Prof Hunt's Rock 'n' Roll History Blog

History with a heapin' helping of Rock 'n' Roll! Welcome to the official blog of Professor Andrew Hunt's History 105: Rock 'n' Roll and U.S. History, at the University of Waterloo!

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EPILOGUE: An extraordinary musician who defies easy categorization (is he Blues? R&B? Soul? Rock?) is 34-year-old Gary Clark Jr. from Austin, Texas. A virtuoso guitarist, Clark is often classified as “Blues,” but his willingness to experiment with different sounds, including hard rock, while also showing reverence for a wide variety of musicians who had a huge influence on him, sets him apart as a force to be reckoned with in today’s music world. In this video from an event at the White House in February 2012 called Red, White and Blues, Clark performs “Catfish Blues,” a song that later turned up on his 2014 live album, Gary Clark Jr. Live. 

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EPILOGUE: If you get a chance, check out this short documentary titled FOR THE RECORD (2015), on the resurgence of the vinyl collecting craze in the 2000s and 2010s. Vinyl has made an epic comeback in the last decade or so, and this documentary captures the excitement within the subculture of vinyl collectors. The documentary, which focuses more on the UK, is only about 15 minutes long, and well worth watching. Check it out! 

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EPILOGUE: Every term I get lots of RUSH fans in HISTORY 105, and at the end of the term they justifiably pose the question: “What about Rush???”  I did mention Rush in a few Podcast Lectures, but I didn’t cover them in sufficient depth, partly due to time constraints, but also because they were such a genre-defying band. Founded in Toronto in 1968, Rush consisted of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart. Rush does not necessarily fit neatly anywhere in rock history, primarily because they were such a genre-defying band. Were the hard rock? Metal? Prog rock? Post-progressive? (Whatever in the hell that means!?!?) Fact is, they’re almost impossible to classify. But they are a magnificent band, and they’re giants in the rock world who happen to be from Canada, and Prof. Hunt agrees they should at least make a cameo in History 105 at the very end of the course with this music video of “Tom Sawyer,” off their mega-successful Moving Pictures album (release date: February 12, 1981). Rest in Peace, Neil Peart (1952-2020). ROCK ON FOREVER!!!

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Lecture 21: “Spice Up Your Life” (1997) by The Spice Girls: If I’m going to give The Backstreet Boys a spot on the old History 105 Blog, I have to carve a space for The Spice Girls, the British pop sensation from the second half of the 1990s. A wildly successful all-female group formed in London in 1994, The Spice Girls epitomized the glitz and glamour of pop music and celebrity culture during their heyday, which lasted roughly from about ‘96 to ‘98. Their 1996 album, Spice, went on to become the top-selling album by a female group of all time, with sales around 31 million globally. The band received a big boost with the release of their box-office blockbuster Spice World at the end of 1997. Their enormous burst of success had faded by the early 2000s, yet their remarkable run is still vividly remembered by many of those who witnessed it some 20 years ago. 

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Lecture 21: “I Want It That Way” (1999) by Backstreet Boys (BSB): Along with grunge, alternative rock, and the many female acts from various sub-genres, Boy Bands helped to dominate the ‘90s music scene. Although not new, Boy Bands, inspired by pioneers such as the Jackson Five, Menudo and The New Kids on the Block, flourished during the decade. Groups such as NSYNC, Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees and the most successful of the ‘90s Boy Bands, the Backstreet Boys out of Orlando, Florida (founded in 1993). They have sold well over 100 million albums and had a number of huge hits such as “Quit Playin’ Games (with My Heart),” “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” and “I Want It That Way” from 1999.

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Lecture 21: “What I Got” – Sublime: In 1988 singer Brad Nowell and his longtime friends,  Eric Wilson (guitar) and Bud Gaugh (drums) co-founded the ska/punk inspired band Sublime. With their mascot Lou Dog (Nowell’s Dalmatian) at their side, Sublime would record three studio albums and lead a ‘90s revival in ska music. 40oz. to Freedom (1992) and Robbin’ the Hood (1994) brought the band some success and sold reasonably well. The release of their third self-titled album in 1996 changed everything.  Sublime (the album) made the band international stars, sold millions of copies and produced the hit song “Santeria” and the #1 smash hit “What I Got.” As fate would have it, Brad Nowell would not live to enjoy that success. On May 25, 1996, only months before the album’s release, the 28 year old singer died of a heroin overdose.  

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Lecture 21: “Excuse Me Mr.” - No Doubt (Live at Red Rocks, CO 1996): No Doubt, a ska/punk/reggae inspired band (formed in 1986) out of Anaheim, CA, helped bring about a ska music revival in the early-mid ‘90s. After about a decade building a strong following in Southern California, the band - singer Gwen Stefani, bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont, and drummer Adrian Young - released their third album. Tragic Kingdom (1995) took the band mainstream and brought them international success with songs such as “Don’t Speak,” “Just a Girl,” “Spiderwebs” and “Excuse Me Mr.,” released as a single in 1996.  This live performance from 1996 is emblematic of the high energy shows No Doubt was known for. 

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Lecture 21: Here’s MTV interviewer John Norris in 1997 with Lilith Fair founder Sarah McLachlan, the popular Grammy- and Juno-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, who was really hitting it big at the time with the release of her hugely successful album Surfacing. McLachlan was one of the main figures behind the hugely successful Lilith Fair music festivals in 1997, 1998 and 1999, which spotlighted a large number of important female artists, and traveled to a number of cities in the United States and Canada in July and August of those years. Lilith Fair symbolized the growing influence and clout of women in the world of rock during the 1990s.

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Lecture 21: “I Will Remember You” (1995) by Sarah McLachlan: Halifax, Nova Scotia-born Sarah McLachlan enjoyed enormous success in the 1990s, “I Will Remember You,” recorded and released in 1995, was one of her first hits. The song was featured in the popular low-budget indie movie The Brothers McMullen (1995), directed, written and starring Edward Burns, who appears prominently in this music video. McLachlan‘s star continued to rise in the 1990s and early 2000s, both as a singer and the organizer of Lilith Fair, a commercially successful traveling music festival that lasted from 1997 to 1999 and showcased a number of female singers and bands. One of the most beloved and poetic of the many prominent strong female performers of the 1990s, McLachlan remains active in music today, releasing her ninth studio album, Wonderland, in 2016. 

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Lecture 21: “If it Makes You Happy” (1996) - Sheryl Crow: A veteran musician and Missouri native who had played guitar and/or sung back-up with many top acts (Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Smokey Robinson, and Michael Jackson to name only a few), Sheryl Crow found solo success in the 1990s with a few big albums and a number of charting singles. Her debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club (1993), was a smash hit, and featured “All I Wanna Do,” a catchy tune that reached the #2 position on the Billboard 100, and “Strong Enough” that reached #5.  She followed it up with her top ten self-titled album in ‘96 and a couple more hits. “If it Makes You Happy” (1996) charted in the #10 position on the Billboard Hot 100.

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Lecture 21: “Criminal”- Fiona Apple (Live on The Tonight Show, August 7, 1997): Singer-songwriter (and classically trained pianist) Fiona Apple, from New York City, was among the most talented female artists that burst on to the scene in the 1990s. Her 1996 debut album Tidal, released when she was only 19, won commercial and critical acclaim as well as a Grammy Award for Best Female Vocalist. The next year, in the summer of 1997, Apple was one of the headlining acts at Sarah McLaughlin’s Lilith Fair.  She followed up the success of Tidal with her second album When the Pawn… in 1999, which broke into the top twenty on the Billboard 200 and earned Apple another Grammy nomination. This is “Criminal,” from Tidal.

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Lecture 21: “You Oughta Know” (1995) - Alanis Morissette: Female artists, particularly Canadians, were a force to be reckoned with during the ‘90s. Three of the decades best selling music stars were women from the Great White North. Quebec born pop sensation Celine Dion, country star Shania Twain from Timmins, ON. and Ottawa’s own Alanis Morissette. After two albums and moderate success in Canada, Morissette moved to L.A. A close collaboration with writer/producer Glen Ballard resulted in her third LP, released less than two weeks after her 21st birthday. Jagged Little Pill (1995) has become one of the best selling albums of all time, with over 30 million copies sold worldwide (estimated sales). It produced a number of hits. “You Oughta Know,” Morissette’s signature song, channeled much of the Riot Grrrl spirit and philosophy. It rose to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and features the talents of guitarist Dave (Red Hot Chili Peppers/Jane’s Addiction) Navarro and bass player Flea (of Red Hot Chili Peppers). 

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Lecture 21: “Rebel Girl” (1993) - Bikini Kill: The 1990s saw something of a revival in the feminist movement, and with it an explosion of female artists on to the scene. At the forefront of the music aspect of this revival was the Riot Grrrl movement. Emerging out of the Seattle female punk scene and centred around this feminist revival, Riot Grrrl was, in many ways, as much a social/political movement as a music oriented one.  Bands like Bikini Kill, Excuse 17, Bratmobile, and Skinned Teen addressed important issues such as female empowerment, domestic abuse, rape, racism and even eating disorders.  One of the first and most influential Riot Grrrl bands was Bikini Kill (formed in 1990), consisting of Kathleen Hanna, Billy Karren, Tobi Vail and Kathy Wilcox.

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Lecture 21: Ani DiFranco’s powerful feminist song “Not a Pretty Girl” was featured on her acclaimed album of the same name, released in 1995. DiFranco -- an independent singer, songwriter, musician, and record label owner (her label is Righteous Babe Records, located in Buffalo, NY) -- emerged in the 1990s as a powerful voice of radicalism. Since the release of her first studio album, the self-titled Ani DiFranco (1990), this remarkable artist of many talents has blazed her own independent trail, heavily influenced by such folk music greats as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. DiFranco has also long been an outspoken feminist, and the lyrics in her songs reflect her deep commitment to values of women’s liberation. As she once remarked: “My idea of feminism is self-determination, and it's very open-ended: every woman has the right to become herself, and do whatever she needs to do.”

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Lecture 21: “Cut Your Hair” - Pavement: Pavement, an indie rock band from Stockton, California (formed in 1989), is one of those groups with a fiercely dedicated fan base, yet few Billboard Top 40 hits to speak of. This particular song, “Cut Your Hair,” a biting commentary on conformity in the music business, is their most well known tune – the closest thing they had to an actual “hit” – climbing in the spring of 1994 into the Top 10 of Billboard’s U.S. Hot Modern Rock Tracks. Today, Pavement is one of the most enduring and timeless of the alternative rock bands from the ‘90s. They’re enjoying a revival of sorts among younger listeners who either weren’t around or were too young to enjoy their original run of five studio albums, released between 1992 and 1999. 

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Lecture 21: “Scar Tissue” - Red Hot Chili Peppers: The Red Hot Chili Peppers (formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by Anthony Kiedis, Michael Balzary (better known as Flea), Jack Irons, and Hillel Slovak) had 3 albums in the ‘90s, all making the top five in the Billboard 200. They produced big hits such as “Give it Away,”“Under the Bridge” and “Suck My Kiss” from Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991), “My Friends” from Red Hot Minute (‘95), and “Californication” and “Scar Tissue” from Californication (1999), their seventh LP. 

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Lecture 21: “Give it Away” - Red Hot Chili Peppers: The alternative rock band with perhaps the most longevity has been the Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP), formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983 (and still active today) by school friends Anthony Kiedis, Michael Balzary (better known as Flea), Jack Irons, and Hillel Slovak. Though the line-up would change over time, Kiedis and Flea would remain the heart and creative force behind the band. From RHCP’s fifth studio album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991), “Give it Away” hit #1 in Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart and the music video enjoyed heavy airplay in the MTV line-up. The video, directed by French fashion photographer/director Stephane Sednaoui, employed innovative cinematography and was shot in black and white in a barren desert-like setting.