Era of Rock Politics

Listen To
Bob Dylan

Listen to Playa
Cofi Jukebox

'The Doors'
Sending a Message to a Generation

The Doors - Five To One

RM Radio
Coming Soon

The 1960s - The Era of Rock Politics

In the 1960s Pop music became as one with domestic, and even international, politics.

While much of the most Popular music of this time in the West came out of Britain - we

shall look more closely at the United States - for the US turned out to be the engine of

massive social change in this era. At this time the US was the center of the world,

militarily and economically, and even in terms of social culture. It is this which makes a

focus on the United States most relevant.

The Dominant Culture of the Early 1960s

In the early 1960s the dominant political culture in the West

had settled back to being largely conservative, after the

upheavals of the Rock n Roll era. Nevertheless R n R had

energised a whole youth generation and given it something to

celebrate. But mainstream Pop at this time was not the Pop of

'protest' - protest in music was still centered around Folk

music and a Folk culture largely dominated by Bob Dylan.

But there was massive domestic change coming and many

casual factors driving it.

Let's Look At The Domestic Situation In The West (The US) And The

Role Of Music In The Lead Up To 1968 - The True Political Watershed

Year Of The 1960s And Perhaps The Whole 20th Century

In the early 1960s, there existed in the West generally and most specifically in the US

a time of booming economies. There was high living standards, booming capitalism,

and virtually full employment in the First World – but not in the Third World of course,

as always it continued to stagnate and suffer.

Apart from prosperity, the 1960s was above all a time of education expansion, and later

in the 60s such education fanned by other influences led to a time of internal

questioning by an entire youth generation – a time of growing social rebellion brought

on by the Cold War and other influences. While there was much prosperity in the West,

the future was nevertheless threatened by the Soviet Union and Cold War power

machinations, and the US attitude to the Soviet Union. The US hard-line position scared

the hell out of the people both in the East and in the West – due to Cuba, the Bay of

Pigs, the Missile crisis, the 'Arms Race', 'Roll Back' , the Berlin Wall, and many

other developments.

However, you can argue that mainstream Western popular culture generally remained

conservative at least up until the mid 1960s and free of dominant challenges – and this

was reflected in mainstream Popular Music, or perhaps did because such Pop as

was around then was influenced by such conservatism.

So what did happen to the social radicalism or Rock n Roll by 1960?

As we know it had been turned to Schlock Rock. Click below to find out more about

the rise of Schlock Rock and the Death of Rock n Roll.

Go To Schlock And Death Of Rock N Roll

Schlock & Death Of Rock n Roll

By the early 1960s, US Rock & Roll had become what is known as, or at least what

Garofolo calls it, Schlock Rock – a drab sanitized big business 'rip off' of the Rock n

Roll phenomenon that had swept the West in the late 1950s. So in this sense Pop music

was not reflecting a growing radicalism in US culture. Folk music was reflecting this

radicalism.

Such radicalism was in the form of the growing Civil Rights movement, the early 'Ban

the Bomb' movement which later morphed into the Peace Movement, fed by the onset

of the Vietnam War (and the obvious hopelessness of that war), a growing Black Rights

movement and others.

So mainstream popular culture in the early 60s still remained somewhat conservative.

So what had happened? What ever radicalism there was in early Rock n Roll culture

was destroyed by Schlock, and the Government and industry fight back.

US Government Backed PAYOLA Scandal

Burning of Beatles Records

Pat Boone - Master of Schlock

In the early 1960s, Folk was the bearer of protest about the politics of the time and as

such there was the growth of a politicised subculture expressed in Folk. As one expert

noted: 'Bob Dylan was the not-so slick superstar of urban folk music during the early

1960s. His albums and concert appearances were made up mostly of original songs.

Several of these went onto become hits, notably `Blowing in the wind’. Joan Baez had

grown popular slightly earlier than Dylan, and throughout the Folk movement she was

his strong female counterpart.' (Sources)

While Folk was the carrier and focal point of protest messages, it is important to

remember that such radicals of protest were opposed to Rock and its variants. In fact

many political radicals in the early 1960s embraced not only Guthrie-style Folk but

also 'Trad Jazz' and they hated Rock, to such an extent that many scorned Bob Dylan

when he switched to electric music in 1965, as they believed he was selling out to the

system.

But Then Came The Revolution In Pop

But then after 1964 came quite a revolution in Popular Music as it can be argued that

much of mainstream Popular Music itself at that time became politicised as it

paralleled and in some cases fed the emergence of the great 1960s youth counterculture

in the West. This new culture challenged the status quo and demanded a completely

new political and social order. In other words the radicalism in Folk and even Jazz

crossed over and began to emerge in Pop.

The Champions Of This Were Bob Dylan, The Beatles And

More Specifically John Lennon

Bob Dylan, the Beatles and John Lennon in particular were the champions of this

process which saw a transformation of music from Rock n Roll to Rock and then

ultimately the emergence of a politicised form of 'Progressive Rock'.

In early 1964, the US youth culture was ready for change. The great US dream and

'great society' myth was collapsing. President Kennedy, the 'King of Camelot' had

been murdered. The world was on the brink of war. The US was involved in a

disastrous war in Vietnam and the US popular culture was in deep depression. But then

came the Beatles who spearheaded the British rock invasion of America (reintroducing

the vitality of the Blues back into US white mainstream).

The excitement and the breath of fresh air embodied in the Beatles, captured the

imagination of the American youth, giving them joy, fun and hope. And the US youth

political culture was ready to embrace such change. But Bob Dylan was also ready for

change and embraced this new wave of 'innovative' music.

Bob Dylan

John Lennon

Bob Dylan, an admirer of the Beatles, thus 'changed over' and embraced Pop music

- but a new type - an inspired politicised Pop music that actually said something about

the world. It has been called 'the great crossover'.

The other side of the coin, however, was John Lennon. A political radical himself, he

was inspired by Dylan and now also began to have his music actually say something to

the mass audience.

In a nutshell, in a very short time Pop was politicized the world over led by John

Lennon and Bob Dylan. Dylan electrified to reach a mass audience, while the Beatles,

led by Lennon 'went Folk', and Folk Rock was thus born.

From then on the world of Pop music changed for ever. So many bands began to

produce music that actually said something about their world - about their lives,

about everything - and so many wanted change. As such, a whole student generation

in America, heavily influenced by Pop music, was soon also politicised and the

counterculture, fed by and also inspired in its own way, saw politicized Pop Music,

sweep the US and the rest of the West.

The Onset Of Progressive Rock - The Impact Of The Beatles

The Beatles - On Ed Sullivan Show

To quote one author: 'In a few short months around late 1963 and early 1964 an event

occurred which would impact upon all American popular culture, including the

recording industry, the style of popular music, clothing styles, and even the acceptable

length of male hair: America discovered The Beatles. The immediate and universal

success of records by this British group on the Capitol Label (by then a subsidiary of

the British EMI corporation) amounted to nothing less than a revolution in music and

public taste. `Folk’ per se, was out, and ‘Rock’ - just Rock now, not Rock n Roll was

in. Throughout the rest of the decade The Beatles would be stylistic leaders. Although

they did not break up until 1970, the age of “Beatlemania” is considered to have

spanned the years 1963-1968. During that period the Beatles records grossed over

$150 million worldwide. Their most influential album and perhaps their greatest

masterpiece was Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967).' (sources)

The new trend in Rock in Britain and the US in the 1960s, came to be known as

‘Progressive Rock’. And this new form or emergent form of RnR embraced lyrics

ranging from social protest, to love and explicit sex.

George Harrison and Indian Sita

Hari Krishnas

The Who

See Progressive

Rock

It also referred to drugs and obscure philosophies, particularly Eastern. Electric

instruments along with increased amplification were embraced. Creativity in song

writing burst forth with songwriting becoming the major occupation of the bands and

singers themselves. Soon Rock - 'Progressive Rock' was becoming a major new art

form in itself, particularly with a greater emphasis being on the performance and

themes in music.

Overall In The 1960s

From the early 1960s a wide spectrum of styles in 'Rock' evolved rendering the genre

more an umbrella label for many different forms or variants of creative music, much of

it challenging the status quo. Such styles ranged from 'Soft Rock' and 'Folk Rock' to

‘Psychedelic’, 'Hard Rock' and 'Acid Rock' (musically related to the later ‘Heavy Metal’

style). A greater emphasis was also placed on recording more youthful acts. Moreover,

accompanying these developments, many new acts began to form in cities more

tolerant of increasingly unconventional lifestyles associated with the development of

these newer musical forms.

The Backlash - The US Industry’s Answer To The British Invasion

And The Success Of The Beatles

Just like the conservative US music industry's reaction and backlash to the emergence

of Rock n Roll in the late 1950s, which was out of its control, the same industry soon

moved to combat the 'British Rock' invasion, and the emergence of the newer free

spirited forms of music, which again it could not control nor channel in more

conservative and less threatening directions. Again, the favoured strategy was to try and

produce 'Schlock Rock' clones to try and dilute the fan base of these British bands and

the more controversial newly emerging US bands.

The Monkees - Daydream Believer

And one

classic

example was

the industry's

formation of

'The Monkees'.

Another was

'The Archies'.

The Archies - Sugar, Sugar

But they failed!!

This 'Industry' manufactured music could never really displace the truth and originality

of Progressive Rock in these turbulent and politically volatile times. And Even the

Monkees eventually rebelled and turned to producing their own 'underground' music.

Such was the momentum of 'Rock' during the sixties, in the burgeoning recording

business the main product emphasis shifted from singles to eventually themed albums.

Independent producers with Rock as their main staple soon snared market share away

from the major labels with their artistic talents and ability to discover and 'develop'

new ‘underground’ talent. As a result, independent producers became tops of the

industry and soon became responsible for an estimated 80% of the Rock records

released during that decade. Nashville was also soon booming as a music capital and

Motown, the flag bearer of Black music, became a massive enterprise.

Nashville and Motown

Rock was by no means the only style which flourished during this time. The 1960s also

witnessed the emergence of Country and Black Music styles, which had matured

enough to the extent they became capable of competing on the pop charts as well as in

their own, more specialized markets. Thus the 'Nashville Sound' emerged, after the city

where much of these recordings were made, as well as the 'Motown Sound', and these

soon became their own styles.

As one commentator noted, 'By blending just the right proportions of traditional

Country and Western melodic styles with newer Rock beats and contemporary

instrumental combinations, recording artists in Nashville - and to a degree Memphis -

opened a new chapter in the field of Country Music. Writer performers like Hank

Cochran and Willy Nelson (Touch Me) and Bobby Russell (Little Green Apples)

typified recording in Nashville. This music drew so much attention and gained such an

increased market share that before the end of the decade several major labels had

established offices or even complete studios in Nashville.'

Some Of The Political Consequences

There were some amazing political and social consequences due to the development of

this music phenomena in the United States.

Women's Empowerment

One major consequence was the empowerment of women. Early Rock n Roll featured

mainly male singers, women were usually relegated to `girl’ groups. While Folk

Artist Joan Baez blazed a path for female singers, in the course of the 1960s and 1970s,

the evolution of Rock also saw women artists proliferate across the board. Female

singers were soon heading up several prominent rock bands - such as Stevie Nicks with

Fleetwood Mac. But there was also the rise of many female soloists, such as Janis

Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Helen Reddy, Carly Simon, and others. All became giants in

the Rock, Soul, and Pop Fields. In the 1970s this trend peaked 'with the music of singer

songwriter Carole King, whose Album Tapestry (1971) sold over 13 million copies by

the end of 1975, making it the biggest selling album up to that time.' The Women’s

time had come.

Grace Slick

Carly Simon

Stevie Nicks

Janis Joplin - Cry Baby

Carole King - It's Too Late

Cher

Helen Reddy

Aretha Franklin

Black Empowerment

How could we also forget Motown and the

whole development of Progressive Rock

which together also gave rise to, and fed, the

empowerment of a whole (and succeeding)

generation of Black Americans.

Display of Black Power on the Olympic Podium

And Finally There Was The 'Counterculture'

Finally, there was the onset of the 'Counterculture' with the Hippie movement and

alternative lifestyles joining forces with the Peace Movement. A new culture formed

around different philosophies of life, psychedelic drugs, sexuality and love. It was a

convergence of Rock with the consciousness of Folk, it rejected capitalist values and

sought a freedom of expression, and life in general, and it pursued change by peaceful

means (at first). It sought to 'make love - not war'. Progressive Rock proved its anthem

and as such - strands of Pop became the counterculture's medium and mouthpiece.

But what produced what? Did 'Prog Rock' produce the counterculture, or was it the

other way around? Either way - the Counterculture found its zenith during the Summer

of Love - a period bracketed by three major Pop concerts - Monteray, Woodstock and

Altamont before its slow self destruction marked by disillusionment, violence and the

Manson murders.

Hippies

Charles Manson

Go To

The Counterculture

The Counterculture

But there was one more important consequence of the onset of this

movement and the culture it produced.

This was 'The Death of Tin Pan Alley'. It is claimed Bob Dylan's conversion to Rock

had much to do with this. And the following words of one observer should be noted.

You make up your own mind.

'I think Dylan’s primary contribution to popular music was that he showed vividly that

pop, with a few modifications, could become a vehicle for self-exploration and self-

expression. This was ‘Shakespearean’ in its import. From Dylan onwards, pop song-

writers began to explore the ‘human condition’ in a way that went beyond blues

because the lives of young white people were so different from those of poor, rural

blacks who explored ‘the human condition’ through recorded song, and went also

beyond the exploration offered by Folk music (although Folk was variously

incorporated into pop - notably as ‘Folk Rock’; or heavily borrowed from - in lyrical

structures). This, effectively, put an end to the ‘production line’ approach to song-

writing that had flourished up until then - partly in imitation of, and partly in

collaboration with, the Hollywood studio system that was also in decline in this time.

Even so, Dylan was signed to CBS and, as the Civil Rights Movement gave way to the

Anti-Vietnam War Movement, the new Rock acts that flourished in this time all signed

deals with capitalist companies. This isn’t a naïve, blanket condemnation (the stuff of

the ‘authentic’ versus ‘inauthentic’ conflict in pop debates) but more a recognition that

you can’t have pop without industry. The new ‘Rock’ cross-fertilised Black and White

musics; blues riffs and Dylanesque lyrics to create a powerful sound-track for radical

times - but we shouldn’t confuse symptom for disease. Rock wasn’t political (certainly

not in any programmatic sense) it just made people feel good, and feel powerful, but

that, alone, is quite profoundly political in its own right. Even so, as the political

movements began to subside, for their own complex reasons, ‘Rock as Revolution’ was

exposed as being pretty empty.' (sources)

A Beautiful World Emergeth? - Heading Towards 1968

All in all, however, the 1960s saw the emergence of a fascinating three year period in

youth political culture, which as we noted was bracketed/signposted by three major

Rock festivals. The period began with Monteray. Then it saw its high point in the

'Summer Of Love' with Woodstock in 1968, wherein it can be argued that mainstream

Pop by that stage had become politicised, was leading a youth politicization and then

form of revolution never ever before seen - a transnational revolution which challenged

nearly all facets of the status quo in the West. But what would it all lead to? A brave

new world of love and understanding - or something else? As it turned it, it did lead to

something else, with this period reaching its tragic end both symbolically and in reality

with the disastrous Rock festival known as Altamont.