R&B, Power Pop, Punk and “Opera” — The Who in the 1960s
Winter 2021
Professor: Brian Kim Stefans
Email: stefans@humnet.ucla.edu
Time: W 10-10:50
Office Hours: Tuesday 12-2 by appointment.
Introduction
We will listen to and discuss the music of the seminal British pop band The Who, one of the three major British Invasion bands of the 60s along with the Beatles and Rolling Stones. The Who exploded onto the scene with their single "My Generation" which - with its kinetic drumming, percussive bass lines, feedback-ridden guitars and lyrics stating "I hope I die before I get old" - is said to have prefigured 70s punk. But even before then, The Who translated Black American soul and R&B (Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding) for UK pop audiences better than anyone. Later, the band expanded their musical vocabulary to explore humor (often bawdy), avant-garde music (such as "minimalist" synthesizers) and the "rock opera," notably in Tommy. We will use The Who to trace the early history of rock music, asking: how was Black American music appropriated into white pop? what is the link between fashion (in their case "Mod") and music? what political/spiritual content can a pop lyric have? where exactly do "destruction" and "creation" meet in art; and what does the music mean for today?
My Who Website
Class Policies
Your Responsibilities
I will be creating a class blog. Every week, I’d like you to post a few comments relating to the questions I’ve posed below. It would even better if you have an active discussion on the blog, since we will only have an hour of time each week to listen to and talk about the music.
In addition to the questions posed, I’d also like to think about how some of these music techniques have survived to today.
You can use any streaming service you’d like to listen to the entire albums. Many of the tracks that I link to on YouTube are also on Spotify with the exception of the live tracks. Also, I’m sure some of these LPs are also available on YouTube, but of a lesser sound quality.
Also:
- Tell me as soon as you see problems arising — personal, financial, etc. — that you think will hinder your progress in the class. You can write me an email or schedule a one-on-one before or after class to discuss.
- I take attendance every day. More than two absences (or [Zooming] late frequently) affects your grade.
The Classroom
I like to conduct an open discussion. If you are shy about interrupting me or one of the other students, the best way to get my attention is to drop a note in the chat. Please be sure that you have a good audio connection. I’d like you to keep your cameras on since it gives me a sense that you’re there and paying attention.
Grading
Grading is based on your blog comments and class participation. I won’t be grading on grammar, quality of writing, depth of thought or anything — just remind me that you’re keeping up with the music!
Schedule
01: January 6 — Hello, Anarchy
The state of British pop music when the Who first hit. Influence of the Who on punk music.
02: January 13 — American Influences on The British Invasion
The debt of British Invasion bands on American music, particularly Black music. Was something lost in the translation? What differences can you see in the versions of the songs in general? What needs did American music satisfy for the British?
03: January 20 — Avant-Garde Influences: The Art of Noise
The use of non-musical sounds, atonality, indeterminacy and free jazz improvisation on pop music. What sorts of possibilities do these techniques open up for recording and performing artists? Were they successful in incorporating these techniques?
04: January 27 — Expanding Pop Song Structure and Lyrics
Pete Townshend grows weary of the typical single. What is a typical pop song structure? What do we make of this new turn in Townshend’s lyrics?
05: February 3 — Concept Albums and The Who Sell Out
The use of the studio to create new sonic environments. The idea that an LP is not just a string of songs but contributes to a unified “concept.”
- Listen to The Who Sell Out on Spotify.
- Listen to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on Spotify.
06: February 10 — Mini-Opera — “A Quick One” and “Real 1”
Townshend begins to experiment with linking shorter songs into large wholes. What kind of experience does this provide? Are actual stories able to be told in this manner?
07: February 17 — Tommy: the Story
The first “rock opera,” Tommy. What are we able to make of the story? Does it work as a narrative? What is Townshend, who had recently become interested in the Meher Baba, trying to say?
- Listen to Tommy on Spotify.
08: February 24 — Tommy, the Music
Tommy as a live show. Does it translate well? What happens when the music leaves the studio? How does what Townshend is trying to say about the powers of music and pop gurus conveyed in the live set?
09: March 3 — Minimalism, Lifehouse and Who’s Next
Townshend introduces a new use of synthesizers into pop music while trying to write another pop opera. What sort of opportunities does this open up? Are the virtues of Minimalist music preserved in their pop context?
10: March 10 — Contemporaries
For this class, I’d like you all to send out links to the rest of the class of a few pieces of music, pop or otherwise, that somehow show the influence of the Who.
