A BRIEF HISTORY OF ROCK MUSIC (PART 1)

Brian. S - 1, Aug, 2022

On Feb 7th, 1964, The Beatles arrived at the JFK Airport.

Before landing, overlooking more than 3000 teenagers gathering at airport, only one question came up in four band members’ mind: Are they mates here for protesting?

 Before 1964, the public in America was still unfamiliar with this British rock band which had caused a baffling craze in Britain. Even if since last Oct, American media had trumpeted records sales, band performances and gossips of The Beatles. News Week even created a new word for them: Beatlemania. At this point, British Invasion, which has forever changed rock music and even almost all later music genres,was now beginning.

‘The Beatles’

As following bands like The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Kinks and The Yardbirds landed on America, the public was completely subjugated and one after another became devoted followers under a background in which domestic rock music was almost a blank among history. Record companies in America were badly wondering about it and compromised to sign up British bands , questioning themselves the same time: Where the hell is American rock?

As a matter of fact, it is America where rock was invented. The history of rock music has been volatile and unpredictable as the genre has been constantly evolving itself since its first emergence in the 1940s. And what is rock music? While people would probably describe rock music as rough singing performance accompanied by electric guitars, bass, and drumbeats. Doubtlessly, nobody is willing to arbitrarily apply such a immediate definition to such a well-rounded music genre. Let’s take a closer look at how it could take shape to be what it is today.

‘Little Richard’

Rock’s Infancy (1940s-1960s) Early rock music originated from black music like R&B vogue in 1940s and 1950s, mixed with white music genres like ballad and countryside, morphed into a hybrid music genre aided by electric guitar and a steady drumbeat. First group of teenagers grown up right after War II, without experiencing the engraved scenes their elder generation had gone through on battleground , could no longer endure emptiness the age brought them.

Not surprisingly, some of their anger and boredom were unavoidably translated into form of music. Here pioneering artists of 1950s such as Little Richard and Chuck Berry derived their inspiration from blues, countryside, folk and gospel music to form a new music genre and by that created a performing system for followers to play freely instead of tracing black music and folk from the beginning of century. By contrast of meek pop music, rock’s aggressive attack shocked that conservative age. Unfortunately, the firm energy didn’t last long and soon was substituted by production-line pop rock which lost rock’s original spirit.

The one that bitterly lashed this decadent ambiance were Berry’s followers, most eminently The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. In the 1960s, obviously the lyrical and nostalgic pop rock could no longer express the sound of the age. An outlet for craving of young generation were in a urgent need and that outlet should absolutely be restless and wild.

‘The Rolling Stones’

Kennedy was killed, Martin Luther King led people to demonstrate on streets and even Bob Dylan was sighing ‘ the answer is blowing in the wind’. The band The Rolling Stones broke the chains with their eccentric rhythm&blue, delivering a rebelling and defiant spirit, endowing rock a new concept but courting controversy meanwhile. On behalf of the beginning of Britain Invasion, a revolution for later ages was just on the road.

While playing Lucille by Little Richard from Soundynamic Twinkle Bluetooth speaker , overall I can clearly feel the crisp vocal by Richard, deliberately singing in a hoarse and casual voice. Thanks to Twinkle’s capability to handle punchy bass without compromising its high frequency, this speaker can blindingly perform Richard’s sexy vocal and balance its heavy drumbeat in a harmonious pace, from which it tells classic strong beats belonging to 1960s rock music in several ways including its bassline and slower tempo. To the interlude consisting of drums and horn playing, it’s said the rhythm was inspired by the chugging of a train the band were riding.

I personally love playing Miss You by The Rolling Stones with Twinkle and everything from its main loud hooking guitar line through to potent drumbeats sounds perfect in this speaker. Strong disco beats made me almost get lost in the ambiance especially when Twinkle’s multiple light effects started to glitter in darkness with the rhythm of this song. I guarantee it will be a great pity if you don’t turn on the lights on Twinkle since Miss You was born for dancing accompanied with lights that create dreamlike vibes. Twinkle just fits right with this very genre of music.