Rock and Roll has a very different meaning today as compared to what it originally meant. These days anything with guitar and distortion, probably a continuous bass drum thump and near scream vocals.
The core meaning of rock and roll music isn’t exactly that. It basically was in the popularity of back beat and shift to popularity of music that had 4/4, 3/4 time signatures. The music was easier to get a hold of sonically in your mind and just move to it, rather than do elaborate swirls in jazz or big band music.
The core meaning of rock and roll music isn’t exactly that. It basically was in the popularity of back beat and shift to popularity of music that had 4/4, 3/4 time signatures. The music was easier to get a hold of sonically in your mind and just move to it, rather than do elaborate swirls in jazz or big band music.
The back beat was brought into western music thanks to the African American musical influence. Their spiritual practices and gospel music was really what brought about evolution of percussion in western music. In due time it got less cacophonous and ''slickened'' into Jazz. As musicians tried to evolve into musical styles that were not just individual shows of virtuosity, rather being a coherent agreement of sounds. That was brought about famously by early rhythm and blues.
From rhythm and blues there was a move towards catchier tunes to which there could set out more carefree and less sensitivity bound songs inspired by rockabilly music. Songs that were in all probability, plain fun. All of a sudden there was no need for two to tango as rock n roll created a style of audience response that just required a person and his ability to move. That's all.And that is the greatest gift rock n roll gave to mankind, lit by Fats Domino's boogie woogie piano and Bo Diddley's Twang Machine. The rhythm and music was so much easier to follow, so much easier to enjoy by anyone with ears.
The analogy also stands true in today's world if we take public affinity towards a U2 compared to that of Dream Theater. The music appeals across the board and you don't need to be a musician to actually savor it. Dream theater although has its own brand of awesomeness, but majority of their fan base are people who actually know more than the average Joe about guitar, bass, organ and drum.Rock and roll band structures came about due to unsustainablitly of big band jazz structure in the post war era... there was a need to provide musical mobility and smaller groups and solo performers emerged to fill that need. By default the complexities reduced in making music, as the groups were smaller. There was more musical cohesiveness when it came to instruments and itgave birth to the drum and bass agreement technique of song structure. This gave a platform for vocalists and guitarists to bring about their own unique takes to the music.
- Fats Domino
The most welcoming fat man in music along with BB King! His boogie woogie piano sound is unmistakably identifiable. A New Orleans Music veteran, Fats is a great ambassador of the land that gave us jazz. His most fun track for me is Jambalaya, which speaks a lot about his Orleans and Creole roots. His music is often considered as the most accessible of the early rock n rollers thanks to his silver vocals along with endearing humility. His trademark boogie woogie rhythm is what gave his track much of their uniqueness along with the comparatively moderate energy level requisites resembling that of smooth blues. His tracks not just provide a place for him to shine with his instrument of choice, there is more importance given to musical quality than just artist showcase.
Jambalaya
You can find saxophone, guitar and drum solos layered and shining on many of his works. Again there’s a great danceable quality to it, swing style. A compilation of his tracks is the best way to start your way into rock and roll for any newbie to the genre.
- Chuck Berry
Johnny B Goode
His tracks have been covered by everyone from ZZ Top to Judas Priest. Berry and Bo Diddley created the earliest sounds of real rock music and rock guitar playing. The tracks are a great example of blues-styled structured story telling with rock n roll rhythm. Its just good solid hummable, danceable, loveable rock and roll music, that’ll make you want to buy bell bottoms and groovy shirts and just let the sound do the rest. You've probably heard his music innumerable times in movie scores and soundtrack..True Blue American Rock n Roll.
- Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley is by far the most underrated contributor to rock n roll music. The man was one of the first artists to transit blues into rock n roll. All his songs are class A rock n roll numbers with impeccable guitar playing on his trademark rectangular shaped axe, The Twang Machine. His hard hitting concoction of acoustic drum set driven rhythm created settings that could be jived and simply moved people to develop jelly legs and simply dance the hell out of their bodies. Bo was simply the perfect personification of what goodtime rock n roll meant. The Bo Diddley beat that he introduced through his track that was named after himself became critical innovation that was later used by several artists to record their own hits like Slash in Mr. Brownstone, Buddy Holly's Not fade away, Magic Bus by the Who. He is fondly remembered along with chuck berry as the architects of rock n roll. His sound provided reference to the mass blues rock movement across Europe and America inspiring guitarists and other musicians alike.
Bo Diddley's Namesake track
His trademark leg flapping style of stage antics were later used by several guitarists and vocalists as showmanship tricks. Vocals of Bo were rusty and crude that created a sense of earnesty and realism, the wish for every other person to just rock out could be heard. His influence spans all over rock and rap (yes! rap too... his fast paced vocals on several staple performance tracks like Who Do You Love) not just musically but also in the sense of stage presence and crowds vocal involvement.
- Carl Perkins
The original man with the Blue Suede Shoes. It was his track that was later covered by Elvis Presley into the iconic dance floor thumper. He is considered as the Godfather of Rockabilly. He proved influential in getting the transition effectively in place from rockabilly to rock n roll. Perkins work is considered as textbook rock n roll and rockabilly. Songs clearly show the linkage between country music and rock n roll. And his mesh of the two is near perfect. Perkins sound had a wonderful chugging guitar to go with most of his songs with catchy guitar rhythms .
Matchbox
- Buddy Holly
A rock n roll pioneer, cult icon and at least according to me, made the geek look cool way before the parents of the cast of Big bang theory were born! His brand of music cemented band perception and helped shape the sound of a 4 piece twin guitar band. Buddy holly created music that is still fresh sounding today. They have a great sing-along quality that is extremely catchy, one listen to Everyday and I’ll bet you'll need to toilet scrub your brains to get rid of it for the rest of the week. The music Buddy made influenced everyone from The Beatles to Elvis to Elton John. His vocals and looks are strongly copied by many cover bands across the world and Elvis Costello's early look does say something about the same. His music is still pretty clean and clear in terms of production value.
True Love Ways
- Ritchie Valens
at died at 17, did more for rock n roll and Latin music more than may other artists to have come by. Such was the musical genius of Ritchie Valens. I still cant come to terms with how a mind that’s barely legal enough to drink can release 3 albums and create musical history that is still as mind boggling as it was 60 years ago. I can tell you this by experience, at least from all I’ve been to any roman catholic wedding isn’t complete without the crowd dancing to the La Bamba. The song is literally the sunny holiday trademark. One listen with your eyes closed and you’re swooped into sandy clear beaches. He wasn’t just a prolific clean tone guitar player/vocalist, but a complete rock n roll band musician. He probably shaped what Carlos Santana would use across albums over the years i.e. line-solo-line-solo-line solo technique of song structure (see Bonnie Maronie).
Come on, Lets go
- Little Richard
There’s nothing little about Little Richard. His voice and boogie woogie style of piano rhythm took rock n roll by the neck and probably created the mould for future rock song structures and performances. His style of vocals were crass, unabashed and in your face with a lot of what you here in your usual Hard rock bands. The other peculiarity about Richards music was that he didn’t let his boogie woogie piano over power the whole song and band performance (see All around the world) he gave enough platform for the drums, bass, sax and clarinet move around give the song a holistic musical quality not dominated by any one instrument. Besides his trademark vocal skills his stage presence and the amount of showmanship he could bring out while still playing the organ is still legendary.
Tutti -Frutti
Rock and Roll doesn't necessarily mean a band. It doesn't mean a singer , and it doesn't mean a lyric really. It's that question of trying to be immortal
- Malcom Mclaren
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