We have a winner.
Studiowise, Gene Vincent is the quite possibly the greatest of the frontman of early rock and roll, and this album provides all the evidence you need. Youtube suggests that despite some charmingly raw rockabilly mayhem, these guys were not the strongest performers around, but this album beats out every other record of note from the era.
Some Little Richard energy, some Elvis cool, and a generous serving of uniquely Gene Vincent menace add up to a hell of a lot of swagger and allaround rock power. The beats are crisp, the guitars are fiery, and a chorus of hooting, hollering, and yelping from the backing band give this thing an unbeatable energy. This is all fronted by Vincent himself who effortlessly pours raw personality into every song, from the tension at the heart of Cruisin, the madness at the fringes of Red Blue Jeans and a Ponytail, and the unhinged energy that seethes and explodes from Cat Man, the most exhilaratingly terrifying rock and roll song of the 50's.
I put Red Blue Jeans and a Ponytail on a mix for Dan recently and he commented that it was a great song. I started to obliquely disagree and he headed me off at the pass, putting it perfectly "well, its a great recording". That nails it, with respect to that song and this whole album: its a perfect recording of some great songs, every missed note, every shriek, every muttered and cracked syllable essential for its singular vim and vigor 5/5
Monday, September 10, 2012
#590 John Lee Hooker - Plays and Sings the Blues
Bluesy stuff in the same vein as Muddy Waters, but without Waters' imposing voice. Still, Hooker's not a bad blues shouter himself, and has a more raw, angry guitar sound, and the stripped-down songs bounce with repetition over runs, riding more of a boogie feel. Speaking of boogie, dig that blownout distortion on Hey Boogie and Mad Man Blues.
Muddy Waters' Folk Singer had a comparatively extravagant backing band: this gets back to the og Son House scene, just a mouth on the mic, a hand on the guitar, and a foot beating out the beat on the ground. Solid, solid stuff 4/5
Muddy Waters' Folk Singer had a comparatively extravagant backing band: this gets back to the og Son House scene, just a mouth on the mic, a hand on the guitar, and a foot beating out the beat on the ground. Solid, solid stuff 4/5
#589 Chuck Berry - After School Session
An interesting convergence of a lot of the trends sparking to life circa 1957: the swagger and guitar chops of Elvis, the shuffling rhythms and hot/cold cool of Bo Diddley, and the rollicking fire of Little Richard, all coming together for a heck of a good set of early rock and roll songs. Things are delightfully sloppy, full of energy; alive.
There's even some interesting stylistic turns that no one else was making. This is especially true towards the end of the album, where Havanna Moon and Down Bound Train combine dark atmosphere and dissonant chords to create something far more dark and subtle than I had any reason to expect from 1957. Brilliant lost tracks, a reason all on their own to track this down. Even Together (We'll Always Be) transcends the usual ballads with warm distortion and a loungy, jazzy slant.
It's an album that contains well-balanced combinations and truly new gestures, tough to beat 4.5/5
#588 Jerry Lee Lewis - High School Confidential
You might know the Elvis of Sun records circa '56: this is the other side of that coin. Same time, same place, sporting a similar balance of ballads and boogie blues uprockers, both of which sound similar, sung with a similar voice, Lewis is Elvis with a Piano.
That one detail does lend a different flavor, a bit more of a shuffled, raggy, honkytonk flair that would crop up again in rockabilly and Americana revivals alike in the years that followed. But the music is still largely a backdrop for the vocals and their alternately lovesick and rebellious messages.
I've said it before, Elvis isn't actually my favorite sub-sound of this era, and this falls in the same slot for me. Worth hearing, but mostly for historical reasons, or when I want something with a slightly different flavor after I've burned out on Bo Diddley and Gene Vincent 3.5/5
That one detail does lend a different flavor, a bit more of a shuffled, raggy, honkytonk flair that would crop up again in rockabilly and Americana revivals alike in the years that followed. But the music is still largely a backdrop for the vocals and their alternately lovesick and rebellious messages.
I've said it before, Elvis isn't actually my favorite sub-sound of this era, and this falls in the same slot for me. Worth hearing, but mostly for historical reasons, or when I want something with a slightly different flavor after I've burned out on Bo Diddley and Gene Vincent 3.5/5
#587 Little Richard - Here's Little Richard
Now this is what I expect from Rock and Roll.
The epitome of rollicking, this is a lot more fun than Elvis, or just about any of the other rock howlers of the era. the vocals are the highlight, just unhinged and unrestrained, auguring James Brow's nonverbal ululations.The swinging boogie beats, bluesy structures, and energetic horns complete the package.
Here's the interesting thing about this though: I don't know that there's a single guitar on it. Bass, drums, and some rock-sounding singing sure, but its all horn filling in the crunchy textures, shreiking accents, and wild solos. Is it rock and roll? The case could be made that it's hard R&B or jump blues, and it might be those things also. But this is too rock not to be rock. Listen to Little Richard gasp for breath on Jenny Jenny and stammer out the hook on Long Tall Sally and tell me that's not a man making rock music.
It's sloppy, and so high energy to actually be kind of grating in long doses, but man, when you're up for it, its up for you 4.5/5
The epitome of rollicking, this is a lot more fun than Elvis, or just about any of the other rock howlers of the era. the vocals are the highlight, just unhinged and unrestrained, auguring James Brow's nonverbal ululations.The swinging boogie beats, bluesy structures, and energetic horns complete the package.
Here's the interesting thing about this though: I don't know that there's a single guitar on it. Bass, drums, and some rock-sounding singing sure, but its all horn filling in the crunchy textures, shreiking accents, and wild solos. Is it rock and roll? The case could be made that it's hard R&B or jump blues, and it might be those things also. But this is too rock not to be rock. Listen to Little Richard gasp for breath on Jenny Jenny and stammer out the hook on Long Tall Sally and tell me that's not a man making rock music.
It's sloppy, and so high energy to actually be kind of grating in long doses, but man, when you're up for it, its up for you 4.5/5
#586 Elvis Presley - Elvis
I learned very quickly during my trip back through rock and roll that Elvis might have been the greatest, but he was not the best. His cultural impact is unmatched, and he is decidedly a talented singer and personality, but as far as the actual sound he put on the record, I'd take (spoiler alert) Gene Vincent, and plenty of others if I was willing to get a slightly different sound back.
Elvis's songs are split pretty cleanly between fast and slow: I've never liked his ballads overmuch, and here his fast songs don't bristle and pop as well as his finest moments. For example, there's nothing here that touches the Sun Sessions' immediacy. The session was legendary, but I expected the early albums proper to come closer than this to matching them.
In some ways, Elvis was the first pop sellout, doing what others did better, but in a more palatable way, both musically, and, let's face it, racially.
All that said, this is a perfectly good entry into the canon of early rock and roll, with bassy crooning, punchy guitars, and jaunty beats throughout. I've just been a bit spoiled by finding it all in context 3.5/5
Elvis's songs are split pretty cleanly between fast and slow: I've never liked his ballads overmuch, and here his fast songs don't bristle and pop as well as his finest moments. For example, there's nothing here that touches the Sun Sessions' immediacy. The session was legendary, but I expected the early albums proper to come closer than this to matching them.
In some ways, Elvis was the first pop sellout, doing what others did better, but in a more palatable way, both musically, and, let's face it, racially.
All that said, this is a perfectly good entry into the canon of early rock and roll, with bassy crooning, punchy guitars, and jaunty beats throughout. I've just been a bit spoiled by finding it all in context 3.5/5
#585 Bill Haley & His Comets - Shake Rattle and Roll
A fascinating document illustrating the transition between not-rock and rock.
On one hand, its tough to make the case that Shake, Rattle, and Roll and Rock around the Clock aren't rock and roll songs, and they're certainly part of its history. And the album has plenty of rock's funtimes bounce and loose swagger.
But this also has swing and big band roots with its walked upright bass, backing horns, and to-and-fro dancability. In fact, there's a lot less guitar than you might expect: they're basically relegated to solos: later rock songs would use guitar chords to give the song its harmonic body, but here that role is filled by horn sections. At most, a few of these song employ proto-funk rhythmic guitar swipes. One of those things you take for granted in rock, the guitar backbone, but listen to Shake, Rattle and Roll some time: there's about 8 guitar notes on it; even the solo is a sax solo.
On the other hand, Haley had his start as a country singer, and his jaunty beats, occasional guitar licks,and slappy bass approach reflect that side.
It's role as history aside, the album's perfectly fun, full of ebullience and energy, expertly performed. The whole thing's a bit cleaner than I'd like, with scant few rough edges and nary a hint of danger; there's no urgency, but hey, these things take time.
The skulking swing of 13 Women is a surprising gem, enough to push this to the low end of 4/5
On one hand, its tough to make the case that Shake, Rattle, and Roll and Rock around the Clock aren't rock and roll songs, and they're certainly part of its history. And the album has plenty of rock's funtimes bounce and loose swagger.
But this also has swing and big band roots with its walked upright bass, backing horns, and to-and-fro dancability. In fact, there's a lot less guitar than you might expect: they're basically relegated to solos: later rock songs would use guitar chords to give the song its harmonic body, but here that role is filled by horn sections. At most, a few of these song employ proto-funk rhythmic guitar swipes. One of those things you take for granted in rock, the guitar backbone, but listen to Shake, Rattle and Roll some time: there's about 8 guitar notes on it; even the solo is a sax solo.
On the other hand, Haley had his start as a country singer, and his jaunty beats, occasional guitar licks,and slappy bass approach reflect that side.
It's role as history aside, the album's perfectly fun, full of ebullience and energy, expertly performed. The whole thing's a bit cleaner than I'd like, with scant few rough edges and nary a hint of danger; there's no urgency, but hey, these things take time.
The skulking swing of 13 Women is a surprising gem, enough to push this to the low end of 4/5
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