Reference no: EM133475446

Discussion Post: Rise of Serious Rock Criticism

Question I: The 1970s saw the rise of serious rock criticism. Pick one rock magazine from the period-Rolling Stone, Crawdaddy!, Creem, Melody Maker, New Music Express, Zigzag, Trouser Press, and Popster are all good options-and do a little research about it. Write a short paragraph (100-150 words) that describes the magazine: who was it for, how often did it publish, what music did it focus on, &c. Then, choose and review one article that was published in the '70s. Summarize and comment on its contents in a second short paragraph (100-150 words).:

Question II: Consider the delineation of rock and pop genres through the 1970s-not only by sound and style but also by audience / demographics-compared to "post-genre" hits like Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." The politicized lyrics and raw delivery of this track reflect R&B and electric blues traditions, but the sound is highly produced and includes synthesizers a la progressive rock and disco. How important is genre in today's music, broadly speaking? What about the music you listen to? Do you find that today's listeners, or you personally, prefer music whose sound and style is broadly or narrowly targeted?

Question III: In the 1970s rock increasingly came to be seen as a vehicle for socio-political commentary. Choose a recent political song and write a short post assessing its effectiveness-both as art and as a political statement.