Pop Genres
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Genres
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Artists
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Description
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Link
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1950s - 60s
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Blues
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B.B. King
Chuck Berry
John Lee Hooker
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Blues is
characterised by 12 bar blues chords, walking basslines, brass sections and
the electric guitar.
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Ballads
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The Penguins
Nat King Cole
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Ballads have lyrics
about love, simple 4 chord progressions and were popular in the post- World
War II youth culture. Think ‘Back To The Future’ (which is the example I’ve
included).
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R&B
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The Chords
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In its original
sense, R&B is a term used by record companies at a time when “urbane,
rocking, jazz based music with a heavy, insistent beat” was becoming more
popular.
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Skiffle
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Lonnie Donnegan
The Quarrymen
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Skiffle made use of
homemade instruments (e.g. washboards and tea-chest bass) and was upbeat,
cheap, fun and silly.
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As an added bonus,
here’s a 14 year old Jimmy Page playing Skiffle:
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1960s - 70s
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Merseybeat
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The Beatles
Gerry and the
Pacemakers
The Searchers
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Named after the
river Mersey in Liverpool, the genre is a pop and rock music genre developed
in major English cities out of the declining skiffle scene.
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Motown
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The Supremes
Marvin Gaye
The Jackson 5
Stevie Wonder
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Motown is an
African-American owned record label that was hugely successful in the 1960s
especially.
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California Sound
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The Beach Boys
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Representative of
sunny teenage life for Californian teenagers in the 1960s.
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Folk Rock
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The Byrds
Bob Dylan
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In the simplest
sense, it’s a hybrid of folk and rock music that arose in the USA and the UK
in the 1960s.
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Prog Rock
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Pink Floyd
Jethro Tull
King Crimson
Genesis
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Prog experimented
with structure, instrumentation, harmony, rhythm and lyrical content. Long
songs, exploration of complex time signatures. Used electronic effects and
synthesisers. The invention of the concept album, eccentric visual live shows
and album artwork that wasn’t just a photo of the band (famous artists like
Roger Dean and Hipgnosis).
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Psychedelia
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Pink Floyd
Cream
Jimi Hendrix
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Psychedelia covers
many genres of music influenced by the culture of mind-altering psychedelic
drugs. The genre influenced rock, pop, folk and soul.
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You can’t pick just
one Hendrix song so here’s a playlist:
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Reggae
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Bob Marley
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Reggae originated
in Jamaica in the late 1960s. Usually characterised by slower tempo, offbeat
rhythms and a bass-heavy sound.
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1970s – 80s
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Disco
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The Bee Gees
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Disco contains
elements of funk, soul, pop, salsa and psychedelia. Has a “four-on-the-flour”
beat. The Fender Jazz Bass is associated with disco bass lines. Most disco tracks
have strings, horns, electric pianos and guitars to make a thick background
sound.
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Country Rock/Southern
Rock
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The Eagles
Lynyrd Skynyrd
The Allman Brothers
Band
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Two similar subgenres
of music developed in the Sothern United States from rock, country and blues.
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Hard Rock
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Led Zeppelin
Queen
AC/DC
Kiss
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Hard rock is a
loosely defined rock subgenre that typically has more aggressive vocals and
distorted guitars.
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Glam Rock
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David Bowie
T. Rex
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Glam Rock developed
in the UK in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore
outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and
glitter.
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Heavy Metal
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Black Sabbath
Dio
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Motorhead
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Traditional heavy
metal is how it was before it evolved into the many different subgenres we
know today. I personally believe that Black Sabbath created the genre. Heavy
metal has a thick sound with distorted guitars and dark and depressing
lyrical themes.
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Punk
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Sex Pistols
The Clash
The Ramones
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Punk has short or
fast-paced songs, hard-edged melodies and vocals with anti-establishment
lyrics. The associated punk subculture is very easily recognised in terms of
its clothing like offensive t-shirts and spiked jewellery.
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1980s – 90s
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Pop
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Rick Astley
Madonna
Michael Jackson
Prince
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Pop in the 1980s
was broadcast on MTV and artists like Michael Jackson became superstars.
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Here’s a link to
Beat It by Michael Jackson:
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Glam Metal
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Bon Jovi
Def Leppard
Motley Crue
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Glam metal, also
known as hair metal, combines elements of rock and metal with the aesthetic
of 1970s glam rock.
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Thrash Metal
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Metallica
Slayer
Anthrax
Megadeth
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Thrash metal is one
of the main subgenres of metal music characterised by the ‘Big Four’ bands on
the left. Thrash has a fast tempo and shredding-style lead guitar work.
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Guitar Virtuosi
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Eddie Van Halen
Joe Satriani
Steve Vai
Yngwie Malmsteen
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Many guitarists
emerged that achieved international recognition for their skills.
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Hip Hop
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Run D.M.C.
Beastie Boys
N.W.A.
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Hip hop commonly
accompanies rapping and the subculture is defined by rapping, scratching,
break dancing and writing graffiti.
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Synthpop
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Depeche Mode
Ultravox
Gary Numan
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Synthpop is a style
of 1980s pop that features synthesiser as the main musical instrument as well
as using drum machines and tape loops.
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New Romantics
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Adam and the Ants
Culture Club
Spandau Ballet
Duran Duran
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New Romanticism can
be seen as a reaction to punk and began in London and Birmingham nightclubs.
It was based on flamboyant fashion and new wave music.
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1990s – 00s
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Alternative Rock
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Rage Against The
Machine
Foo Fighters
Red Hot Chilli
Peppers
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Alternative rock
refers to bands that broke away from the mainstream rock sound. With the
development of grunge and Britpop, many alternative rock bands became
commercially successful.
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Grunge
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Nirvana
Pearl Jam
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Inspired by punk
and heavy metal, grunge is usually characterised by heavily distorted
guitars, contrasting dynamics, “growling” vocals and angst-filled lyrics.
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Ska Punk
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Sublime
No Doubt
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Ska punk is a fusion
genre combining ska and punk. It features faster tempos, distorted guitars,
punk rock style interludes and punk-style vocals.
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Punk Rock
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Green Day
The Offspring
Blink-182
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The 90s saw a punk
rock revival with bands like Green Day having enormous mainstream success
(much to the dislike of some of their original fans). This revival paved the
way for pop punk.
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Boy Bands
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Backstreet Boys
Nsync
Westlife
Take That |
Boy bands are vocal
groups of young male singers that tend not to play musical instruments.
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Girl Group
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TLC
Destiny’s Child
The Pussycat Dolls
Spice Girls
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Where there were
boy bands there were girl groups. Female vocal groups also had hugely
successful pop songs.
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Electronic Music
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The Prodigy
Daft Punk
Fatboy Slim
Moby
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The growth of
computers and the reduction in cost of electronic equipment allowed for more
people to produce electronic music.
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Britpop
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Oasis
Blur
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Britpop arose as a
rejection of American songs in preference of songs specifically about the
experiences of British youth.
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Nu Metal
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Korn
Limp Bizkit
Slipknot
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Nu metal is a
subgenre of metal that combines grunge and hip hop. The genre continued to
flourish in the 2000s.
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Hip Hop
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Tupac
Jay Z
Dr. Dre
Snoop Dogg
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Gangsta rap emerged
in the 1990s which is a subgenre of hip hop focusing on the “gangsta”
lifestyle.
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2000s – 10s
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Pop Punk
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Sum 41
Simple Plan
Paramore
Fall Out Boy
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Pop punk, as the
name suggests, is a fusion of pop and punk which grew and thrived in
California.
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bonus video:
bonus bonus video:
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Emo
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My Chemical Romance
Panic! at the Disco
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Emo is arguably not
a genre but I included it because of its controversy and because bands like
My Chemical Romance who were labelled emo despite denying it themselves were
hugely successful and influential in the 00s.
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Indie Rock
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Arctic Monkeys
Franz Ferdinand
Kaiser Chiefs
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Indie Rock wasn’t
new to the 00s but the internet facilitated bands like the Arctic Monkeys in
topping the charts with their debut single “I Bet You Look Good On The
Dancefloor”.
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Nu Metal
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Linkin Park
Papa Roach
System of a Down
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Increased interest
in Nu Metal spawned a wave of bands in the 00s that brought the genre into
the mainstream.
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Hip Hop
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Eminem
Kanye West
OutKast
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Hip hop dominated
the 00s. Eminem achieved absolutely massive success being a white rapper that
remained relevant by being controversial. He was named the best Artist of the
decade, joining Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Elton John, Michael Jackson and
Mariah Carey on the list.
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Friday 13 February 2015
Unit 30 Pop Genres
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