Psychedelic Rock to Funk: The Evolution of Sound

Psychedelic rock to funk and everything in between- follow the evolution of sound through the decades with this blog.

Psychedelic Rock

Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that became popular in the 1960s. The genre is characterized by a distorted or “trippy” sound, often created by effects pedals. Psychedelic rock began to lose popularity in the 1970s, but experienced a resurgence in the 1990s with the help of bands like The Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead.

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they became widely regarded as the foremost and most influential music band of the rock era.[1][2][3][4] Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop into innovative ways, spawning classics such as “Eleanor Rigby”, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”.

During the band’s early years, Lennon and McCartney were the primary songwriters. As their careers progressed, Harrison and Starr came to be seen as equally important parts of the band. According to critic Craig Schumacher, all four members were excellent musicians who contributed to the band’s success.[5] By 1965, they had become international stars and began to incorporate classical and other influences into their music.[6][7] After the band’s break-up in 1970, all four members pursued successful solo careers.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix was an American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is considered one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. Hendrix’s style combined elements of blues, rock and roll, soul, R&B, and jazz, and his sound was often characterized by feedback and distortion.

Hendrix began playing guitar at an early age, and by the time he was eighteen he had joined forces with bassist Billy Cox and drummer Mitch Mitchell to form The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The band released their debut album Are You Experienced in 1967, which featured hits such as ” Hey Joe,” “Purple Haze,” and “The Wind Cries Mary.” The album catapulted Hendrix to stardom, and he quickly became one of the most iconic figures in rock & roll.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience continued to release successful albums such as Axis: Bold as Love (1967) and Electric Ladyland (1968), but tensions within the band eventually led to its dissolution in 1969. Hendrix subsequently embarked on a solo career, during which he released the albums Rainbow Bridge (1971), War Heroes (1972), and Crash Landing (1975). He tragically died from asphyxia caused by vomit aspiration in 1970 at the age of 27.

Despite his relatively short career, Hendrix is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of all time, and his influence continues to be felt in many different genres of music.

Funk

Funk was a style of music that was popular in the late 60s and 70s. It was a mix of African American music styles such as soul, R&B, and gospel. Funk was a way for African American musicians to express their feelings about the world around them.

James Brown

James Brown is considered one of the most important figures in 20th century popular music. He was a major influence on the development of soul and funk music. Born in Barnwell, South Carolina, on May 3, 1933, Brown was raised in Augusta, Georgia. He began his musical career as a gospel singer in the late 1940s. In the 1950s, he fronted a rhythm and blues band called the Famous Flames. The group had several hit records, including “Please, Please, Please” (1956) and “Try Me” (1958).

In the 1960s, Brown’s sound began to change. He began to incorporate elements of gospel, soul and R&B into his music. This new sound was called “funk.” Funk is a type of danceable music that is characterized by its rhythmic groove. It often has a repetitive bassline and clavinet or guitar licks. Brown’s fusion of gospel and R&B with funk helped to create a new genre of music. His hits from this period include “Cold Sweat” (1967), “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine” (1970) and “Super Bad” (1971).

Brown continued to record and perform throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1986, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He died on Christmas Day in 2006 at the age of 73.

Parliament-Funkadelic

Parliament-Funkadelic (often abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American funk music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic. Their distinctive style drew on science fiction, outlandish fashion, psychedelic culture, and surreal humor; preferring to self-create a world called “The Funk” rather than be pigeonholed by outside definitions and categories. They developed an intricate interplay of concept albums that further explored the themes of alienation and Can You Get to That?inner struggle set forth in their work.

parliamentary procedure: noun
the set of rules, customs, and precedents that govern the meetings of a deliberative assembly