I love connecting the dots between ideas, between songs and music genres. These videos are the keys that unlock the secrets of modern music history... Ready... Set.. Let's go!
Before Dookie 1: How Punk Became Pop (1976-87)
Jul 17, 2019
Pop-Punk as a sub-genre is almost as old as punk. While the genre may have hit its commercial apex in 1994, since the very start of punk rock there have been bands that mixed heartfelt lyrics and pop suss with punk's speed and aggression. It's not always been the most respected genre, but who says punk's “three chords and the truth” sentiment doesn't apply to the excruciation of a relationship gone bad. The chain of influence has generally been simplified to: Buzzcocks plus Descendents plus Husker Du equals Green Day. But its much more complex than that. So what is the evolution of pop-punk? How did we get from the Ramones to Green Day in 18 years? And most importantly, how did we get to the point where a “punk rock” band could sell 20 million records?
Before Nevermind: How Grunge Became Grunge
Sep 30, 2021
In 1991 music changed forever. Three misfits from Aberdeen, Washington unleashed “Smells Like Teen Spirit” onto the world and alternative rock became the mainstream. Grunge wasn’t so much a genre as a close knit selection of bands that came from the same approximate area, its epicentre being Seattle. The Sabbathy-doom of Soundgarden sounded little like the Garage Rock bluster of Mudhoney. But at the same time they were all tied together with a sense of exi-stential angst, unhurried tempos and dirty, sludgy, grungy audio qualities. But what was this scene? What were the essential steps along the way, the key tracks and influencers? And how did it get to the point where Nirvana could dethrone Guns N’ Roses as America’s biggest rock band. This is the journey to Nevermind: how Grunge became Grunge.
00:00 Introduction 01:58 The Prehistory of Grunge 04:59 Bam Bam 06:47 Green River & Deep Six 09:05 Melvins 10:37 The Influence of Alternative Rock 13:18 Screaming Trees 15:04 Mudhoney & Sub Pop 17:05 Soundgarden 19:33 Nirvana & Bleach 21:18 Mother Love Bone & Temple of the Dog 24:26 Alice in Chains 27:00 Outside Washington 29:21 Pearl Jam 31:41 Nevermind and Everything After
Before Black Sabbath: How Psychedelic Rock Became Metal
Feb 13, 2020
Rock’n’Roll used to be the gnarliest heaviest genre in town. A genre that embodied rebellion, fast cars and the loudest guitars that late 1950s music had to offer. But as the 60s wore on, coffee and minor rebellion seemed positively childish, popular music needed something harder, and more in-sync with the sex and drugs part of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. Enter Psychedelic rock, similar to good ol’ Rock’N’Roll but with mind-expanding themes and an intense interest in a girl called Lucy, who was in the Sky with Diamonds. If you know what I mean. But the Summer of Love came and went, the Vietnam war didn’t end despite Hippie opposition and the tragic events of Altamount and the Manson murders made it so that the positivity of the movement seemed blind. A darker sound was needed, and appeared in the form of Metal. The bastard child of rock’n’roll and Psychedelic Rock, Metal was harder, heavier and louder than anything before and became one of the most important genres of all time. But how did we get there? Going via Eddie Cochran, "Misirlou" by Dick Dale "You're Gonna Miss Me" by The 13th Floor Elevators, through "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix, "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream, "Summertime Blues" by Blue Cheer, "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly, "Helter Skelter" by the Beatles and "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson? Not to mention "Wicked Woman" by Coven, "Dazed and Confused" by Led Zeppelin And how did we get from Chuck Berry's “Johnny B. Goode” to “Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath in twelve years? This is How Psychedelic Rock Became Metal.
Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:16 Sponsorship 02:55 How Rock'n'Roll Became Psychedelic Rock 06:58 The 13th Floor Elevators 08:42 The British Invasion Bands 11:21 The Jimi Hendrix Experience 13:49 Cream 15:55 American Psychedelic Rock 20:43 British Psychedelic Rock 23:43 The Yardbirds/Led Zeppelin 26:41 1969
Before Bauhaus: How Goth Became Goth
Dec 19, 2019
Goth is many things. It's a Germanic tribe, a style of architecture, a type of literature, of film. It's a youth movement. What ties most of these together is a sense of dark romanticism. But despite Marilyn Manson and My Chemical Romance being infamous for their adoption of gothic fashion, their music isn't what would traditionally be classified as goth. To quote Sasha Geffen of Pitchfork: “[Goth] songs were marked by echoes, distortion, minimal guitar lines, and an arch taste for the macabre; their electroshocked hair, smears of black eyeliner, and dark clothes only reinforced the vibe.” So while any youth dressed in black with a fondness for obvious make-up can be dubbed “goth”, it doesn't mean they listen to goth music. That is a separate thing with its own sonic template. So as the nights grow increasingly cold and dark, join me in discovering how we got to the point where goth became a defined genre with a look, sound and lyrical preferences, from the early delves into darkness of "I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin Jay Hawkins, "The End" by The Doors and "All Tomorrow's Parties" by Velvet Underground, through "Dead Babies" by Alice Cooper, "In Every Dreamhome, a Heartache" by Roxy Music, "Third Uncle" by Brian Eno, "Human Fly" by the Cramps, Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division, ending with "A Forest" by The Cure and "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus This is "How Goth Became Goth".
Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:10 Screamin' Jay Hawkins 03:47 The End 06:25 The Velvet Underground 08:49 Nico 11:33 Alice Cooper 13:46 Glam Rock 16:26 Frankie Teardrop 18:39 The Cramps 20:56 Post-Punk 23:24 Bauhaus
Before The Beatles: The Birth of British Rock
Jun 19, 2020
Britain is known for its music. But it didn’t always used to be that way. During the classical period, while the rest of Europe was producing iconic composers, Britain trailed to the point that 19th Century Germany jokingly dubbed it “The Land Without Music.” Wrote German writer Georg Weerth in the 1840s: “The English can neither sing nor play music... They take only two or three songs learned in the cradle with them in their further lives, anything else is utterly closed to them.” Composers like Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams would kick back against that perception, but British music only truly hit its stride in the popular era. Mostly notable with The Beatles. But there was a moment between "Rock Around the Clock" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" where Britain fumbled for its own musical identity. So how did Lonnie Donegan and "Rock Island Line" catalyze the scene? How did Britain take an essentially American art form and create our own version with artists such as Cliff Richard, Vince Taylor, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, The Shadows and The Tornados? And what were the vital steps along the way, tracks like "Telstar", "Apache", "Shakin' All Over", "Brand New Cadillac", "Rock With The Caveman" and of course "Move It"? This is the beginning of British Rock.
00:00 Introduction 01:15 Lonnie Donegan 03:56 Tony Crombie & His Rockets 06:24 Tommy Steele 09:05 Cliff Richard 11:25 Brand New Cadillac 13:21 Billy Fury 15:12 Shakin' All Over 17:31 Apache 19:46 Joe Meek 23:13 The Beatles
Before Loveless: How Shoegaze Became Shoegaze
Sep 18, 2020
Emerging in the late 80s, Shoegaze would go on to be one of most essential genres of the last thirty years. It was the moment where punk’s cacophonous noise gave way to a dream-like modern psychedelia. Groups like My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Lush, and Slowdive would take hold of its anti-rock sentiment, lust for reverberation and layers and layers of guitar, and create some truly unique music. Though soon overpowered by the more commercially viable Britpop groups, the genre lives on today in a myriad different forms. But how did we get to Shoegaze? Essential steps along the way like The Cure, Wire, "Sugar Hiccup" by Cocteau Twins, "Never Understand" by The Jesus and Mary Chain, "New Day Rising" by Husker Du, "Death Valley '69" by Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, "Revolution" by Spacemen 3, "You Made Me Realise" by My Bloody Valentine, "Blue Thunder" by Galaxie 500, "Sweetness and Light" by Lush, "Dreams Burn Down" by Ride, "Sight Of You" by Pale Saints, and "Son of Mustang Ford" by Swervedriver? And how did we get to the point where My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless was possible? This is how Shoegaze became Shoegaze.
00:00 Introduction 01:10 The Prehistory of the Prehistory of Shoegaze 02:59 Post-Punk 05:54 Cocteau Twins 07:50 The Jesus and Mary Chain 09:23 American Indie Underground 12:13 Spacemen 3 14:10 A.R. Kane 15:54 You Made Me Realise EP 18:36 Galaxie 500 20:08 The Scene That Celebrates Itself 21:38 Pale Saints 22:38 Ride 24:57 Lush 26:55 Swervedriver 28:08 Loveless & Everything After
Before Korn: How Nu Metal Became Nu Metal
Mar 27, 2019
For a brief moment in the late 90s and early 2000s, Nu Metal ruled the airwaves. Bands like Papa Roach, Slipknot, Deftones and Disturbed. With releases such as KoRn's Follow the Leader, Limp Bizkit's Significant Other and Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory, the genre had commercial clout, but critically fared less well. Nowadays the genre is seen as a cultural low point in rock music, a phase that it had to go through but still an embarrassing one. But to its credit, the genre fused together many different musical elements that had previously seemed incompatible, and moved us closer to the modern musical landscape where genre isn't really a thing anymore. But how did we get here? What steps were vital along the way? And were we ever fully ready for KoRn?
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