Reading and Listening

Please note that you also need to listen to the pieces that accompany the assigned reading in the text. Titles of supplemental required listening are included with the assignments below.

[SW] = Buy at Amazon Starr, Larry, and Christopher Waterman. American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MP3. 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 2014. ISBN: 9780199859115.

SES # TOPICS READING AND LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS
1 Introduction and Themes of American Popular Music

Reading

[SW] pp. 1–44.

Listening

Rodríguez, Gerardo Matos. "La Cumparsita."

  • Gardel, Carlos. From: Buy at Amazon Grandes Del Tango. Magenta, 2002. Track 6.
  • Canaro, Francisco. From: Buy at Amazon Los Quintetos; Grandes Del Tango 38. Pattaya, 2006. Disc 2, Track 1.

Mississippi John Hurt. "Stagger Lee." 1928 / 1965

  • From: Buy at Amazon The Story of the Blues Volume 1. Hallmark, 2010. Track 2.
  • "Stackolee." From: Highway 61: Ultimate Blues Classics. Great American Music Company, 2012. Track 14. [Listen on YouTube]

The Grateful Dead. "Stagger Lee." From: Buy at Amazon Shakedown Street. Arista, 1978. Grateful Dead / Rhino, 2006.

2–3 Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Popular Styles

Reading

[SW] pp. 45–72.

Listening

Joplin, Scott. "Maple Leaf Rag." From: Buy at Amazon King of Ragtime Writers. Classic Piano Rolls. Shout Factory Records, 2014. Track 17.

Harris, Charles K. "After the Ball." From: Buy at Amazon After The Ball Plus Highlights From Vaudeville. Joan Morris, William Bolcolm. Nonesuch, 1990. Track 1.

4–5 Dance Music and Tin Pan Alley

Reading

[SW] pp. 73–124.

Listening

Porter, Cole. "Too Darn Hot." From: Buy at Amazon Ella Fitzgerald. The Very Best of Cole Porter. Hip-O Records, 2014.

Gershwin, George. "I Got Rhythm." From: Buy at Amazon Ethel Mermon. I Got Rhythm. RKO Music, 2013.

Whiteman, Paul. "Whispering." From: Buy at Amazon Atlantic City In The 20's – In A Boardwalk Empire Mood. X5 Music Group, 2011.

Berlin, Irving. "How Deep is the Ocean." From: Buy at Amazon Bing Crosby. The Essential Bing Crosby. Columbia / Legacy, 2014.

6–7 1920s & 1930s

Reading

[SW] pp. 125–54.

Listening

The Seniorlites. "Run Mary Run / You Got a Right to the Tree of Life." From: Buy at Amazon Wade in the Water: African American Sacred Music Traditions Vol. I-IV. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2006.

Carter, Maybelle. "Foggy Mountain Top." From: Buy at Amazon Friends of Old Time Music: The Folk Arrival 1961–1965. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2006.

Johnson, Robert. "Crossroads." From: Buy at Amazon The Complete Recordings. Doxy Records, 2015.

Rodgers, Jimmie. "Waiting for a Train." From: Buy at Amazon The Complete Recordings Jimmie Rodgers. Doxy Records, 2014.

———. "Dreaming with Tears in My Eyes." From: Buy at Amazon The Complete Recordings Jimmie Rodgers. Doxy Records, 2014.

Patton, Charley. "Tom Rushen Blues." From: Buy at Amazon Charley Patton. Men in Blue, 2012. Track 1.

Golden Gate Quartet. "The Sun Didn't Shine." From: Buy at Amazon Rock My Soul. Acrobat Music, 2005.

8–9 The Swing Era

Reading

[SW] pp. 155–98.

Listening

Roy Acuff & His Crazy Tennesseans. "Great Speckled Bird." From: Buy at Amazon Roy Acuff. Doxy Records, 2015.

Sons of the Pioneers. "Cool Water." From: Buy at Amazon Cool Water And Seventeen Timeless Western Favorites. Sons Of The Pioneers, 2011. Track 1.

Count Basie. "One O'Clock Jump." From: Buy at Amazon One O'Clock Jump. Plaza Mayor Company, Ltd., 2008. Track 1.

Machito. "Nague." From: Buy at Amazon Chacharicha. Werner Last's Favourites Latin, 2008. Track 13.

Additional Reading

Harker, Brian. "Louis Armstrong, Eccentric Dance, and the Evolution of Jazz on the Eve of Swing." Journal of the American Musicological Society 61, no. 1 (2008): 67–121.

10 The Post-War Era, 1946–1954

Reading

[SW] pp. 199–239.

Listening

The Clarence Ashley Group. "Amazing Grace." From: Buy at Amazon Friends of Old Time Music: The Folk Arrival 1961-1965. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2006.

Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys. "The Brakeman's Blues." From: Buy at Amazon Friends of Old Time Music: The Folk Arrival 1961–1965. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2006. Disc 2, Track 3.

Williams, Hank. "Honky Tonk Blues." From: Buy at Amazon Singles Collection. Burning Fire, 1991. Disc 3, Track 12.

———. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. From: Buy at Amazon I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. GR8 Media (Hong Kong) Ltd, 2015. Track 9.

———. "Hey, Good Lookin." From: Buy at Amazon Singles Collection. Burning Fire, 2008.

Sinatra, Frank. "My Funny Valentine." From: Buy at Amazon Classic Sinatra - His Great Performances 1953-1960. Capitol Records, 2000.

———. "Nice 'N' Easy" From: Buy at Amazon Classic Sinatra - His Great Performances 1953-1960. Capitol Records, 2000.

Wells, Kitty. "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels." From: Buy at Amazon It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels. Sound and Vision, 2012. Track 1.

Thompson, Hank. "The Wild Side of Life." From: Buy at Amazon Vintage Collections. Capitol Nashville, 1996. Track 4.

Brown, Charles. "Black Night." From: Buy at Amazon Blues Masters: Charles Brown. Unequal Halves, 2014. Track 3.

Clooney, Rosemary. "Mambo Italiano." From: Buy at Amazon The Essential Rosemary Clooney. Columbia / Legacy, 2004. Track 12.

Cole, Nat King. "Nature Boy." From: Buy at Amazon Original Hits: Nat King Cole. Best Records, 2014.

11 Rock 'n' Roll

Reading

[SW] pp. 240–83.

Listening

Bo Diddley. "Bo Diddley." From: Buy at Amazon Bo Diddley. Geffen, 2013. Track 1.

Big Mama Thornton. "Hound Dog." From: Buy at Amazon The Blues Effect - Big Mama Thornton. Reloaded Music, 2013. Track 8.

Presley, Elvis. "Hound Dog." From: Buy at Amazon Elvis 30 #1 Hits. RCA Records Label, 2010. Track 3.

12 Exam 1
13–14 British Invasion

Reading

[SW] pp. 284–321.

Listening

The Crystals. "Uptown." From: Buy at Amazon Twist Uptown. Legacy Recordings, 2012. Track 1.

The Ronnettes. "Be My Baby." From: Buy at Amazon Be My Baby: The Very Best Of The Ronettes. Legacy Recordings, 2011.

The Beatles. "Eleanor Rigby." From: Buy at Amazon Revolver. EMI, 1996. Track 2.

———. "Yesterday." From: Buy at Amazon Help!. EMI, 1965. Track 13.

———. "Please Please Me." From: Buy at Amazon Please Please Me. EMI, 1963. Track 7.

———. "A Hard Day's Night." From: Buy at Amazon A Hard Day's Night. EMI, 1964. Track 1.

15–16 American Rock in the 1960s

Reading

[SW] pp. 322–67.

Listening

The Beatles. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." From: Buy at Amazon Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. EMI, 1967. Track 1.

———. "With a Little Help from My Friends." From: Buy at Amazon Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. EMI, 1967. Track 2.

———. "Helter Skelter." From: Buy at Amazon The White Album. EMI, 1968. Disc 2, Track 6.

Charles, Ray. "I Got a Woman." From: Buy at Amazon Ray Charles Fifty Favourites. Roslin Records, 2010. Track 2.

Big Brother & The Holding Company Featuring Janis Joplin. "Piece of My Heart." From: Buy at Amazon Cheap Thrills. Columbia / Legacy, 1999.

Dylan, Bob. "All Along the Watchtower." From: Buy at Amazon John Wesley Harding. Columbia, 1967. Track 4.

———. "Blowin' in the Wind." From: Buy at Amazon The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Columbia, 1963. Track 1.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience. "All Along the Watchtower." From: Buy at Amazon Electric Ladyland. Legacy Recordings, 2010.

Cooke, Sam. "You Send Me." From: Love and Let Love. Jazz2jazz, 2012. Track 2. [Listen on YouTube]

———. "A Change is Gonna Come." From: Buy at Amazon Ain't That Good News. ABKCO, 2009. Track 7. [Listen on YouTube]

Cream. "Crossroads." From: Buy at Amazon Wheels of Fire. Universal Motown Records Group, 1998. [Listen on YouTube]

Additional Reading

Zak, Albin J., III. "Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix: Juxtaposition and Transformation "All along the Watchtower"." Journal of the American Musicological Society 57, no. 3 (2004): 599–644.

17 That 70s Music

Reading

[SW] pp. 368–407.

Listening

The Allman Brothers Band. "Whipping Post." From: Buy at Amazon The Allman Brothers Band. PCLC, 2015. Track 7.

The Jackson 5. "Rockin' Robin." From: Buy at Amazon Got To Be There. Motown, 2010. Track 6.

John, Elton. "Crocodile Rock." From: Buy at Amazon Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. Island Def Jam, 1996. Track 9.

Wonder, Stevie. "Superstition." From: Buy at Amazon Talking Book. Motown, 2000. Track 6.

Led Zeppelin. "Stairway to Heaven." From: Buy at Amazon Led Zeppelin IV. Atlantic Records, 1994. Track 4.

The Eagles. "Hotel California." From: Buy at Amazon Hotel California. Rhino / Elektra, 2013.

Denver, John. "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." From: Buy at Amazon Back Home Again. RCA / Legacy, 2005. Track 5.

King, Carole. "It's Too Late." From: Buy at Amazon Tapestry. Ode / Epic / Legacy, 2012. Track 3.

Summer, Donna. "Love to Love You Baby." From: Buy at Amazon Love To Love You Baby. Island Mercury, 2007. Track 1.

Chic. "Good Times." From: Buy at Amazon Risque. Atlantic Records, 2008. [Listen on YouTube]

White, Barry. "Love Theme." From: Buy at Amazon Masters Of The Last Century: Best of Barry White. Masters Of The Last Century, 2012. [Listen on YouTube]

18 Lecture / demo on DJing
19 Outside the Mainstream

Reading

[SW] pp. 408–49.

Listening

Sly And the Family Stone. "Dance to the Music." From: Buy at Amazon Dance To The Music. Epic / Legacy, 2007. Track 1.

Funkadelic. "One Nation Under a Groove." From: Buy at Amazon Young Soul Rebels. Vanilla OMP, 2010. Track 12.

Van Zandt, Townes. "Poncho and Lefty." From: Buy at Amazon High Low and In Between. Capitol Records, LLC, 2013. Track 19.

Talking Heads. "Psycho Killer." From: Buy at Amazon Talking Heads 77. Warner Bros., 1987. Track 10.

20 The 1980s Into the 90s...

Reading

[SW] pp. 450–90.

Listening

Jackson, Michael. "Thriller." From: Buy at Amazon Thriller. Epic, 1983. Track 4.

———. "Billy Jean." From: Buy at Amazon Thriller. Epic, 1983. Track 6.

Queen Latifah. "U.N.I.T.Y." From: Buy at Amazon Black Reign. Motown, 1993. Track 12.

Madonna. "Like a Virgin." From: Buy at Amazon Like a Virgin. Warner Bros., 1984. Track 3.

Gabriel, Peter. "Sledgehammer." From: Buy at Amazon Shaking The Tree - 16 Golden Greats. Real World Productions, 2014. [Listen on YouTube]

Eurythmics. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." From: Buy at Amazon Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). RCA Records Label, 2005. Track 14. [Listen on YouTube]

Van Halen. "Jump." From: Buy at Amazon 1984. Warner Bros., 1984. Track 2.

Turner, Tina. "What's Love Got to Do With It?" From: Buy at Amazon Private Dancer. Parlophone UK, 2015. Track 15.

Prince. "When Doves Cry." From: Buy at Amazon Purple Rain. Rhino / Warner Bros., 1990. Tarck 6.

Rogers, Kenny. "Lady." From: Buy at Amazon Daytime Friends - The Very Best Of Kenny Rogers. Capitol Nashville, 2008. [Listen on YouTube]

21 ...And Beyond

Reading

[SW] pp. 491–565.

Listening

Dead Kennedys. "Holiday in Cambodia." From: Buy at Amazon Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables. Cherry Red Records, 1980. Track 13. [Listen on YouTube]

Snoop Doggy Dogg. "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" From: Buy at Amazon Doggystyle. Death Row Records, 2009.

k. d. lang and the Reclines. "Nowhere to Stand." From: Buy at Amazon Absolute Torch And Twang. Sire / Warner Bros., 1989. Track 12. [Listen on YouTube]

Radiohead. "Bodysnatchers." From: Buy at Amazon In Rainbows. Warner / Chappell Music, 2007. Track 2. [Listen on YouTube]

Public Enemy. "Night of the Living Baseheads." From: Buy at Amazon It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Def Jam / RAL, 1995. Track 11.

Hill, Lauryn. "Doo Wop (That Thing)." From: Buy at Amazon The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Ruffhouse, 1998. Track 5.

Nirvana. "Smells Like Teen Spirit." From: Buy at Amazon Nevermind. Geffen, 1991/2011. Track 1.

22 Exam 2
23–26 Final Project Presentations