Rebel Rebel pt. 1

Happy musical morning to you all!!

I read an article yesterday that got me thinking about musical rebellion and parallel cultural rebellion. The guy being interviewed is an X-games participant, and he told the interviewer that hip-hop music reflects the exact rebellious attitude of boarding; in some way, these two arts come from the same mental battleground (if you feel like skipping my philosophical ramblings and just reading that article, it can be found in the latest Rolling Stone magazine with Guns 'N' Roses on the cover).

I can completely understand that idea, it just makes sense, but I wouldn't limit myself to hip-hop. When musical creativity starts flowing in such a way that the sentiment is no longer apathetic or inconsequential; when artists start really caring about something and wanting things to change, the product is rebellion followed by absolute revolution. Granted, after time symbols devolve, their meanings change, and they are usually stolen by the enemy and used for their purposes; but, the ideas remain, as do the distrust and the dissatisfaction that caused the rebellion in the first place.

Boarding and hip-hop may be the symbols of our dissatisfaction, along with MySpace, illegal downloading, and a multitude of different forms of expression. Eventually, these symbols will be co-opted, you can already see it happening, but the ideas will live on. In ten or twenty years, maybe our kids will pick up an old Roots album and feel a little bit of a connection to that rebellion. I hope you guys will open your eyes and ears (obviously) to hear some of the most rebellious music of the past and the present:


"Sonata for piano No. 14 in C Minor, KV 457: Molto Allegro" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Did you know that Mozart wasn't even very popular by the end of his career? His music was too much of a stretch for many of the listeners of his day. There is a trait of his music that makes it almost otherworldly in origins, which, I think, is why he is now so very much appreciated as an artist. Although his sound was a bit too different for his time, it has held up very well to the tests of time.


"Cross Road Blues" by Robert Johnson

He influenced Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, and so consequently influenced almost every rock band since. His stripped down blues is a gorgeous piece of American musical history, and a departure from the happy tunes of the day.


"East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" by Duke Ellington

The Duke helped push along a musical revolution, that, in turn, pushed along a cultural revolution. Didn't you know that at one time, jazz was taboo? You can feel the pulse of the city in this song, the metronome that keeps time in a concrete jungle. That steady rhythm, that sound like the count-down to an explosion, that's what scared people.


"Anything Goes" by Cole Porter

Anyone who thinks Cole Porter was a normal guy is seriously deluding themselves. He wrote popular music and Broadway shows, but listen to his lyrics and you'll hear how rebellious the ideas really were. The man knew how to turn a phrase and create music that the whole world could enjoy, but like any great writer he also injected something sensational.


"What'd I Say, Pt. 1" by Ray Charles

This is raw music. The soul of the American youth was bared for the world, and many couldn't accept that the soul could be so ALIVE. Let's hear it for Ray.


"Roll Over Beethoven" by Chuck Berry

Rawk baby, the beginning of rock 'n' roll. You can argue that Elvis started it all, but I always liked Chuck.


"Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix

There's so much music from the 1960s that was, well, different that it's very difficult to pick a starting place. I had to pick Hendrix, because his music is still different. No one before Jimi or since Jimi has been able to capture that sound. There have been equally great guitarists and musicians, but no one like Hendrix.


(TO BE CONTINUED)