I'm taking a class at Wayne State called "Pop Music To The Present" and the class is about American pop music from the past to the present, and i thought it was interesting that i post it here.This week we're studing Prince, specifically on the song "Sign O' The Time". Here's the CD List of songs we have to listen to as part of our final.

MUH 1350 cd 9: 80s Alternative, Dance Metal, Pop, R&B and Synth Pop; early-90s Indie
Asterisk indicates songs you should be able to recognize by ear. Songs in boldface are required listening; the remaining songs are optional. New technical terms are underlined.

1. "I will follow", U2 (’81; the first single by this seminal alternative band from Northern Ireland, six years before they became a major act in the US. U2 was one of many UK groups at the time to adopt a style that featured this sort of processed guitar sound and heavy reverb on everything; Bono’s strong, clear voice made U2 stand out from these other bands. Note four-on-the-floor and atmospheric percussion touches like the glockenspiel playing indistinct melodies in the very high register, and the bottles during the bridge starting at 2:08.)
2. "Radio free Europe", R.E.M. (released in ’81 on a small indie label, charted in ’83 when re-released on the big indie label I.R.S.; early song by this alternative group that typified the sound, style and politics of what became college rock. The style emphasizes jangly guitars, tuneful vocal melodies and a rather indistinct delivery of the lyrics. Note the melodic bass-playing during the pre-chorus staring at 0:38; the chorus appears late, at 1:39; short bridge at 2:46 The song seems very DIY, but there’s a lot of overdubbing and many elements that reflect the early-80s interest in electronic sounds: the processed drum machine at the opening; the dry clicking in the left speaker during the verses, and the processed bell that moves from left to right during the bridge.)
3. *"Tainted love [single version]", Soft Cell ('81; early synth pop song became very successful on the pop charts, and the long 12” mix was wildly popular on the dancefloor: all this despite or because of its minimalist sound, DIY production values, and quirky, rhythmically imprecise vocal performance. A remake of an obscure soul song from’64, this represents the simplest form of early synth pop: vocalist plus keyboardist plus analog drum machine; the singer’s torchy, romantic delivery creates a contrast with the sparse arrangement and DIY production. What are the hooks?)
4. "Beat it", Michael Jackson ('82; no. 1 on both r&b and pop charts; displays the 80s trend of pop songs that meld pop, mainstream rock, metal, r&b, dance and electronic sound: can you distinguish these elements? The introduction is surprisingly edgy, and the break (2:22-2:50) cleverly mixes dance, rock and electronic elements. Jackson’s intense vocal delivery makes an odd contrast with lyrics’ mild message. Top studio musicians play a complex, layered arrangement that doesn’t seem like it’s meant to be heard as such; the virtuosic metal guitar solo is by Eddie Van Halen [see track 8].)
5. "Jack and Diane", John Cougar [Mellencamp] ('82; 70s-styled singer/songwriter had huge summer pop hit with this song that mixes his voice and acoustic guitar with the then-trendy digital drum machine; note though, that the song contrasts sections featuring his voice with sections featuring the heavy drum sounds; at 2:29 there’s a bridge with a live drummer playing gated drum fills against a big vocal arrangement. The song’s sad but basically wholesome American tale reflects 80s conservatism and nostalgia.)
6. "Juicy fruit", Mtume ('83; r&b also starts to emphasize synthesizers and digital drum machines in the 80s; artificial drum and synthesizer sounds clearly worked as hooks, but the song also has a traditionally soulful singer (plus subdued funky guitar and bass); note how the big drum sounds encourage a simplified arrangement compared to 70s soul and disco. A big dancefloor hit, no. 1 on the r&b charts for eight weeks, and a million-seller, this song didn’t make the top-40 pop charts: why not, do you think? At 3:09 there’s a keyboard-dominated instrumental (with a thick keyboard pad) instead of a break. Later sampled in Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy”.)
7. "Looks that kill", Motley Crue ('83; metal or hard rock that came out of 70s glam rock and shaded toward what became known as metal pop. The chorus’s main riff recalls the James Bond theme: perhaps this adds an edge to the stock phrase “she got looks that kill”; the group-chanted hook-phrase starting at 0:58 pushes the song toward a rock anthem. The catchy bridge starting at 1:56 showcases drummer Tommy Lee’s fast feet, good groove and heavy sound; the guitar solo is perhaps a bit perfunctory, however.)
8. "Panama", Van Halen ('84; a popular song by the most important metal or hard rock group of the late-70s/early-80s. This highly competent group was known for Eddie Van Halen’s guitar innovations, which can be heard in both lead and rhythm playing (note especially the hammer-on technique at 2:12-2:14, in which the guitarist’s right hand taps on the fingerboard directly instead of plucking the strings with a pick); but there are also pop elements, like the catchy melodies and chord progressions. The pre-chorus starting at 0:57 encapsulates the group’s style: two very tuneful phrases lead to a rhythmically tricky turnaround (1:03-07). The bridge beginning at 2:19 brings down the dynamics but also features Eddie’s car-sounds (2:34, 2:38, 2:44); it builds slowly toward a final chorus with a dramatic cold close. How does the song’s title relate to the rest of the lyrics?)
9. "Material girl", Madonna (’85; a big pop hit that also made the r&b chart; popular on the dancefloor (but not with me at the time). Produced by Chic’s Nile Rodgers, but note how different it sounds from 70s disco: big drum sounds and simplified arrangements become the norm by ’85; they no longer necessarily serve as hooks. Madonna’s somewhat shaky voice is doubled and highly processed to help it compete with the drums and synths. Note how Rodgers finds ways to fit simple hooks against the heavy drum sounds and main vocal melody: for example the syncopated synth in the very high register, first heard at 0:22, Madonna’s syncopated hiccup sounds, the male backing vocalists singing a one-note melody. There’s a short break at 3:14 that almost works as a false ending. The song’s lyrics reflect the consumerism and gender anxieties of the 80s in a playful way.)
10. "Legs", Art of Noise ('85; one of the first UK synth pop groups to make exclusively sampled-based music; more popular on the dance and r&b charts than the pop charts. The song features many breaks and takes the dance-music approach of bringing different sounds in and out. The song’s opening presents a sampled fanfare with swirling sampled strings in the background; every element is sampled or digitally synthesized, including the voices; big drum sounds dominate the arrangement throughout.)
11. "West End girls [single version]", Pet Shop Boys ('85; a big US pop and dance hit for this UK synth pop duo; also did OK on the r&b chart. Synth pop of the mid-80s had a fuller sound than did earlier songs like “Tainted love”: note the thick keyboard pad throughout and compare the sound of the digital drum machine here with the analog drum machine of track 3. But the torchy vocal style is similar. Apparently influenced by the lyrics and sound of Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” [see CD10], this song still stands out for its melancholy mood: besides the lyrics, which talk about class tensions, note the street noises at the beginning, the sultry female singer’s questions (1:40, 2:29, 3:09, 3:49) and the bridge (2:07-2:32), which features a voice-like melody played on a sampling keyboard in counterpoint to a jazzy trumpet.)
12. "Ain’t nothin’ goin’ on but the rent", Gwen Guthrie ('86; a no. 1 r&b hit designed for the dancefloor; but like track 6 it didn’t make the top-40 pop charts; written and produced by Guthrie, an attractive example of typical mid-80s r&b/dance production. The song’s first minute, with its percussion-dominated arrangement, heavy bass line and occasional vocal ad-libs, reflects the strategies of dance music; but the song doesn’t have structured breaks and builds: it’s more of a dub approach, with things coming in and out more rapidly. Most of the drum and percussion sounds come from digital drum machines; the synthetic handclaps were big in the early- to mid-80s; there are also Simmons electronic drums playing fills. As in track 9, the lyrics play on 80s themes.)
13. "Diamonds on the soles of her shoes", Paul Simon ('86; featuring the South African group Lady Blacksmith Mambazo; album cut from this singer/songwriter’s popular and controversial Graceland: Simon was praised for introducing the sounds of “world music” to US pop and for raising the profile of the musicians he collaborated with, but criticized when it emerged that he had used his collaborators’ material without giving them songwriting and arranging credit. The lush male group vocals, the percussion arrangement featuring the talking drum (heard clearly from 2:11-2:14), and the intricate guitar playing all sound like Sub-Saharan African pop. In ’86, the live rhythm section and restrained drum sounds helped attract older listeners. The song’s opening recalls both South African township music and 50s US doo-wop. By talking about issues of class this song may have gone against the grain of 80s pop; but it also served to reassure Simon’s long-time fans that he still had his 60s values intact; and the fanciful image that gives the song its title, coupled with the somewhat exotic musical backdrop, suggest that the song might be designed to titillate rather than educate.)
14. *"Sign ‘o’ the times", Prince ('87; a big pop and r&b hit. The song reflects mid-80s r&b’s big digital drum machine sounds, synthesizer hooks, and sparse arrangements; but it also has a homemade quality that recalls Sly Stone’s approach [see CD6 track 17]. Prince’s own style can be heard in his singing and guitar playing, and more subtly in the bass line (which sounds clearly synthetic but still has a funky feel) and the specific drum sounds he chooses. Note how the song introduces new elements gradually: bell-like digital synthesizer (1:12), guitar (1:16), tambourine (1:28), keyboard pad (1:47), sampled orchestral hit (3:44), strange (vocal?) sample in the mid-low register (3:54); but it continually returns to the sparse sound of just drum machine, percussive two-note synth part and voice. The bridge (1:47) is quite moving. Note also the bluesy guitar solo against synth-bass ad-libs (3:54). The song’s final section is a break (4:22) that emphasizes fills on Simmons electronic drums: why do you think the song ends this way? The lyrics talks about social issues, which wasn’t common in 80s r&b; while the song covers territory associated with Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye, it seems much darker, perhaps befitting its era.)15. "One", Metallica (’89; this song marks a turn toward a more commercial style for a metal group associated with the thrash-metal or speed-metal subgenres; this was their first song to make the pop charts. Nevertheless its lyrics, written from the perspective of a paralyzed war veteran, are hard-hitting; and there’s plenty of material for headbanging from 4:32 on. Compare to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to heaven” [CD4] for the way the song builds gradually towards a climax.)
16. "Only shallow", My Bloody Valentine (’91; this UK indie group was highly influential on guitar-based “shoegazer” bands of the 90s, indietronic artists, experimental post-rock groups and pretty much everyone else who wants a connection with the 80s-90s rock underground. The harsh instrumental section that begins the song seems to function as the chorus; this creates a strong contrast with verse’s slow, pretty melody sung by a wispy female voice. The overdubbed guitars create a “wall of sound”; this approach demonstrates DIY guitar experimentation in the studio, enhanced with samplers; the lyrics are interesting [see lyric sheet] but basically unintelligible. The closing section (3:41) deconstructs the wall of sound and introduces a wistful rising chord progression.)
17. *"Smells like teen spirit", Nirvana (’91; a big hit from the Seattle indie group who exemplified the style that became known as grunge. The four-note riff, first presented by the jangly guitar, continues relentlessly throughout the song, in verses, pre-choruses and choruses, with the exception of a very short bridge (heard twice: 1:31-1:38; 2:44-2:51). Kurt Cobain’s rough-edged vocal timbre sustains the song’s intensity. These features and others, like the pre-chorus’s lyrics simply repeating the word “hello” sixteen times, seem very DIY; but the production values and methods (including extensive sampling and digital editing), and the solid drumming do not: listen for subtle production touches like “hello” moving back and forth in the stereo field. Note that the guitar solo, which fades in as a wail of feedback (2:52), just plays the main melody: it’s not virtuosic or improvisatory. The lyrics, which are both obscure and hard to make out, attracted attention: they critique the world of entertainment and express solidarity with outsiders, albeit in a politically incorrect way.)

what "(vocal?) sample" are they referring to?

ufoclub said:

Exactly what I was wondering...

It's not instantly catchable when you hear it, listen closely, it's a muted vocal that's buried in the mix but still audible.