Analyzing Rock Bands
Running Head: Analyzing Rock Albums using Critical/Cultural Studies
Analyzing Rock Albums using Critical/Cultural Studies
Nick Gallagher
Buck County Community College
Professor Queeney
May 9th, 2013
Abstract
In this paper I will be looking at the following things Pink Floyd “Dark Side of the Moon” album and The Clash’s album “London Calling” I will be analyzing their meanings, tone, purpose and what they have to do as with and how they tie into critical/cultural studies. The music from the album dives into the darker side of humanity. The Dark Side of the Moon 's lyrical themes include conflict, greed, the passage of time, death, and insanity, the latter inspired in part by Syd Barrett 's deteriorating …show more content…
The band was heavily in debt and openly at war with its record company. (Shmoop University, Inc. 2013) Made a very interesting analysis of the album they go on saying “London Calling" is set in a post-apocalyptic Britain, where human technology has failed and people have to fend for themselves. What about the issues vocalist Joe Strummer sings about? Oil shortages, nuclear threats, global climate change. "London Calling" is a high-energy tune that will both pump you up and make you fear for the end of the world if it isn 't here already. An almost universally admired band, The Clash delivers a hit that’s a heck of a lot of fun, considering all of this heavy subject matter so listen to it and sees where "London Calling" takes you. The album 's subject matter included social displacement, unemployment, racial conflict, drug use, and the responsibilities of adulthood revolutionaries in Nicaragua. On "London Calling," Strummer taps into a particularly post-apocalyptic strain of left-wing DIY thought, describing the destruction of the world by the corrupt establishment even as he calls to others to "go it alone. London Calling, with the title track in particular in mind, was the moment when these punk rockers combined their pure punk roots with some rather un-punk elements intellect, diverse styles, and technical skill to make that dream come true, making their music more accessible to a wider …show more content…
With the involvement of the recording industry, punk was becoming very commercial, and many imitators were on the rise. There was a sense in the 1970s that people didn 't care so much about creating an authentic new culture for the new generation. Instead they wanted to relive the 1960s, branding new bands as the new Dylan, the next Beatles. To The Clash, all of this felt like the
Analyzing Rock Albums using Critical/Cultural Studies
Nick Gallagher
Buck County Community College
Professor Queeney
May 9th, 2013
Abstract
In this paper I will be looking at the following things Pink Floyd “Dark Side of the Moon” album and The Clash’s album “London Calling” I will be analyzing their meanings, tone, purpose and what they have to do as with and how they tie into critical/cultural studies. The music from the album dives into the darker side of humanity. The Dark Side of the Moon 's lyrical themes include conflict, greed, the passage of time, death, and insanity, the latter inspired in part by Syd Barrett 's deteriorating …show more content…
The band was heavily in debt and openly at war with its record company. (Shmoop University, Inc. 2013) Made a very interesting analysis of the album they go on saying “London Calling" is set in a post-apocalyptic Britain, where human technology has failed and people have to fend for themselves. What about the issues vocalist Joe Strummer sings about? Oil shortages, nuclear threats, global climate change. "London Calling" is a high-energy tune that will both pump you up and make you fear for the end of the world if it isn 't here already. An almost universally admired band, The Clash delivers a hit that’s a heck of a lot of fun, considering all of this heavy subject matter so listen to it and sees where "London Calling" takes you. The album 's subject matter included social displacement, unemployment, racial conflict, drug use, and the responsibilities of adulthood revolutionaries in Nicaragua. On "London Calling," Strummer taps into a particularly post-apocalyptic strain of left-wing DIY thought, describing the destruction of the world by the corrupt establishment even as he calls to others to "go it alone. London Calling, with the title track in particular in mind, was the moment when these punk rockers combined their pure punk roots with some rather un-punk elements intellect, diverse styles, and technical skill to make that dream come true, making their music more accessible to a wider …show more content…
With the involvement of the recording industry, punk was becoming very commercial, and many imitators were on the rise. There was a sense in the 1970s that people didn 't care so much about creating an authentic new culture for the new generation. Instead they wanted to relive the 1960s, branding new bands as the new Dylan, the next Beatles. To The Clash, all of this felt like the