Blast from the Past

With each generation, newer, fancier technology replaces the old. As a result, we can see immense changes within our creations. Sound, editing, and special effects in music production have taken that pathway and are to this day undergoing large developments. While it's easy to appreciate the crisp sound of modern-day songs, we can learn a lot from studying old ones and you may find a greater appreciation for the older style in comparison to the new. You may discover this is the case after our deep dive into older styles and how things have changed over the generations.

‘30s-’40s 

This time period heavily marked a soulful, transformative period bringing music genres such as jazz, swing, and big band to the rise. Swing evolved from jazz which originated in New Orleans. Both genres heavily involved more upbeat, slightly late rhythms giving it that “swinging” feeling. Big band music was typically performed with large ensembles of brass, woodwind, and rhythm instrumentals. The instruments in big band are arguably what makes it so distinctive along with the good feelings it brought to those in this Great Depression and WWII era.  Eventually, jazz and big band music became more vocally dominated as it evolved more emotionally. Some singers from the ‘30s and ‘40s include Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Glenn Miller, and Miles Davis. For this time period, music production was heavily reliant on full live performances. Recording technology was still at a very basic level along with special effects. This overall gave it a more raw feeling. Effects were created using echo spacing, and large chambers crafted specifically for the surround sound. Recording itself was undergoing large developments with analog equipment developing into magnetic tape recordings during the late 1940’s which allowed for more editing within records. Records were mainly created in one take.

’50s-’60s

In the ‘50s and ’60s music was quickly evolving into new more advanced genres and recordings. Rock’n’roll, R&B, and new foreign styles began to emerge. Some genres began to develop into subgenres with artists like Elvis incorporating blues, jazz, and country into his more rock-fronted music. Many white artists began to adopt this style however it is important to acknowledge many of the songs these artists performed and many of the songs they had originally stemmed from Black artists’ original works giving them little to no credit. In a more positive light, African Americans’ efforts and contributions to the music world aided the R&B movement which directly influenced soul and funk.  Most genres in this period could be marked with very soulful impactful vocals and stronger back instrumentals. In a very different tone, the roundly proclaimed “British Invasion” brought a wave of rock and roll to the United States. Typical American rock began to mix with British pop being headed by bands such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Kinks.

Along with the advancing genres, and changes in music production, effects saw significant improvements. During this time multi-track recording was introduced to artists. This meant bands could separately layer vocals and instruments. Techniques such as reverbs and tracking also came into play, giving this time period's music a lot more flexibility and making it very distinguishable and notable. 

‘70s-’80s 

Music from the ‘70s through the ‘80s focused more on modernizing sound. Genres with unique sounds started to rise such as punk rock, metal or different forms of rock, new wave, and of course, disco. Disco hit a peak in the mid-’70s with bands such as the Bee Gees, Earth Wind & Fire, and KC and The Sunshine Band. On a completely opposite spectrum came punk and metal. These genres were a lot less mainstream and derived from rebellions against social norms. Many rock bands had a similar message and feeling to them however during this time many rock bands were more mainstream. Despite this many people group together metal and rock causing disagreements on which bands were grouped into which genre. Punk was more distinct but regardless it too was often put into rock and metal categories. Some bands that dominated this side of music were Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Clash, Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, and the Sex Pistols. Derived from punk and disco techniques came New Wave. New Wave is mainly synth-derived but lyrically has a similar edge to classic punk bands. Fronted by groups such as Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, The Talking Heads, Devo, and (arguably) The Cure.

New Wave styles represented the large change in music styles and productions brought from this time. New technology and new ways of promotion were a large part of this. Bands began to use synthesizers heavily along with more auto-tuning/editing. Multi-track recording was still heavily popular which aided in editing and layering effects. Adding in background sounds became easier than ever with new technologies such as sequencers and drum machines. On the promoting side, visuals became more important to a band's popularity. On stage, many groups took on more striking appearances or were more theatrical while performing. Additionally, music videos became crucial in promotion and music consumption. Videos such as A-Ha’s “Take on Me,” “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston set the stage. MTV and VH1 played a big part in this. These stations would play popular music videos and often host live concerts and band interviews. 

‘90s-2000s

This period of music brought about a large transformation. Popularity in rock subgenres emerged in grunge, alt-rock, post-punk revival, and garage rock. Bands under the rock umbrella focused more on a raw, unedited sound with loud instrumentals and striking vocals. Their lyrics largely encapsulated the angst of the period. Bands such as Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Green Day, Alice in Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots dominated the 90’s rock scene. In the 2000’s the genre was largely taken over by bands such as The Strokes, The Arctic Monkeys, My Chemical Romance, the White Stripes, Muse, Radiohead, and the Killers. 2000s rock was a little bit lighter in tune with similarly emotional lyrics and more voice effects. In a similar path, metal genres experienced several changes. Nu-metal became more prominent along with death metal. Some classics stayed on the boards such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, and Pantera. Newer rising bands such as Coal Chamber, Kittie, Deftones, Slipknot, Korn, and Static-X joined them. Korn and Coal Chamber are usually credited for the change in metal style as Korn is the pioneer of Nu-Metal, with Coal Chamber following in their footsteps. 

Hip Hop rose in popularity alongside these genres having a similar aggression to metal. The Hip Hop world at the time was very controversial with many of the artists because of rivalries and violent lyrics. (Metal was controversial for similar reasons among many religious groups.) Despite the “controversial” lyrics, hip-hop was known for being very meaningful. The theatrical and emotional manner within the artist's words broke bounds. Many songs touched upon sensitive topics which broke the bounds of the music world. Artists like Tupac, The Notorious, B.I.G, Jay-Z, and Eminem were dominating the genre. 

Another large grouping of music at the time was teen pop. The genre was often fronted by teenagers and directed towards teenagers giving it its name. It’s often regarded as a subgenre of commercial pop due to its heavy focus on marketing and status. Songs in this grouping focused on topics related to the younger market and images of bands in the genre often circled around being desirable to the teenage eye. The Back Street Boys, Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears, and the Jonas Brothers were incredibly popular. Technologies from the time changed not only music production but also the means of listening. The period largely added to the technological advances in radios/radio stations and people largely switched over to CDs or digital services. Music became downloadable with internet advancements and distributing music became easier than ever.

I hope this provided a light into the music world and was able to spark some interest in music you may not have known about. If you’d like to take a dive into the genres and time periods mentioned further, here’s a list of artists not included in the above paragraphs.

Other notable artists from each period:

‘30s-’40s: Duke Ellington, Kitty Kallen, Tommy Dorsey, Al Bowlly, The Ink Spots

‘50s-’60s: Bob Dylan, The Doors, Cream, Johnny Cash, The Hollies, The Zombies, The Stooges, Englebert Humperdinck, Rick Nelson, Bobby Vinton

‘70s-’80s: Steely Dan, Robert Palmer, The Guess Who, 10cc, America, Misfits, The Church, Echo & the Bunnymen, Gerry Rafferty, Descendents, Fugazi, The Damned, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

‘90s-2000s: Elliot Smith, Marcy Playground, Everclear, Rancid, A Tribe Called Quest, Extreme, Interpol, The Raconteurs, Syd Matters, Tool, Queens of the Stoneage, The Vines, Toadies