Chapter 12
What is Art Rock?
 The combination of rock and roll and classical music (aka
“classical rock”)
The 6 typical approaches to bring together classical elements
and rock elements:
1) Quote a classical excerpt in the midst of a rock song
2) Use a classical melody as the basis of a rock song
3) Create a series of rock songs conceived as units in a larger
form
4) Adapt a full classical work to a rock-style performance
5) Create a work for rock group and classical ensemble
6) Using the musical language of rock, create an extended
work modeled after a classical form
The Moody Blues
 A blues-based band formed around 1964
 Mid-1968: released Days of Future Passed (#3)
 “Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)” (#24)
 “Nights in White Satin” (#2 during reissue in 1972)
 Recorded with London Symphony Orchestra
 Was a concept album
 No simultaneous interaction between orchestra and band
 No real blending of rock and classical (classical parts were
transitions between songs)
 Other albums: A Question of Balance (#3 in 1970), Every Good
Boy Deserves Favour (#2 in 1971), Seventh Sojourn (#1 in 1972),
and Long Distance Voyager (#1 in 1981)
Deep Purple
 British invasion band whose hard rock style will eventually
be called “heavy metal”
 1968- founded by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore
 1st single: “Hush” (#4)
 Sept. 1969- performed “Concerto for Group and Orchestra”
with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
 In 3 movements (fast-slow-fast)
 Deep Purple maintains the hard rock sound throughout
 The 3rd movement is where the styles mesh together
 1970- Gemini Suite was written for another rock group and
orchestra
 6-movements, each centered around a different soloist
 Closer interactions between soloist and orchestra
 Deep Purple’s biggest hit: “Smoke on the Water” (#4 in 1973)
 They disbanded in 1976
Procol Harum
 A blues-based band from London originally known as
the Paramounts in 1962
 Their first single: “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (1967)
 Their highest ranking album and only gold album was
Live in Concert with the Edmonton Symphony
Orchestra (#5 in 1972)
 “In Held ‘Twas In I” (19 minutes long)

A journey from self-pity and depression through madness and
an exalted reaffirmation of faith
Rock Operas & Theatrical Works
 Opera- a play in which most or all dialogue is spoken
 the theatrical aspect includes acting, costuming, and
scenery
 Generally a classical form but can be in any style
 Musical theater- a concert presentation with specific
characters and a developing story line
 1967- Hair! – a Broadway “rock musical” (soft rock)
 Celebrated the new Aquarian Age and revolutionary
freedom
 “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” by Fifth Dimension
(#1 in 1969)
The Who
 London in Late 1950s- Originally called the Detours,
followed by the High Numbers
 Adopted a “mod” image with flashy new clothes
 Members:
 Pete Townshend (1945)
 John Entwistle (1946)
 Roger Daltry (1944)
 Keith Moon (1947-1978)
The Who (Cont)
 Gained popularity in England in 1965-1966
 “My Generation” – stuttering vocals enunciated a
rebellious teenage theme
 Debut album: The Who Sing My Generation (1966)
 “The Kids Are Alright” – a follow-up to “My Generation”
 Second album: Happy Jack (1967)
 “A Quick One While He’s Away” – a “miniopera”

A long song composed with a story line and characters to fill
in the 10-minute gap at the end of the album
 “I Can See for Miles” – their American breakthrough in
June 1967, making the Top 10 on the American charts
The Who (Cont)
 Tommy (1969) – a 90-minute “rock opera”
 A story of a deaf, dumb, and blind boy who triumphs with
his incredible ability as a pinball “wizard”
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The music is more restrained and sophisticated for the Who
Bears little resemblance of classical music
Has a story line with characters based upon rock music
 Rose to #4 on the album charts
 Very popular- there is now a symphonic version, a stage
production, a ballet performance, a brass-band version,
and a film version
 “Pinball Wizard”
 “Tommy, Can You Hear Me?”
The Who (Cont)
 Quadrophenia (1973)- 2nd full-length rock opera
 Refers to a four-way split of personalities within the Who
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Entwistle- classically trained stoic
Moon- flamboyant wild man
Daltrey- good-time rock-and-roll shouter
Townshend- thinking, articulate member with rock aspirations
and Indian spiritualism
 The 4 sides reflect this foursome
 The plot is more obscure but music is more mature
 Became a #2 album
Other Rock Operas and Musicals
 Jesus Christ Superstar (1971)
 The “Overture” presents many of the themes
 Godspell (1971)
 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1971)
 “Joseph’s Coat”
 The Wiz (1975)
 “Ease on Down the Road” (Michael Jackson & Diana
Ross)
 Evita (1978)
 Grease (1972)
 “Greased Lightning”
Rick Wakeman and Yes
 Yes formed in 1968
 Jon Anderson (vocals)
 Chris Squire (bass)
 Rick Wakeman (joined in 1971 on keyboards)
 Fragile (#4 in 1972) was their 1st album with Wakefield
 “Roundabout” (#13)- only major hit of the 1970’s
 Yessongs (1973) was a live triple album
 Tales from Topographic Oceans (1974)
 Lyrics based on scriptures by guru Paramhansa Yogananda
 An experimental album
 Wakeman left the group in 1974
Rick Wakeman and Yes (cont)
 Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974)
 Performed live with the London Symphony Orchestra
 Based on Jules Verne book
 Text shared by narrator, chorus and two vocalists
 Wakeman rejoined the band in 1976 and then left
again in 1980
 Yes’s biggest hit was in 1984: “Owner of a Lonely
Heart”
Genesis
 Formed in 1967 as a quartet
 Grew as a quintet in 1971 with Peter Gabriel (vocals) and
Phil Collins (drums)
 They emphasized Mellotron and other electronic
keyboards, visuals, and theatrics in live performances
 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)
 About the adventures of Rael as he confronts NYC civilization
 Peter Gabriel left in mid-1975 and Phil Collins became lead
singer
 The group (as a trio) had success in the 1980s with 3 gold
albums, two platinum albums, and many top 40 hits
Emerson, Lake and Palmer
 Keith Emerson (1944) formed the group called Nice in
1967
 Their album Five Bridges Suite (1969) was promoted on
a US tour
 The 5-movement song moves fluently between rock and
jazz to Bach-like classical
 Accompanied by the Sinfonia of London Orchestra
 Also contains rock adaptations of Sibelius, Tchaikovsky,
and Bach
 Emerson met Greg Lake who recruited Carl Palmer to
become ELP
Emerson, Lake and Palmer (cont)
 Emerson, Lake and Palmer (#18 in 1971)
 “The Three Fates” is in 3 parts; solo on pipe organ, piano
solo, and entire trio
 Blends classical, rock, and jazz
 “Tank”- drums connected to a synthesizer
 “The Barbarian”
 Tarkus (#9 in 1971)
 “Eruption”
 Pictures at an Exhibition (1972)- 3rd album based on
Mussorgsky’s piece
Emerson, Lake and Palmer (cont)
 Brain Salad Surgery (1973)
 brings everything together:
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4th movement of “First Piano Concerto” by Ginastera- a rock
adaptation of classical work
“Benny the Bouncer” - a “cute” piece
“Still…You Turn Me On”- the “normal” song
“Jerusalem”- spiritual song
“Karn Evil 9” – 3-movement work
 After 1979, ELP disappeared for a while before
returning in the mid-1980s with a new drummer, Cozy
Powell
Frank Zappa
 Described as creative, enigmatic, erratic, puerile,
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pseudointellectual, unique, sophomoric, genius, and
iconoclastic
Dec 21, 1940- Born in Baltimore
His influences were R&B, Stravinsky, & Varese
In Los Angeles, he created the group “Mothers of
Invention” in 1964 based on the Soul Giants band
Their first album: Freak out! (1966)
 A double album
 Was released a year before Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper
Frank Zappa (cont)
 Freak Out!
 First disc contains “normal” songs with eccentricity and
iconoclasm added
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“Who Are the Brain Police”
“Motherly Love”
 Second disc has extended pieces
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“Trouble Every Day”-about racial riots in Watts
“Help, I’m a Rock”- a structured piece sounding like its
unstructured
“The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet”
 His style of art rock: nonmetrical, atonal, use of vocal
improvisation, concentration on timbre and texture
Frank Zappa (cont)
 Uncle Meat (1969) was music for a movie that was never
finished
 There were 10 members in the band for this album
 “Dog Breath, in the Year of the Plague”
 “Dog Breath Variations”
 “The Uncle Meat Variations”
 “Prelude to King Kong”
 “Project X”
 “King Kong”
 Parts of the album used over 40 overdubbed tracks
 Fillmore East, June 1971- a live album containing a miniopera
 “Happy Together”- a #1 hit for the Turtles in 1967
Summary of Art Rock
 Many art rockers had an outdated notion of classical
music
 Created combinations of current rock and centuries-old
classical or vice-versa
 Some artists softened their rock style to match
outdated classical music
 Many artists rapidly moved onto a new style without
fulfilling the current style
“Karn Evil 9”
 30-minutes long and in 3 movements called
“Impressions”
 Follows the large form of a classical concerto: fast,
slow, fast
 “First Impression” is in 2 parts
 Part 1- an introduction, 3 verses (with instrumental break)
and codetta (a small coda closing the first section of the piece)
 Drums, cellos and basses change patterns every measure
 Each verse divided into 2 sections: A & B
 Part 2- this is an analogy comparing an imaginary society to a
carnival slideshow
 Introduction is in 7/4 meter
 Consists of 7 verses (each with the form of AAB) with
instrumental breaks in between
“Karn Evil 9”
 “Second Impression” is entirely instrumental
 “through-composed”- musical sections always changing
 There is a motive that recurs throughout
 Section A features piano; Section B has a Latin flavor; Section C is
“impressionistic”; Section D is back to piano; Section E is a fast
boogie-woogie section
 “Third Impression”
 Begins with military-like “horn calls”
 Verse 1 (A & B), interlude, verse 2 (A&B), bridge, then new theme for
victory statement
 There is no string quartet or orchestra for this piece; it is
only a trio of performers
 Its concept is more classical, even though the language is
more rock
 “Karn Evil 9”
Chapter 12 Test
Students will be able to:
 Describe the 6 approaches for combining rock and classical
elements
 Recognize and describe rock artists with orchestras:
 Moody Blues, Deep Purple, Procol Harum
 Name and describe rock operas and theatrical works and
their composers
 The Who, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Wiz, Grease, Rick Wakeman,
Yes, Genesis
 Describe nontheatrical art rock by unaccompanied rock
groups
 Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Frank Zappa
 Describe the form of “Karn Evil 9”