Crossover Artists in the 1970s

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Robert Ashley
Meredith Jane Monk
Pink Floyd
Yes
ELP
Conclusions
Works Cited

Introduction

Music plays a very important role in our life: people can express their feelings, attract the attention of other people, provoke somebody to do something, warn, inform, and even live another life in music. There are so many genres of music that not every person can catch the difference between grunge and hard rock, jazz and country, etc. However, if analyze the peculiarities of each style, it is quite easy to find out the difference and be amazed of how rich and wonderful the world of music is. Crossover is music that unites several absolutely different styles of music and introduces known works in a new adaptation. For example, this style of music allows people to hear some classical pieces of art or folk works in rock adaptation. Such wonderful musicians like Meredith Monk or Robert Ashley, and such bands like Yes, Pink Floyd, or ELP (an abbreviation form of Emerson, Lake & Palmer) have already made a considerable contribution into the development of crossover music; and some of them still continue to impress the listeners and present more and more captivating works in the sphere of progressive and experimental rock. Their music is full of philosophical lyrics, which make us look at the same things in different ways; the stories, presented in their work attract listeners and make them believe in something really great and worth.

Robert Ashley

Robert Ashley is a wonderful American composer, known for his operas in electronic adaptations. He was one of the first representatives, who was not afraid to experiment and use audio synthesis. This composer prefers to create in different spheres of music: Music with Roots in the Aether: Opera for Television and Perfect Lives (An Opera for Television) are his best television works; That Morning Thing and In Memoriam… Kit Carson are his well-known operas. (A Conversation with Robert Ashley 2001) If we talk about crossover artists in the 1970s, then Robert Ashley may be studied and analyzed as the author of two perfect television works. These both are operas that were created at the end of the 1970s and amaze lots of people till today.

Robert Ashley admits that there is not much music on TV, this is why his operas should interest the watchers and arouse their interest to different styles of music, and opera music in particular. (A Conversation with Robert Ashley 2001) It is necessary to admit that one of his works, Perfect Lives, sounds like one of the most popular soap operas, Days of Our Lives. Ashley tells that he is not afraid if someone will blame him for such kind of plagiarism, but only will be happy that some people will watch his “soap opera” as well. Perfect Lives is considered to be one of the most influential music works, where rather a continuous song presents the events in one small American town in a mythological form. (A Conversation with Robert Ashley 2001) Ashley’s text is lyrical and ridiculous, obscure and trite, simple and mystical at the same time. Jill Kroesen, Blue Gene Tyranny, Peter Gordon, and David Van Tieghem – these people created a really magnificent piece of work that may deeply affect each watcher. The melody and rhythm of the opera cooperates with the mood of the major characters, this is why it is quite unsteady and wide. One of the instruments, which are used to create such a wonderful work, is piano. Elegant and touching play evokes some wild feelings to make something unusual and captivating. With each second, a person who listens or watches Perfect Lives, gets a wonderful chance to be involved into another world with its own mysteries and fantasies. (A Conversation with Robert Ashley 2001)

Meredith Jane Monk

Meredith Jane Monk is another representative of crossover music, who deserves our attention and recognition, first of all, for her vocal innovations. This American composer, director, vocalist, and film-maker creates numerous magnificent works, which unite music, dance, and theatre. (Meredith Monk: Composer First 2000) With the help of extended techniques, she decides to present her solo performances at the beginning. With time, she is ready to create her own ensemble and amaze public. This personality can be distinguished from the other due to her quite different preferences. She really does both folk and rock music. In one of her interviews, she admits that “there was a real excitement in folk music, and there was some nice singing going on. And then rock…” (Meredith Monk: Composer First 2000) During the 1970s, she creates about 6-7 works, which become popular with time. One of such compositions is Quarry: An Opera. It is a work for 38 voices. 2 pump organs are used as the major instruments. There are also 2 soprano recorders and tape used. One of the peculiarities of the works by Meredith Monk is her ability to divide music and voices. It turns out to be rather challenging to create the necessary records at studio, and this is why some music may even not have an appropriate theatrical context. It is wrong to say that all Monk’s works are aggressive. (Meredith Monk: Composer First 2000)

However, if we compare Ashley’s melody and the Monk’s one, we will find out that Monk prefers to use narrow range of melody. But still, Monk does not stop on one or two instruments; she prefers to variate: cello, keyboards, horn, piano, and even bagpipes. (Meredith Monk: Composer First 2000) In the 1970s, Monk’s lyrics used to be quite lovely. She did not look aggressive or frightening. She just wanted to share her emotions and made the others listen to her stories and believe her words. Interesting approaches to present her own music, magnificent use of techniques, and combination of folk and rock music – this is all about Meredith Monk, one of the most amazing experimenter in crossover music. (Meredith Monk: Composer First 2000)

Pink Floyd

The second half of the 20^th century was the time of drstic change in political, economic, and cultural life of the world. “The sense of optimism of 1967-8 had passed. Visionary experience and self-discovery had failed to confront the dominant culture, and progressive rock, as part of counter-culture’s revolutionary strategy had, to some extent, stagnated.” (Whiteley 104) It was not that easy to amaze people and present really worthy pieces of work. One of the groups that made a considerable impact to the development and improvement of the music in the 1970s was Pink Floyd. The members of this band, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, David Gilmour, Syd Barrett, and Roger Walters, are the examples of brightest representatives of progressive rock music. Their live shows and moving lyrics make lots of people cry and laugh simultaneously. (Whiteley 105) Of course, it is not the sign of some kind of madness; the point is that their philosophical contexts and really strong music may cause absolutely different feelings. The years of the 1970s were rather significant for the band, as it was the time, when their exciting The Dark Side of the Moon album was presented. Pink Floyd are known by their unbelievable passion to electronic sound; the idea to use the sounds, which are inherent to humans with the help of numerous electronic techniques is one of the most winning ones in the album. (Whiteley 106)

Moreover, the album under discussion is characterized by the use of the combination of the saxophone sounds with the female back-vocals. In this fact, the influence of Jazz music upon the creative work of Pink Floyd can be seen. The use of saxophone sounds adds the thickness to the texture of the music and adds to its expressive credibility. For example, Money and The Great Gig in the Sky are the songs from the album discussed that display the richest combination of instruments in which saxophone plays a leading role. At the same time, mono-instrumental compositions are also present in Pink Floyd’s legacy. (Whiteley 111) For example, On the Run is the piece of music performed on a synthesizer only with the use of female back-vocals to add to the melody of the song. On the whole, the features discussed above are typical of Pink Floyd’s work at all, not particularly of The Dark Side of the Moon album. Such features as inclination to include electronic sounds in their songs and combine them with vocals, female back-vocals, and jazz motives reflect the essence of the crossover music as well. (Whiteley 114)

Yes

The consideration of the crossover music as the leading musical genre of the 1970s would be far incomplete without mentioning the famous British progressive rock group Yes. Created 1968 by Jon Anderson, vocalist, and Chris Squire, bassist, the group developed into one of the icons of its generation that still keeps its fans around the world aware of the novelties in its creative work. (Yes 2009) As a progressive rock group, Yes introduced certain innovations to the music industry on the whole and crossover music in particular. For example, Yes became the first group to implement harsh contrasts in its music between the classical or even symphonic motives and the purely rock guitar interludes or drums. The first ideas that made Yes a nationwide, and then a worldwide, famous group included their cover versions of the famous hit songs by The Beatles, The Birds, etc. But even with such non-original material, the group acquired thousands of fans by 1970s. (Yes 2009) Finally, the year 1970 saw the release of the first completely original album by the British group. It was called The Yes Album and consisted of only the songs composed and performed by Yes as represented by Bill Bruford, Chris Squire, John Anderson, Steve Howe, and other Yes musicians. (Yes 2009)

As for the typical features that distinguish Yes from all other rock groups of the epoch such ones can be singled out as contrastive musical ideas, unusually extended tracks, the manner of song performance and the peculiar, still unknown, techniques of recording created by Eddie Offord. For example, The Yes Album contains the songs that exceed 20 minuted in lengths and are the combinations of the purely folk music ideas with the coverage carried out in the rock manner. (Yes 2009) The albums that followed, i. e. Fragile, Close to the Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, were also characterized by these features and included instrumental interludes, extended guitar sessions and improvisations created by bass guitars, keyboards or drums. All these features single Yes out of the mass of rock group of 1970s and make them into the icons of crossover music. (Yes 2009)

ELP

Finally, another bright representative of the crossover music of 1970s was the progressive British rock group ELP (used as abbreviation of the names of its members: Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, and Carl Palmer). (ELP 2009) Founded as the venture of the two other British bands, The Nice and King Crimson, ELP has managed to develop into one of the most popular crossover music groups in the world of 1970s. The important detail of the group’s history is the fact that the initial name of it was intended to be HELP in whose abbreviation was included the name of the most famous African American guitar player Jimi Hendricks. (ELP 2009) However, his participation left to be only an intention, and ELP achieved the global fame as a trio. Their first albums that include such masterpieces as Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Pictures at an Exhibition, etc. are characterized by their acquiring the original ELP style, i. e. the combined implementation of classical music, symphonies, etc. with actual hard rock pieces, vocals, and jazz insertions. (ELP 2009)

As for the specific traits of this group and its importance to the whole development of crossover music, ELP has contributed much to the style later called by specialists symphonic rock which displayed features of hard rock, classical music, symphonies, etc. (ELP 2009) The onstage behavior of the group members was also rather expressive and eye-catching as they resorted to aggressive actions, guitar breaking, etc. on stage, which caused a lot of controversy around the group, but nevertheless added to its popularity and helped with promotion. (ELP 2009) Finally, the last album the ELP managed to release on the peak of their popularity was called Love Beach and even the group members admitted that it was lower than their level in respect of quality of music, lyrics, and concept. After this album, ELP was disbanded and united again in 1985, 1992, and even plan to do it in 2009. (ELP 2009)

Conclusions

To make the respective conclusion to this paper, it is necessary to state that crossover music was one of the leading artistic movements in the world of 1970s. Crossover is music that unites several absolutely different styles of music and introduces known works in a new adaptation. Such wonderful musicians like Meredith Monk or Robert Ashley, and such bands like Yes, Pink Floyd, or ELP (an abbreviation form of Emerson, Lake & Palmer) have already made a considerable contribution into the development of crossover music; and some of them still continue to impress the listeners and present more and more captivating works in the sphere of progressive and experimental rock.

Works Cited

ELP. “Welcome Back My Friends…” Official Web Site.

Oteri, Frank. J. “Television.” 2001. A Conversation with Robert Ashley. Web.

Joaquino, Karyn. “Jazz, Rock and Popular Music.” 2000. Meredith Monk: Composer First. Web.

Whiteley, Sheila. “Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon.” The Space between the Notes. Routledge, 1992.

Yes. “Yes World.” 2009. Official Web Site.

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