Popular Music: Ten Landmark Albums

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No previous knowledge of the subject is assumed and students do not need to be able to read music. 

Special Information

Purchase of each album is recommended but not essential.

Content of Course

1. Stone the Crows - Ode to John Law (1970)

2. John Martyn - Solid Air (1973)

3. Average White Band - AWB (1974)

4. Cocteau Twins - Garlands (1982)

5. Deacon Blue - Raintown (1987)

6. The Blue Nile - Hats (1989)

7. Primal Scream - Screamadelica (1991)

8. Belle and Sebastian - If You’re Feeling Sinister (1996)

9. The Delgados - The Great Eastern (2000)

10. Mogwai - Mr Beast (2006)

Teaching method(s)

10 two-hour seminars which will include music and film clips.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Understand the development of English-language pop music between 1960 and 2000.

• Position each album in the context of both its own genre and the career of the respective artist.

• Compare and contrast individual albums to trace formal and thematic patterns.

Sources

Core Readings

Recommended:

• Winterson, J, Nickol, P., Bricheno, T., Kaye, B. (eds)(2003) Pop Music: The Textbook, London: Peters Edition

• Brackett, D. (2000), Interpreting Popular Music, California: University of California Press

Class Handouts

An article relevant to the week’s topic will be provided by the tutor.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.