1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910783197303321

Autore

Zak Albin

Titolo

The poetics of rock [[electronic resource] ] : cutting tracks, making records / / Albin J. Zak III

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley, : University of California Press, c2001

ISBN

0-520-92815-6

1-59734-812-0

9786612445729

1-282-44572-3

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (279 p.)

Disciplina

781.66/149

Soggetti

Rock music - History and criticism

Sound recordings - Production and direction

Sound - Recording and reproducing

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 241-246) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Writing Records -- 2. Tracks -- 3. Sound As Form -- 4. Places And Tools -- 5. Tracking And Mixing -- 6. Engineers And Producers -- 7. Resonance -- Notes -- Glossary -- Engineer And Producer Credits -- Recordings Cited -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

After a hundred years of recording, the process of making records is still mysterious to most people who listen to them. Records hold a fundamental place in the dynamics of modern musical life, but what do they represent? Are they documents? Snapshots? Artworks? Fetishes? Commodities? Conveniences? The Poetics of Rock is a fascinating exploration of recording consciousness and compositional process from the perspective of those who make records. In it, Albin Zak examines the crucial roles played by recording technologies in the construction of rock music and shows how songwriters, musicians, engineers, and producers contribute to the creative project, and how they all leave their mark on the finished work. Zak shapes an image of the compositional milieu by exploring its elements and discussing the issues and concerns faced by artists. Using their testimony to



illuminate the nature of record making and of records themselves, he shows that the art of making rock records is a collaborative compositional process that includes many skills and sensibilities not traditionally associated with musical composition. Zak connects all the topics--whether technical, conceptual, aesthetic, or historical--with specific artists and recordings and illustrates them with citations from artists and with musical examples. In lively and engaging prose, The Poetics of Rock brilliantly illustrates how the musical energy from a moment of human expression translates into a musical work wrought in sound.