Between 1965 and 1975, it’s as though western popular music didn't just change, but it vanished altogether and was replaced by something entirely different. It happened in soul and blues, but I think the most radical changes were in rock and roll. Music snobs who had rejected rock as musically primitive were forced to reconsider, in the face of increasingly sophisticated compositions and rising standards of virtuosity.
It's a Beautiful Day: “White Bird” (1969)
They were never as big as Jefferson Airplane or the Doors, but they were a core part of the San Francisco sound. This song is a hallmark of the Haight-Ashbury era. Founder David LaFlamme is a classical violinist who soloed with major orchestras before starting the band. They pioneered folk/rock fusion and use of the violin as a rock instrument. Original vocalist Patty Santos died in a car crash in 1989 but the band are still performing today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q918fs4RAto
Mountain: “Nantucket Sleighride” (1971)
Mountain
were the American answer to Cream. The two bands were rooted in blues, and had direct
ties:
Felix Pappalardi recorded studio tracks and did
production for both bands; Jack Bruce of Cream and Leslie West and Corky Laing of Mountain formed a band together
after those bands split up.
Mountain’s songs tended to be romantic and nostalgic, while Cream leaned heavily into psychedelia, but both bands were central to the emergence
of virtuoso rock and, eventually, heavy metal.
This deceptively dreamy song is about a young
crewman on a whaling ship, who was sacrificed by his crewmates after their ship was rammed and sunk by their quarry. It's based on a real incident.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPlxsQn5xBI
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