THE LANGUAGE OF ROCKMODERN pop began with rock'n'roll in the middle fifties and, basically, it was a mixture of two traditions - Negro rhythm'n'blues and white romantic crooning, coloured beat and white sentiment. What was new about it was its aggression, its sexuality, its sheer noise and most of this came from its beat. This was bigger and louder than any beat before it, simply because it was amplified. Mostly, pop boiled down to electric guitars. ROCK'n'roll was very simple music. All that mattered was the noise it made, its drive, its aggression, its newness. All that was taboo was boredom. The lyrics were mostly non-existent, simple slogans one step away from gibberish. This wasn't just stupidity, simple inability to write anything better. It was a kind of teen code, almost a sign language, that would make rock entirely incomprehensible to adults. For instance, the first record I ever bought was by Little Richard and, at one throw, it taught me everything I ever need to know about pop. The message went: "Tutti frutti all rootie, tutti frutti all rootie, tutti frutti all rootie, awopbopaloobop alopbamboom!" As a summing up of what rock'n'roll was really all about, this was nothing but masterly. Nik Cohn, novelist I.Choose the synonyms for the words given: drive (n) a) pressure, b) energy, c) emotion gibberish (n) a) monotony, b) meaningless talk, c) ignoram raucous (a) a) coarse, b) captivating, c) hoarse; jerk (v) a) jump, b) strike, c) shake; inflate (v) a) bring about, b) blow out, c) irradica II. Match the words from the two columns to make appropriate word combinations: amplified code romantic virtuosity white sentiment teen beat emotional crooning intellectual complexity technical noise sheer phenomenon comparable satisfaction III. Fill in the gaps with the correct prepositions and postpositions: 1. Pop boiled......to electric guitars. 2. The lyrics make rock entirely incomprehensible...... adults. 3. The first record I bought taught me,...... one throw, everything I ever need about pop. 4. Some people must be making.......that pop contains the emotional and intellectual as Beethoven or Wagner. 5. Some pop products are inflated............existence. IV.Answer the following questions: 1. What are the new elements introduced into music by rock (according to the nc^ Cohn)? 2. Can the seemingly non-sense lyrics of some rock songs be reasonably explained' 3. For what reason is the composer A. Burgess against elevating pop to the level of impo 4. What is wrong with categorizing musicians as "pop music"? V .Make up a dialogue with someone who is strongly/mildly positive/negative about music. VI. Think of a way to improve the terminology in order to avoid the confusion produi term "pop music". Elvis Presley – Story of a Superstar When Elvis Presley died on 16th August 1977, radio and television programmes all over the world were interrupted to give the news of his death. President Carter was asked to declare a day of national mourning. Carter said: “Elvis Presley changed the face of American popular culture…. He was unique and irreplaceable.” Eighty thousand people attended his funeral. The streets were jammed with cars, and Elvis Presley films were shown on television, and his records were played on the radio all day. In the year his death, 100 million Presley LPs were sold. Elvis Presley was born on January 8th, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi. His twin brother, Jessy Garon, died at birth. His parents were very poor and Elvis never had music lessons, but he was surrounded by music from an early age. His parents were very religious, and Elvis regularly sang at church services. In 1948, when he was thirteen, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. He left school in 1953 and got a job as a truck driver. In the summer of 1953 Elvis paid $4 and recorded two songs for his mother’s birthday at Sam Phillips’ Sun Records studio. Sam Phillips heard Elvis and asked him to record “That’s All Right” in July 1954. 20.000 copies were sold, mainly in and around Memphis. He made five more records for Sun, and in July 1955 he met Colonel Tom Parker, who became his manager in November. Parker sold Elvis’s contract to RCA Records. Sun Records got $35.000 and Elvis got $5.000. With the money he bought a pink Cadillac for his mother. On January 10th, 1956, Elvis recorded Heartbreak Hotel, and a million copies were sold. In the next fourteen months he made another fourteen records, and they were all big hits. In 1956 he also made his first film in Hollywood. In March 1958, Elvis had to join the army. He wanted to be an ordinary soldier. When his hair was cut thousands of women cried. He spent the next two years in Germany, where he met Priscilla Beaulieu, who became his wife eight years later on May 1st, 1967. In 1960 he left the army and went to Hollywood where he made several films during the next few years. By 1968 many people had become tired of Elvis. He hadn’t performed live since 1960. But he recorded a new LP “From Elvis in Memphis” and appeared in a special television programmme. He became popular again, and went to Las Vegas, where he was paid $750.000 for four weeks. In 1792 his wife left him, and they were divorced in October 1973. He died from a heart attack. He had been working too hard, and eating and drinking too much for several years. He left all his money to his only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. She became one of the richest people on the world when she was only nine years old
Queen Queen was formed in 1971, in England, by Freddie Mercury (Frederick Bulsara) - vocal, piano, Brian May - guitar, John Deacon bass, Roger Meadows Taylor-drums. This enormously popular band performed pomp rock. Their sound combined showy glam rock, heavy metal, and vocal harmonies. They played very few gigs at the start, rehearsing for two years while they all remained in college. (May began work on a PH. D.* in astronomy; Taylor has a degree in biology; Deacon, a degree in electronics; and Mercury earned a degree in illustration and design.)They began touring in 1973, when their debut album was released. Queen has had eight gold and platinum records. In 1976, the band's audience grew with a breakthrough album A Night at the Opera. It contained the six-minute Bohemian Rhapsody which stayed at number 1 in the charts in England for nine weeks. In November 1991, Mercury released a statement from his deathbed confirming the rumours that he was ill with AIDS. Just two days later he died in his London mansion at the age of 45. On April 20, 1992, the members of Queen were joined by a host of stars (множество звезд), including Elton John, David Bowie, Annie Lennox, and many others for a memorial concert held at Wembley Stadium that was broadcast to a worldwide audience of more than one billion admirers. *PH. D. – Степень кандидата наук. Answer the questions: 1. What kind of rock did Queen perform? 2. Why did they play very few gigs at the start? 3. What song stayed at number one in England for nine weeks? 4. Why did the members of Queen gather at Wembley Stadium in 1992?
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