Diverse Topics.

  

The book of Ezekiel has some of the most vivid imagery found in all of the books of the Bible. By 931 B.C., there was the division of Israel from Judah. The 12 tribes existed in Israel for centuries after the Exodus. The 10 Northern tribes existed with their capital in Samaria, and Judah (or the 2 Southern tribes) had its capital in Jerusalem. 2 Kings 17:5, 6 showed the event of how the Northern Kingdom was defeated by the Assyrians by 722 B.C. The 10 tribes were not lost as they existed long after the Great Exile and were mentioned by the apostle Paul in the New Testament as found in Acts 26:7 and Revelations 21:12. The prophet Ezekiel lived during the time of the 3 sieges of Jerusalem by Babylon. In Ezekiel 1, Ezekiel gives his prophecy while in exile in Chebar. Ezekiel was 30 years old, which is the age he would have been eligible for the priesthood (as found in Numbers 4:3). The story starts on the fifth of the month in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile or ca. 593 B.C. The reason was that Jehoiachin was taken from Jerusalem to Babylon in 597 B.C., so the fifth year would be 593 B.C. Ezekiel's ministry was overtly prophetic. As the book of Ezekiel exists, the judgments shift from Judah to the judgments against the nations harming Israel and the Jewish people in general. 

By Ezekiel 2, God gives Ezekiel his calling and instruction. In Ezekiel 3, Ezekiel eats the scroll which has a lot of prophetic significance. The siege of Jerusalem was predicted by Ezekiel in Ezekiel 4 and 5. Ezekiel's vision of the end of time is found in Ezekiel 6 and 7. His First Temple vision was found in Ezekiel 8 to 19. In Ezekiel 8:1, he talks about the vision of temple abominations. In Judaism, the Temple is sacred, and worshipers must be righteous and serious went entering a house of worship. That's customary for a diversity of religions too. 

By Ezekiel 20, he writes how he sees God refuse the Elders. Ezekiel criticizes Jerusalem in Ezekiel 21 and 22. He prophesies against two sisters in Ezekiel 23. The siege of Jerusalem starts as found in Ezekiel 24. Ezekiel 25 talks about God's vengeance on Ammon and Edom. Ezekiel pronounced judgment on Tyre in Ezekiel 26-28. Then, Ezekiel prophesies against Egypt in Ezekiel 29-32. Ezekiel is called the Watchman in Ezekiel 33. Jerusalem's fall is found in Ezekiel 33. Ezekiel talked about Jerusalem's fall in Ezekiel 33:21. Ezekiel foresees reproof and restoration in Ezekiel 34-36. The resurrection of the dry bones is found in Ezekiel 37. The dry bones are a symbol of the Jewish people coming together to see their nation return fully in the future. Ezekiel sees a future battle in Ezekiel 38. Later, Ezekiel saw God's judgment on Gog by Ezekiel 39. The Ezekiel Second Temple vision is found in Ezekiel 40-48. Ezekiel also saw another Jerusalem, a city with the glorious name of Jehaovah shammah (the Lord is Here) as found in Ezekiel 48:35. 

 

Rock Music went towards many evolutions in the 1970's. The rock music of the late 1970's was completely different than the rock of the early 1970's. The Beatles broke up after the release of their last 1970 album of Let it Be. All four members of the Beatles would go on to have a successful solo careers. The Isle of Wight festival was held in the UK with an audience of over 600,000 people. The festival had Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, Chicago, Joni Mitchell, Donovan, Jethro Tull, Free, Taste, Ten Years After, and Miles Davis in August of 1970. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and other people passed away. Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Trouble Water was their last album and sold over 25 million copies. Rock groups like Shocking Blue, Black Sabbath, and others released albums. Crosby, Still, Nash, and Young was a supergroup of rock artists that had many songs like Our House, Teach Your Children, and a cover of Joni Mitchell's song of "Woodstock." Santana had the song of Evil Ways. Spirit in the Sky was a gospel and western movie-inspired song by California singer/songwriter Norman Greenbaum. It told more than 2 million copies. American Woman was a song made by The Guess Who. The Motown rock group of Rare Earth did a cover of the Temptations' hit of Get Ready in 1970. Paul McCartney made an album of McCartney where he played all of the instruments of the album. Maybe I'm Amazed was one of his singles on the album. Music from Mountain, Deep Purple, Grand Funk Railroad, The Stooges, Three Dog Night, and Bread existed. Chicago's album of 25 or 6 to 4 was a prominent album. Neil Diamond had the song of Cracklin' Rosie. The Kinks, and Sugarloaf made music. James Taylor had the song of Fire and Rain which was one of his greatest songs. The Patridge Family was on TV by November of 1970 which is about a family band. The Grateful Dead, John Lennon, etc. made music. George Harrison's My Sweet Lord was released in December 1970. Harrison was probably the Beatle with the best solo album. The song wasn't about Jesus Christ. It was about Krishna and the religion of Hinduism. For most of his life, Harrison followed Hinduism until his passing. Jim Morrison passed away in 1971. George Harrison in 1971 had an album called All Things Must Pass. In 1971, George Harrison organized the concert for Bangladesh in New York City. It raised money to help suffering people of Bangladesh. 

The first UK Glastonbury Festival was held in 1971. Your Song was made by Elton John, and it was popular in 1971. Lonely Days was made by the Bee Gees, a group from Australia who lived in the UK. The Bee Gees would be supported by pop, rock, and R&B audiences. The Utah-based group of The Osmonds had their song of One Bad Apple. Janis Joplin, after her death, many people promoted the song Me and Bobby McGee being highly influential. Gordon Lightfoot and Jethro Tull made music. Proud Mary was the song made by Ike and Tina Turner. Proud Mary was their rearranged version of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Bloodrock, The Doors, and Rolling Stones (who had the song of Brown Sugar) made music. Jesus Christ Superstar was like the Kirk Franklin's Stomp of the 1970's generation. Jesus Christ Superstar was a rock religious album that talked about the Gospel and Jesus Christ. It was a Broadway play and a movie too. It was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Time Rice. It was controversial back then and became more accepted by the public as time went on. The legendary writer Carole made the album of It's Too Late. Ringo Starr of the Beatles made the single of It Don't Come Easy. Carly Simon, James Taylor, T. Rex, John Denver, Bob Dylan, Five Man Electrical Band, John Prine, and the Who made music too. Duane Allman died in 1971 in a motorcycle accident. The song of Imagine was released by John Lennon in late 1971. Led Zeppelin had their album of Lep Zeppelin IV with their symbolic-filled song of Stairway to Heaven with many esoteric meanings. David Bowie and Alice Cooper had their albums out too. Glitter rock grew by 1972. The first New Years Rockin' Eve is televised on NBC and hosted by Dick Clar. Neil Young had the song of Heart of Gold. Starman from David Bowie's album of Ziggy Stardust promoted the glitter rock movement in 1972. Cat Stevens, Rocket Man from Elton John, Looking Glass, Argent, Chuck Berry, and Elvis Presley (with his song of Burning Love being a cover) was massively prominent during that time. Lou Reed, Helen Reddy's I Am Woman, and Neil Diamond had music standing the test of time. In 1973, Lep Zepplin played to 56,800 people at Tampa Stadium breaking the Beatles Shea Stadium for the largest record during that time. The Summer Jam at Watkings Glen, NYC has 600,000 seeing The Band, The Allman Brothers, and The Grateful Dead. Carly Simon had the song of You're So Vain. It was the number-one single in the country by January 1973. Elvis Presley had a concert in Honolulu, Hawaii in January of 1973. NBC's Midnight Special had concerts from rock, pop, soul, and R&B acts. The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd modernized their music. Bob Marley and the Wailers, Alice Cooper, Roberta Flack, Doobie Brothers, and George Harrison (with Give Me Love) had influential music in 1973. Paul McCarthy, Cher, The Rolling Stones, Ringo Star, Eddie Kendricks' Keep on Truckin', and Todd Rundgren made music. By 1974, there are many experimental bands and artists like Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Kiss, Queen, Frank Kaappa, Maria Mulduar, and other artists had their albums. Eric Clapton had the number-one album by the summer of 1974. The Three Degrees were popular too. By 1975, The Average White Band, the Ohio Player, Van McCocy, the Bee Gees, and Linda Ronstadt had many hits. Bruce Springsteen was on the covers of Time and Newsweek magazines. Bruce Springsteen was a different type of rock star. He wanted his working-class roots from New Jersey to be expressed without excessive materialism and flash. He wanted old-school, topical, and down to Earth music to be expressed to the people. John Lennon and Elton John performed on stage in January 1975 too. Bob Dylan loved to show his music too. By the late 1970's, disco dominated the charts. The Rolling Stones had great influence. Aerosmith had Dream On which is a famous rock ballad. AC/DC had their first international album of High Voltage. They were from Australia. Hall and Oates, and Wings made music. Blondie had their debut album in December 1976. It was punk influenced from the New York City's CBGB's club scene. Punk was full of rebellion. It was anti-establishment, controversial, and in your face.

Studio 54 was opened in New York City in 1977. Leo Sayer, David Bowie, and other music flourished. American Bandstand celebrated its 25th anniversary in February 1977. Iggy pop, the punk band of the Clash from London, and ABBA were popular. The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, UFO, and Kenny Rogers had hits. Elvis Presley passed away on August 16, 1977. Crystal Gayle, and other people made hits too. By 1978, Saturday Night Fever was popular. Blue Bayour from Linda Ronstadt was famous. Queen had its hit of We are the Champions. Kate Bush, Billy Joel, VanHalen, Yvonne Elliman, and other artists had their music shown. Boney M from the Caribbean had their single of Rivers of Babylon. Meatloaf had hits along with A Taste of Honey. Chic made Le Freak too. In 1979, disco dominated the charts. Also, music from Blondie, Rod Stwart, Electric Light Orchestra, Kenny Rogers, and Kiss shown songs. The Sony Walkman was created by 1979. The Blues Brothers with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi made the cover of Dam and Dave's Soul Man. Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello made music. Fire from The Pointer Sisters was popular. It was a cover of Bruce Springsteen's song of Fire. By February 1979, YMCA was released by The Village People to confront stereotypes and show expression. Sid Vicious died in February 1979 over a heroin overdose. Lotta Love was shown by Nicolette Larson. Heart of Glass from Blondie were some of their most influential songs. Journey, Suzi Quatro, The Cure with its debut album, and Sister Sledge's We Are Family defined 70s music. Cheap Trick, The B-52s, and other groups shown their songs. By this time, music was different from the early 70's. By 1979, the new wave music explosion started. Synthesizers started to group. The Knack and Lep Zeppelin released albums. Gary Numan, Charlie Daniels, the Slits, and the Police made their music. The Police had Sting filled with the New wave movement back in October 1979. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Pink Floyd, and Prince's I Wanna Be Your Lover broke barriers. Styx, and the Clash explored many styles. The 1970's ended and the 1980's would start with new music rising like hip hop, the unjust bashing of disco, the development of BET and MTV, and new superstars going into the next level like Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Janet Jackson, and other human beings. 

 

Funk had roots in the 1960's, but funk music was modernized during the 1970's. It was created by black Americans in the mid-1960's being a cousin of soul music. Funk has a rhythmic, danceable new style filled with melody and chord progressions. It has a strong, rhythmic groove of a bassline by an electric bassist and a drum part by a percussionist, often at a slower tempo than other popular music. Funk heavily uses instruments in its performances. Funk uses the same richly-colored extended chords found in bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, or dominant seventh chords with altered ninths and thirteenths. The Godfather of funk music was James Brown. He made a signature groove that emphasized the downbeat—with a heavy emphasis on the first beat of every measure ("The One"), and the application of swung 16th notes and syncopation on all basslines, drum patterns, and guitar riffs—and rock and psychedelia-influenced musicians Sly and the Family Stone and Jimi Hendrix, fostering improvisation in funk. Other musical groups, including Kool and the Gang, Earth, Wind & Fire, Chic, B.T. Express, Loose Ends, Shalamar, The S.O.S. Band, Slave, The Whispers, Cameo, and the Bar-Kays began to adopt and develop Brown's innovations during the 1970s and adding R&B essences to the genre from the early 1970s, while others like Parliament-Funkadelic and Ohio Players followed Hendrix's path. Funk has evolved over the years and decades too. There is avant-funk, boogie (a hybrid of electronic music and funk), funk metal, G-funk (that is a mixture of hip hop and funk), timba (a form of funky Cuban dance music), and funk jam. Funk influenced the development of Washington D.C.'s go-go music. Funk samples and breakbeats are heavily used in hip-hop and electronic dance music. Funk in African American communities also related to the hard work and effort musicians made to create an outstanding performance. In early jam sessions, musicians would encourage one another to "get down" by telling one another, "Now, put some stank on it!". At least as early as 1907, jazz songs carried titles such as Funky. The first example is an unrecorded number by Buddy Bolden.  As late as the 1950s and early 1960s, when "funk" and "funky" were used increasingly in the context of jazz music, the terms still were considered indelicate and inappropriate for use in polite company. According to one source, New Orleans-born drummer Earl Palmer "was the first to use the word 'funky' to explain to other musicians that their music should be made more syncopated and danceable." The style later evolved into a rather hard-driving, insistent rhythm, implying a more carnal quality. This early form of music set the pattern for later musicians. The music was identified as slow, sexy, loose, riff-oriented and danceable.

Funk music is heavily related to dance music. This is similar to soul music. There is a strong rhythmic style in funk. Funk's other cousin is disco. Yet, funk has a central dance beat that's slower and more syncopated than disco. Funk music uses the sequences of eighth notes. A great deal of funk is rhythmically based on a two-celled onbeat/offbeat structure, which originated in sub-Saharan African music traditions. New Orleans appropriated the bifurcated structure from the Afro-Cuban mambo and conga in the late 1940s, and made it its own. New Orleans funk, as it was called, gained international acclaim largely because James Brown's rhythm section used it to great effect. There is no funk music without the bass, groove, and guitar riffs at times. Basslines are common in funk. That is why there is funky bassline and percussive slapping, and other effects in funk music. This funk music has been shown by Bernard Edward, Robert Bell, Mark Adams, Johnny Flippin, and Bootsy Collins including Rocco Prestia (from Tower of Power). Funk artists include James Jamerson and Larry Graham from Sly and the Family Stone. Funk uses drums like the I'll Take You There sounds shown by The Staple Singers. Electric guitars are integral parts of funk. A range of keyboard instruments are used in funk. The acoustic piano is used in funk, including in "September" by Earth Wind & Fire and "Will It Go Round in Circles" by Billy Preston. The electric piano is used on songs such as Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon" (a Fender Rhodes) and "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" by Joe Zawinul (a Wurlitzer). The clavinet is used for its percussive tone, and it can be heard in songs such as Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" and "Higher Ground" and Bill Withers' "Use Me". The Hammond B-3 organ is used in funk, in songs done by The Meters and "Love the One You're With" (with Aretha Franklin singing and Billy Preston on keyboards). Bernie Worrell's range of keyboards from his recordings with Parliament Funkadelic demonstrates the wide range of keyboards used in funk. Funk can talk about spirituality, black life, love, romance, social issues, dance, having fun in general, and other topics. 

The Funkadelic song "One Nation Under A Groove" (1978) is about the challenges that Blacks overcame during the 1960s civil rights movement, and it includes an exhortation for Blacks in the 1970s to capitalize on the new "social and political opportunities" that had become available in the 1970s. The Isley Brothers' song "Fight the Power" (1975) has a political message. Parliament's song "Chocolate City" (1975) metaphorically refers to Washington D.C. and other US cities that have a mainly Black population, and it draws attention to the potential power that Black voters wield and suggests that a Black President be considered in the future. The political themes of funk songs and the aiming of the messages to a Black audience echoed the new image of black people that was created in Blaxploitation films, which depicted "African American men and women standing their ground and fighting for what was right." Both funk and Blaxploitation films addressed issues faced by Blacks and told stories from a Black perspective. Another link between 1970s funk and Blaxploitation films is that many of these films used funk soundtracks (e.g., Curtis Mayfield for Superfly; James Brown and Fred Wesley for Black Caesar and War for Youngblood).

James Brown credited Little Richard's 1950s R&B road band, The Upsetters from New Orleans, as "the first to put the funk into the rhythm" of rock and roll. Following his temporary exit from secular music to become an evangelist in 1957, some of Little Richard's band members joined Brown and the Famous Flames, beginning a long string of hits for them in 1958. By the mid-1960s, James Brown had developed his signature groove that emphasized the downbeat—with heavy emphasis on the first beat of every measure to etch his distinctive sound, rather than the backbeat that typified African American music. This one-three beat launched the shift in Brown's signature music style, starting with his 1964 hit single, "Out of Sight" and his 1965 hits, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "I Got You (I Feel Good)". By the late 1960's and early 1970's, Funky Broadway was a song with funk influences along with songs from West Coast, Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. Oakland's Tower of Power group was created in 1968. We know about how in 1970, Sly & the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" reached #1 on the charts, as did "Family Affair" in 1971. Notably, these afforded the group and the genre crossover success and greater recognition, yet such success escaped comparatively talented and moderately popular funk band peers. The Meters defined funk in New Orleans. Even the Isley Brothers had the song of It's Your Thing with funk influences. Jimi Hendrix and The Temptations started to use funky songs. There were tons of women in funk music too like Mother's Finest. It was a group made up of Joyce Kennedy and Glenn Murdock back then. There are a lot of women involved in funk music like  Chaka Khan, Labelle, Brides of Funkenstein, Klymaxx, Mother's Finest, Lyn Collins, Betty Davis, and Teena Marie. As cultural critic Cheryl Keyes explains in her essay "She Was Too Black for Rock and Too Hard for Soul: (Re)discovering the Musical Career of Betty Mabry Davis," most of the scholarship around funk has focused on the cultural work of men. She states that "Betty Davis is an artist whose name has gone unheralded as a pioneer in the annals of funk and rock. Most writing on these musical genres has traditionally placed male artists like Jimi Hendrix, George Clinton (of Parliament-Funkadelic), and bassist Larry Graham as trendsetters in the shaping of a rock music sensibility."

In The Feminist Funk Power of Betty Davis and Renée Stout, Nikki A. Greene notes that Davis' provocative and controversial style helped her rise to popularity in the 1970s as she focused on sexually motivated, self-empowered subject matter. Furthermore, this affected the young artist's ability to draw large audiences and commercial success. Greene also notes that Davis was never made an official spokesperson or champion for the civil rights and feminist movements of the time, although more recently[when?] her work has become a symbol of sexual liberation for women of color. Davis' song "If I'm In Luck I Just Might Get Picked Up", on her self-titled debut album, sparked controversy and was banned by the Detroit NAACP. Maureen Mahan, a musicologist and anthropologist, examines Davis' impact on the music industry and the American public in her article "They Say She's Different: Race, Gender, Genre, and the Liberated Black Femininity of Betty Davis."

Laina Dawes, the author of What Are You Doing Here: A Black Woman's Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal, believes respectability politics is the reason artists like Davis do not get the same recognition as their men counterparts: "I blame what I call respectability politics as part of the reason the funk-rock some of the women from the '70s aren't better known. Despite the importance of their music and presence, many of the funk-rock females represented the aggressive behavior and sexuality that many people were not comfortable with." Janelle Monae (born in 1985) helped to start a new generation of women funk artists filled with themes of Afro-futuristic concepts, women's rights, identity, and just plain expression of creativity. Her mentor was Prince. She was inspired by many funk artists like Funkadelic, Betty Davis, and others like Lauryn Hill. In fact, Janelle Monae's 2013 album of The Electric Lady was influenced by Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland. Jimi Hendrix was inspired by funk artists Devon Wilson and Betty Davis. 

The 1970s were the era of the highest mainstream visibility for funk music. In addition to Parliament Funkadelic, artists like Sly and the Family Stone, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Bootsy's Rubber Band, the Isley Brothers, Ohio Players, Con Funk Shun, Kool and the Gang, the Bar-Kays, Commodores, Roy Ayers, Curtis Mayfield, and Stevie Wonder, among others, were successful in getting radio play. Disco music owed a great deal to funk. Many early disco songs and performers came directly from funk-oriented backgrounds. Some disco music hits, such as all of Barry White's hits, "Kung Fu Fighting" by Biddu and Carl Douglas, Donna Summer's "Love To Love You Baby", Diana Ross' "Love Hangover", KC and the Sunshine Band's "I'm Your Boogie Man", "I'm Every Woman" by Chaka Khan (also known as the Queen of Funk), and Chic's "Le Freak" conspicuously include riffs and rhythms derived from funk. In 1976, Rose Royce scored a number-one hit with a purely dance-funk record, "Car Wash". Even with the arrival of disco, funk became increasingly popular well into the early 1980s. Jazz funk was developed by many artists like Miles Davis with his On the Corner album of 1972. Funk will continue to grow in the 1980's to the presence with innovative artists like Prince, Living Colour, Brand New Heavies, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Me'shell Ndegeocello, etc. 

 

The Contemporary pop music of the 1970's was diverse and prominent in society. The Bee Gees scored the most number hits or 9 songs and had the longest cumulative run atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart (in 27 weeks) during the 1970's. Rod Stewart and Elton John did rock and pop songs throughout the 1970's and beyond. Back in the early 1970's, sentimental songs dominated the pop world like The Jackson Five's I Want You Back and The Beatles Let It Be. ABC from The Jackson 5 dominated everywhere. We know about the Venus song from Shocking Blue and Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head done by B.J. Thomas. Diana Ross's solo career took off by this time too. Carly Simon with You're so Vain was about a song about romance. Bad Bad Leroy Brown was a song by Jim Croce. Top of the World was a song by The Carpenters who were known for showing soft rock ballads. Al Wilson's Show and Tell was one of his most vocally powerful records in 1974. By the mid 1970's, disco dominated music along with other genres with songs like Shining Star by Earth, Wind, and Fire, etc. David Bowe did experimental music with the song Fame. He was from the United Kingdom and was serious about the display of music, about symbolism in his music, and he married the famous model and activist Iman. The end of the 1970s saw contemporary music seeing the rise of new solo artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, etc. By 1977, Barbara Streisand had the song of Love Theme From a Star is Born (Evergreen). Pop icons like ABBA and others were on the scene. Johnny Mathis, Denice Williams, Olivia Newton-John, Robert Homles, M, Herb Alpert, and other people had tons of music shown. Donna Summer was a pop icon, a disco icon, and a musical icon in genre. By the end of 1979, the Commodores had the single of Still. The Commodores did R&B music, soul, and pop music. 

By Timothy