Beyond The Beat

As debuts go, Ten was uncommonly intimate, dragging the listener through an array of emotions. Lyric topics range from incest, murder, growing up without a father, war and greed, suicide and bullying. Singer Eddie Vedder wore his heart on his songwriting sleeve. He was a happy-go-lucky surfer guy on the outside, but obviously was dealing with a lot personal issues internally.

The songs moved people, showed them a new style of commitment that had been increasingly absent in rock. They were able to tow that line between offering an escape from the real problems in the world, and making the listener feel like they're not alone with those very same problems. Of getting a generation of kids singing a rallying cry about incest, “Oh, I’m Still Alive.”.

As Eddie would later say, it was kind of a bummer all these songs about dark life issues were so relatable. But when you sell that many copies of a record, you know you’ve touched on something special....you’ve connected with an untold amount of people. While the lyrics touched on a variety of important topics, the music on Ten is groundbreaking. It combines the excitement of classic arena rock, the what-the-f*ck attitude of punk, high-speed psychedelic guitar virtuosity, and Vedder’s truly distinct vocals to create an absolute powerhouse of a listening experience.

Ten would eventually be considered alongside Nirvana’s Nervermind as the dawn of the grunge movement. With a front-lines look at seeing what was popular in the 80’s nearing it’s end, Eddie wrote in RollingStone magazine’s 1991 Year In Review issue, “Finally, music gets to the point. Ian sings, ‘We’re all here’, Perry sings ‘These are the days’, Cornell sings, ‘The wreck is going down’, and he’s right. Wake up, or die in your sleep.”

Like Systems debut album, Toxicity seemed utterly chaotic upon its first listen, but the small refinements of more melody helped it become more accessible and gain mainstream attention. Not even the events of 9/11, (a week after the album's release) and having Chop Suey ripped from radio playlists, could tear it from the airwaves. People were attracted to their distinct style of fun interesting guitar riffs, Serj’s ‘swiss army knife’ vocals on top of Daron’s strange singing, the fun and unconventional drumming, and the diversity of their songs. They managed to get more poppier over time without giving the feeling like they were selling out. Also, their politics weren’t so overt that it distanced certain listeners. They still had political songs, but they did so in a way that was more surreal, adventurous and musically accomplished without sacrificing any of the heaviness or intensity that got them signed to a record deal.

Toxicity provided a perfect soundtrack to post-9/11 anxiety. System in a lot of ways had a contradictory sound. It can sound both incredibly juvenile and surprisingly mature, which leaks in the lyrics as well. As Daron said in an interview, “We like to stay on that verse-chorus type of tradition except sometimes the verse will be a waltz and the chorus will be hardcore.” How many popular bands can say that Waltz is a component of their music? They didn’t follow the so-called rules of Heavy Metal. No one before sounded like System Of A Down, and no one really since. But as Rick Rubin said, they transcended not fitting in, and those are the best artists. Those are the revolutionary bands, and those are the ones that change the world.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers formed in 1983 over a mutual love of punk rock and funk, and a bond stemming from their high school days. Their early years were far from a walk in the park, but it was their brotherhood that got them through the hardships and struggle that defines this early era of the "Fairfax 4".

Ambition is the key word for College Dropout. Kanye is saying if you work hard enough, you can achieve your dreams, like Kanye’s dream of working with Jay Z one day. Like Kanye’s dream of being respected as more than just a producer, but a rapper. It wasn’t easy. But maybe it was because of his near-death experience in a car accident, that he had this newfound perspective on life. College Dropout was Kanye’s 2nd chance. He was on borrowed time after he saw how fleeting life could be. College Dropout was his healing process, his rehabilitation album. As he says in Through The Wire.

“I’m a champion, so I turned tragedy to triumph, Make music that's fire, spit my soul through the wire”

Maybe at the end of the day, all Kanye wanted to do with College Dropout was establish himself as a rapper, but the album ended up expanding the musical and emotional language of hip-hop. Claiming to be the first 'n**** with a benz and a backpack', he challenged all the rules and boldly danced across boundaries others were too afraid to even acknowledge. A young man who told an underdog story of reaching independence. Achieving his creative aspirations, and speaking for the common man was what hip hop needed. But at the same time, you got a brazingly confident man who loved fashion, loved spending money, and loved women.

A few years after its release, Kanye’s cousin, Devo Springsteen reflected on the album’s impact in an interview “There’s pre and post-'College Dropout.' Hip-Hop is often equated to rap music and there are a few kind of tribes within that demographic. You’re a gangster, a baller, a backpacker or you’re a seller. If you’re going to rap, which of the lanes are you coming from? I think with Kanye, his approach brought in different types of influences away from these categories. I can be from the suburbs, Midwest, I can wear Polo shirts and I am still Hip-Hop. As long as you’re honest about yourself, you’re Hip-Hop.”

Def Leppard is known for spending years to record their albums. So when it came to recording guitars for their masterful "Hysteria" record in 1987, the guitar tracks were no different. Phil Collen and Steve Clarke's approach to a more 'MELODIC' guitar sound was unique for rock in the 80's, but was a main factor is "Hysteria" becoming one of the best selling rock albums of all time.