CATALAN ROCK
Catalan rock experienced a boom during the 1990's. Groups like Sopa de Cabra, Sau, Els Pets and Lax'n'Busto
became icons for the first generation to be educated in their native tongue in decades.
Overnight, these bands and their members became true idols.
What few know is that rock on our home turf was actually born much earlier, back during
the era of the 60's. Inspired by the musical wave from the States, the fresh sounds of
bands like Màquina, Vértice, Música Dispersa and Joaka began to be heard. But this
first crop of rockers was hit hard when the Als Quatre Vents recording label went bust.
What's more, the musical scene in our neck of the woods has tended to be dominated by
composers of 'Nova cançó',
whose lyrics reflected the socio-political struggles sweeping our nation.
These odds notwithstanding, groups like the Companyia
Elèctrica Dharma and the Orquestra Mirasol
appeared on the scene in the mid-seventies, and in 1975, the first Festival Canet Rock was
held with great popular success. And the flame of Catalan rock was kept burning during the
80's by musicians like Pau Riba
and Jaume Sisa.
But, as we said initially, it wasn't until the last decade that Catalan rock took over our
local music scene. To young folks and not-so-young folks, these groups singing in Catalan
represented the expression of their own political dissatisfaction. In more recent years,
bands like Gossos, Ja T'ho Diré and the Brams have appeared.
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Breakthrough at Palau Sant Jordi |  |
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The supremacy of catalan rock was established for once and for all in 1991, when the bands Sopa de Cabra, Sau, Sangtraït, and Els Pets filled the Palau Sant Jordi to capacity. Some 22,000 fans descended upon the Montjuïc venue for an unforgettable event featuring the rock created in our nation. It was a huge milestone testifying to the force this musical movement had begun to gather. And public acclaim only grew. Case in point: 60,000 people showed up when Els Pets performed at the Moll de la Fusta de Barcelona in 1995. Festivals such as the Acampada d'Arbúcies and El Senglar Rock continue to be held, both events with a huge turnout. |
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 + Four catalan rock bands filled the Palau Sant Jordi to capacity in 1991 |
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Four Years Without 'Sau' | |
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Sau became one of the most mythical groups in this new wave of catalan rock. Ever since their first hit recording, 1987's 'No puc deixar de fumar', their celebrity grew exponentially. Formed by Carles Sabater, Pep Sala, Carles Oliver, and Joan Capdevila, many of the band's songs - such as Boig per tu - became anthems for the young generation. Which is why so many fans were devastated when Carles Sabater died on February 13, 1999 during the debut performance of the group's most recent recording Amb la lluna a l'esquena. But the group lives on, as evidenced by the many websites dedicated to them, such as the La web homenatge Carles Sabater (The Carles Sabater Website Homage) and Boig x Sau (Crazy for Sau). |
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 + Sau became one of the most mythical groups in this new wave of catalan rock |
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The Origins of Rock | |
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The musical beat that is the basis of Rock and Roll emerged at the end of the 1950's as the result of the fusion between two North American musical genres: the Black-American Rhythm and Blues and the Country and Western style of the White Midwest. 1954 is considered the year this new music was born when Bill Halley and the Comets recorded the hit song Rock Around the Clock. From then on, a series of now-mythical figures like Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis appeared on the scene and consolidated the new musical movement. Their rhythms and lyrics mesmerized the younger generations at the same time it shocked the rest of society. Rock went through a certain period of stagnation in the early sixties until British groups like The Beatles and the Rolling Stones came along with their indelible stamp. |
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Read the article "Catalan
rock" and link the information in the left column below with the corresponding
dates. You may have to visit some of the links:
| Carles
Sabater, member of Sau, died. |
1987 |
| The supremacy of
Catalan rock was established for once and for all , when the bands Sopa de Cabra, Sau, Sangtraït, and Els Pets filled the Palau Sant Jordi to capacity. |
1912 |
| The movie Standing
in the Shadows of Motown, that chronicles the story of the Funk Brothers, will be
showing in the Museum’s Fourth Floor Theater at 6:30 p.m. |
1975 |
| Bill Halley and the Comets recorded
the hit song 'Rock Around the Clock'. |
1993 |
| Jerry Lee was on top of the world
at the Paramount Theater in New York. |
1991
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| The first magazine dedicated to the
music born in the Catalan Countries, called Enderrock, appeared. |
1935 |
| Rock
and roll literally takes its name from these same verbs. The term, coined by Gospel singers, was first used in the music
industry. |
1958 |
| Elvis Presley, in the
humblest of circumstances, was born in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi. |
1999 |
| 'No puc deixar de fumar', by
Sau, was recorded. |
1954 |
| The first Festival
Canet Rock was held with great popular success. |
2003 |
Send the exercises to you teacher :-)
Write the biography of the members of your favourite Catalan rock group.Can you translate the words of a Catalan rock group into English and then sing it in class?
