The early genres of rock: part 2

Claire Abe — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 07:55:58 +0000

Howdy, there,

Last time, we saw that from the creation of rock’n’roll there were 4 different genres.

We already discussed the characteristics of mainstream rock n’roll and rockabilly in the article right here. Today it’s the turn of the last two genres: soft rock and doo-wop!

So let’s dive in!

DISCLAIMER: This post is based on some of my knowledge and is backed up and supplemented by research done before its writing. You can find the sources at the bottom of the page.

WARNING : the use of the words “Black” and “White” in my post are not racist, or prejudicial. I don’t want to disrespect anyone.

Soft rock music

If rockabilly has caused controversy over its authenticity, soft rock represents the UNACCEPTABLE at the time.

That rock music – which is rebellion music – could be soft is simply unthinkable and impossible. Many consider it either as not composable, or as a sham, or both at the same time.

Soft rock music characteristics

Characteristics are :

Use of slow tempos, even boring,
The absence of marked backbeats,
An almost exclusive focus on the search for «beautiful» melodies,
Frequent recourse to ternary rhythms (pulsation probed in 3 notes of equal duration)
E.g : I Want You, I Need You, I Love You – Elvis Presley
Love Letter In The Sand – Pat Boone

Use of 4 successive chords in a loop.

However, some can have the features of rock music like:

Some have a faster tempo.
In example, Wonderful Time Up There of Pat Boone. This song has a tempo of 185 beats per minute with a very slight accent on the backbeats.
Many «beautiful» melodies have blue notes in them,
They also contain ways of singing directly from rhythm and blues (falsettos, onomatopoeias, etc.). As well as a timbre that anchors even more firmly soft rock in rock n’roll music.

Elvis Presley’

Other characteristics, this time concerning the production of soft rock music, are present as:

An Italian-American influence in certain aspects of music (even if we can say that all Euro-American influences are at equal levels). Besides, many figures in soft rock are Italian-American.
Example : Frankie Avalon (Francis Avalon), Bobby Darin (Walden Robert Cassotto) or Connie Francis (Concetta Franconero). All have Americanized their names by retaining some of their cultural references.
Its geographical anchorage: a large part of the artists of this kind come from the northeast of the USA. And especially in Philadelphia where there are 3 independent firms named Chancellor Records, Cameo and Swan.

Soft rock complementary to mainstream rock n’roll?

Yes! Soft rock music is a natural and necessary complement to the existence of rock n’roll mainstream music.

First, you have to know that the different genres of rock are also styles of dance! For some teenagers of the time, it was one of its main attractions. And whether it was at any party, it seemed essential to balance the “hard and fast” music with the slower and softer ones. And this is for two reasons:

For a physical reason: dancing on a tempo of 180 (and more) for hours requires good physical ability. (Personally, I love to dance, but in these conditions, I pass my turn, thanks!)
For more sentimental reasons: teenagers love slows. It allows them to approach the “target” they squint at – more or less discreetly – for a few minutes (or hours) and to try to kiss her (or him).

Soft rock was such a necessity that many rockers got into it. We can give, as example, Love Me Tender from Elvis.

However, while some occasionally recorded soft rock titles, others specialized in the field, including Paul Anka and Pat Boone.

Pat Boone has, moreover, had successes by covering rock n’roll mainstream hits and making them discovered to his audience. He served as a bridge between mainstream rock music (a musical genre that was forbidden to listen to by parents) and the teenagers and young adults of the time.

Doo-Wop music

The latter is a derivative of rhythm and blues and rock n’roll.

It’s the soft rock of African-Americans if I can call it that way, except it’s been around for a longer period of time.

This genre has existed since the late 1940s, but it will only be named many years later (like 40 years later, which is rare!). And again, it’s a term that was used earlier to define white rock’n’roll bands from the late 1960s.
When the term Doo-Wop is fixed in the 80s, it designates a vocal repertoire produced in the 40s-50s by predominantly black groups and almost always composed of men. (I will avoid making a comment on this last point)

Moreover, doo-wop refers to onomatopoeias sung by the choirs. The « shabada bada », « sha-na-na-na-na » or else « doo-be-doo-be-doo” or « doo-wop ». We could say that they really sprang to find the name of the genre…

Its roots come from the so-called barbershop harmonies (a practice dating back to the second half of the 19th century). Barber shops were the overall rallying point for a capella using harmonies in quinte, quarte and third.

PS: the fifth, the quartet, and the third in music is when, from a note, one goes up or down – at choice – of 5 notes for the fifth, 4 notes for the quarter, and 3 notes for the third.
Example: from C and up, its fifth is G, its fourth is F and its third is E.

Two bands were successful in the 1930s and 1940s with this kind of music: The Mills Brothers and The Ink Spots. They will influence doo-wop groups and surf groups that will then appear, especially with their use of close harmony.

Other links are to be added to complete the doo-wop:

Gospel: for the dramatic aspect of interpretations
Rhythm and blues: for rhythm and instruments.
Soft rock: for soft tones, moderate or slow times and the same time cutting.

The idea of Doo-Wop is to strengthen the solo vocals with vocal harmonies and syncopated choruses.

Those groups are often nicknamed « bird groups », « car groups » or « V groups ». These groups often baptize them with birds names, car names, and it can also be seen that many groups have a name starting with a V.

We can mention : The Crows, The Ravens, The Penguins, The Falcons, The Wrens, The Cadillacs, The Lincolns, The Imperials, The Impalas, The Valentines, The Veltones, The Velons or The Velvetones.

Features of the doo-wop

Features are :

The multitude of records without geographical anchorage,
The presence of onomatopoeia (but I think you already suspected it),
Romantic and cheesy lyrics,
Beautiful harmonies,

Another characteristic of the genre is the choreography. The singers in suits/ties line up and dance in coordination with small leg movements, arm movements, head movements, and even a little hip swing.

Even if we don’t usually remember their names, two bands are emblematic of the doo-wop genre and have most of the above-mentioned characteristics: The Coasters and The Platters (and there’s a girl in this last band!).

The group The Drifters can also be named as an example of which Clyde McPhatter (founder) and Ben E King were singers.

You now know the first 4 genres of rock n’roll present since the 50s. These genres will evolve and continue to make other genres to create the sounds we hear today.

Now you have all the cards in your hands. Tell me if you are more of a rock n’roll mainstream, rockabilly, soft rock or doo-wop?

We are coming to the end of this post. You can find the playlist dedicated to this one right here! Also, feel free to share if you liked it or if you think it could interest someone you know.

Also, you can see all the drawings / caricatures right here !

See you soon !

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