EDWARD'S LECTURE NOTES:
More notes at http://tanguay.info/learntracker
C O U R S E 
History of Rock, 1970-Present
John Covach, University of Rochester
https://www.coursera.org/course/historyofrock2
C O U R S E   L E C T U R E 
Blaxploitation Soundtracks
Notes taken on May 4, 2015 by Edward Tanguay
Blaxploitation films
an important step in film making for African American actors, writers and producers
if you look at the history of film leading up to the early 1970s
you will see that while there were in fact black actors who were featured in films
they didn't have the exposure or important and central roles that the white actors had
as directors and producers, not active at all
sitting at the very center of this movement
1971 Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
an African American perspective on urban life
independent film
cop-action scene
Martin Van Peebles produced it
set in Los Angeles
Sweetback
charged with a crime against a police officer
eventually emerges victorious in fleeing to Mexico
frequently had soundtracks by important groups in the 1970s
two people got their widespread crossover exposure
Isaac Hayes
got his start at Stax
the voice of Chef on South Park
1968 Presenting Isaac Hayes
a bit of a flop
Stax had lost the Atlantic catalog
Stax was interested as releasing albums
pressed Isaac Hayes to produce for them
1969 Hot Buttered Soul
has four tracks on it: two on one side, two on the other
1968 By the Time I Get to Phoenix
written by Glen Webb
had been a hit by Glenn Campbell on the country charts
the Glenn Campbell Good Time Hour
19 minutes
first 9 minutes a narration
ambitious
like Vanilla Fudge in the psychedelic era
1968 Walk On By
stretched it to 12 minutes
1971 Shaft
MGM released the movie
John Shaft in New York City
like a black James Bond
Isaac Hayes did the theme song Shaft
lush string arrangements
like Philadelphia Sound
Curtis Mayfield
1972 Super Fly
was the soundtrack for the movie Super Fly
has group Impressions
1963 It's All Right
1963 Keep on Pushing
1965 People Get Ready
like Brian Wilson and Frankie Valli and Eddie Kendrick from the Temptations
Super Fly movie (1972)
cocaine dealer in New York and all his adventures
1972 Super Fly album
very successful
song: Freddy's Dead
if you were a white rock listener watching variety shows, of the black artists of this era, Stevie Wonder is who you would see on TV often
Curtis Mayfield was on television very often
he was a bit of the embodiment of what was happening in black pop music at the time