TWIMH: Saturday Night Fever

Blast from the Past: This Week in Music History

Brought to you by Alexa West
Cohost of ROANOKE, Mondays 12am-2am on WGTB

            Bell-bottoms, white suits, and slicked hair—how could anyone forget the disco madness of the 1970s. Poster child for the movement was John Travolta, for his role as disco master Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever. This week in music history—May 5^th 1978 to be more precise—the soundtrack for SNF, which had seven Bee Gees songs on it, started its 18-week run as number 1 on the US charts. The album, with hits like Stayin’ Alive and How Deep is Your Love went on to sell over 30 million copies. Midnight Mug would be bare without the disco ball that towers over the baristas, giving them groovy vibes that pervade the entire Georgetown campus. Students everywhere enjoy disco-themed parties and grooving on the dance floor, but most of all, we wonder: how did they get their voices so high?

To boogie down with the Bee Gees, see below:

TWIMH: Sticky Fingers Makes Its Racy Debut

Blast from the Past: This Week in Music History

Brought to you by Alexa West, cohost of ROANOKE Mondays 12am-2am

This week in music history was a collaborative one, ladies and gentlemen. On April 26, 1971 the Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers was released in the UK sporting a cover designed by Andy Warhol. The cover was of a pair of jeans with a zipper, and Warhol was paid 15 thousand pounds for the design. The original Vinyl had a working zipper that revealed a man in undies. This collaboration of aural and visual art was one of many, but they serve to remind us of the interdisciplinary nature of art. The working zipper taps us into the multidimensional nature of the album cover as well! Georgetown University is all about developing the “renaissance,” interdisciplinary human being through a liberal arts education—not necessarily all pre-professional. We are the Sticky Fingers album cover of college graduates—but if you pull, we won’t show you our undies—always.

TWIMH: Who Dat? The Who.

Blast from the Past: This Week in Music History

Brought to you by Alexa West, cohost of ROANOKE Mondays 12am-2am

Pinball Wizard, I’m Free, We’re Not Gonna Take It—just a few of the iconic songs from the Who’s legendary rock opera Tommy. Tommy (about a deaf-mute who starts a religious cult that eventually kills him when he is miraculously cured) was first performed live by the Who on April 19^th 1969 in Dolton, England. Exactly five years later, Tommy was adapted as a film directed by Ken Russel. The cast included a plethora of stars: Ann-Margaret, Oliver Reed, Elton John, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, and Jack Nicholson (to name a few!). The rock opera was not only a brilliant musical feat, but also was a thrilling and compelling story that inspired many rock artists to add a narrative quality to their lyrics. Georgetown wouldn’t be the same without “Tommy, can you hear me?” echoing in dormitory halls or the glam style introduced by the iconic movie.

TWIMH: We Are The World

Blast from the Past: This Week in Music History

Brought to you by Alexa West, cohost of ROANOKE Mondays 12am-2am on WGTB

            With Georgetown hosting Haiti day on Monday and Relay for Life coming up this weekend, I thought I’d continue the charitable trend with TWIMH. On April 13, 1985, the song “We Are the World,” went to the top of the charts and would remain there for another four weeks. USA for Africa performed the song, which was a collaboration of 47 popular artists including Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, and Cyndi Lauper. The song topped both US and UK charts, and the considerable profits went to the USA for Africa Foundation, which provided relief of famine and disease in Africa. This musical charity especially helped the 1984-5 famine in Ethiopia. Music can change the world through its influence, and this is just one of many instances where it is used for charity and the overall good.

To see US for Africa perform this influential song, click below:

TWIMH: Wham!

 Blast from the Past: This Week in Music History

Brought to you by Alexa West, cohost of ROANOKE Mondays 12am-2am

Over the past decades, with increases in communication and information technology, the world has become a much smaller place. Some say it started with the invention of satellites, cellular telephones, or email, but for us music history scholars, it all started with Wham! Yes, Wham!—the endeavor that made George Michael (pre-public bathroom arrests) and Andrew Ridgeley famous for wearing neon clothing and belting out tunes like “Wake Me up before You Go-Go.” On April 7^th 1985, Wham! became the first western pop group to perform live in China, when they played at the workers gymnasium in Beijing. Today, groups travel all over the world to give tours, but when the world was more divided (especially in the 80s, at the end of the Cold War), touring internationally was a big deal. Wham’s tour opened up the world for American pop artists like Britney Spears and N*SYNC to tour internationally with no hesitation and increasing enthusiasm.

TWIMH: The Beach Boys Get Around

Blast from the Past: This Week in Music History-- Alexa West, cohost of ROANOKE Mondays 12am-2am on WGTB

This is a harmonious week in music history, WGTB blog readers! On April 2nd, 1964, a little band called the Beach Boys released their record “I Get Around,” which was #1 in the US by July, selling over 2 million copies. The unique sound of the Beach Boys embodies the West Coast; we still blast “California Girls” and “Surfin’ U.S.A,” on beaches around the country. Their music is some of the easiest to boogie-down to, and the band is a major influence for musicians today.

Hear out the boys belting I Get Around below -- if you click this link, you can watch them singing it.

TWIMH: Bootlegs Banned

Blast from the Past: This Week in Music History
by Alexa West, cohost of ROANOKE Mondays 12am-2am on WGTB

We’re getting political this week in TWIMH. On March 24, 1966 the New York State assembly was the first of many states to outlaw “bootlegs,” or unauthorized copies of records and tapes. Little did they know, Napster and Limewire would soon be coming to enhance the problem, which started out with cheap street-vendors. The conflict between artists and fans intensified, and kids began holding protests for free CDs and free concerts. Many artists—like Metallica—would never stand for performing without revenue, but the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and many other peace-loving artists performed free concerts to appease the crowds.