmie Page who took over the band and then changed the name to Led Zeppelin.
You can check out my blues solo video here
Anyone interested in recording production would do well to make a study of Mickey Most’s career.
Many of the big innovations in sound production were to do with the electric guitar so it’s little wonder that guitar bands were so popular.
At the same time electronic music was also evolving.
The Electronica Genre
Electric keyboards and synthesisers were moving from the realm of experimental avant-garde. Classical composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen & Edgard Varese segued seamlessly into popular music.
In England, with bands like Yes and Pink Floyd but in Germany “Krautrockers” like Kraftwerk & Tangerine Dream were taking electronic music into new directions.
By the 80’s bands like Tears For Fears had an incredible array of techniques and devices to draw from to create their music.
There were guitar bands like U2 and Dire Straits and then there were electronic bands like Depeche Mode & Ultravox but Tears For Fears mixed both which ultimately worked very well for them.
If you’ve ever wondered why people are so fascinated by music I came across this quote by Bruce Springsteen –
“A great rock band searches for the same combustible force that fuelled the expansion of the universe after the Big Bang”.
Bruce Springsteen
We’re so lucky living today to have so much good music to listen to and explore.
John Adams, America’s 2nd president, wrote ” I study politics and war so my children have the liberty to study philosophy, commerce and industry so my grandchildren have the right to study music and art”
Doesn’t that make you want to ask “are we there yet”?
My arrangement of “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” was a lot of fun to put together so it’s your turn to have fun with it now.