|
All news is attributed to the source from which it was received so that readers may judge the validity of the statements for themselves.
Have Joan Jett news to report? Email us at jettfc@aol.com, and please include the source of the information so it can be validated.
Hail Hail Rock'n'Roll: 10 Great Rock Songs about Rock and Roll
from: gibson.com
by Russell Hall
Much of rock and roll, from its earliest days, has revolved around adrenaline-stoked energy and a sense of jubilation. It's hardly surprising, therefore, that some of rock's greatest songs celebrate the genre itself. From Bill Haley and The Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" to the Velvet Underground's "Rock and Roll" ("her life was saved by rock and roll," sang Lou Reed), the genre has yielded countless anthems that pay homage to rock's visceral power. Below are 10 of the very best.
"Rock and Roll Music" (Chuck Berry)
The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Humble Pie are among the many bands that have covered this Chuck Berry classic. In his autobiography, Berry wrote about how he came up with the song. "I was heavy into rock and roll and had to create something that hit the spot without question," Berry said. "I wanted the lyrics to define every aspect of its being." Interestingly, The Beatles happened to record their version on Berry's 38th birthday.
"I Love Rock Ôn Roll" (JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS)
JOAN JETT saw The Arrows perform this classic on a TV show in 1976, while she was on tour with The RUNAWAYS. Her first stab at a cover version was done with The Sex Pistols' Steve Jones and Paul Cook, in 1979. Twenty-three record labels turned Jett down as she shopped the track in an effort to jumpstart her solo career. At last, in 1981, she re-recorded the song with The BLACKHEARTS and released it on her own label. Today, the song is worth millions.
"It's Only Rock Ôn Roll (But I Like It)" Ð The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger summed up the idea behind this title track from The Rolling Stones' 1974 album as follows: "The idea of the song [had] to do with our public persona at the time. I was getting a bit tired of people having a go, all that, 'Oh, it's not as good as their last one' business. The single sleeve had a picture of me with a pen digging into me as if it were a sword. It was a lighthearted, anti-journalistic sort of thing." The original unreleased version featured David Bowie on backing vocals.
"Old Time Rock and Roll" Ð Bob Seger
The 1983 movie, Risky Business, ensured that this classic song would be forever etched in the memories of anyone who saw that film. "Old Time Rock and Roll" is one of the few songs Seger has recorded that he himself didn't write. The song was composed by Thomas Jones and George Jackson, although Seger did change some of the lyrics. "I rewrote the verses and I never took credit [for that]," Seger later said, in a 2006 radio interview. "That was the dumbest thing I ever did."
"Rock and Roll Band" Ð Boston
The rock-diary-esque theme of this track from Boston's debut album had its basis in conversations between Boston leader Tom Scholz and drummer Jim Masdea. Unlike Scholz, Masdea had played in countless local bands and knew all about paying the proverbial rock and roll dues. Fittingly, "Rock and Roll Band" was the one song on the debut on which Masdea played.
"Rock and Roll Train" Ð AC/DC
No less than four songs on AC/DC's 2008 album, Black Ice, contained the word "rock" in their titles. "Rock and Roll Train" was the best of the bunch. A worldwide smash, the song served as the set opener during the band's subsequent tour, which featured a life-sized train bursting onto the stage. In 2009, "Rock and Roll Train" received a well-deserved Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
"Rock Ôn' Roll Star" Ð Oasis
There could hardly have been a more fitting song than this one to kick off Oasis's smash debut album, Definitely Maybe. In 2008, Noel Gallagher told Q Magazine that "Rock Ôn' Roll Star" was his all-time favorite Oasis song. "No one had ever said [those things] in a song before," Gallagher said. "' Tonight, I'm a rock 'n' roll star.' There are six people watching you, right? You're anything but a rock 'n' roll star, but in your brain you are É. When I hear that song by chance, on the radio or whatever, I just think, ÔD'you know what, man? It's still got it for me.' It's wide-eyed and wonderful."
"Rock and Roll All Nite" Ð Kiss
It's no wonder that this song, from Kiss's 1975 Dressed to Kill album, is often called the "Rock and Roll National Anthem." Paul Stanley once explained its genesis to writer Bruce Pollock: "'Rock and Roll All Nite' came about because we felt we needed an anthem," Stanley said, "a song that could be the rallying cry for all of our fans. So I went back to the hotel and came up with the chorus and the melody. Then I went down to see Gene and he came up with the verses." The song was also partly inspired by Slade's "Cum on Feel the Noize."
"Long Live Rock" Ð The Who
Pete Townshend originally wanted this celebratory classic, written in 1972, to be the centerpiece of an album about The Who's history. In the end, however, Townshend opted to write Quadrophenia instead. "Long Live Rock" eventually appeared on the 1974 compilation, Odds and Sods. It was also the song that played as the credits rolled for The Who's landmark documentary film, The Kids Are Alright.
"Rock and Roll" Ð Led Zeppelin
This highlight from Led Zeppelin's fourth album was the end product of a jam session the band fell into while working on the track, "Four Sticks." John Bonham kickstarted the impromptu jam by playing the drum intro from Little Richard's "Keep a Knockin." "I started doing pretty much half of that riff you hear on ÔRock and Roll' and it was just so exciting that we thought, ÔLet's just work on this'," Jimmy Page later told London's The Times. "The riff and the sequence were really immediate to those 12-bar patterns that you had in those old rock songs like Little Richard [did]. It was spur-of-the-moment, the way that it just came together more or less out of nowhere."
|
| |
This Week:
No shows scheduled this week.
Click on the LIVE DATES link for upcoming shows |
Item Of The Month:
|
