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Simon and Garfunkel

Bringin' It All Back Home

Following the success of the folk rock version of 'Sounds of Silence', Simon and Garfunkel too became a significant folk rock act in the development of the genre, releasing the album Sounds of Silence which featured the single 'I Am a Rock' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012).

This album is a great example of Dylan's development of folk rock through incorporating new technologies into his music. Half of the album is composed of songs featuring electric instruments, including 'Subterranean Homesick Blues', Dylan's first hit single (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012).

FOLK ROCK

Dylan's electric version of 'Like A Rolling Stone' at Newport Folk Festival 1965.

The Sounds of Silence

Dylan's 'most popular song as a performer', (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 197) reaching number two in the USA in 1965.

Acoustic Folk Version

Folk Rock Version

Other Folk Rock Artists

Technology Issues at Newport Folk Festival

Neil Young

Paul Simon

Jackson Browne

The Lumineers

The reason behind Bob Dylan's decision to go electric and perform with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band at the Newport Folk Festival was simply a spontaneous idea that occurred the night preceding his performance (Anderson 2011).

Pete Seeger, one of the founders of the festival, disapproved of Dylan's electric set and was 'ready to ... actually cut the cord with a hatchet' (St. John 2014). Seeger later claimed that it wasn't Dylan's electric folk music that provoked his desire to 'pull the plug', but the inadequate PA system being 'overwhelmed by the electric instruments' (St. John 2014) to create a bad quality sound.

The limited technologies available to folk rock musicians at folk festivals during the 1960s were simply not suitable for the performance of electric sets to a large audience. This is one factor that contributed to the highly negative response which Bob Dylan received following his folk rock performance.

Mumford and Sons

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Carole King

(Ranker 2014)

Simon & Garfunkel

'Senior members of the folk establishment... felt betrayed by his turn to electric instruments' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 195)

Simon and Garfunkel were a folk duo who initially experienced little success.

Producer, Tom Wilson, utilised the development of recording technologies to enable him to take the master tape from the duo's acoustic folk song 'The Sounds of Silence' and combine it with a Byrds' styled 'jangly guitar, electric bass and drums' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 200). This folk rock version 'topped the charts in the United States in January 1966', (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 197) influencing Simon and Garfunkel to pursue their success in the folk rock style.

Simon and Garfunkel's rise to popularity exemplifies the impact of recording technologies on the development of folk rock as a genre.

Barry McGuire

The Influence of Technological Development on the Folk Rock Genre

'Eve of Destruction'

According to Holden (2014), Barry McGuire's 'Eve of Destruction' is the 'era's quintessential... folk rock anthem'. Reaching number one in 1965, 'Eve of Destruction' is about social injustices, especially war, incorporated with a subtle apocalyptic warning. The lyrics address serious societal issues, resulting in a true folk rock song. He also incorporates the harmonica into his instrumentation, a blues instrument frequently used in folk rock.

Technology played an integral role in the development of folk rock. In the absence of electric instruments being created, artists such as Bob Dylan and The Byrds would have lacked the ability to experiment with such instruments to combine them with traditional folk. Moreover, Bob Dylan's producer, Tom Wilson, would not have been able to create success for Simon and Garfunkel without recording technologies. He successfully did this after working alongside Bob Dylan and seeing that the simple addition of a rock beat can be the factor that makes a folk song rise to popularity (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012).

Due to Bob Dylan, The Byrds, and Simon & Garfunkel playing such a prominent role in the development of folk rock, the genre may not have developed without their influence on the folk rock artists who followed them. Therefore the development of technologies, including electric instruments and recording devices played an underlying role in influencing both the folk rock musicians of the 1960s and the eras that followed.

Mr. Tambourine Man

Bob Dylan

Initially, the traditionally minded folk community disapproved of Dylan's folk numbers featuring electric instrumentation, as they preferred his acoustic material.

This resistance of the traditional folk music fans against Dylan's development of folk rock was encountered at the Newport Folk Festival in July 1965 when he performed electric versions of his own songs, resulting in the audience sending him off stage (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012).

The Byrds' first album, Mr. Tambourine Man, featured three rock versions of Bob Dylan's folk compositions, including 'All I Really Want To Do', which reached number 4 in the UK.

Although they 'initially made their mark with rock versions of folk songs' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 198), when Bob Dylan began successfully performing 'rock versions of his own songs'(Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 197), they began writing their own material.

Characteristics of the Folk Rock Style

The Mamas and the Papas

'California Dreamin''

The Mamas and the Papas formed in New York in 1965 and had nine hit folk rock singles, including 'California Dreamin''. The group's music featured 'sophisticated four-part vocal arrangements' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 202) which were influenced by the 'close harmony singing found in early 1960s folk... and doo-wop' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 202). These vocal arrangements were transformed into folk rock numbers due to the accompaniment featuring a 'rock rhythm section of drums, electric bass, guitars, and keyboards' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 202).

Bob Dylan's 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' is a good example of a folk rock song addressing social and political matters. The song is 'littered with allusions to the 1960's youth culture and politically charged references' (WordPress.com 2012) to the events that were occurring during 1965. These references include the decisions of the government, the Vietnam War and the 1960's drug culture.

The Byrds

'One of the most successful acts of the era' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 202).

The Byrds were initially a folk vocal-harmony act that gradually developed into a rock band. They were influenced by George Harrison's electric twelve string guitar, which they adopted into their own music (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012).

Bob Dylan

Characteristics of the Folk-Rock Style

The Turtles

Technology Influencing the Recording Folk Rock

Bob Dylan was a folksinger in the US throughout the 1960s who was a major contributor to the development of what is now known as 'folk rock'.

Dylan experimented with the folk genre by 'using electric instruments in his music' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 195) and therefore breaking the traditions of typical folk music. He also established a new and innovative approach to rock music through incorporating 'lyrical and musical sophistication' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 192) into the style.

Mr. Tambourine Man

Today's folk rock bands have developed the genre by incorporating the use of new technologies to create 'radio-friendly mainstream rock music using folk instruments' (Ruehl 2014) as well as using the storytelling approach of traditional folk music.

When Mumford and Sons recorded 'Sigh No More', their sound engineer, Ruadhri Cushnan, was able to mix the record 'entirely "in the box"', using 'state-of-the-art Pro Tools and Logic systems' (Tingen 2011). This means that the mixing was done completely on a computer using these digital audio workstations.

To maintain the authentic folk rock "vibe" in the recording, Cushnan elected to make use of some analogue equipment in conjunction with these digital systems. This analogue equipment included the Thermionic Culture's Vulture and Phoenix, Roland 501 Space Echo, Alan Smart C1 compressor and more. Moreover, the chosen mixer was the fully balanced Midas, which has a low signal-to-noise ratio. This piece of technology is capable of capturing a clean sound as well as having high quality microphone amps and an EQ. The ability to combine new digital technologies with analogue to maintain the pure, natural sound of folk rock has enabled sound engineers to produce higher quality recordings of this musical style.

In order to enhance the recording of 'Sigh No More', Cushnan added overdubs to the drums, something that couldn't be done without today's recording technologies, especially multi-track recording. In 'Little Lion Man', the recording of the banjo alone involved five individual tracks. These included three microphones, a microphone in the amp room, as well as using a DI. The ability to layer the same instrument five times over has also influenced the development of the recorded folk rock music we hear today.

The reverb used was Altiverb. This type of reverb enabled the recording to sound as if the band was in a 'rich, natural space' (Tingen 2011) without creating the undesirable digital sound of the top end.

It is with these new technologies that modern day folk musicians have been able to take folk rock music 'out of the folk clubs and straight to the top of the charts' (Tingen 2011). With the ability to create radio-friendly folk rock recordings, such music is easier to market and advertise to a larger audience.

The Turtles were a band based in Los Angeles who, like the Byrds, started off successfully creating rock covers of Bob Dylan songs including 'It Ain't Me Babe'. They then went on to write their own music, taking on a more mainstream pop approach (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012).

Folk rock songs feature the lyrical approach of traditional folk music, meaning they often tell a story. With the emphasis on the lyrics, this music typically addresses social issues and political views such as civil rights and the Vietnam war (Ruehl 2014).

In order to effectively convey the message, usually the accompaniment of folk rock is relatively simple to ensure the focus is on the lyrics. Unlike glam rock or progressive rock, folk rock's purpose is often to voice an opinion or view, therefore virtuosic accompaniment is rarely used and the performers generally dress as regular people, maintaining modesty (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012).

Bob Dylan's Folk Version

The Byrds' Rock Version

Use of Technology in Live Folk Rock Performances

Folk Rock

Characteristics of the Folk-Rock Style

The Byrds

Although Bob Dylan, The Byrds and Simon and Garfunkel were significant acts in the beginning of folk rock, there are many other folk rock artists developing covers and writing their own material.

Mumford and Sons are an English folk rock band who have utilised the development of modern technologies to extend their abilities within the genre. Unlike Bob Dylan in the early days of folk rock, they use a digital mixing desk to mix their live sets. This means that the sound engineers are able to use snapshots of the band to 'control chosen parameters of channels and desk configurations' (Benzuly 2011) to produce a higher quality sound.

The sound engineers of Mumford and Sons' live tours also make use of 'polarity/phase and time alignment' (Benzuly 2011) to ensure that the sound is of high quality on both sides of the speakers. This provides a fuller and rounder sound as it ensures that multiple microphones receiving sound from the same instrumental source are synchronised, avoiding any delay created by the speed of sound. They also compress the instruments and make the kick drum and bass 'big and powerful to get the crowd going' (Benzuly 2011), which enables the rock element of folk rock to be brought to life. To achieve a sense of space, keeping the natural folk sound, they also use a stereo reverb on the vocal harmonies (Benzuly 2011). Essentially, the development of digital mixing desks has enabled folk rock to be performed at a high standard to audiences in some of the world's largest arenas and stadiums (CBC News 2013).

Furthermore, with the advancement of today's live recording technologies, such as Pro Tools, the sound engineers can produce clean, live recordings of folk rock performances to be sent to mix engineers (Benzuly 2011). This has created the possibility of producing quality, live folk rock records to sell on the market.

Folk Rock is a genre that was created by combining the characteristics of rock 'n' roll with folk music (Dictionary.com 2014). This resulted in the sophisticated, meaningful lyrics of folk music being paired with rock's electric instruments and beats (Researchomatic 2013).

The 'first international number one folk rock single' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 197) was the Byrds' rock cover of Bob Dylan's folk song 'Mr. Tambourine Man', which reached the 'top of both [the] USA and UK charts' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 197).

Folk rock's lyrics typically addressed serious issues and incorporated intellectual sophistication, unlike the Brill Building and surf music that was also popular throughout the 1960s (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012).

Folk rock generally takes the 'easy strumming-and-singing texture of folk' (Covach, J & Flory, A 2012, p 193) and incorporates the acoustic guitar with the drums, electric guitar and electric bass of a full rock band. Some folk rock musicians also utilise bluegrass instruments such as the banjo, mandolin or fiddle. The harmonica and lap steel are traditional blues instruments which are also commonly used in folk rock (Ruehl 2014).

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