rock

David Bowie | Life on Mars

“In music, there are some songs that speak to some people, and some speak to every one of us,” (Anurag Arya). “This is a song that makes us think of escapism and disillusionment with the world: ‘Life on Mars’ by David Bowie. The song is a career-defining one for Bowie, and one of his most-covered songs. Originally appearing on his Hunky Dory album (1971), it isn’t your standard rock ballad by any means. Bowie could have easily made a four-chord hit out of this one, but instead, this song contains about twenty chords, with unusual scale and tempo changes.

… In a song with a duration of about four minutes, David Bowie made us think of life, a sense of purpose versus a tendency to escape the real world, and commercialism with vivid imagery and a beautiful melody. No wonder his genius lives on even after his death: Among the generic and commercial tropes within pop music, David Bowie managed to cut through the clutter and redefine songwriting musically and lyrically.”

After beginning in E major, 0:42 brings us to a transitional pre-chorus with plenty of pivots in tonality. But at 0:58, we land squarely in A major for the chorus. After another unsettled section — this time an instrumental interlude (1:38 – 1:53), another E major verse returns. The pattern continues from there, with the tune ending with a return to A major.

Many thanks to Mark B. for submitting this tune — his fifth contribution to MotD!

Chase | Get it On

The early 1970s was the Era of the Horn Band — Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, Electric Flag, and Ten Wheel Drive among them (anyone remember Ambergris or Sweet Apple?). They played jazz-tinged rock, or rock-tinged jazz, depending on your POV. Then there was Chase, led by trumpeter Bill Chase, an alum of the Woody Herman and Stan Kenton groups, and also of Maynard Ferguson’s group. Like Ferguson, he was a master of the highest registers of his instrument, and not shy about flaunting it. Unusually, Chase had only trumpets — four of them! — as its brass section.

Chase released three albums on Epic, but only their first self-titled release met with real chart success (Billboard #22 in 1971). The single presented here from that album was a decent hit, reaching #24 on the Billboard 100 chart. A second album, Ennea, recorded after several personnel changes with additional changes during its recording, performed much less well. By the time of Chase’s last album in 1974, Pure Music, only founder Bill Chase remained. Sadly, Bill Chase and several band members were killed in August 1974 when the small plane carrying them to an engagement crashed.

The song here contains the trademark Chase elements: virtuosic, outrageously pitched ensemble trumpet lines and a driving rhythm section, fronted by gritty blues-rock vocals. In case you thought the trumpets couldn’t play any higher, there’s an upward modulation at 2:34.

The Police | Every Breath You Take

“’I woke up in the middle of the night with that line in my head,’ Sting told the Independent” about “Every Breath You Take” (1983), (Ultimate Classic Rock). “He ‘sat down at the piano and had written it in half an hour. The tune itself is generic, an aggregate of hundreds of others, but the words are interesting. It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn’t realize at the time how sinister it is.’ Sting brought a demo of the song to his bandmates. Tensions were at their height back then, and arguments were commonplace. In keeping, the Police squabbled over the best way to attack ‘Every Breath You Take,’ and reportedly spent six weeks disagreeing on how to move forward. Eventually, everyone added their unique influence. Stewart Copeland’s backbeat propelled things along, while Andy Summers made an infectious contribution.

‘Without that guitar part, there’s no song,’ Summers told Record Collector. ‘ … I actually came up with it in one take, but that’s because Sting’s demo left a lot of space for me to do what I did. There was no way I was just gonna strum barre chords through a song like that.’ … the lead single for Synchronicity, ‘Every Breath You Take’ became a massive hit. The song reached #1 in six different countries, including the U.S., U.K. and Canada. It was the best-selling single of 1983 and won two Grammy awards, including Song of the Year.”

Written in a slightly uptuned G# major overall, the track’s chorus (first heard from 1:22 -1:43) shifts to F# mixolydian before returning to the original key.

Foreigner | Feels Like the First Time

The Foreigner debut has some of the biggest FM rock hits of 1977, like “Cold as Ice,” “Feels Like the First Time,” (and) “Long, Long Way From Home” — songs which still get plenty of radio air time today,” (Classic Rock Forums). “This album had a solid production by Gary Lyons and one of the best songwriters of the 70s, Mick Jones. Jones was involved with each song on this album. Vocalist Lou Gramm is one of the best in the business, with a strong, soaring voice.

… every song is highly polished with flawless musicianship. This album is truly a classic! ‘Feels Like the First Time’ is a grand opening song. A quintessential glam-jam with stellar keyboards, catchy riffs, and an outstanding vocal performance from Gramm. The background vocal harmony layering is a great addition to the already fantastic musical mix.”

Built in G mixolydian overall, the verse for “Feels Like the First Time” features a striking ascending whole step key-of-the-moment series (0:37 and 0:46) before 0:55 brings us the first chorus (returning to the original key). Between 1:49 – 2:21, the relative E minor takes over for the bridge, leading to a series of choruses in the original key for the fading outro.

The Jam | Absolute Beginners

“The Jam were the most popular band to emerge from the initial wave of British punk rock in 1977; along with the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Buzzcocks, the Jam had the highest impact on pop music,” (Qobuz). “While they could barely get noticed in America, the trio became genuine superstars in Britain, with an impressive string of Top Ten singles in the late ’70s and early ’80s. The Jam could never have a hit in America because they were thoroughly and defiantly British … More than any other group, the Jam kept the tradition of the three-minute, hook-driven British guitar pop alive through the ’70s and ’80s, providing a blueprint for generations of bands to come.

Under the direction of guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Paul Weller, the trio spearheaded a revival of mid-’60s mod groups, in the style of the Who and the Small Faces. Like the mod bands, the group dressed stylishly, worshipped American R&B, and played it loud and rough. By the time of the group’s third album, Weller’s songwriting had grown substantially, as he was beginning to write social commentaries and pop songs in the vein of the Kinks … as the Jam grew more popular and musically accessible, Weller became more insistent and stubborn about his beliefs, supporting leftist causes and adhering to the pop aesthetics of ’60s British rock without ever succumbing to hippie values. Paradoxically, that meant even when their music became more pop than punk, they never abandoned the punk values — if anything, Weller stuck to the strident independent ethics of 1977 more than any other punk band just by refusing to change.”

“Absolute Beginners” (1981) begins in D major; at 0:53, the chorus shifts down to B major, but the tune ends decisively in E major. Despite not getting much airplay in the US, the video couldn’t adhere any more closely to the standards of the earliest days of MTV, featuring over-exposed, over-lit footage.

The Old Gods of Asgard | Dark Ocean Summoning

The Old Gods of Asgard is a fictional heavy metal band that debuted in Alan Wake, a fantastic horror/action video game produced by Remedy Entertainment. The real group behind the curtain of the game is Finnish metal ensemble Poets of the Fall. While the band has four steady members, two of them, Marko Saaresto(lead vocals) and Markus Kaarlonen(keys), have avatars which first appear in-game as brothers Tor and Odin Anderson. Real world guitarist Olli Tukiainen makes appearances as Bob Baldur. According to the Alan Wake Wiki, the boys form a band with far more in-game lore than can be adequately covered in a brief post that’s ostensibly about a modulation. Suffice it to say, their casting throughout multiple Remedy games functions largely as a vehicle to showcase Poets of the Fall absolutely ripping their way through some excellent metal tunes. One such instance, “Dark Ocean Summoning” (2024), is the source of today’s modulation.

The song begins with an atmospheric verse set firmly in A minor. The verse builds into a chorus that sets the stage for the modulation waiting in the wings, but refuses to give it to us just yet. Another verse and chorus lead us finally into the modulation we’ve been hoping for, starting at the 2:50 mark and culminating with a whole-step modulation up to B minor. This shift occurs for no good reason other than that it is rad, and gives the song an excuse to showcase Tukiainen’s guitar shredding skills. The song’s tonal center moves around a bit during this time, but after some very Vincent Price-esque narration at the 4:03 mark, it settles nicely into a triumphant refrain of the chorus in the new key, where it stays until the end.

Alice Cooper | Under My Wheels

” … Chuck Eddy, the perceptive and witty rock critic, wrote the brilliant, hilarious … Stairway to Hell: The 500 Best Heavy Metal Albums in the Universe. In said book Eddy puts Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits at #3 on his list,” (The Vinyl District). “That’s right, #3, right below Led Zeppelin IV and Appetite for Destruction.

… Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits, while far from perfect, lets you in on what all the excitement was about. When too many other rock bands were ‘going pro’ or jamming their live audiences into a coma, Alice Cooper was providing rock solid rock ’n’ roll thrills and chills worth every penny of your entertainment dollar. I can only compare them to Iggy and the Stooges, and how many people actually saw Iggy and the Stooges? … Alice Cooper served up ersatz madness to the masses, and everybody walked away happy. Was Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits the best album to come out of the ’70s? Probably not. But I’ll be damned if it isn’t the best album Alice Cooper ever put out, and I have a hard time thinking of an album from 1970-79 that’s more fun.

… ‘Under My Wheels’ is an old school rave-up and comes complete with sleazy horn blurt and the guitar of ax-slinger Rick Derringer … ” The track starts in A major, but shifts up to Bb major (complete with a groove-pausing leap) at 1:44. Our frequent contributor JB adds that despite the resemblance, “Under My Wheels” was released “years before Rocky Horror‘s ‘Let’s Do the Time Warp Again.'”

Devo | Girl U Want

(In 1980), American art-rock band Devo released their breakthrough record, Freedom of Choice,” (Variety). “The album not only spawned the new wave smash ‘Whip It,’ but the full-length still stands the test of time, with singles such as ‘Girl U Want’ and especially the title track, still resonating today with fans … “

Devo member Gerald Casale: “‘Whip It’ was a fluke. Warner Brothers put all their chips on the first single, ‘Girl U Want.’ They released that first, and it just stiffed. Then suddenly this guy named Kal Rudman [the founder of Friday Morning Quarterback, a noted radio trade publication that covered the radio and broadcast industry] — he was a regional programmer, he had a tip sheet, and this was a guy who had ears — he actually listened to the albums people sent him. And on his own, he decided that he loved “Whip It” and started playing it. Warner Bros. wasn’t sending him money to play it; he just loved it. And it took off down south first, then quickly spread up the east coast and by the time it hit New York, it was over. We had to recalibrate our whole tour that year, and we suddenly were no longer playing 400-seat clubs; instead, we were playing 2000-5000 seat venues.'”

During the verses of “Girl U Want,” the melody is in an ambiguous, colorless key of “E” (outlined by the persistently spiky flatted seventh in the melody co-existing with the prominent natural seventh in the accompaniment). 1:16 brings a shift to a more settled C major for the bridge. The pattern continues from 1:26 — until the unresolved ending suddenly drops off a cliff.

Eric Clapton | Let It Rain

“Eric Clapton was such a reluctant recipient of the solo spotlight in the early 1970s that he hid behind a different band name at least some of the time,” (UDiscoverMusic). “But after Derek and the Dominos’ ‘Layla’ had belatedly become a Top 10 US hit on Atco in August 1972, Polydor hoped to keep the momentum going by returning to Eric’s self-titled debut solo album of two years before.

The result was the release of his soft-rock co-write with Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, ‘Let It Rain,’ as a US single. It was a new entry on the Billboard Hot 100 for September 23, 1972. The track entered at #80 … The song stuttered up to halfway on the Hot 100, most weeks without the “bullet” that signified major sales or airplay increases, and stopped at #48 in the chart for the first week of December. Clapton wouldn’t make the Top 10 as a solo artist again until 1974, but when he did, he went all the way to No.1, with ‘I Shot the Sheriff.’”

After an intro in A mixolydian, 0:15 brings a verse in D mixolydian. 1:17 features a return of the intro material, this time as an interlude. The sections continue to alternate from there.

MGMT | The Youth

“At some point in the last decade or so, public opinion, among those who still give thought to MGMT, began quietly shifting to accommodate the notion that they are a much stranger band than their career might initially have suggested,” (Pitchfork).

“More than just one-album wonders who never recaptured the magic of their indelible early hits, or even misunderstood tinkerers who found the spotlight in a fluke accident and quickly retreated—though both descriptions are true enough—they are artists whose work addresses the very sort of glitzy mass appeal that those early hits still command. Even ‘Time to Pretend,’ one of the singles that earned them slots opening for Paul McCartney and soundtracking the season finale of Gossip Girl, was itself a grimly funny satire of rock stardom.”

The band, whose core members met while attending Wesleyan University in Connecticut, released its debut album Oracular Spectacular in 2007. “The Youth,” a track from the album, spends most of its 3:45 length in F major. But at 2:35, there’s an unprepared trapdoor shift downward into E major — certainly as compelling as any half-step key change, but in this case, perhaps moreso before of its direction.