5.Interview your group-mates to find out:
what styles in modern music they know and like;
characteristic features of their favourite style;
two or three singers (groups) they like listening to and two or three singers (groups) they definitely dislike;
what they feel about the music they like listening to.
Report the results of your interviews. Sum them up to make conclusions about dominant likes and dislikes in your group.
6. Which musical style, in your opinion, is described in the following passage? Give your arguments.
What else do you know about the history of this style? Is it still popular today? Has it changed? What varieties of this style in the present-day music do you know?
7. PROJECT WORK
In groups, design a brochure about the history of rock. Find and arrange information, pictures, lyrics, etc. connected with the main landmarks of this movement in music.
Present the results of your work. Give your reasons for choosing these very names, songs, events, etc. for your brochures.
8. Read the information about two superstars of pop music and compare their styles of performance, careers, roots of popularity.
Do you like these two singers? What for?
Do you think they will remain on the height of their fame long?
Michael Jackson
When Jackson's father formed the Jackson Five, a singing quintet comprising his sons, five-year-old Michael, the youngest, was the lead singer. From its first recordings, beginning in 1969, the group was a favourite of young, including preteen, audiences; Motown Records songwriters provided their material, and impressive dance routines choreographed by Michael contributed to their popularity. After they were renamed the Jacksons in 1976, the brothers wrote more adult songs for recordings, which they produced themselves. They played on their own network television series during the 1970s, and a television cartoon series was based on them.Michael remained a member of the Jacksons until 1984.
Meanwhile Michael Jackson had begun recording under his own name in 1971, and he sang in the film musical The Wiz (1978). His 1979 album Off the Wall sold about 10 million copies throughout the world. Noted for his "moon-walk" dancing style and coy sex appeal, Jackson made videos of "Billie Jean" and "Beat It," both composed and choreographed by him; they were shown on MTV cable television, helping the album from which they were taken, Thriller (1982), to sell more than 40 million copies. He outbid Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono to acquire, for $47.5 million, the publishing rights to more than 250 songs composed by the John Lennon-Paul McCartney team.
A collector of animals, Jackson brought his pet chimpanzee and 300-pound snake to the recording sessions that produced Bad (1987); his subsequent albums were Dangerous (1991) and HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1 (1995).
A lawsuit charging him with child molestation was dropped in 1994 when he made a financial arrangement with the parents of a 14-year-old boy. In that same year Jackson made a widely publicized marriage with Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis; the marriage ended in 1996. Several of Jackson's siblings, most notably his sister Janet, also enjoyed success as rock singers.
Madonna
Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born on 16 August 1958 in Rochester Michigan, USA. Madonna excelled at dance and drama at high school and during brief periods at colleges in Michigan and North Carolina.
In 1977 she went to New York, studying with noted choreographer Alvin Ailey and taking modelling jobs. Two years later, Madonna moved to France to join a show featuring disco singer Patrick Hernandez. There she met Dan Gilroy and, back in New York, the pair formed club band the Breakfast Club. Madonna played drums and sang with the band. With leading New York disc jockey Mark Kamins producing, she recorded 'Everybody', a US club hit in 1982.
Madonna broke out from the dance scene into mainstream pop with 'Holiday', written and produced by John 'Jellybean' Benitez. It reached the US Top 20 and was a Top 10 hit across Europe in 1984. By now, her tough, raunchy persona was coming across to international audiences and the attitude was underlined by the choice of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg's catchy 'Like A Virgin' as a 1984 single. It was the first of ten US number 1 hits for Madonna. Among these was 'Material Girl', the video which introduced one of her most characteristic visual styles, the mimicking of Marilyn Monroe's 'blonde bombshell' image. By the time of the Live Aid concert, at which she appeared, and her high-profile wedding to actor Sean Penn, Madonna had become an internationally recognized superstar.
From 1985-87, she turned out a stream of irresistibly catchy hit singles. 'Crazy For You' and 'Into The Groove' were followed by 'Dress You Up' and 'Papa Don't Preach', with its message of generational rebellion. 'True Blue', 'Open Your Heart' and 'La Isla Bonita' were later successes.
Madonna's film career had begun in 1980 with a minor role in the b-movie A Certain Sacrifice before she starred in Desperately Seeking Susan (1985). In Shanghai Surprise (1986), Madonna appeared with Penn, from whom she separated in 1988.
Madonna continued to attract controversy when, in 1989, the video for 'Like A Prayer', with its links between religion and eroticism, was condemned by the Vatican and caused Pepsi-Cola to cancel a sponsorship deal with the star. The resulting publicity helped the album of the same title to become a global bestseller.
In 1990, her career reached a new peak of publicity and commercial success. She starred with Warren Beatty in the blockbuster film Dick Tracy, while the extravagant costumes and choreography of the Blond Ambition world tour were the apotheosis of Madonna's combination of sexuality, song, dance and religiosity. The tour was commemorated by a documentary film Truth Or Dare On The Band Behind The Scenes, And In Bed With Madonna, released in 1991. Among the hits of the early 90s were 'Vogue', 'Justify My Love' and 'Rescue Me'.
Madonna's reputation as a strong businesswoman, in control of each aspect of her career, was confirmed in 1992 when she signed a multi-million dollar deal with the Time-Warner conglomerate. This guaranteed the release of albums, films and books created by her own Maverick production company. The publication of her graphic and erotic book Sex put her back on top of the charts, though this time it was in the bestselling book lists. The book was an unprecedented success, selling out within hours and needing an immediate reprint.
In 1996 her need to shock had mellowed considerably with a credible movie portrayal of Eva Peron in Evita. Later that year she became 'with child' on 14 October with the birth of Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon. She returned to music with 1998's Ray of Light, one of her finest recordings to date. Her voice had matured into a rich and expressive instrument.