The History of Acid Rock (jazz, player, artists, 70's)
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... I'd also mention "Eight Miles High" by the Byrds as a landmark early acid rock tune, due to the Coltrane influenced guitars and otherworldly lyrics...
MplsTodd, with "Eight Miles High" and early acid rock, how was Coltrane's influence heard? Were the guitar chords, focus of the songs, and/or sound different from "regular" rock?
MplsTodd, with "Eight Miles High" and early acid rock, how was Coltrane's influence heard? Were the guitar chords, focus of the songs, and/or sound different from "regular" rock?
Jim McGuinn of The Byrds was into Coltrane's Jazz sound and what he tried to do was to channel Coltrane's frenetic sax playing sounds with a guitar. When you listen to the song, just note how the chords seem to go all over the place, but are still held together by the song's overriding melody and main riffs.
That's the best explanation I can give as I'm certainly no musician myself! Basically, I've read many interviews that McGuinn gave, and he often cites Coltrane as a big influence. McGuinn is also interesting in that he's quoted as saying he settled on his singing voice by aiming for one-part Bob Dylan and one-part John Lennon.
Eastern philosophy influenced the musicians and the music of the period, Gurus , transendental meditation, sitars neru shirts, oneness with the universe. Also the switch from the 8 note western musical scale to the eastern 5 note scale (Pentatonic). With out being too esoteric, the 8 note scale has 1 tonic, the Pentatonic scale has 5 tonics. This gives the musician a lot more freedom to improvise because all the notes in the Pentatonic are equal to one another. Coltrane's later music (post hard bop)used this scale. The laws governing a musical system, or lack there of , has a large impact upon the musician practicing it. Pentatonics are associated with Nature, Indigenous people, Spirituality,Equality,and Freedom
... Jim McGuinn of The Byrds was into Coltrane's Jazz sound and what he tried to do was to channel Coltrane's frenetic sax playing sounds with a guitar. When you listen to the song, just note how the chords seem to go all over the place, but are still held together by the song's overriding melody and main riffs...
::stands up clapping enthusiastically::: broad grin::: Mpls Todd, I gotta say your explanation of how McGuinn was using Coltrane's sound was fantastic! Best words ever to describe sound and it's process in the head/fingers of a musician of another instrument... and thanks too for the true history of the influence! :::shakes head in admiration :: fabulous way to convey the abstract! Hats off Brother! ... bows
Eastern philosophy influenced the musicians and the music of the period, Gurus , transendental meditation, sitars neru shirts, oneness with the universe. Also the switch from the 8 note western musical scale to the eastern 5 note scale (Pentatonic). ... Pentatonics are associated with Nature, Indigenous people, Spirituality,Equality,and Freedom
::: grins widely::: AHhhh Thriftylefty! Those images and powerful words: Spirituality, Equality, and Freedom! how wonderful to remember that the music was such a language of hope and inspiration! Your comment was excellent teaching!
::bends into a bow::: raises to ask:: might you come across in your musical travels a snippet or tidbit that would convey the pentatonic experience to the ears of us students? T'would appreciate an example, Sir! (not necessarily for my benefit, for I understand what you say but I know those like Ms. Cellie, do not.)
Thank you for your time and patience :-) ::bows:::
Jim McGuinn of The Byrds was into Coltrane's Jazz sound and what he tried to do was to channel Coltrane's frenetic sax playing sounds with a guitar. When you listen to the song, just note how the chords seem to go all over the place, but are still held together by the song's overriding melody and main riffs... and he often cites Coltrane as a big influence...
MplsTodd, this is very informative! In an attempt to understand, I listened to Coltrane then The Byrds. I could hear exactly what you meant! I heard Coltrane's frenetic saxophone playing then I listened to The Byrds. Jim McGuinn's guitar playing was free flowing and it's the vocals/melody that holds everything together.
Thank you so much--that really helped me understand an aspect of the role jazz played in early acid rock.
IMO, I have always felt the psychedelic movement has been taking bits and pieces of music from centuries back from other music and also other cultures. A couple examples might be Native American tribal chanting,extended drum solos, the use of the sitar, adding sound effects etc.
My fractured historical comments (from what I remember from them!!):
Many of the bands of the day (the ones that were around pre-68), their roots of their groups were in other forms of non electric music.
for example:
The Greatful Dead - Blue Grass & R&B
Jefferson Airplane, Byrds - Folk
Pink Floyd, Hendrix - Blues
Fleetwood Mac, Cream, Yardbirds - Blues
Big Brother - R&B Blues & Traditional Folk
Frank Zappa - R&B, Jazz, Classical
Santana (although a bit latter) - latin, rock R&B
Taking those styles and adding a wall of Marshall & Vox amps created a whole new sound.
At the same time they were hearing artists like Coltrane, Moondog and other avente guard jazz and classical composers and their expermentatial compositions that were being played.
By 1966 a few "underground" radio stations appeared on the FM dial, a place of little importance to commercial radio, other then a few classical, some foreign language programs and jazz stations.
Free-form radio, was not like todays well planned out playlist, the DJ would play what he felt like playing, fading from one track to another, without a break in between. Folk, Jazz, Classical, Spoken Word, what ever he thought fit, he would play. (KMPX in San Francisco was one of the first succesful underground stations in the US). By 1968 their were thousands of stations all trying the "format". Many were on college campus's but every major city had one of their own. San Diego had KPRI. Detroit had WABX & WXYZ-FM.
By the early 70's most had sold out (or were sold) to be more like their AM counterparts, a hits/playlist based station, with little or no DJ input. While expermental music remained, it had lost its playing field.
So (to me) it was both the artist and the medium that made it what it was
Last edited by plannine; 02-02-2009 at 12:48 PM..
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