Marvin Gaye's Whats Going On

Marvin Gaye started off his career as an upbeat Motown artist and was a major part of the Motown realm.  He drew inspiration from artists such as Nat King Cole and his music had elements of both jazz and gospel.  He produced a number of hits in his early years and for a time he was Motown's top producing artist.  (What's Going On)

Gaye's attitude in his music began to change after fellow singer Tammi Terrel died from a brain tumor.  Not long after the Kent State shootings, Gaye's "What's Going On" was released.  Gaye dramatically changed his music in response to the heightening of the Vietnam war and the U.S. invasion of Cambodia.  "What's Going On" was meant to speak out agains unnecessary wars and violent protests at home.  (What Went On)

Ironically, "What's Going On" did not get released without a fight.  Gaye's producer, Berry Gordy refused to release the single because it didn't fit into Motown and he didn't like the sound of the track.  Marvin Gaye refused to create any more songs until Gordy released the single.  Eventually, because Gaye was so essential to the success of the Motown label, Gordy gave in.  The single became a huge hit almost instantly.  Gaye and his team were hard pressed to finish the rest of the album quickly.  (What's Going On)

Marvin Gaye employed several new techniques when recording tracks for "What's Going On".  Instead of employing a small group for background vocals, Gaye assembled a large chorus for a bigger sound.  He also used two separate mono vocal tracks running at the same time for an interesting doubling effect on his voice.  Gaye also shifted the focus of his lyrics to be about peace, love, and acceptance rather than the usual soul and Motown themes.  (What's Going On)

"What's Going On" is a combination of socially aware music with a fusion of jazz and traditional Motown elements to create a sound that had never been done before.  It was perfect for a time when musicality and popularity could exist on the same side of the music universe.
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The Velvet Underground and Nico

The Velvet Underground is a rock and roll group influenced by free form jazz and avant garde.  At the beginning of their formation they were considered very out of the ordinary, both in the way their music was  written and the way they conducted themselves outside of their performances.  They were not a popular band like the Beatles or the Beach Boys but countless artists will later claim to have been inspired by their music.  (The Southbank Show)

John Cale and Lou Reed, the songwriters for the Velvet Underground, both had a strong background in music creation.  Cale studied composition at Goldsmith College and later studied in the United States under scholarship funds.  He took special interest in modern experimental music and much of his writing was influenced by experimentation.  He played the viola which became a quintessential part of the Velvet Underground's sound.  Reed set his roots in avant garde jazz and poetry.  He studied at Syracuse University and acquired many influences from there as well.  Later he wrote pop and rock songs for Pickwick Records.  (It Began Here)

Andy Warhol played a huge part in the production and marketing of The Velvet Underground.  He reeled them in as a part of his desire to merge the creativity of art, music, and film.  Warhol insisted that the German actress Nico become a part of the band and this later produced classics such as "Femme Fatale".  Warhol's influence went hand in hand with much of the bands success.  For a time, The Velvet Revolver was essentially part of "The Factory" crew.  Warhol was also the chief negotiator for the band and allowed them to land record deals without giving the label control of their style. (The Southbank Show)

The Velvet Underground were vastly different from most bands under a label.  Many contract bound bands make clean cut pop music that is designed to sell the maximum number of units for the label.  This often requires them to sing songs about partying and relationships.  Without these restrictions, The Velvet Underground was able to sing about drugs and other controversial topics while writing their music in an abstract and different style.  The Velvet Underground did not follow the formula to gaining
popularity with their records but attracted many hardcore musicians and artists to their music thus becoming an influence to later bands.  (The Southbank Show)

One can appreciate The Velvet Underground's music much in the same way one can appreciate abstract art for its visual aesthetic.  The bands music is very experimental in nature and this can be a hit or miss genre especially in today's industry.  There will always be a cult following for these types of bands, but the average listener will often find The Velvet Underground's music unpleasing.
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The Beatles‘ Revolver

The Beatles originally wrote in a very straightforward manner.  Their songs were about love and relationships, which was consistent with many of the pop artists in Britain and the U.S. at the time.  When they were first breaking out in the 60’s, they were essentially a mega-star quartet that wrote and preformed their own songs.  They were a group of very interesting and unique characters who didn’t take their popularity too seriously.  (Beatles Anthology)

Around the time “Revolver” was written, LSD and other drugs were becoming more popular.  Particularly when writing music, John would use LSD to fuel his creative process.  This caused the Beatles to dabble in psychedelic music, which was most apparent in songs like “Tomorrow Never Knows”.  Both John and Paul got many of their lyrics from books.  Whenever they were reading and found something that inspired them, they would often find ways to incorporate it into their songs.  (Everything was Right)

The Beatles were very innovative in their methods of creating a unique sound in the studio.  Paul would sometimes record his bass guitar using another guitar cabinet as a microphone.  This created a notably muted and beefy tone that was famous in “Revolver”.  For some their songs, John would record his vocals through the Leslie cabinet intended for the organ.  As the cabinet internals are constantly moving this created an interesting Doppler effect on the vocals.  (Everything was Right)

In “Yellow Submarine” several field recordings and foley samples were used to create the mood for the song.  In “Tomorrow Never Knows” the Beatles used reversed tape samples throughout the song.  At the time this was a very new and inventive effect.  It also added to the psychedelic feel of the song.  (Everything was Right)

“Revolver” seems to hold the overall style the Beatles were originally known for while also reaching out into more experimental styles of music.  While the Beatles wrote countless songs and albums, “Revolver” may have been the one album that transitioned their music into the psychedelic style that dominated the 70’s.  It made good use of new technology and was lyrically deeper than the Beatle’s previous albums. 
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The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds

Initially, The Beach Boys were an upbeat, harmonic quartet that wrote songs about catching a wave or driving fast cars.  Band member Brian Wilson, who wrote, arranged, and produced most of the Beach Boys’ material, was still writing relatively simple arrangements with fewer instruments.  This began to change as Brian matured as a musician and the band became more popular.  (Brian Wilson Podcast)

Brian Wilson was the backbone of the Beach Boys and most of the content they created either came from or went through him.  He also preformed in all of the songs he wrote.  In a sense, Brian was more important to the Beach Boys than John Lennon was to the Beatles.  Of course the strain of writing, performing, producing, and touring with the band would pick away at Brian and caused him to sometimes act sporadically.  Nevertheless, Brian was the heart and soul of the Beach Boys and would remain so throughout the years. (Brian Wilson Podcast)

The album “Pet Sounds” was essentially Brian Wilson’s response to rising competition with the increasingly popular band, “The Beatles”.  After listening to the Beatles’ recent album “Revolver”, he decided he wanted to make an album with just as much impact.  He wanted the songs in the new album to flow well together and reduce the number of filler songs between the hits.  (Brian Wilson Podcast)

“Pet Sounds” was a unique album in many ways.  Brian Wilson began to write in more complex arrangements and layer instruments in a more complex way.  He had spent a good amount of time around Phil Spektor, whose influence can be heard throughout the album.  Phil’s experimental “Wall of Sound” is present in many of the songs and creates a unique feeling to the album.  Brian’s lyrics started to shift from surfing and fun to complicated relationships and almost psychological material.  (The Making of Pet Sounds)

To me, “Pet Sounds” gives the impression of an album that was made for a general audience.  The production choices made and the content of the lyrics live up to the standards of what a pop album should sound like.  Brian filled the arrangements much better than previous albums and created a much larger sound.  It is so big and complex that at times it can almost sound cluttered.  Regardless Brian clearly matured as a musician in the writing of “Pet Sounds” and it is arguably his best album.
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Welcome

My name is Andrew Scott and I am undergoing the Recording Arts Bachelors degree at Full Sail University.  I like several types of music but I mostly listen to rock and electronic.