The 70's
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Music of the 70's
In the 70's as a whole music genres such as disco, funk, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, and soul were popular. Rock and roll was popular during the early 70's. Some subgenres of rock like hard rock became more popular with bands like Led Zeppelin and Queen. There was also a lot more electronic music because synthesizers and harmonizers were created .Listeners were looking for something new so more artists started using these techniques. Two groups/people I chose to focus on were Queen and Elton John.
Queen
History of Queen
-Queen is a British rock band formed in London, England in 1970.
-Its members are: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, and Roger Taylor.
-Before they became Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor had played together in a band called smile. Freddie Mercury encouraged them to experiment with more things, and he joined the band and suggested the name, "Queen." John Deacon later joined before the band released their first album.
Brian May
Queen is Queens debut solo album which was released on July 13, 1973. Some of the songs on this album include, "Keep yourself alive," and, "Doing all Right."
Roger Deacon
The second album Queen wrote is titled Queen II. The album was released on March 8, 1974. The original LP had two sides, the white side and black side. Side white was usually more emotional and the black side was more about fantasy. One of the singles on the album was, "Seven Seas of Rhye."
-Queen's third album is called, Sheer Heart Attack and was released November 8, 1974.
-The album featured a more "conventional rock track" and sounded more like the classic Queen.
-This album launched Queen's popularity.
-One of the more popular songs on the album called, "Killer Queen," reached number 2 on the British charts. In the United States the song got in the top 20, and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Singles Chart
-Other songs on the album include: "Brighton Rock," "Stone Cold Crazy," and "Now I'm here."
-Queen's fourth studio album was titled, A night at the Opera. The album was released on November 21, 1975.
-It was the most expensive album ever reordered at the time it was created.
-The name of the album comes from the film of the same name, which the band watched together one night when they were recording.
-The album was very successful, topping the UK Album Chart for four non-consecutive weeks. It also reached number 4 on the US Billboard 200 chart and was their first platinum selling album. It has sold over 6 million copies.
-"Bohemian Rhapsody" which was their first UK number one and this song is one of the best selling singles in the UK and the world.
-Other songs on the album include "Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)" and "I'm in Love with My Car."
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News of the World is the sixth studio album and was released on October 28, 1977. The album sold over 10 million copies making it the bands best selling studio album. Some notable songs include "We are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You."
Jazz is the seventh studio album and was released on November 10, 1978. It has sold 5 million copies worldwide. Some singles include "Bicycle Race" and "Fat Bottomed Girls"
The Game is the eighth studio album and was released on June 30, 1980. It was the first Queen album to use a synthesizer. The Game became the only Queen album to reach No. 1 in the US and has sold 4 million copies. Notable songs include "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
-The band has also released other albums like Flash Gordan (1980), Hot Space (1982), The Works (1984), A Kind of Magic (1986), The Miracle (1989), Innuendo (1991), and Made in Heaven (1995).
- In the early 90's Mercury was slowly dying from AIDS and on November 23, 1991, in a statement made on his deathbed he confirmed that he had AIDS and within 24 hours of the statement, he died.
- At the end of 2004, May and Taylor announced that they would reunite and return to tour in 2005 with Paul Rodgers, and the band has been touring ever since.
Elton John
-Sir Elton John is an English piano player and singer.
-He was born on March 25, 1947.
-He has sold over 300 million records to date, which makes him one of the best selling music artists in the world.
-He has won 5 Grammy's and 5 Brit awards.
-He started leaning how to play piano at a young age and in 1962 he started a band called Bluesology with his friends.
-He has been knighted by the Queen.
-His second album was named after himself, titled Elton John.
-His breakthrough single on this album is called, "Your Song."
-This album made him an international star and was even nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year.
-Elton John is not only famous for his music, but also for his live performances. He would wear elaborate costumes and glasses. He did this so he would give people something to look at while he sat at the piano.
-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, was Elton Johns 7th studio album and was released in 1973.
-It has sold over 300 million copies to date.
-The album contains hits like, "Candle in the Wind," which was written in 1973 in honor of Marilyn Monroe who had died 11 years before.
-"Bennie and the Jets," is one of Johns most popular songs and is seen on this album. It peaked at number 1 on the charts in the United States.
-This album is his best selling and is sometimes regarded as one of his best.
-In the 80's Elton John didn't create any hits.
-So he started branching out and doing different things. He started working on the Lion King soundtrack and created one of the songs, "Can You Feel The Love Tonight."
-This song won him an Academy Award for Best Original Song
Elton John continued to make music and perform up until now. He recently announced that he will be retiring after his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in September of 2018.
Resources:
https://www.biography.com/people/groups/queen
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/queen-mn0000858827/biography
https://www.biography.com/people/elton-john-9355335
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/elton-john-13806.php