history105

[history105]

Lecture 5: One more for the road: Here is a trailer from the 1957 film Mr. Rock ‘n’ Roll, starring Alan Freed and a whole host of musical talents. This is fairly typical of the calibre of films that Freed appeared in during the second half of the 1950s. These were low-budget films that often played the double feature circuit in drive-ins and movie theaters across America.

[history105]

Epilogue: The wonderful California band Sublime, singing "What I Got," from their self-titled 1996 album Sublime. Rest in peace Bradley Nowell (1968-1996).

[history105]

Lecture 21: The Vinyl Revival: A short doc on vinyl record collectors in the Los Angeles area. This is serious business. 

[history105]

Lecture 21: This excellent - and very touching - short film spotlights Paul Mawhinney, a Pittsburgh record collector who owns the largest record collection in the United States. This film is a few years old, Mawhinneyyet still hasn't sold his collection. 

[history105]

Lecture 21: Lars Ulrich from Metallica turns up in this anti-piracy, anti-Napster ad from the early 2000s. 

[history105]

Lecture 21: Tape became increasingly important in the recording industry and allowed for much greater flexibility in mixing sounds. It also almost eclipsed record albums by the 1970s among consumers. This commercial from the 1960s for Wollensak, an American manufacturer of reel-to-reel tape decks, reflects the growing demand for magnetic tape technology. 

[history105]

Lecture 21: No hype! From 1977 comes this typical stereo commercial for Jim Coyne's Sound Chamber in Cleveland. Want the latest Technics turntable? This cat has it in stock!

[history105]

Lecture 21: The 1970s is remembered as the "Golden Age of the Stereo." Check out this stereo commercial from Magnavox, circa early 1970s. That's some sound system! 

[history105]

Lecture 21: Comedian Stan Freberg pokes fun at "audiophiles" - those obsessed with "pure" sound or high-fidelity sound - in 1956. Includes some of the funniest cartoon character voices of the day, including Daws Butler and June Foray. 

[history105]

Lecture 21: Another RCA promo film, this one from 1957, is hammy as hell and extols the virtues of Pure Sound or high-fidelity sound. Dig the music-loving dorks in this promo film. They're so square they make Dwight Eisenhower look like a hipster! Especially the dude at 3:30...

[history105]

Lecture 21: RCA Victor "Living Stereo" promotional film from 1958 shows the Cult of Pure Sound and high fidelity in the post-World War II era. Hosted by Bob Banks, an RCA executive. 

[history105]

Lecture 21: The Invention of the MP3: Interview with Dr Karlheinz Brandenburg, head of the audio/multimedia division of the Fraunhofer Institute. From 2008. 

[history105]

Lecture 19: Hip Hop: Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life" (1998).

[history105]

Lecture 19: Hip Hop: Tupac Shakur (1971-1996) performs "Toss It Up" (1996), recorded toward the end of his life. 

[history105]

Lecture 19: Hip Hop: Pro-violence or protest? Ice T performs "Cop Killer" live in 1991, a key example of so-called Gangsta Rap.

[history105]

Lecture 19: Hip Hop: Political Rap. Public Enemy performs their radical Hip-Hop anthem "Fight the Power" in 1989.

[history105]

Lecture 19: Hip Hop: The mainstreaming of Hip Hop: A trailer for Breakin' (1984).