DM's Beatles forums
Solo forums => John Lennon => Microscopes => Topic started by: Bobber on October 21, 2014, 06:47:18 PM
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Listening to this now to make a microscope later. The thing is: the album is called Rock And Roll, the songs are rock 'n roll standards. But this about where it ends. This hardly has anything to do with rock 'n roll imho.
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Urgh,,,,,,Ok.
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I like this album. I think it gives the listener more than one would expect from a pack of 50's covers recorded in the 70's by an ex-member of a 60's band. Moreover, it's the last John's album that I care about.
"Stand By Me" is the classic track, but I especially love this one:
John Lennon - Slippin' and Slidin' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72D3dPnjtcI#noexternalembed)
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I dont like it
In fact I think its horrible
the whole sound is terrible, blame the producer ? I dont know
Johns singing is good but I just cant listen to it
;sorry
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With a couple of exceptions, Stand By Me, Slipping and a Sliding, John sounds pretty un engaged. I don't think they recorded him particularly well. When you compare this to his covers of Twist and Shout and Money with the Beatles, as well as the stuff on the BBC recordings, there's something lacking here.
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Awful, lacklustre performance. And it would nigh be impossible NOT to have a hit with Stand By Me. He's lucky Sean's birth gave him an excuse to retire, because it's hard to see where he would go from here. He seems a spent force.
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It was a long time in the oven this one, and what with the Spector shenanigans and John's turbulent private life at the time it's little wonder he does indeed seem a spent force. Whenever John or Paul needed to re-charge their batteries, the default mode was to fly back to the Fifties. And this album is a selfish rummage through the attic of John's youth - only a few of the tracks could be truly described as "Rock And Roll" and of those, even fewer were delivered with any degree of bite. "Stand By Me" is convincing and outshines the original, but such weary, lacklustre renditions of "Do You Wanna Dance", "Be Bop A Lula" and "Peggy Sue" do NOT a rock & roll album make!
He does wake up occasionally. Fiery bursts of "Rip It Up" and "Ready Teddy" stir John from his exhausted reverie, and I do like his versions of "Ain't That A Shame" and "Slippin' And Slidin'". His was still the finest rock and roll voice around. Much has been made of Lennon's bowing out (for a few years) with the music that ushered him in.... perhaps he was more consciously going full circle than was acknowledged at the time.
I (and more importantly, John himself it seems) agree with Kevin - he needed a break.
But I'd probably still play this one ahead of "Choba B CCCP" or "Run Devil Run" to be honest.
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His was still the finest rock and roll voice around.
That's the huge disappointment with this. That a guy with such a sensational rock voice would sound so bland on many of the tracks.
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It seems that I'm the only one who likes this album, and I don't like the majority of the Beatles' solo albums!
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It seems that I'm the only one who likes this album, and I don't like the majority of the Beatles' solo albums!
You're not the only one, Hombre, I really enjoy listening to this LP.
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But I'd probably still play this one ahead of "Choba B CCCP" or "Run Devil Run" to be honest.
I hate 'Choba B CCCP', but i'll have to disagree with you on 'Run Devil Run'. RDR blows this lame Lennon effort out of the water in my opinion. I'm not sure I like one song on 'Rock And Roll Music' to be honest.
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I hate 'Choba B CCCP', but i'll have to disagree with you on 'Run Devil Run'. RDR blows this lame Lennon effort out of the water in my opinion. I'm not sure I like one song on 'Rock And Roll Music' to be honest.
It's interesting to me at just how disparate opinions are about these "oldies" cover albums. I don't care at all for RDR but I thoroughly enjoy R'n'R and CCCP.
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It's interesting to me at just how disparate opinions are about these "oldies" cover albums. I don't care at all for RDR but I thoroughly enjoy R'n'R and CCCP.
CCCP sounds like an old skittle band and RnR reminds me of a poorly produced garage band. RDR had pop and energy and an excitement about it like everybody was having fun. My opinion anyway.
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Alas, 'CCCP' was a victim of when it was made, the truly dire 1980s.
What a shame Paul didn't have the idea after he made 'McCartney' - a 'rock 'n' roll' LP by Paul in 1970 really would have been worth listening to.
'Run Devil Run' has a bit more going for it than 'CCCP'.
That said, the clever money is on trading them both in for the real deal of Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Larry Williams, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Johnny Burnette etc. etc.
These days you could get pretty much every rock 'n' roll song the young Beatles were influenced/inspired by/covered on CD and still have change out of £100.
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If haven't thought about this album for years but if I'm not mistaken wasn't this part of a settlement for plagiarizing some lyrics from Chuck Berry? Or some body. If so I can see why the album is lackluster. I remember liking it when I did listen many years ago but nothing special. I think he did need a break!
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If haven't thought about this album for years but if I'm not mistaken wasn't this part of a settlement for plagiarizing some lyrics from Chuck Berry? Or some body. If so I can see why the album is lackluster. I remember liking it when I did listen many years ago but nothing special. I think he did need a break!
Rock and Roll itself is all about energy and immediacy, the very antithesis of the sour, acrimonious, drawn out circumstances surrounding this record's release.
My recollection is that in the mid 70s music executive Morris Levy tried to sue John for supposedly pinching a bit of the Chuck Berry song "You Can't Catch Me" and using it in the lyrics of "Come Together". They reached a settlement whereby John agreed to record a few songs from Levy's publishing catalogue (presumably expected to generate substantial royalties for Levy via sales of the Lennon disc) as part of his "Rock 'N' Roll" sessions.... which infamously then ran aground at least partly due to Phil Spector absconding with the mastertapes (I think).
Frustrated at the record release grinding to a halt, Levy sued John then lifted a few demo/outtakes anyway and went ahead to release an (unofficial) mail order LP "by John Lennon" entitled "Roots" - the release of which prompted a counter claim from Capitol/Apple/John going through the courts....
The whole saga became embroiled in lawsuits/procrastination/argument and delay...in short, everything that carefree/instantaneous/joyful rock and roll music was NOT about.
No wonder John had a bellyful and threw in the towel.