Pop Britannia (Move It)
Blog 1

Today I decided to watch the Pop Britannia ‘Move It’ video on BBCi player. This programme concentrated on the Old Britain and the New Britain. It showed how the Music Industry started to change the way people thought about their lives, especially the younger generation. New upcoming artists showed the older generation what was coming. This was mainly because of the styles of music that were coming out. At the start it was just ball room music, and then came along Traditional Jazz, Skiffle and then Rock ‘N’ Roll. Skiffle originated from America from people on corner streets, mainly buskers. That is a good example of the English making their own versions of the American Style which worked so well for them. The documentary also commented on the fashion changes that were happening over the years. Artists like James Dean influenced the younger generation largely. The introduction of boy bands was also commented on. How Larry Parnes took good looking guys and manufactured them into boy bands, which still happens today.
Review of Blog 1

The 60s was the main starting point of the Music Industry. Pop as we know it today would not be as it is without the pop that was years ago. Britain went pop mad in the 60’s and America which had the stronghold over Britain in the Music Industry had to admit defeat. Loads of new up and coming artists during the 60’s were imagining the pop dream of cars, girls and money. Around the time of pop was the time when young people who had been seen and not heard had their own say. This was because of the attitudes of the new younger generation of pop artists. The Music Industry was not really classed as that years ago, it was more of a Show Business Industry. During the 50s there was a very slow increase of wealth and conditions throughout Britain. Adam Faith was one of the first ever artists to hit the scene showing everyone the highlife which he was living in front of people who thought it was wrong. He was showing people that there was going to be a dramatic change. He was living the American dream. After Tin Pan Alley started releasing records by new upcoming young artists which had the crowds, mainly girls screaming, the Britain people knew that they were never going back. It just kept moving forward. English big bands started playing American songs that everyone had grown up to in balls and other dances. People like Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby started in big bands when they were becoming famous in America and so did people like Al McHogan and Joan Regan. But they left their bands to sing ballads which they had bought. They made it big with these songs and they never looked back. Somehow along the line everyone started to follow suit. Diki Valentine left his band and started recording ballads and so did lots of other artists of that time. Some would say that the artists were making English versions of the American styles which worked so well for artists in America.
Buena Vista Social Club
Blog 2

Today I watched the Buena Vista Social Club DVD. It concentrated on the great musicians who were renowned ‘Son’ music musicians. It showed, after being forgotten about as a result of the Cuban Revolution how they were living in poverty. Along came a guy called Ry Cooder who was a famous slide guitarist and found the music and brought it back to be popular and loved by many. Fifty or so years later he found all of the old players and made an album in Cuba. This album was a huge hit and really brought back the Cuban styles of playing, and the love for Latin music. Later on the band toured all around America and became very famous winning Grammy awards for their album etc. A documentary was later made about the musicians and everything they had been going through as the ‘Son’ music was dying off years ago. This documentary basically showed you their great journey of fame along with the poverty of the deep dark patches of Cuba that they had been livi