160071 VO Perspectives on British Rock Music (1964-2001) (2014W)

The local British narrative provides the structure of the course, as we look at the evolution of not only of the various genres and subgenres, but also of the attitudes, language and fashion with which they were associated. While the artists concerned were often at the forefront of sonic innovation, their music was also shaped by Britain’s unique social and political climate, as it negotiated its decline from a world power to an average European state. A chronological framework will provide a starting point from which a number of historical and critical perspectives are then taken. We explore how cultural, social and political phenomena impacted on the sound, the lyrics, the performance styles of the various bands covered, and how recorded music has been appropriated by various social groups, often in unexpected or surprising ways. This will require us to develop a language for talking about (i.e. analysing) popular music and its performance that necessarily differs from the methods usually used for classical music.