Bringing Theater to Music: Innovations and Evolutions
Music throughout history can, for the most part, be categorized into different decades. When one thinks of 20's music, they might think of swing or jazz. When one thinks of music from the 70's, they might think of Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Rush, and ultimately, classic rock. When one thinks of music from the 80's, they might think the same: classic rock. But I personally think the 70's, the 80's, and even the early 90's had a subcategory of classic rock: theatric classic rock.
The main difference between music prior to the 70's and theatric classic rock of the 70's and 80's lies within how the music itself was produced. Digital recording became more widely used and MIDI, or Musical Instrument Digital Interface, was introduced. MIDI essentially allows instruments to communicate and synchronize with each other. Because of this, many records released in these years are incredibly theatric (National Museums Liverpool).
Take a look at "Silent Lucidity" by Queensrÿche, which was produced in America and released in the year 1990 off of their album Empire. "Silent Lucidity" is considered to be one of the best rock songs of all time, as it is ranked at #21 on VH1's list of Greatest Power Ballads (Wikipedia).
Another example of songs that have heavy theatric influences is "Octopus' Garden" by The Beatles. Produced in London and released in September of 1969 off of the album Abbey Road, there are lots of sections in the song where one can hear the MIDI and synthesizer use, such as during the bridge. Also during the bridge, there are sounds that are similar to bubbles that can be heard.
With these examples, it is clear that music that was released between the 70's and 90's was not intended to just be listened to. Its intent was to be experienced, and for many artists, including Queensrÿche and The Beatles, that goal was easily achieved. Without a doubt, theatric classic rock from this period is very interesting to listen to, and it is personally one of my favorite genres of music.
"The 1980s and New Recording Techniques." National Museums Liverpool. National Museums Liverpool, 2021. Web. 21 June 2021.
"Silent Lucidity." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 01 June 2021. Web. 21 June 2021.
"Octopus's Garden." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 June 2021. Web. 21 June 2021.
When you say theatric rock what do you mean? Is it sort of like the singers back in the 50's the style of the singing is theatrical? This is an interesting take! Makes me wonder.
ReplyDeleteGreat post this week! I really do hear what you mean about the music creating an entire listening experience. I think it's interesting how there is a distinct shift in the characteristics of popular music when digital recording became widely used. It seems like the artists and producers had a lot of fun playing around with the new tech. Of course, compared to today's standards, adding effects and sounds like bubbles to a track is relatively rudimentary, but it's fascinating to me how this was really pushing the envelope at the time.
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