Suggested listening and viewing
CULTURAL STUDIES AND URBAN ANALYSIS
September 10
Michael Ian Borer, "The Location of Culture: The Urban Culturalist Perspective," City & Community 5 (2006): 173-197. [Read especially pp. 180-192.]
Dick Hebdidge, "The Function of Subculture," in The Cultural Studies Reader, 2nd ed., edited by S. During (Routledge, 1999), 441-50.
Will Straw, "Characterizing Rock Music Culture: The Case of Heavy Metal," in The Cultural Studies Reader, 2nd ed., edited by S. During (Routledge, 1999), 451-61.
Rey Chow, "Listening Otherwise, Music Miniaturized: A Different Type of Question about Revolution," in The Cultural Studies Reader, 2nd ed., edited by S. During (Routledge, 1999), 462-76.
Giacomo Bottà, "Popular Music and Manchester: Representation, Materiality, and Branding," in Research and Activism: 4th Urban Studies Days Conference Proceedings (Estonian Academy of Arts, 2007), 63-8. [Download here and read only pp. 63-68.]
Additional viewing:
"Joy Division" (2007, dir. Grant Gee). [Vassar library]
Krims, Music and Urban Geography, chap. 1.
View on YouTube:
Petula Clark, "Downtown" [YouTube]
50 Cent, "In My Hood" [YouTube]
Chaka Khan, "I Feel For You" [YouTube]
Tina Turner, "What's Love Got To Do With It" [YouTube]
Wyclef Jean, "We Trying To Stay Alive" [YouTube]
Geto Boys, "Geto Fantasy" [YouTube]
Kylie Minogue, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" [YouTube]
Alanis Morissette, "Thank U" [YouTube]
Sarah McLachlan, "Adia" [YouTube]
"HIGH CULTURE": SCHOENBERG, ADORNO, AND THE SECOND VIENNESE SCHOOL
September 17
Alex Ross, "Doctor Faust: Schoenberg, Debussy, and Atonality," in The Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007), 33-73.
Additional viewing:
"Leaving Home: Orchestral Music in the 20th Century. Episode 1: Dancing on a Volcano" (2005, dir. Peter West). [Vassar music library]
"Wozzeck: An Opera in Three Acts and Fifteen Scenes by Alban Berg" (1996, produced by the Oper Frankfurt). [Vassar music library]
Theodor Adorno, "A Social Critique of Radio Music," Kenyon Review 7 (1945): 208-17.
Theodor Adorno, "Toward an Understanding of Schoenberg [1955/1967]," in Theodor Adorno: Essays on Music, edited by R. Leppert (University of California Press, 2002), 627-643.
Krims, Music and Urban Geography, chap. 4.
"LOW CULTURE": DISCO IN GAY SAN FRANCISCO
September 24
Gamson, The Fabulous Sylvester, especially chaps. 2-3, 7-13.
Additional listening:
"The Disco Box" (4-CD box set). [Vassar music library]
"Journey Into Paradise: The Larry Levan Story." [Vassar music library]
View on YouTube:
"Coming Attractions" (silent trailer for 1971 Sylvester concert) [YouTube]
Sylvester, "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" [YouTube]
Sylvester, "Dance (Disco Heat)" [YouTube]
Sylvester, "Disco Diva" [YouTube]
Syvester, "Can't Stop Dancing" [YouTube]
Sylvester, "Someone Like You" (incl. Tonight Show interview with Joan Rivers) [YouTube]
Patrick Cowley, "Menergy" [YouTube]
Sylvester, "Do You Wanna Funk" [YouTube]
Weather Girls, "It's Raining Men" [YouTube]
Sylvester, "Rock The Box" [YouTube]
Additional viewing:
"The Times of Harvey Milk" (1984, dir. Rob Epstein) [Vassar library]
"Saturday Night Fever" (1977, dir. John Badham) [Vassar library]
"Maestro" (2003, dir. Josell Ramos) [Vassar library]
THIRD-WORLD CULTURE: REGGAE IN JAMAICA
October 1
Essay questions due.
Lloyd Bradley, This is Reggae Music, chaps. 1-10, 12-15.
Additional viewing:
"The Harder They Come" (1972, dir. Perry Henzell). [Vassar library]
"Rockers" (1978, dir. Ted Bafaloukos). [Vassar library]
"Ras Tafari" (2001, dir. James Ewarts). [Vassar library]
"Rebel Music: The Bob Marley Story" (2000, dir. Jeremy Marre). [Vassar library]
DIASPORIC CULTURE: REGGAE IN ENGLAND
October 8
Lloyd Bradley, This is Reggae Music (cont.), chaps. 11, 16-23.Additional listening:
"The History of Trojan Records, vol. 1: 1968-1971." [Vassar music library]
Linton Kwesi Johnson, "Independant intavenshan." [Vassar music library]
MUSIC CRITICISM | MUSIC INDUSTRIES
October 15
Lester Bangs, "Of Pop and Pies and Fun," in Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung (Vintage, 1988), 31-52.
Additional listening:
The Stooges, "Fun House" (1970). [iTunes - download first 7 tracks]
Greil Marcus, "Free Speech #1" and "Judgment Day," in Ranters & Crowd Pleasers: Punk in Pop Music 1977-92 (Doubleday, 1994), 253-7, 351-4.
View on YouTube:
Laurie Anderson, "O Superman" [YouTube]
Cyndi Lauper, "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" [YouTube]
Keith Negus, "Cultural Production and the Corporation: Musical Genres and the Strategic Management of Creativity in the US Recording Industry," Media, Culture & Society 20 (1998): 259-79.
Krims, Music and Urban Geography, chaps. 2-3.
October 19-25: FALL BREAK
THE URBAN IDIOM: JAZZ, BROADWAY AND THE BIG APPLE
October 29
Music criticism essay due.
Pp. 1-77 in Wilfrid Sheed, The House that George Built: With a Little Help from Irving, Cole, and a Crew of about Fifty (Random House, 2007).
Additional viewing:
George Gershwin, "I Got Rhythm" (1943). [YouTube]
Irving Berlin, "Oh How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning" (1943). [YouTube]
Michael Feinstein sings three Irving Berlin tunes (1988 TV). [YouTube]
"Top Hat" (1935, dir. Mark Sandrich). [Vassar library]
"Episode One: From Russia With Love." From Popular Song: Soundtrack of the Century (2001 documentary). [Vassar reserve library]
"Great American Music: Broadway Musicals," episodes 1-4 (2006 lectures by Bill Messenger). [Vassar library]
William R. Taylor, "A Place That Words Built: Broadway, Damon Runyon, and the Slanguage of Lobster Alley," in In Pursuit of Gotham: Culture and Commerce in New York (Oxford University Press, 1992), 163-182.
Additional viewing:
"In the Bag" - clip from "Sweet Smell of Success" (1957, dir. Alexander Mackendrick). [YouTube]
clip from "Ball of Fire" (1941, dir. Howard Hawks). [YouTube]
James Lincoln Collier, "The Inevitability of Jazz in America." In Jazz: The American Theme Song (Oxford University Press, 1993), 3-23.
Additional viewing:
"Ken Burns: Jazz," episodes 1-3 (2000, dir. Ken Burns). [Vassar reserve library]
Amiri Baraka, "Somebody Blew Up America" (2001).
Jayne Cortez, "I Am New York City."
See also these two poems by Jayne Cortez,
the essay "On Cortez's Poetry," and
Special event on Thursday, October 30, 7 pm
Urban Talk: Richard Lloyd, Vanderbilt College, on the Nashville country music scene.
BOURGEOIS URBANISM: THE L.A. SINGER-SONGWRITERS
November 5
Hoskyns, Hotel California.Listen to Joni Mitchell's "Ladies of the Canyon" CD.
Additional listening:
The Flying Burrito Brothers, "Hot Burritos! The Flying Burrito Bros Anthology 1969-1972." [Vassar music library]
Additional viewing:
"Episode Six: After The Gold Rush." From Popular Song: Soundtrack of the Century (2001 documentary). [Vassar reserve library]
"The Band: The Last Waltz" (1978, dir. Martin Scorsese). [Vassar library]
The Byrds, "Mr. Tamborine Man." [YouTube]
Buffalo Springfield, "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)/Mr. Soul." [YouTube]
The Mamas and the Papas, "12:30 (Young Girls are Coming to the Canyon)." [YouTube]
Judy Collins, "Both Sides Now" (written by Joni Mitchell). [YouTube]
Randy Newman, "I Think It's Going to Rain Today." [YouTube]
Bob Dylan, "Lay, Lady, Lay." [YouTube]
The Flying Burrito Brothers, "Christine's Tune." [YouTube]
The Flying Burrito Brothers, "Sin City." [YouTube]
Tim Buckley, "Song to the Siren." [YouTube]
Crosby Stills and Nash, "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" (from Woodstock). [YouTube]
Crosby Stills and Nash, "Wooden Ships" (from Woodstock). [YouTube]
James Taylor, "Country Road." [YouTube]
James Taylor, "Fire and Rain." [YouTube]
Joni Mitchell, "Chelsea Morning." [YouTube]
Joni Mitchell, "California." [YouTube]
Joni Mitchell, "Blue." [YouTube]
Neil Young, "Old Man." [YouTube]
The Eagles, "Take It Easy/Certain Kind of Fool." [YouTube]
Randy Newman, "Political Science." [YouTube]
Randy Newman, "Sail Away." [YouTube]
Jackson Browne, "For Everyman." [YouTube]
Gram Parsons w/Emmylou Harris, "Grievous Angel." [YouTube]
The Eagles, "Best of My Love." [YouTube]
Tom Waits, "Ol' 55." [YouTube]
MEDIATED URBANISM, PT. 1: RECORDINGS IN CALI'S SALSA SCENE
November 12
Cultural analysis paper due.
Waxer, The City of Musical Memory, especially chaps. 1, 2-4.
Additional viewing:
"Buena Vista Social Club" (1999, dir. Wim Wenders). [Vassar library]
Piper Pimienta con Colombia All Stars, "Cañaveral." [YouTube]
Hermes Manyoma y La Ley, "Castigando el Piso." [YouTube]
Grupo Niche, "Cali Pachangero." [YouTube]
Guayacán, "Cocorobé." [YouTube]
Guayacán, "Oiga, Mira, Vea." [YouTube]
Illustrating Cali's orquestas femeninas (all-female bands): Son de Azucar, "Te Extraño Cali." [YouTube]
1995 performance of NYC trombonist Willie Colon & Fania All-Stars in Cali. [YouTube]
An NYC-based hit with the cowbell solo that "electrified" Cali: Jose Mangual, Jr., "Campanero." [YouTube]
Illustrating Colombia's own salsa romantica, Octava Dimension, "Amor de Ayer." [YouTube]
Illustrating raspa, Colombia's version of cumbia: Antioqueño, "Tropicombo." [YouTube]
Additional listening:
"Cuba: I Am Time" (4-CD box set). [Vassar music library]
Cortijo y Su Combo, "La Epoca de Oro: vol. 1 and 2." [Vassar music library]
MEDIATED URBANISM, PT. 2: SOUNDSCAPES, NIGHTLIFE, BRANDS
November 19
Michael Bull, chaps. 1-5 and 9 in Sound Moves: iPod Culture and Urban Experience (Routledge, 2007), 1-65 and 121-133.
Paul Chatterton and Robert Hollands, "Producing Nightlife," in Urban Nightscapes (Routledge, 2003), 19-44.
Krims, Music and Urban Geography, chap. 5.