I'm surprised no one's mentioned the Velvet Underground song "Rock & Roll." It's an audacious move just to give a song a title like that, but for it not only to be a great Rock 'n' Roll song, but also a song that actually defines Rock 'n' Roll, and everything we love about it .... that's really quite extraordinary.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2021-02-03 15:35 by tatters.

right tatters

and this one too :





Some friends of mine and me stayed up all through the night
Rockin' pretty steady 'til the sky went light
And didn't go to bed
Didn't go to work
I picked up the telephone
Told the boss he was a jerk

Your mama don't like it
When you run around with me
But we got to hip your mama
That you got to live free
Don't need her
Don't need school
You don't like your daddy
And you don't like rules

So, come on, baby, let's go
Don't you hear the rock 'n' roll playin' on the radio
Sound so right?
Girl, you better grab hold
Everybody's got to know
Anything that's rock 'n' roll's fine
Anything that's rock 'n' roll's fine
Anything that's rock 'n' roll's fine

Resotele

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Doxa
One is enough. Just play "Rocks Off" by the Stones and it tells it all.

- Doxa

That's a nice para-doxa

I gotta make room for The Sonics' "Have Love Will Travel".

So, what's rock'n'roll? I would call the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Animals, Who, Dylan and others rock music, not rock'n'roll, but they certainly utilized the structure and beat of rock'n'roll, r&b and blues in creating their own sound. Here's a few tunes I think take you there regarding what exemplifies rock'n'roll.

Considered one of the first rock'n'roll songs with Ike Turner on guitar:

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The rock'n'roll beat through r&b:

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The beat through blues:

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The Beatles vocal stylings and early sound:

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Listened to by the Stones:

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George Harrison guitar style influence:

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Yes, dmay, we all would have varying definitions of R & R.

I cut my initial list of around 1970. One could cut it off when Elvis went into the army or when Beatlemania hit.

Personally, I think early Beatles and certainly a lot of the Stones music is R & R.

BTW, dmay, those are some great songs ya posted.

Great thread!

(I went over 10-sorry!)

The Kingsmen- Louie Louie
Chuck Berry- Johnny B. Goode
Bill Haley- Rock Around the Clock
Elvis Presley- Heartbreak Hotel/Jailhouse Rock
Beatles-Cant Buy Me Love/She Loves You
Stones-Satisfaction/Jumpin' Jack Flash
The Doors- Light My Fire
Steppenwolf-Born to be Wild
Kinks-You Really Got Me
Creedence- Fortune Son/Bad Moon Rising
The Who- Wont Get Fooled Again/Baba O'Reilly
Jimi Hendrix- All Along the Watchtower
Bob Dylan-like a Rolling Stone
Led Zep- Rock & Roll/Stairway to Heaven

Don´t forget "Rocket 88", by Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats

www.fabiosilvera.blogspot.com

Not a lot (not any?) of women on these lists

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Rockandosis
Don´t forget "Rocket 88", by Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats

That's one of dmay's selections. That may be the ground zero of R & R.

"No Anchovies, Please"

To meet there is Rock-n-Roll and there is Rock. Rock-n-Roll swings, invites people to dance or shake, rattle and roll. Led Zeppelin in rock. ACDC is rock. Stones are mostly rock.

Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley and the Comets
Johnnie B Goode (though No Particular Place To Go works) - Chuck Berry - could name 10 of his songs and have a great list without adding anyone else.
Not Fade Away - Buddy Holly
Ain'y That A Shame - Fats Domino
Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On - Jerry Lee Lewis
Long Tall Sally - Little Richard
Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
Gone, Gone, Gone - Everly Brothers
I Wanna Hold Your Hand - The Beat Les

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peoplewitheyes
Not a lot (not any?) of women on these lists

Tina Turner.................... River Deep Mountain High

It will be in my list............

__________________________

Well there aint many female Rock n Roll
singers ... R&B ... soul but not Rock n Roll ....

Wanda Jackson -- Lets Have A Party ...



ROCKMAN

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peoplewitheyes
Not a lot (not any?) of women on these lists

Janis Joplin would be my number one choice. I guess the problem it 10 is just not enough to get some more obvious ones in.

When someone ask me to recapitulate in brief Rock and Roll music, I recommend Dead Ringer for Love by Meat Loaf and Cher.
This song has all the elements of rock and roll such as shaggy lyrics, impulse, exhilaration, 96 decibel freaks, Beach Boys, Jerry Lee Lewis and Mitch Rider so on.

Flamin Groovies – Slow Death
Ike Turner – Rocket 88
Skynyrd – Whiskey Rock n Roller
Marshall Tucker – 24 Hours at a Time
Stones – 19th Nervous Breakdown
Frankie Lymon – I Am Not a Juvenile Deliquent
Argent – God Gave Rock n Roll to You
Ted Nugent – Cat Scratch Fever
Contours – Do You Love Me
Shangra La’s – Leader of the Pack

So many left out but I had to include the Shangra La's because I saw them live on stage on motorcycles in Brooklyn. Thanks Murray the K.

Quote
WetWillie
Flamin Groovies – Slow Death
Ike Turner – Rocket 88
Skynyrd – Whiskey Rock n Roller
Marshall Tucker – 24 Hours at a Time
Stones – 19th Nervous Breakdown
Frankie Lymon – I Am Not a Juvenile Deliquent
Argent – God Gave Rock n Roll to You
Ted Nugent – Cat Scratch Fever
Contours – Do You Love Me
Shangra La’s – Leader of the Pack

So many left out but I had to include the Shangra La's because I saw them live on stage on motorcycles in Brooklyn. Thanks Murray the K.

Nice addition of Skynyrd and MTB. Many of those early rockers were from the south - Elvis, Jerry Lee, Little Richard, Fats, etc.

Your namesake band also has some great rockers - Otis' "Shout Bamalama " being a prime example. No, No, No", "Dixie Rock", and of course, "Keep ON Smilin'" are just a few of the others. I saw Wet Willie in 2019 and Jimmy and Donna at the Capricorn Revival. Always a great show.

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GasLightStreet

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peoplewitheyes
Not a lot (not any?) of women on these lists

Janis Joplin would be my number one choice. I guess the problem it 10 is just not enough to get some more obvious ones in.

true enough...though, I'd probably go w/ Joan Jett if I was introducing "Rock n' Roll" to somebody....power-chords etc. etc.

I mean..."I love Rock n' Roll"....that's about as Rn'R as it gets!!!

sort of like the fact that "Smoke on the Water" really has to be on this list (IMO)....not b/c I think DP is so great or whatever...but, well, that riff/chord-progression is about as timeless Rn'R as it gets...IMO

doesn't everybody who picks up guitar learn that tune?

"Smoke On The Water" - the riff - is one of the first things EVERY guitar player learns. The first lick I ever learned was "Satisfaction", BTW.

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Elmo Lewis

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WetWillie
Flamin Groovies – Slow Death
Ike Turner – Rocket 88
Skynyrd – Whiskey Rock n Roller
Marshall Tucker – 24 Hours at a Time
Stones – 19th Nervous Breakdown
Frankie Lymon – I Am Not a Juvenile Deliquent
Argent – God Gave Rock n Roll to You
Ted Nugent – Cat Scratch Fever
Contours – Do You Love Me
Shangra La’s – Leader of the Pack

So many left out but I had to include the Shangra La's because I saw them live on stage on motorcycles in Brooklyn. Thanks Murray the K.

Nice addition of Skynyrd and MTB. Many of those early rockers were from the south - Elvis, Jerry Lee, Little Richard, Fats, etc.

Your namesake band also has some great rockers - Otis' "Shout Bamalama " being a prime example. No, No, No", "Dixie Rock", and of course, "Keep ON Smilin'" are just a few of the others. I saw Wet Willie in 2019 and Jimmy and Donna at the Capricorn Revival. Always a great show.

I like southern rock and on my personal list I would include too many to say they exemplify rock n roll. But Ozark Mountain Daredevils is almost as special as Wet Willie for me. Too long for a handle.

Live performances seemed important to me for this thread. I saw Ted Nugent in San Francisco in the 90s and the stage was surrounded by punk rocker admirers. Great thread, thanks.

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WetWillie

Quote
Elmo Lewis

Quote
WetWillie
Flamin Groovies – Slow Death
Ike Turner – Rocket 88
Skynyrd – Whiskey Rock n Roller
Marshall Tucker – 24 Hours at a Time
Stones – 19th Nervous Breakdown
Frankie Lymon – I Am Not a Juvenile Deliquent
Argent – God Gave Rock n Roll to You
Ted Nugent – Cat Scratch Fever
Contours – Do You Love Me
Shangra La’s – Leader of the Pack

So many left out but I had to include the Shangra La's because I saw them live on stage on motorcycles in Brooklyn. Thanks Murray the K.

Nice addition of Skynyrd and MTB. Many of those early rockers were from the south - Elvis, Jerry Lee, Little Richard, Fats, etc.

Your namesake band also has some great rockers - Otis' "Shout Bamalama " being a prime example. No, No, No", "Dixie Rock", and of course, "Keep ON Smilin'" are just a few of the others. I saw Wet Willie in 2019 and Jimmy and Donna at the Capricorn Revival. Always a great show.

I like southern rock and on my personal list I would include too many to say they exemplify rock n roll. But Ozark Mountain Daredevils is almost as special as Wet Willie for me. Too long for a handle.

Live performances seemed important to me for this thread. I saw Ted Nugent in San Francisco in the 90s and the stage was surrounded by punk rocker admirers. Great thread, thanks.

Thanks. As I am about 50 miles from Macon and was a 70's teenager, I cut my teeth on Southern Rock. My first concert was The Allman Brothers Band and Wet Willie in 1975! Saw the real Skynyrd twice before the plane crash. Toy Caldwell of MTB was a special player.

"No Anchovies, Please"

Off the top of my head...

1.Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
2.Fats Domino - Ain't That A Shame
3.Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue
4.Little Richard - Good Golly, Miss Molly
5.Bill Haley - Rock Around The Clock
6.The Rolling Stones - Jumping Jack Flash
7.Beatles - Hard Day's Night
8.The Who - My Generation
9.The Kinks - You Really Got Me
10.Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire

Eighteen, by Alice Cooper

if anybody is interested how this "debate" might play out in 100+ years (or more)....

I am reading Chuck Klosterman's "But What If We're Wrong?"

....it delves into this in a very interesting way.

He argues (in a sense) that (well into the future) Chuck Berry very well may come to epitomize "rock" more than anybody else...

he also puts forth other possibilities (Beatles, Stones, Dylan...even AC/DC), based on other criteria.

Essentially, his argument is that:

1) the vast majority of people/bands will fade away as part of the central narrative about "rock" - the same way the central narrative of "classical" comes back to a handful of names we have chosen to retain.....this happens with all art forms - time is relentlessly throwing artists into the "dust bin of history" and all art forms eventually get defined by a small sample

2) How rock is defined by future generations will depend on what "being human" means in the future (which will be different than today)...so, they won't look at what "rock" means/meant the same way we do....so, they'll define it differently.

it's a pretty cool read.

A couple of more:

Standells "Dirty Water" - The Inmates also do a nice version

Dwight Twilley "I'm On Fire"

1. Chuck Berry-Johnny B. Goode
2. Elvis-That's Alright Mama
3. Big Joe Turner-Shake Rattle and Roll
4. Buddy Holly-That'll be the day
5. Beatles-I wanna hold your hand
6. Kinks-You Really Got Me
7. Stones-Satisfaction
8. The Who-My Generation
9. The Clash-London Calling
10. Nirvana-Smells Like Teen Spirit

Quote
Elmo Lewis

Quote
WetWillie

Quote
Elmo Lewis

Quote
WetWillie
Flamin Groovies – Slow Death
Ike Turner – Rocket 88
Skynyrd – Whiskey Rock n Roller
Marshall Tucker – 24 Hours at a Time
Stones – 19th Nervous Breakdown
Frankie Lymon – I Am Not a Juvenile Deliquent
Argent – God Gave Rock n Roll to You
Ted Nugent – Cat Scratch Fever
Contours – Do You Love Me
Shangra La’s – Leader of the Pack

So many left out but I had to include the Shangra La's because I saw them live on stage on motorcycles in Brooklyn. Thanks Murray the K.

Nice addition of Skynyrd and MTB. Many of those early rockers were from the south - Elvis, Jerry Lee, Little Richard, Fats, etc.

Your namesake band also has some great rockers - Otis' "Shout Bamalama " being a prime example. No, No, No", "Dixie Rock", and of course, "Keep ON Smilin'" are just a few of the others. I saw Wet Willie in 2019 and Jimmy and Donna at the Capricorn Revival. Always a great show.

I like southern rock and on my personal list I would include too many to say they exemplify rock n roll. But Ozark Mountain Daredevils is almost as special as Wet Willie for me. Too long for a handle.

Live performances seemed important to me for this thread. I saw Ted Nugent in San Francisco in the 90s and the stage was surrounded by punk rocker admirers. Great thread, thanks.

Thanks. As I am about 50 miles from Macon and was a 70's teenager, I cut my teeth on Southern Rock. My first concert was The Allman Brothers Band and Wet Willie in 1975! Saw the real Skynyrd twice before the plane crash. Toy Caldwell of MTB was a special player.

Best week I spent in the south included Robert Lockwood at Memphis in May, Kimbrough in Burnside's roadhouse, Lonnie Pitchford in Holly Springs, and a visit to Al Green's full gospel church. Church was the most fun. Back to the topic-local is important and so I am surprised that UK members have not posted people like Mart Wilde and Billy Fury.

Quote
peoplewitheyes
Not a lot (not any?) of women on these lists

Joan Jett's cover of "I Love R&Roll" is far better than the original by the Arrows (an all-male band).