the summer of soul: 40 years later...
heard my man Mark Anthony Neal giving a retrospective on soul music in 1967 the other day on NPR and figured i'd share with anyone who was interested. the music of the time chronicled the social changes that were underway.
one of my favorite periods of music occurred after that, the so-called blaxploitation era. you didn't necessarily have to see Shaft, Superfly, or Foxy Brown to know what was going on in the film - the soundtrack immediately brought you up to speed. it was audio cinema noir, sprawling and symphonic. present-day urban celluloid soundtracks don't work that way anymore. if anything, they're used more as a promotional tool for high-end artists and cats on the come up.
but i'll cut my views on early '70s sounds short for fear of getting off-track. this is about 1967 and the music of that time - particularly soul music and R&B. listen in for Dr. Neal's viewpoints on the Motown Sound, Stax, Atlantic, and much more...
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"from NPR's Tell Me More w/Michel Martin
The Summer of Soul was about music that was more hot-buttered than groovy.The songs were a soundtrack for a period of racial tension and politicalchange that still resonates in many black communities."
Listen to Part One - July 20, 2007
Listen to Part Two - July 27, 2007
one of my favorite periods of music occurred after that, the so-called blaxploitation era. you didn't necessarily have to see Shaft, Superfly, or Foxy Brown to know what was going on in the film - the soundtrack immediately brought you up to speed. it was audio cinema noir, sprawling and symphonic. present-day urban celluloid soundtracks don't work that way anymore. if anything, they're used more as a promotional tool for high-end artists and cats on the come up.
but i'll cut my views on early '70s sounds short for fear of getting off-track. this is about 1967 and the music of that time - particularly soul music and R&B. listen in for Dr. Neal's viewpoints on the Motown Sound, Stax, Atlantic, and much more...
===================================
"from NPR's Tell Me More w/Michel Martin
The Summer of Soul was about music that was more hot-buttered than groovy.The songs were a soundtrack for a period of racial tension and politicalchange that still resonates in many black communities."
Listen to Part One - July 20, 2007
Listen to Part Two - July 27, 2007
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