THE ROCK 'N' ROLL REVIVAL - PART THREE

PART THREE OF AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK 'N' ROLL ON THE ROCK AND POP MUSIC OF THE 1970's. - THIS PART WILL FOCUS ON THE U.S.A

READ PART ONE - ROCKIN' THROUGH THE 60's: FROM THE BEATLES TO BOLAN HERE

READ PART TWO - THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK ' N ' ROLL ON THE 70's GLAM ROCK MOVEMENT AND THE REVIVALISTS WHO YEARNED TO JOIN THE PARTY HERE

                                                       

                                                       DO YOU BELIEVE IN ROCK ' N ' ROLL?

''AMERICAN PIE'' by singer-songwriter DON MCLEAN hit the US TOP SPOT upon it's release in 1971 and went on to repeat that success in 15 other countries. The phrase '' THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED '' is repeated throughout the song and refers to a plane crash in 1959 that killed 50's rock and roll stars BUDDY HOLLY, THE BIG BOPPER and RITCHIE VALENS. The songs much analyzed lyrics allude to a loss of innocence and the cultural malaise that occurred during the following decade. MCLEAN had clearly articulated a collective feeling as it's release corresponded with a series of concerts featuring 50's ROCK ' N ' ROLL SURVIVOURS at NEW YORKS MADISON SQUARE GARDENS

The shows were organized by RICHARD NADER. They kicked off in OCTOBER 18th 1969 and ran into the following decade. TWENTY FIVE EVENTS were held at the venue and a number of other concerts were organized at different cities around the country. With the exception of ELVIS, all of THE ORGINAL BIG NAMES appeared on the billboards, with many coming out of semi retirement to perform 

Footage from two of THE ROCK & ROLL REVIVAL SHOWS { one at The NASSAU COLISEUM, LONG ISLAND and another at THE COBO HALL, DETROIT MICHIGAN } formed the basis of the 1973 CONCERT FILM '' LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL '' . This was intercut with 50's ERA PERFORMANCES and NEWS FOOTAGE using a SPLIT SCREEN technique. The featured artists were: CHUCK BERRY, CHUBBY CHECKER, THE COASTERS, DANNY and the JOUNIORS, BO DIDDLEY, FATS DOMINO, THE FIVE SATINS, BILL HALEY and the COMETS, LITTLE RICHARD, THE SHIRELLES and BOBBY COMSTOCK

                                                                 

                                                                   THE KINGS OF ROCK

RICK NELSON had mixed feelings about his performance at the MADISON SQUARE GARDEN '' ROCK ' N ' ROLL SPECTACTULAR '' in '71. He appeared on the bill as ' SPECIAL GUEST STAR ' in a lineup that included CHUCK BERRY, BO DIDDLEY and THE COASTERS. He presented the audience with material from his most recent LP , but the contemporary sounding COUNTRY ROCK songs were less than warmly received. Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, NELSON wrote the song '' GARDEN PARTY '' in response and scored a sizable hit

                                            

                                                   '' SOMEONE OPENED UP A CLOSET DOOR

                                                     AND OUT STEPPED JOHNNY B. GOODE

                                                    PLAYING GUITAR LIKE RINGING A BELL

                                                    AND LOOKING LIKE HE SHOULD

                                                    IF YOU GOTTA PLAY GARDEN PARTIES

                                                    I WISH YOU A LOTTA LUCK

                                                    BUT IF MEMORIES WERE ALL I SANG

                                                    I'D RATHER DRIVE A TRUCK ''

Shrugging off the apparent swipe within the lyrics of '' GARDEN PARTY '' , CHUCK BERRY made moves of his own in '72. He recorded an LP in LONDON with some YOUNG BRITISH MUSICIANS, including two members of THE FACES { KENNY JONES and IAN MCLAGAN }. '' THE LONDON SESSIONS '' included a live version of a track DAVE BARTHOLOMEW wrote and recorded in 1952: '' MY DING-A-LING ''. The song was issued on 45, the same month as '' GARDEN PARTY '' and hit the top spot on both sides of the Atlantic that summer. The LP reached Number 8 in Billboard and was his ALL TIME BEST SELLING ALBUM

BO DIDDLEY recorded a '' LONDON SESSIONS '' LP the following year, backed by a mix of musicians from the UK { RAY FENWICK, EDDIE HARDIN and ROY WOOD } and the US { PHIL UPCHURCH and WILLIE HENDERSON }. It didn't sell in the same numbers as the CHUCK BERRY LP, but was certainly an ARTISTIC SUCCESS. Musically it followed the FUNK ROCK format of his 1970 ''BLACK GLADIATOR '' release. Since the Mid Sixties JERRY LEE LEWIS had concentrated on COUNTRY and a few of his records from that period sold well. In 1972 he returned to rock with '' THE KILLER ROCKS ON '' LP and followed with his own LONDON SESSIONS LP, titled '' THE SESSION...RECORDED IN LONDON WITH GREAT ARTISTS ''. The DOUBLE LP contained CLASSIC ROCK COVERS and utilized a number of UK PLAYERS, including ALVIN LEE, GARY WRIGHT, KENNY JONES and ALBERT LEE. In 1971 LITTLE RICHARD signed to REPRISE records and recorded  '' THE KING OF ROCK '' LP with producer H.B BARNUM and '' THE SECOND COMMING '' LP with his long term collaborator ROBERT '' BUMPS '' BLACKWELL. Both were exciting records on the GOSPELL / ROCK ' N ' SOUL style, but they failed to sell in great quantities 

The first ELVIS Long Player of the decade '' THAT'S THE WAY IT IS '' { NOVEMBER 1970 } didn't reach the artistic peak of his previous release '' FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS ''. The record primarily consisted of formulaically arranged BALLADS in an MOR style. The follow up '' ELVIS COUNTRY '' { 1971 } was more convincing and featured songs in a variety of different COUNTRY MUSIC styles. '' LOVE LETTERS '' { released later the same year } consisted of outtakes from the previous two and a flood of live LP's, COMPILATIONS and a further CHRISTMAS album and a GOSPEL album followed. His 45's during the period were HIT and MISS in terms of sales, but he continued to release some great ROCKIN' 45's in the form of '' PATCH IT UP { 1970 }, '' BURNING LOVE '' { '72 }, '' RAISED ON ROCK '' { '73 }, '' PROMISED LAND { '74 }, '' T-R-O-U-B-L-E { '75 } and '' WAY DOWN '' { '77 }. Playing to his fans was high on the agenda at this point. He performed 636 SELL OUT SHOWS in LAS VEGAS between JULY 1969 and DECEMBER 1976. Other important appearances were A SERIES OF SHOWS at MADISON SQUARE GARDENS in JULY '72 and the HAWAII CONCERT in JANUARY ' 73. Both were recorded and released as LIVE LP's. PRESLEY thrived on the HERO WORSHIP and ADORATION OF HIS FANS during these performances and drove himself to the point of exhaustion with the boost of prescribed pharmaceuticals. Addiction and Poor health resulted in him being hospitalized on four separate occasions before he lost his life in AUGUST 1977

JERRY LEE LEWIS and ELVIS both released music that appealed to the COUNTRY MUSIC audience, but a number of other SUN RECORDING ARTISTS subsequently carved out full time careers in the genre. CONWAY TWITTY reached the top of THE US COUNTRY CHARTS with '' HELLO DARLIN' '' in 1970 and followed it up with a number of other TOP 10 hits { many of them duets with LORETTA LYNN }. CHARLIE RICH belatedly hit the big time in 1973, topping the charts twice with the STRING- LADEN COUNTRYPOLITAN numbers '' BEHIND CLOSED DOORS '' and '' THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL ''. NARVEL FELTS hit THE TOP 10 in the same year with a version of '' DRIFT AWAY '' and followed it with similar COUNTRY / SOUL numbers, including a remake of '' LONELY TEARDROPS '', a JACKIE WILSON number that was originally recorded in 1958

NARVEL FELTS cover of JACKIE WILSON'S '' LONELY TEARDROPS '' 1976

JOHNNY CASH retained bassist MARSHALL GRANT and guitarist LUTHER PERKINS after his move from SUN RECORDS to COLUMBIA in 1958. Their PARED DOWN style of playing was the perfect backdrop for the AUTHENTIC STORYTELLING that CASH employed in many of his best numbers. This approach, coupled with his ' HELL RAISING ' { not so } private life and ' MAN IN BLACK ' rebel image, presented a stark contrast to the increasingly sterile NASHVILLE SOUND that dominated in the 1960's. CARL PERKINS was a member of his touring band for many years and kicked off the legendary FOLSUM and SAN QUENTIN PRISON SHOWS with renditions of '' MATCHBOX '' and '' BLUE SUEDE SHOES '', a further demonstration that CASH retained an affinity with THE ROCKABILLY SPIRIT that most of his contemporaries had stepped away from

 

                                                                 
                                                                  OUTLAWS AND REBELS

'' SOMEBODY TOLD ME WHEN I GOT TO NASHVILLE

  SON YOU FINALLY GOT IT MADE!

  OLD HANK MADE IT HERE, WE'RE ALL SURE THAT YOU WILL

  BUT I DON'T THINK HANK DONE IT THIS WAY, NO

  I DON'T THINK HANK DONE IT THIS WAY, OK ''

'' ARE YOU SURE HANK DONE IT THIS WAY '' by WAYLON JENNINGS

TEXAN Singer-Songwriter WAYLON JENNINGS was discovered by BUDDY HOLLY'S father in 1958 while he was DJ'ing at a RADIO STATION in LUBBOCK. Soon after he recorded demos under BUDDY's guidance and joined his backing band for the fateful WINTER DANCE PARTY TOUR in JANUARY of the following year. JENNINGS continued to record, but felt a great sense of loss after the PLANE CRASH that killed HOLLY and fell into the first of many bouts of SUBSTANCE ABUSE. In 1963 he recorded '' THE STAGE { STARS IN HEAVEN } '' as a tribute to HOLLY, VALENCE, THE BIG BOPPER and EDDIE COCHRAN { who died in a CAR CRASH in 1960 }. HE signed to RCA in THE MID SIXTIES and recorded a number of his LP's and 45's, most of which appeared in the upper upper echelons of THE COUNTRY CHARTS. HE struck up a friendship with JOHNNY CASH and as the 70's dawned he became increasingly unhappy about the lack of money he was making on the road due to bad management as well as the ORCHESTRATED COUNTRYPOLITAN sound that RCA saddled him with

WAYLON JENNINGS PLAYING LIVE ON THE JOHNNY CASH SHOW - 1970

In 1973 WAYLON found a new manager in the form of NEIL RESHAN. A fresh contract was signed with RCA, giving JENNINGS artistic control of the recording process and he subsequently introduced RESHAN to WILLE NELSON. A similar deal was struck with ATLANTIC RECORDS for NELSON and that signaled the beginning of the OUTLAW COUNTRY sub-genre, a broad church which fused the HONKY TONK sound of HANK WILLIAMS with the BAKERSVILLE sound of MERLE HAGGARD and added a dash of ROCKABILLY, SOUTHERN ROCK and R ' N ' B into the mix. KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, TOWNES VAN ZANDT and {fittingly } HANK WILLIAMS JR. were upholders of the faith as well as JOHNNY CASH himself

By the EARLY 70's there was also a vibrant MUSIC SCENE based around THE LAUREL CANYON area of LOS ANGELES. The musicians generally had a background in POST HIPPY COUNTER CULTURAL ROCK and used an amalgam of influences including BLUES, COUNTRY, FOLK and LATIN. The ARIZONA born singer LINDA RONDSTADT moved to LA in the MID SIXTIES and fronted a series of bands before gaining a huge degree of success as a solo artist in the middle of the following decade. Her BILLBOARD HITS included covers of THE EVERLY BROTHERS '' WHEN WILL I BE LOVED '' { in '74 }, BUDDY HOLLY'S '' THAT'LL BE THE DAY '' { 76 } and '' IT'S SO EASY '' { 77 } and PRESLEY'S '' LOVE ME TENDER '' in '78. THE EAGLES { who got their start backing RONDSTADT } were another huge act to come out of the scene. They harnessed the sensibility of OUTLAW COUNTRY and configured a POST HIPPY, COUNTRY ROCK sound that appealed to the mainstream. Their 1974 JAMES DEAN tribute single had an authentic 50's ROCK sound. The same year NASHVILLE singer-songwriter BILLY SWAN did even better. His COUNTRY / ROCKABILLY styled hit '' I CAN HELP '' was so convincing that ELVIS covered the song using an almost identical arrangement 

COMMANDER CODY & HIS LOST PLANET AIRMEN were another COUNTRY ROCK band with a sound rooted in the 50's. The band originated in MICHIGAN, mixing WESTERN SWING, BOOGIE WOOGIE, BLUES, ROCKABILLY and COUNTRY influences. They became a popular live act in the late 60's and relocated to BERKELEY CALIFORNIA in 1969 where they scored a deal with PARAMOUNT RECORDS. Their cover of CHARLIE RYAN'S '' HOT ROD LINCOLN '' reached the TOP 10 of THE BILLBOARD CHART in early '72. It was their only hit 45, but a series of LP's picked up respectable sales and ensured them a healthy cult following. The similarly styled ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL scored a COUNTRY TOP 10 with their cover of LOUIS JORDON'S '' CHOO CHOO CH' BOOGIE '' in '74 and released a series of LP's on UNITED ARTISTS 

COMMANDER CODY & HIS LOST PLANET AIRMEN - '' HOT ROD LINCOLN '

                                                                      50's NOSTALGIA

'' My Audience wants to forget it's problems and return to { or at least recall } those happy high school times, the prom, no wars, no riots, no protests, the convertibles at the drive in. The past is an ailment from which one has fortunately recovered , so nostalgia is in part relief as well as amused fondness for bygone pleasant times ''

Cleveland ' Oldies ' Radio DJ DICK LIBERATORE speaking to THE NEW YORK TIMES JUNE 17th 1973

In 1971 DJ DAN COFFEY { who WASN'T related to the WELSH RECORD DEALER of the same name } began an ' OLDIES ' RADIO SHOW using records from his own collection. The show on KOOL-FM, a RADIO STATION based in PHOENIX ARIZONA, was said to be the first to exclusively play ROCK and POP MUSIC from the FIFTIES and EARLY SIXIES and it quickly became the most popular show on the station. By the end of the year the station had entirely switched over to the same format. Following their lead, a number of AM stations across the country began to mix OLDIES with SELECTED NEW RELASES, creating the ' SOLID GOLD ' format. These stations grew in popularity into the MID SEVENTIES and most broadly stuck to the concept until the start of the next decade

The musical GREASE opened on BROADWAY in JUNE 1972. It was set in a HIGH SCHOOL in 1959 and the songs were in the style of 50's ROCK and DOO WOOP. The following year a MOVIE titled AMERICAN GRAFFITI appeared. The COMMING OF AGE DRAMA was actually set in 1962, but could stylistically be mistaken for the 50's. It was a celebration of CRUISING culture that included an appearance by the ROCK REVIVAL act FLASH CADILLAC & THE CONTINENTAL KIDS. Three spinoff DOUBLE LP's that featured music from the 50's appeared. They were big sellers and the first volume peaked at NUMBER 10 on BILLBOARD. GREASE was adapted for a MOVIE in 1978. The lead male role of DANNY was taken by JOHN TRAVOLTA who had recently starred in the hugely successful SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER. His appearance helped to propel the film into being THE HIGHEST GROSSING MUSICAL FILM OF ALL TIME. A SOUNDTRACK LP that featured half a dozen songs by SHA NA NA went on to sell over 30 MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE

SHA NA NA starred in their own SYNDICATED TELEVISION SERIES which ran for 97 episodes from 1977 until 1981. They performed songs and comedy sketches in the show. Guest performers were mostly contemporary names, but CHUCK BERRY, DANNY AND THE JUNIORS, FABIAN, DEL SHANNON, CHUBBY CHECKER and JAN & DEAN all managed to put in an appearance

 
CHUCK BERRY on the SHA NA NA TV SHOW - 1977


HAPPY DAYS was a TELEVISED SITCOM based around the life of a MIDWEST FAMILY in the late 50's. The public were initially lukewarm until the producers took one of the peripheral characters and placed him center stage. ARTHUR FONZARELLI, also known as FONZIE or THE FONZE was a HIP BIKER played by HENRY WINKLER. Once he was at the helm, the show went from strength to strength and ran for TEN YEARS. It spawned a tie-in ROCK ' N ' ROLL compilation LP { graced with a requisite cover image of THE FONZE } and a spin-off show: LAVERNE & SHIRLEY, which in turn spawned a BAND called LENNY AND THE SQUIGTONES, who mixed SURREAL COMEDY with VINTAGE 50's ROCK MUSIC. The result was similar in essence to the FRANK ZAPPA ' RUBIN & THE JETS ' project and CASSABLANCA RECORDS issued an LP of their efforts in 1979

LENNY AND THE SQUIGTONES on LAVERNE & SHIRLEY 1976

      

LEMON POPSICLE was another PERIOD COMMING OF AGE COMEDY MOVIE set in the 1950's. The ISRAELI made film was shot in TEL AVIV and released in 1978. The SOUNDTRACK contained a wonderful selection of VINTAGE US ROCK RECORDINGS that were said to have cost more money to use than was paid to shoot the film. This mattered little as their inclusion helped to make it become the highest grossing ISRAELI MOVIE of all time and it spawned no less than SEVEN SEQUELS. '78 also saw the release of two notable FILM BIOGRAPHIES: The self explanatory  BUDDY HOLLY STORY and AMERICAN HOT WAX. The later told the story of DJ ALAN FREED, but despite the participation of names such as CHUCK BERRY, JERRY LEE LEWIS, SCREAMING JAY HAWKINS and FRANKIE FORD, it sadly BOMBED AT THE BOX OFFICE

   

                                                              THE SOUL OF DOO-WOP 

The UPTOWN SOUL of MOTOWN RECORDS was hugely popular during the 60's and the DETRIOT based company saw 79 of it's singles reach the Billboard TOP TEN during the course of the decade. Their distinctive blend of SOULFUL R 'N ' B  and STRING LADEN POP had CROSS CULTURAL APPEAL and producers in other northern cities strove to complete with varying degrees of success. The city of PHILADELPHIA began to develop it's own variety of HARMONY SOUL which harked back to the DOO-WOP roots of the sound. Both '' THIS CAN'T BE TRUE '' by EDDIE HOLMAN { which reached 17 on BILLBOARD in 1966 } and '' YOU'VE BEEN UNTRUE '' by THE DELFONICS { on CAMEO RECRORDS in 1967 } were significant for pairing dramatic FALSETTO LEAD VOCALS and STREET CORNER HARMONY SINGING with LUSHLY ORCHESTRATED backing tracks. In PHILADELPHIA the DOO-WOP sound had never gone out of favor. PHILLY was home for a number of HARD CORE COLLECTORS and thousands tuned into DJ JERRY BLAVAT's OLDIES RADIO SHOWS and attended his RECORD HOPS

                                  JERRY BLAVAT complied DOO-WOP COMP'S from the MID 60's 

EDDIE HOLMAN's biggest hit was a remake of RUBY & THE ROMANTICS '' HEY THERE LONELY GIRL ''. It reached #2 on BILLBOARD in 1969 and was followed with another DOO-WOP cover in 1970: '' SINCE I DON'T HAVE YOU'' , a song originally recorded by the SKYLINERS . THE DELFONICS had a number of hit 45's and their producer THOM BELL replicated their success with another vocal group: THE SYTLISTICS. In 1971 he set up PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL RECORDS with KENNETH GAMBLE and LEON HUFF. The sound was finessed and modified with a number of vocal groups and solo acts , including: THE O'JAYS, THE INTRUDERS , BILLY PAUL and BUNNY SIGLER. P.I.R would soon outstrip MOTOWN in sales and when session drummer EARL YOUNG picked up the beat on the HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUENOTES number '' THE LOVE I LOST '' , he hit upon something special: The '' FOUR ON THE FLOOR ''  KICK DRUM and OPEN HI-HAT combo would form the basis of many DISCO HITS in the coming years

EARL PALMER was also a member of THE TRAMMPS, a VOCAL / INSTRUMENTAL group known for the early DISCO SOUND of '' LOVE EPIDEMIC '' { 1973 } and the hugely popular '' DISCO INFERNO '' { 1976 }. Predating both was their cover of THE COASTERS '' ZING WENT THE STRINGS OF MY HEART '' in 1972. They matched the DOO-WOP HARMONIES of the original with a CONTEMPORARY, FUNK BASED, RHYTHMIC BACKING. A similar method was applied to THE DOMINOES 1951 hit '' SIXTY MINUTE MAN '' later that year. Those recordings inspired THE MOONGLOWS to update their 1954 hit ''SINCERELY '' and HANK BALLAD to revisit another 1954 hit that he'd recorded with THE MIDNIGHTERS: '' ANNIE HAD A BABY ''. MOTOWN responded with MICHAEL JACKSON's cover of a BOBBY DAY number from 1958: '' ROCKIN' ROBIN and it climbed to the number two position on BILLBOARD. STAX recording artists THE NIGHTINGLES offered a medley of two songs originally recorded by THE 5 ROYALS '' BABY DON'T DO IT and I'M WITH YOU ''. Stylistically they were close to the originals as LITTLE ANTHONY & THE IMPERIALS had chosen to do on their reworking of THE FIVE KEYS '' OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND '' in 1969

THE MOONGLOWS - ''SINCERELY '' 1972

 

BO DIDDLEY continued to use his TRADEMARK BEAT in a FUNK SETTING on his 1974 '' BIG BAD BO '' LP. It was produced by ESMOND EDWARDS who worked on JAZZ / FUNK CROSSOVER records for RUEBEN WILSON, JOHN HANDY and JACK MCDUFF and was clearly someone with the ability to create DANCE FLOOR FRIENDLY recordings. MICKY BAKER and SYLVIA ROBINSON were remembered for landing a massive hit with the BO DIDDLEY penned '' LOVE IS STRANGE '' in 1956. It reached #1 on Billboard, but they couldn't follow up on the success and SYLVIA moved into the production side of the industry. In 1973 she came back in front of the mic and scored her second hit with '' PILLOW TALK '', a tune in the fashionable ' PHILLY - SOUL ' style. The BO DIDDLEY FUNK RECORDINGS were evidently something she was aware of and the recording of her song '' SHAME, SHAME, SHAME '' used his rhythm as a base and set it against the sound of a sizzling EARL PALMER style DISCO HI-HAT. The song was clearly made for the dancefloor and vocalists SHIRLEY GOODMAN and JASON ALVAREZ were brought in to front the disc. GOODMAN had previously been half of the duo SHIRLEY & LEE who had a hit in 1956 with ''LET THE GOODTIMES ROLL''. The record came out at the end of '74 under the name SHIRLEY & COMPANY. It was a smash the world over and other records that utilized the BO DIDDLEY BEAT within a DISCO SETTING started to appear. HAMILTON BOHANNON delivered '' THE DISCO STOMP '' in ' 75 and followed up with '' BOHANNONS BEAT '' the following year. JIMMY BO HORNE offered '' IT's YOUR SWEET LOVE '' in '78 and '' YOU GET ME HOT '' in '79, the same year that THE NEW YORK CITY BAND covered '' BO DIDDLEY '' and RINDER & LEWIS reworked the JOHNNY OTIS penned '' WILLIE AND THE HAND JIVE '' as an ELECTRO DISCO WORKOUT

SHIRLEY & COMPANY -  '' SHAME, SHAME, SHAME '' 1974

 

Further DISCO recordings bearing a ROCK ' N ' ROLL influence arrived in the form of HODGES, JAMES AND SMITH's cover of the THE HARPTONES 1954 DOO-WOP classic  '' SINCE I FELL FOR YOU '' , a '' ROCK ' N ' ROLL MEDLEY by THEO VANESS '' { from his '' BACK TO MUSIC '' LP } and ''DOO WOP DISCO '' by FOURTEEN KARAT SOUL. The latter were a DOO-WOP VOCAL GROUP from NEW JERSEY that primarily covered songs authentically and often ACAPELLA. They would go on to record a number of LP's, appear on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE and make a SHORT FILM in which they performed a DOO-WOP OPERA. THE PERSUASIONS were another group that performed DOO-WOP HARMONIES in the STREET CORNER ACAPELLA style. The group formed in BROOKLYN in the early 60's and were later discovered by FRANK ZAPPA. They recorded an LP on his STRAIGHT label in 1969 and released further LP's on CAPITAL, MCA, A&M and ELECTRA. They also recorded with a number of other artists, including: STEVIE WONDER, PHOEBE SNOW, DAVID ESSEX and DAVID SOUL

DION AND THE BELMONTS reunited for a well received performance at MADISON SQUARE GARDENS in 1972 and a live recording of the event was issued the following year. THE BELMONTS also issued an ACAPELLA LP without DION on BUDDA RECORDS: '' CIGARS, ACAPELLA, CANDY '' . The record included a wonderful medley of CLASSIC DOO-WOP numbers entitled '' STREET CORNER SYMPHONY '' . A number of DOO-WOP songs were covered by CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS during the course of the era and some became major U.S hits: DONNY OSMOND's reading of the PAUL ANKER song '' PUPPY LOVE '' reached #3 on Billboard in '72. DONNY AND MARIE made #4 on Billboard in '74 with a song originally recorded by DON AND DEWEY in 1957: '' I'm LEAVING IT UP TO YOU ''. ART GARFUNKEL covered a song that was recorded by THE FLAMINGOS 1959 and featured in AMERICAN GRAFFITI '' I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU '' It reached #18 in '75. Other artists had success with ORIGINAL NUMBERS that were inspired by the DOO-WOP sound: '' YESTERDAY ONCE MORE '' by THE CARPENTERS made #2 in 1973. '' SWING YOUR DADDY '' by JIM GILSTRAP reached #10 in 1975 and '' MY ANGEL BABY '' by TOBY BEAU peaked at #13 in 1978. Away from the mainstream JONATHAN RICHMAN & THE MODERN LOVERS offered a whimsical, childlike take on the music of the 50's for the CALIFORNIAN independent BESERKLEY RECORDS . A number of tracks from their late 70's '' ROCK & ROLL WITH THE MODERN LOVERS '' and '' BACK IN YOUR LIFE '' LP's bear the influence of DOO-WOP along with their cover of THE HOLLYWOOD FLAMES '' BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ '' and '' NEW ENGLAND '' { both released as singles in 1978 } 

JONATHAN RICHMAN & THE MODERN LOVERS - '' BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ '' 1978

                                                                  

                                                                 ROLLIN' ROCKABILLIES

'' I Remember very little before 1958 except the big hits, but as I go back and root out the records I find myself marveling at their raw energy and honest emotion ''

GREG SHAW -  From: WHO PUT THE BOMP Fanzine #9 Spring 1972

GREG SHAW had cataloged the SAN FRANCISCO's countercultural ROCK REVOLUTION during the MID to LATE 60's in his INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE '' MOJO NAVIGATOR ''. Much like DON MCLEAN, he felt that ROCK had lost it's way by the end of the decade and looked back to the innocence of the EARLY 50's ROCK for inspiration. In 1970 he instigated a FANZINE with a low print named after a DOO-WOP NOVELTY song by BARRY MANN: '' WHO PUT THE BOMP ''

After the first few issues, he began to include contributions from fellow enthusiasts. Some, like LESTER BANGS and RICHARD MELTZER were associated with the semi mainstream magazine CREEM, others including the ITALIAN born RONNY WEISER, were fellow fanzine fanatics. WEISER had moved to LOS ANGELES in the late 60's and began to publish his ROLLIN' ROCK fanzine around the same time as BOMP 

'' Seeing people like JIM MORRISON and JOE COCKER wearing black leather on stage and doing those gyrations so familiar to GENE VINCENT fans, I cannot help but think of him, especially considering that by their own admission are / were devoted Vincent fanatics. Morrison considered GENE VINCENT and ELVIS PRESLEY his two main influences. Like Gene, Jim was a ' freak ', unlike Gene though, who spontaneously created an uncontrollable excitement on stage, Jim had to resort to fabricated gimmicks in order to stir the same excitement ''

ROCKIN' RONNY WEISER - From: WHO PUT THE BOMP Fanzine #9 Spring 1972

While COLLECTORS in the U.S tended to focus on DOO-WOP, the interest in EUROPE fell on the COUNTRY ROCKERS who by the early 70's were increasingly referred to as ' ROCKABILLIES '. The DUTCH BOOTLEG label COLLECTOR kicked off a run of LP's which focused on ROCABILLY with the comp '' TEN LONG FINGERS '' in 1970. This was followed by three volumes of '' ROCK & ROLL '', two volumes of '' RARE ROCK-A-BILLY '', single volumes of  '' MORE GREAT ROCK '', '' ORIGINAL ROCK '',  and a number that featured individual artists. RON WIESER followed them with his own BOOTLEG of rare ROCKABILLY cuts, then sought out artists who owned the rights to material they recorded in the 50's and re-issued them on his ROLLIN' ROCK label. From there he began to record new material with the artists he tracked down, including RAY CAMPI, MAC CURTIS, CHARLIE FEATHERS and TONY CONN. The records sounded RAW and AUTHENTIC and the labels and cover art were HAND DRAWN. They became sought after items that greatly added to the popularity of the ROCKABILLY CULT in the U.S and AROUND THE WORLD 

RAY CAMPI - '' TORE UP '' 1973

RIPSAW and OLYMPIC were two INDEPENDANT LABELS that were clearly inspired by ROLLIN' ROCK. The former issued some newly recorded, authentic sounding ROCKABILLY 45's by TEX RUBINWOITZ and BILLY HANCOCK and the later legally issued RARE and PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED RECORDINGS from the 50's. NASHVILLE'S GUSTO RECORDS issued compilation's of OBSCURE ROCKABILLY 45's from the FEDERAL, KING, STARDAY and DIXIE labels. SUN RECORDS released PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED RECORDINGS from CHARLIE RICH and NEWLY RECORDED ones by SLEEPY LABEEF. PRIVATE STOCK RECORDS signed NEO ROCKABILLY singer ROBERT GORDON and teamed him up with the 50's guitar hero LINK WRAY. The label issued two LP's in 77' and 78' and RCA put out a further one in 79', but his anticipated crossover to the mainstream failed to materialize. ROCKY BURNETTE would be the only young ROCKABILLY INFLUENCED singer to score a genuine hit record in the 70's . The son of original 50's rocker JOHNNY BURNETTE, released the LP '' THE SON OF ROCK AND ROLL '' on EMI RECORDS in 1979. It had a RADIO FRIENDLY production and the song '' TIRED OF TOEIN' THE LINE '' was issued as a single and peaked at #8 on BILLBOARD

ROCKY BURNETTE - '' TIRED OF TOEIN' THE LINE '' 1979

                                                                    BORN TO BOOGIE 

POST WAR CHICAGO BLUES continued to influence YOUNG WHITE ROCK MUSICIANS and some of the bigger names from the 50's recorded with proteges on BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC. In 1972 JOHN LEE HOOKER made the '' NEVER GET OUT OF THESE BLUES ALIVE '' LP with a line-up that included VAN MORRISON and ELVIN BISHOP. HOWLIN' WOLF recorded '' LONDON SESSIONS '' in '71 with the assistance of  ERIC CLAPTON, STEVE WINWOOD, CHARLIE WATTS and BILL WYMAN. MUDDY WATERS completed his LONDON SESSION in the following year with a crew that included RORY GALLAGHER, MITCH MITCHELL and GEORGIE FAME

A distinct form of BLUES ROCK developed in the late 60's and rose to prominence in the early part of the next decade. It was based on 12 BAR CHICAGO BLUES but the UNDERLYING SHUFFLE FEEL was augmented with the STRAIGHT EIGHTH notes of ROCK ' N ' ROLL and a HARDER BACKBEAT. Early examples of the sound were: '' FRIED HOCKEY BOOGIE '' by CANNED HEAT { 1968 } , '' NATURAL BORN BUGIE '' by HUMBLE PIE { 1969 },  '' SPIRIT IN THE SKY '' by NORMAN GREENBAUM { 1969 } and '' ROADHOUSE BLUES '' by THE DOORS { 1970 }. The term BOOGIE stuck and bands like ZZ TOP, JOHNNY WINTER, BOB SEGER, BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE, JO JO GUNNE and BROWNSVILLE STATION became the WEEKEND PARTY MUSIC of choice with WHITE YOUNGSTERS from a BLUE COLLAR BACKGROUND. UK BOOGIE OUTFITS such as BAD COMPANY, FOGHAT and HUMBLE PIE were more popular in the U.S than they were back home as the GLAM ROCK of T.REX, SLADE, SWEET and MOTT THE HOOPLE seemed to perform a corresponding function on this side of the pond. STATUS QUO were an exception to the rule and their brand of HEADS DOWN, NO NONSENCE, UBER BOOGIE gained them a huge home grown following, but little recognition in the U.S. Revived 50's numbers played BOOGIE STYLE included: '' JIM DANDY '' by BLACK OAK ARKANSAS , '' YOUNG BLOOD '' by BAD COMPANY, '' BROWN EYED HANDSOME MAN '' by BULLDOG  and '' JAILHOUSE ROCK '' by ZZ TOP. AUSTRALIA developed a GLAM / BOOGIE hybrid of it's own and the bands involved often played and recorded ROCKIN' 50's COVERS. Examples of this include: BILLY THORPE & THE AZTECS '' LET'S HAVE A PARTY '' , COLOURED BALLS '' WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN ' ''  BUSTER BROWN's - '' ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN ''  and  '' BONY MARONIE ''  by HUSH 

 BLACK OAK ARKANSAS - '' JIM DANDY '' 1973

 COLOURED BALLS '' WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN ' '' 1973

 

  

                                                                       

                                                                      ROOTS ROCKERS

THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES 1973

'' I reckon that in 1980 or so, those of us who survive will look back and view 1968-72 as the years of sterility, mediocracy and excess. And among those who are smashing into the apathy and prolonging the myth of excitement through these dead years of rock are The Flamin' Groovies ''

PETE FRAME - ZIGZAG MAGAZINE #25 - OCTOBER 1972

'' I first heard Bo Diddley in 1966. I knew The Rolling Stones were big on this guy and I got a copy of Bo Diddley's '16 Hall Time Greatest Hits ' and flipped over it and played it constantly ''

GEORGE THOROGOOD - NME Magazine -  2008

Not every BLUES INFLUENCED band went down the HARD AND HEAVY route that the BOOGIE ROCKERS followed. THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES and GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS both employed a HIGH ENERGY, ROOTSY take on the VINTAGE R ' N B SOUND. THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES formed in SAN FRANCISCO in the MID 60's. Their self pressed DEBUT EP '' SNEAKERS and the '' SUPERSNAZZ '' LP on EPIC were in the GOOD TIME, NEO JUG BAND mold of THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL, but the band adopted a rougher edged STONES INFLUENCED approach and signed to KAMA SUTRA RECORDS in 1970. They released two CLASSIC ALBUMS for the label '' FLAMINGOW '' { 1970 } and '' TEENAGE HEAD '' { 1971 }. The songs were mostly originals written in the CLASSIC ROCK MODE by vocalist ROY LONEY and guitarist CYRIL JORDAN. The critics raved and the band picked up a cult following, but sales were low. ROY LONEY quit the band, to be replaced by CHRIS WILSON. They headed to the UK in 72' and recorded 4 songs with DAVE EDMUNDS at ROCKFIELD studios: '' SLOW DEATH '' { which had been co-written with LONEY before he departed } and covers of '' TALLAHASSEE LASSIE '', '' MARRIED WOMAN '' and '' GET A SHOT OF RHYTHM AND BLUES ''. The songs were released over 2 singles in the UK and FRANCE. After this the band went for a POWER POP influenced sound and achieved a degree of success before splitting at the end of the decade

GEORGE THOROGOOD was born in WILMINGTON, DELAWARE in 1950. As a TEENAGER he listened to BRITISH BLUES ROCK, picked up the guitar and began to work his way back to the ROOTS OF THE BLUES. By the EARLY 70's he was performing SOLO ACOUSTIC sets inspired by the likes of ROBERT JOHNSON and ELMORE JAMES before moving onto ELECTRIC GUITAR and a HIGH ENERGY mix of CHICAGO BLUES and ROCK ' N ' ROLL augmented by a SMALL BAND. The self titled LP '' GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTOYERS '' { 1977 } contained mostly BLUES COVERS and displayed his mastery  of SLIDE GUITAR playing. '' MOVE IT ON OVER '' { 1978 } cast the net further and included BO DIDDLEY'S '' WHO DO YOU LOVE '', CHUCK BERRY'S '' IT WASN'T ME '' and HANK WILLIAMS '' MOVE IT ON OVER ''. The band continued to pick up converts into the next decade, playing support slots for THE ROLLING STONES and recording their best remembered song '' BAD TO THE BONE '' in 1982

THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES '' LITTLE QUEENIE '' LIVE 1972

GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTOYERS - '' IT WASN'T ME '' LIVE 1979

THE ROCK 'N' ROLL REVIVAL - PART TWO

AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK 'N' ROLL ON THE ROCK AND POP MUSIC OF THE 1970's 

READ PART ONE HERE

PART TWO - THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK ' N ' ROLL ON THE 70's GLAM ROCK MOVEMENT AND THE REVIVALISTS WHO YEARNED TO JOIN THE PARTY 

                                           

                                                                THE SOUND OF THE CITY 

ROCK ' N ' ROLL arrived in Europe in the mid 50's as a fully formed entity and for the most part fans were unaware of the origins of the music or how it evolved into the recognizable sound of CLASSIC ROCK. By the late 60's a large amount of vintage 45's were in the hands of collectors and a number of LP's and various artist compilations were freely available. Collectors and fans were becoming aware that the music they once regarded as a homogeneous entity was actually the coming together of a number of regional US forms. In 1970 a book called THE SOUND OF THE CITY was published. It's author CHARLIE GILLETT was an ENGLISH ROCK FAN who had written a thesis on rock history while studying for a master's degree in NEW YORK. It was the most in-depth look into THE HISTORY OF ROCK ' N ' ROLL that had been attempted and five distinct styles of rock were identified : NORTHERN BAND ROCK, NEW ORLEANS DANCE BLUES, MEMPIS COUNTRY ROCK, CHICAGO RHYTHM AND BLUES and VOCAL GROUP ROCK ' N ' ROLL. For each form he identified a popular exemplar. These were in turn: BILL HALEY, FATS DOMINO, ELVIS PRESLEY, CHUCK BERRY and THE PLATTERS

MEMPIS ROCK { or ROCKABILLY } would have a great influence over the next decade. Hundreds of obscure records were discovered, performers were brought out of retirement and new bands formed to play the music as it was relatively easy to master. Likewise VOCAL GROUP ROCK { or DOO-WOP } would continue to have an impact. In the US the songs were endlessly used in movies as a soundtrack to THE POST WAR BOOM YEARS and they also provided hits for several UK VOCAL GROUPS. BILL HALEY continued to be the only celebrated performer of NORTHERN BAND ROCK, but his following was huge {particularly in EUROPE }. He toured regularly and '' ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK '' made the charts on a number of occasions. CHICAGO RHYTHM AND BLUES would have less impact as it had formed the basis of THE MID 60's ROCK BOOM and was already part of the DNA of CONTEMPORARY ROCK MUSIC. In a similar way NEW ORLEANS DANCE BLUES had a fundamental influence on JAMAICAN music from BLUE BEAT through to REGGAE, but in ROCK the nuances of the style often remained too subtle to be perceived unless they closely mimicked the frantic style of LITTLE RICHARD

                                               WOODSTOCK, ALTAMONT and POWIS SQUARE

The US HIPPY COUNTERCULTURE reached its apex with THE WOODSTOCK MUSIC FESTIVAL in AUSUST 1969, but was quickly brought back to earth after the tragic events at ALTAMONT SPEEDWAY in DECEMBER and the trial of THE MANSON FAMILY the following year. HARD ROCK BANDS like THE STOOGES, THE MC5 { both from Detroit } BLUE CHEER { San Francisco } and STEPPENWOLF { Los Angeles } reflected this mood of despondency with their COMBATIVE, HIGH-VOLUME, ROUGH-EDGED sound

Across the Atlantic FREAK ROCK bands like THE PINK FARIES, DEVIANTS, GROUNDHOGS and EDGAR BROUHTON BAND were on a similar wavelength. These bands were closely linked to the UK wing of the COUNTERCULTURE and attracted an audience of STREET HIPPIES who realized that a LEATHER JACKET and a pair of LEVIS offered better protection against a cold English winter than a THREADBARE VELVET SUIT ever could. MICK FARREN of THE DEVIANTS was deeply involved in the movement which centered around the NOTTING HILL / LABROKE GROVE area of LONDON and he simultaneously edited the countercultural bible INTERNATIONAL TIMES

'' For him, the underground was a logical extension of the original rock 'n' roll rebellion. He cared passionately about ELVIS PRESLEY, GENE VINCENT and all the original rockers, and quite rightly thought they should belong in the pantheon along with BUCKMINSTER FULLER, WILLIAM BURROUGHS and JACK KEROUAC '' 

IT founder BARRY MILES quoted from MICK FARREN's Obituary in The Guardian - July 2013

'' I visited MICK FARREN one day. He was always telling me about all this ' property is theft ' stuff. He had some GENE VINCENT LP's that I was rather keen to own, so I said, ' I don't feel as strongly about it as you do, but I'll take these GENE VINCENT LP's '. It turned out that property is theft apart from GENE VINCENT LP's ''

DJ JOHN PEEL quoted in the book DAY'S IN THE LIFE by JONATHAN GREEN - 1988 

The MC5 Revive LITTLE RICHARD's '' TUTTI FRUTTI '' on their 1970 LP '' BACK IN THE USA '' 

THE STOOGES exhumed the BO DIDDLEY Beat for this raw and vital state of the nation address

MICK FARREN - SUMMERTIME BLUES - from '' MONA – THE CARNIVOROUS CIRCUS '' 1970

                  

                                  CROSSING TO THE MAINSTREAM AND THE BEGINNING OF GLAM

 

None of the previously mentioned UK FREAK bands had an eye on crossing over and making a pitch for the singles chart, but a couple of acts with ROOTS IN THE UNDERGROUND did just that. DAVE EDMUNDS cover of '' I HEAR YOU KNOCKING '' { a 50's NEW ORLEANS R 'N B number originally recorded by SMILEY LEWIS } topped the UK SINGLES CHART for six weeks in 1970. EDMUNDS recorded in the newly opened ROCKFIELD STUDIOS using the sound of SUN RECORDS as a template. The music of MUNGO JERRY was based on SKIFFLE / JUG BAND BLUES and EARLY ROCK. Their GOOD TIME sound proved to be extremely popular. '' IN THE SUMMERTIME '' topped the charts for seven weeks in 1970 and the follow up '' BABY JUMP '' held the NUMBER 1 spot for two weeks the following year. 

T. REX were the other UNDERGROUND act that CROSSED OVER at this time. '' RIDE A WHITE SWAN '' reached NUMBER 2 at the start of 1971 and the follow up '' HOT LOVE '' made number one and stayed there for 6 weeks. The 12 BAR ROCKABILLY feel of '' RIDE A WHITE SWAN '' and the '' ALL SHOOK UP '' vocal lift coupled with '' HEARTBEAK HOTEL '' middle eight in '' HOT LOVE '' showed that MARC BOLAN was captivated by VINTAGE ROCK, but he wasn't simply recycling it . His distinctive quivering vocal style, mystical lyrics and TONY VISCONTI's string laden productions helped to elevate his recordings into a different realm from those of his ROOTS ROCK contemporaries. He didn't share their workmanlike BLUE DENIM look and he emanated sex appeal and star quality

'' The way he moves really gets me. His curls stick to his forehead with the perspiration. Then there's the way he wriggles. His body actually ripples. It's too much. He pumps feeling into you. You just let yourself go. And his clothes are fantastic. He dresses to suit his body and his beautiful face. People knock him for wearing women's shoes but he wears what suits him. He doesn't care about anybody else ''

15-year-old Bolan fan NOELLE PARR quoted in THE MELODY MAKER - June 1972

Subsequent hits in '71 / '72: '' GET IT ON '', '' JEEPSTER '', '' TELEGRAM SAM '', '' METAL GURU '' and '' SOLID GOLD EASY ACTION '' stuck to the same R 'N' R based formula. '' CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION '', '' 20TH CENTURY BOY '', '' THE GROOVER'' and '' TRUCK ON { TYKE }'' moved in a HEAVIER direction. '' TEENAGE DREAM '', '' DREAMY LADY '' and '' DANDY IN THE UNDERWORLD '' all used the C Am F G / SLOW ROCK template and both '' NEW YORK CITY '' and  '' I LOVE TO BOOGIE '' marked a return to the 12 BAR / ROCKABILLY format. He also performed covers of '' SUMMERTIME BLUES '' { EDDIE COCHRAN }, DO YOU WANNA DANCE '' { BOBBY FREEMAN }, '' TEENAGER IN LOVE '' { FRANKIE LYMON } and '' ENDLESS SLEEP '' { JODY REYNOLDS } . The later was performed twice in the MARC TV SERIES broadcast shortly before his tragic death in 1977

T.REX - HOT LOVE - TOP OF THE POPS 1971

MARC BOLAN - ENDLESS SLEEP - THE MARC TV SHOW 1977

                                                             

                                                              BOWIE and SLADE

DAVID BOWIE had been a friend of MARC BOLAN since the mid 60's. He had also dabbled with the HIPPY FOLK SINGER / SONGWRITER style, but Little Richard had been his initial inspiration and the '' RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST ''  concept LP { inspired by British ROCK ' N ' ROLL singer VINCE TAYLOR } made the top 5 and earned him a fanatical following. '' HANG ON TO YOURSELF '' had been written with GENE VINCENT in mind and '' SUFFRAGETTE CITY '' was similarly rocking, but the remaining tracks were written in a variety of styles. He returned to the ROCKABILLY feel for '' JOHN I'M ONLY DANCING '' and '' THE JENE GENIE '' , but experimented with numerous forms during the decade and became one of the UK's biggest stars

SLADE broke through on 45 with a cover of LITTLE RICHARD's '' GET DOWN AND GET WITH IT ''. Vocalist NODDY HOLDER's hollering vocal style was based on RICHARD, but the bands self- penned 45's tended to alternate between the HARD ROCK of THE ROLLING STONES and the MELODIC ROCK of the BEATLES.  Digging deeper: LP cuts like the storming '' WE'RE REALLY GONNA RAISE THE ROOF '' and '' THEM KINDA MONKEYS CAN'T SWING '' show the RICHARD influence and they covered 50's R ' N ' B numbers like '' LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL /  I FEEL SO GOOD { SHIRLEY AND LEE } and  '' JUST A LITTLE BIT '' { ROSCO GORDON }. An ELVIS medley  comprising of '' MY BABY LEFT ME / THAT'S ALL RIGHT '' was chosen for a rare non band penned single in 1977. SLADE were huge in the UK during the GLAM ERA and their record sales were only beaten by T.REX

  DAVID BOWIE - HANG ON TO YOURSELF

 

 SLADE - GET DOWN AND GET WITH IT

                                                            

                                                                 GARY  GLITTER 

Towards the end of 1971 singer PAUL GADD and producer MIKE LEANDER set about recording a track which they hoped would evoke the 50's ROCK ERA. JUKE BOXES, BLUE SUEDE SHOES and PONY TAILS were called out in the lyrics which were sung over a LOOPED TRIBAL DRUM BEAT and a STRIPPED DOWN HARD ROCK / BOLERO GUITAR RIFF. GADD had been recording since 1960. He was pushing 30 and lacked any obvious sex appeal, so he decided to play it tongue in cheek, calling himself GARRY GLITTER and affecting a HIGH CAMP approach to performance

'' I decided to try and get back to the initial flash I'd received from the first ROCK ' N ' ROLL I'd heard. Back to being 15 again. The very first ROCK ' N ' ROLL Thrill ''

GARRY GLITTER explaining the inspiration behind '' ROCK AND ROLL PARTS 1 and 2 '' to THE NME in 1974

The track was edited into two parts .The B-Side { Part 2 } proved popular in the clubs and 3 months after release it peaked at NUMBER 2. A ' GLITTER BAND ' { which included two drummers } was put together to back him on live dates and TV appearances, but only the sax players appeared on the records that followed

 GARY GLITTER– ROCK AND ROLL PARTS 1 And 2 

The public now regard GLITTER as a ' hate figure ' due to his subsequent imprisonment for sexual offences, but from the early to mid 70's he was a hugely successful performer with a number of top selling records. These included high energy ROCK ' N ' ROLL numbers like '' I'M THE LEADER OF THE GANG { I AM } '', '' HELLO, HELLO I'M BACK AGAIN '' and '' ALWAYS YOURS ''. ROCK BALLADS like '' I LOVE, YOU LOVE, ME LOVE '' and '' OH YES! YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL '' and MID TEMPO STOMPERS such as '' I DIDN'T KNOW I LOVED YOU { TILL I SAW YOU ROCK AND ROLL} '', '' DO YOU WANNA TOUCH ME? { OH YEAH!} '' and '' DOING ALRIGHT {WITH THE BOYS}. He also recorded a number of R ' N ' R CLASSICS including: '' THE WANDERER ''  { DION } , '' SCHOOL DAYS '' { CHUCK BERRY } and '' MONEY HONEY '' { ELVIS } 

 GARY GLITTER - ALWAYS YOURS

                                                      

                                                        THE GLITTER BAND / HELLO

THE GLITTER BAND's debut LP '' HEY! '' contained covers of '' TELL HIM '' { THE EXCITERS }, '' SEA CRUISE '' { FRANKIE FORD }, '' ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM '' { THE EVERLY BROTHERS }, '' TWISTING THE NIGHT AWAY '' { SAM COOKE } and SEALED WITH A KISS { BRIAN HYLAND }. Producer  MIKE LEANDER recorded another version of  '' TELL HIM '' with a band of TEENAGERS called HELLO and it peaked at NUMBER 6 

THE GLITTER BAND - SEA CRUISE

 HELLO - TELL HIM

                                                                      ALVIN STARDUST

Singer BERNARD JEWRY already had some minor hits in the early 60's as SHANE FENTON and a couple of flops as JO JO ELLIS under his belt when he adopted the name ALVIN STARDUST and a GENE VINCENT inspired LEATHER CLAD image. A number of ROCK ' N ' ROLL inspired GLAM HITS followed.  '' MY COO-CA-CHOO '' { NUMBER 2 at the end of 1973 } ,  '' JEALOUS MIND '' { NUMBER 1 in FEB '74 } and '' YOU YOU YOU '',  '' TELL ME WHY '', '' GOOD LOVE CAN NEVER DIE '' and '' SWEET CHEATIN' RITA '' { all of which went TOP 10 in '74 / '75 } 

  ALVIN STARDUST - JEALOUS MIND 

  ALVIN STARDUST - LIVE ON THE WHEELTAPPERS AND SHUNTERS SOCIAL CLUB

                                                   

                                                    

                                                         

                                                            THE CHINNICHAP HITS BLITZ

The hugely successful SONGWRITING / PRODUCTION TEAM of NICKY CHINN and MIKE CHAPMAN also drew heavily on THE 50's ROCK ERA. They had a couple of hits with THE SWEET in the BUBBLEGUM style before looking towards THE GLAM WAVE with '' LITTLE WILLY '' in 1972. At their heart SWEET were an accomplished HARD ROCK band but were more than happy to record the material they were given and don outlandish outfits to promote them. The follow up '' WIG WAM BAM '' was based around a DUANE EDDY RIFF . '' BLOCKBUSTER '' { based on '' I'M A MAN '' by BO DIDDLEY } and '' BALLROOM BLITZ '' { inspired by '' LET'S STOMP '' by BOBBY COMSTOCK } were huge sellers. Their 1974 STUDIO LP contained a great cover of '' PEPPERMINT TWIST '' { JOEY DEE } and the amazing self-penned '' REBEL ROUSER ''. Based on a '' SOMETHIN' ELSE '' styled riff, the song defined THE GLAM APPROPRIATION of 50'S ROCK

'' WHO IS THE FACE THAT'S GONNA SET THE PACE, 

I'M A ROCKER, I'M A ROLLER, I'M AN OUTER SPACE ''

 SWEET - REBEL ROUSER

SWEET broke free from the grip of  CHINNICHAP, but SUZI QUATRO and MUD replaced them. Both were produced by MICKY MOST and the records were released on his RAK label. '' CAN THE CAN '' , '' DEVIL GATE DRIVE '', '' DAYTONA DEMON '' and '' WILD ONE '' all had a 12 BAR / 50's ROCKIN' feel to them and were big hits for the leather clad QUATRO. Her LP cuts included '' ALL SHOOK UP '' ,and '' TROUBLE '' { both ELVIS }, '' SHAKIN ALL OVER { JOHNNY KIDD }, '' A SHOT OF RYTHUM AND BLUES '' { ARTHUR ALEXANDER }, '' KEEP A-KNOCKIN' { LITTLE RICHARD } and '' MOVE IT '' { CLIFF RICHARD } 

 SUZI QUATRO - DEVIL GATE DRIVE

After a couple of eclectic sounding minor hits, MUD moved towards the VINTAGE ROCK / GLAM sound with '' DYNAMITE '' which made NUMBER 4 at the end of '73. '' TIGER FEET '' , '' LONELY THIS CHRISTMAS '' and their DOO_WOP style cover of '' OH BOY '' all reached NUMBER 1. '' THE CAT CREPT IN '' , '' ROCKET '' and '' THE SECRETS THAT YOU KEEP '' all made THE TOP 5

 MUD - ROCKET

MUD were a fun band that commanded attention, decked out in bright TEDDY BOY SUITS while they did THE SHADOWS WALK. Singer LES GRAY took things a step further than the CAMP of GARY GLITTER, playing it for laughs while he channeled his INNER ELVIS. They appealed to parents who remembered the ORIGINAL ROCK ERA as well as their kids, recording two whole LPs of R ' N ' R covers { MUD ROCK 1 and 2 } 

                                                    

                                                                            WIZZARD 

'73 was a great year for former MOVE / ELO man ROY WOOD. His band WIZZARD made NUMBER 6 in January with '' BALL PARK INCIDENT '' and '' SEE MY BABY JIVE '' , '' ANGEL FINGERS '' and '' I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY '' all went to NUMBER 1. The records used 50's ROCK as a template and utilized a PHIL SPECTOR type ' WALL OF SOUND '' production. Their '' WIZZARD BREW '' LP followed the same format and the follow up '' INTRODUCING EDDY AND THE FALCONS '' took things further. All the tracks were written as tributes to 1950s and early 1960s rock and roll musicians and the sleeve depicted the band wearing ROCKER GARB in a mocked up 50's CAFE, complete with a JUKEBOX and JAMES DEAN poster adorning the wall

 WIZZARD - BALL PART INCIDENT

 

                                                                  

                                                                  MOTT THE HOOPLE

'' We were in Memphis and it was something to do. My heroes were always LITTLE RICHARD, JERRY LEE LEWIS, and DYLAN. But it was there, it was ELVIS '' 

IAN HUNTER on his midnight foray into the grounds of GRACELANDS MANSION during MOTT THE HOOPLE's 1972 US TOUR

IAN HUNTER had been a member of the revivalist band AT LAST THE 1958 ROCK ' N ' ROLL SHOW and as front man of MOTT THE HOOPLE was also at the vanguard of the GLAM REIMAGINING  of THE EARLY YEARS OF ROCK ' N ' ROLL. '' HONALOOCHIE BOOGIE '', '' ALL THE WAY FROM MEMPHIS '', '' ROLL AWAY THE STONE '' and '' THE GOLDERN AGE OF ROCK ' N ' ROLL '' all showed the influence of the NEW ORLEANS RHYTHM & BLUES sound

 MOTT THE HOOPLE - ALL THE WAY FROM MEMPHIS

                                                     DANCING ON A SATURDAY NIGHT

Songwriter BARRY BLUE had hits with '' DANCIN' { ON A SATURDAY NIT } '' in 73 and '' SCHOOL LOVE '' in '74. The former was a BOUZOUKI DANCE / DOO-WOP hybrid and the later much closer to the genuine DOO-WOP format. '' CROCODILE ROCK '' by ELTON JOHN was another number that looked back to the sound and was in turn the inspiration behind '' GOOD GRIEF CHRISTINA '' by CHICORY TIP. An incredible GLAM / MOOG recording that lifted from the DOO-WOP NOVELTY '' PAPA OOM MOW MOW '' by THE RIVINGTONS 

'' GOOD GRIEF CHRISTINA 

  HOW COME YOU NEVER HEARD OF ROCK ' N ' ROLL    

  GOOD GRIEF CHRISTINA  

  HOW COME IT NEVER MADE IT TO YOUR SOUL

  I SEE YOU STANDING ROUND WHEN THE MUSIC'S SO HOT 

  WITH A BEAT LIKE THAT OF GOOD TIME ROCK    

  THEY'RE BRINGING IT BACK LIKE IT USED TO BE  

  COME AND SING THIS RIFF WITH ME ''

 CHICORY TIP - GOOD GRIEF CHRISTINA

'' TOUCH TOO MUCH '' by ARROWS was another great CHINNICHAP / MICKY MOST product that hinged around an EDDIE COCHRON type riff. It reached NUMBER 8 in mid '74. Sadly, the BO DIDDLEY styled follow up '' TOUGHEN UP '' did less well and the bands own '' I LOVE ROCK ' N ' ROLL sunk without trace { but it later became a huge hit for JOAN JET }

 ARROWS - TOUCH TOO MUCH

                                                            

                                                        DO THE JUKEBOX JIVE

WAYNE BICKERTON and TONY WADDINGTON wrote the song '' SUGAR BABY LOVE '' for a ROCK ' N ' ROLL MUSICAL. They recorded it with vocalist PAUL DA VINCI and a group of session musicians and eventually put a band together { minus DA VINCI } in order to promote it. A suitably DOO-WOP sounding name was chosen for the group and THE RUBETTES had a NUMBER 1 in NOVEMBER 1974. An LP '' WEAR IT WELL '' followed and contained a number of songs that were seemingly written for the aborted musical, such as: '' WAY BACK IN THE 50's '', '' ROCK IS DEAD { BUT IT WON'T LIE DOWN '' and '' TONIGHT '' . The later was selected for their follow up 45. It reached NUMBER 12 and two songs from the second LP '' JUKE BOX JIVE '' and '' I CAN DO IT '' were similarly styled and reached NUMBER 3 and NUMBER 7 respectively

 THE RUBETTES - JUKE BOX JIVE

'' SATURDAY NIGHT '' { a track from THE RUBETTES '' WEAR IT WELL '' LP } was given to the EDINBURGH based BILBO BAGGINS. None of their singles broke through, but the bands manager TAM PATON'S other act THE BAY CITY ROLLERS had some of the biggest selling singles of the decade. Their sound also relied on a MELODIC 50's ROCK / HARMONY VOCAL template. The bands breakthrough hits: '' REMEMBER { SHA-LA-LA-LA-LA }, '' SUMMERLOVE SENSATION ;'' SHANG-A-LANG '' and '' ALL OF ME LOVES ALL OF YOU '' were written and produced by BILL MARTIN & PHIL COULTER. When the ROLLERS jumped ship in 1975, the team continued having hits with KENNY and SLICK

 BILBO BAGGINS - SATURDAY NIGHT

 BAY CITY ROLLERS - SHANG-A-LANG

 KENNY - JULIE ANN

 SLICK - THE KIDS A PUNK

                                                       

                                                                   THE JUNKSHOP BOP

Aside from the big names, a multitude of GLAM ROCK records were released in the early to mid 70's and many display the influence of 50's ROCK. The following is a tiny selection out of the mountain of FUTURE FIFTIES / SPACEAGE ROCK ' N ' ROLL discs that FANS and COLLECTORS continue to unearth 

HARLEY QUINNE '' NEW ORLEANS '' 1972 - A great rocking cover of the GARY U.S BONDS number

KING BEDROCK AND THE RAJAH BAND - '' BEDROCK BOOGIE '' 1973 - An INSTRUMENTAL ROCKER that sounds like it was inspired by JOHNNY AND THE HARRICANES. Written and produced by RICHARD HEWSON who later re-worked it into the GLAM / SYNTH hit '' THE CRUNCH '' { as the RAH BAND } in '77

LORENZA JOHNSON '' MR. TEASER '' 1973 - A FRANTIC PARTY ROCKER with great BRENDA LEE style vocals, UPFRONT PIANO RIFFS and LOCOMOTIVE SNARE ROLLS

ROCK REBELLION '' LET'S GO '' 1973 - A cool update of the ROUTERS classic INSTRUMENTAL ROCKER for the GLAM ERA

ELI CUTHBERTSON '' I NEED YOUR LOVE TONIGHT '' 1974 - A HARD ROCKIN' GLAM cover of the ELVIS number featuring the awesome ' I can't believe t's not the King ' voice of MR CUTHBERTSON

DALSTON DIAMONDS '' KAMIKAZI KRAZY '' 1975 - A FAST PACED ROCKER that matches the piano attack of JERRY LEE LEWIS with the beat of  '' TIGER FEET ''

GEOFF APPLEBY '' HEY SADIE '' 1976 - A wonderful WIZZARD inspired slice of PHIL SPECTOR ROCK

TERRY WEBSTER '' ROCK ' N ' ROLL WE LOVE YOU '' 1976 - A great DANNY AND THE JUNIORS meet THE BEACH BOYS vocal harmony R ' N ' R number that was tucked away on the B-Side of the GLAM / DISCO crossover number: '' I WANT TO SEE YOU DANCING '' 

                                                                      SHOWADDYWADDY 

SHOWADDYWADDY were a band that bridged the gap between the GLAM BANDS that were influenced by 50's ROCK and a number of groups who focused on making music close to the ORIGINAL ARTICLE. They formed in the town of LEICESTER and started playing the CLUB CIRCUIT in SEPTEMBER 1973. The band wore BRIGHT PASTEL COLOURED TEDDY BOY SUITS, their act was SLICKLY CHOREOGRAPHED and their set consisted solely of CLASSIC 50's ROCK COVERS. In November they took their SHA NA NA style act onto a TV TALENT SHOW called NEW FACES. They were noticed by MANAGER / PRODUCER MIKE HURST who signed them, persuaded them to write new material and struck a deal with BELL RECORDS { home to GARY GLITTER , THE GLITTER BAND and HELLO }. Their initial 45s were in the GLAM / 50's R ' N ' R crossover style. '' HEY ROCK AND ROLL '' peaked at NUMBER 2 in mid '74 and '' ROCK ' N ' ROLL LADY '' , '' SWEET MUSIC '' and '' HEY MR CHRISTMAS '' all made the top 20. They returned to covers in 1975 with '' THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN '' and '' HEARTBEAT '' and were rewarded with another couple of TOP 10 HITS. After that they pretty much returned to their R 'N ' R REVIVAL base and continued to bag hits, mostly with covers of DOO-WOP STANDARDS

 SHOWADDYWADDY - HEY ROCK AND ROLL - 1974

 SHOWADDYWADDY - UNDER THE MOON OF LOVE - 1976

                                                                 REDDIES FOR TEDDIES

The UK TEDDY BOY look evolved during the EARLY 50's prior to the arrival of ROCK ' N ' ROLL, but when it reached the UK in the middle of the decade it became their music of choice. The look had died out by THE MID SIXTIES and THE ROCKERS or TON-UP BOYS were seen to be holding the torch for VINTAGE ROCK at that time. By the EARLY 70's the influence of the US HELLS ANGELS had taken hold and the look of THE ROCKERS changed. Hair was GROWN LONG, LEATHER JACKETS were adorned with MULTIPLE CHAINS, STUDS and IRON CROSSES and CONTEMPORARY HARD ROCK bands like BLACK SABBATH and DEEP PURPLE became the new soundtrack. A relatively small group of men in their early to late 20's began to revive THE TEDDY BOY LOOK . They had been too young to participate THE FIRST TIME ROUND, but the style was familiar to them. The music was more closely linked to the fashion than it had been in the fifties and dressing as a TED now marked you out as a true ROCK ' N ' ROLL FAN

                     A group of  ' Authentic ' TEDDY BOYS - Inside The Black Raven Pub - London 1969

A network of nights dedicated to the music started in the LATE 60's and continued to grow in the 70's. These were run BY FANS FOR FANS and were held in PUB FUNTION ROOMS, COMMUNITY CENTERS and WOKING MENS CLUBS. An increasing number of FEMALES and TEENAGERS began to JOIN THE PARTY. Off the peg DRAPES began to appear, These were often made in brighter colours than tradition dictated and were eagerly snapped up by the TEENAGE MALES as the look evolved. ELEPHANT TRUNK QUIFFS grew ever longer and the D.A spilled over the rear shirt collar. Shirts with POINTED COLLARS were adopted and CREEPER SHOES were worn in a variety of colours. FEMALES were more likely to dress in a MIX and MATCH of different styles. SIXTIES BEEHIVE or BOBBED HAIRCUTS were seen as often as 50's PONYTAILS and an outfit could consist of a DRAPE JACKET teamed with a 60's MINI DRESS and 70's CALF LENGTH BOOTS 

 TEDDY BOYS AND GIRLS AT THE LONG BAR  – SOUTHEND-ON-SEA  - 1972

The TED image was increasingly being used on the COVER ART of OLDIES COMPILATIONS and TEDS were being sought as extras for MOVIES, TV SHOWS and MAGAZINE SHOOTS. To help meet the demand DJ's WAXY MAXY NEEDHAM and JAILHOUSE JOHN ALEXANDER set up a ' RENT A TED ' agency 

           

            Ted Exploitation Sleeves for Budget Price Compilation LPs on Golden Hour, Contour and MFP

Photoshoot for ' Top Shelf ' Men's Publication GAME MAGAZINE - 1974

                              

                                                       

                                                          THE ROCK ' N ' ROLL ALLSTARS

                                    

In addition to his DJ'ing and Ted Agency, WAXY MAXY also wrote a ROCK ' N ' ROLL COLUMN for RECORD MIRROR and managed THE ROCK ' N ' ROLL ALLSTARS. The band were  AUTHENTIC sounding and came from the TED / R ' N ' R underground. The B & C LABEL signed them in the hope they could be sold to a wider audience. Their cover of '' GET IT ON ''  was released in 1971 before most had considered jumping on the GLAM bandwagon. The band split in 1972 after releasing an LP housed in a NOVELTY RED CHINESE / CHAIRMAN MAO SLEEVE

 

 ROCK ' N ' ROLL  ALLSTARS - GET IT ON - 1971

 

   

                                                      SHAKIN' STEVENS AND THE SUNSETS   

               

CHAIRMAN MAO didn't make the sleeve of '' A LEGEND '',  the 1970 debut LP by SHAKIN' STEVENS AND THE SUNSETS, even though the band were managed by a CARD-CARRYING COMMUNIST! The man in question was the CARDIFF BASED entrepreneur PAUL BARRET who got the WELSH band onto the LONDON gig circuit where they were spotted by DJ JOHN PEEL. A deal on his DANDEILION label was mooted and demos were cut, but the band held out and their debut LP was eventually produced by DAVE EDMUNDS and released on PALROPHONE. The sleeve showed them dressed in TEDDY BOY SUITS and the songs were covers, mostly obscure and within the ROCKABILLY genre. The band were pleased with the authentic SUN production, but not so happy when EDMUNDS recorded his own version of one of the songs: '' I HEAR YOU KNOCKING '' and had a huge hit with it. The band continued to release LP's and were a popular live attraction both in the UK and on the continent. '' LONESOME TOWN '' made the DUTCH TOP 20 in '74 and the FRENCH ONLY release '' FRANTIC '' from '75 was their wildest and most powerful moment. In 1977 STEVENS joined the cast of '' ELVIS! THE MUSICAL ''. The band folded and he became a solo artist and appeared in the revival of JACK GOOD's '' OH! BOY '' TV SERIES. Things took off for him during the 80's and he reached NUMBER 1 on 4 occasions and had numerous TOP 20 HITS

 SHAKIN' STEVENS AND THE SUNSETS ON THE GEORDIE SCENE TV SHOW - 1974

 SHAKIN' STEVENS AND THE SUNSETS - FRANTIC - 1975

THE WILD ANGELS were an AUTHENTIC band that broke out of the SPECIALIST R ' N ' R CLUB CIRCUIT. Another popular live act that signed to the B & G LABEL, before switching to DECCA and cutting an EP of songs from GREASE the BROADWAY MUSICAL. The musical was staged in LONDON in 1973 and the group joined the cast. The following year they put out a cover of '' CLAP YOUR HANDS AND STOMP YOUR FEET '', a GLAM styled number which had been a DUTCH hit for BONNIE ST. CLAIRE

ROCK ISLAND LINE were a TED band who released a couple of 45's on DJM. The first of which '' ROCK ON MAN '' found it's way onto the soundtrack of the movie '' THREE FOR ALL ''. They also appeared in the movie '' THAT'LL BE THE DAY '' playing a cover of '' JAILHOUSE ROCK'' 

 WILD ANGELS - CLAP YOUR HANDS AND STAMP YOUR FEET

 ROCK ISLAND LINE - ROCK ON MAN

FUMBLE were a ROCK REVIVAL band who were produced by MIKE HURST prior to his involvement with SHOWADDYWADDY. They released a number of singles and LP's on a variety of labels and supported DAVID BOWIE on his 1972 TOUR of the USA. They also joined SHAKIN' STEVENS in the cast of '' ELVIS! THE MUSICAL '' and the revival of JACK GOOD's '' OH! BOY '' TV SERIES. Today they are probably best remembered for their eye catching LP SLEEVES 

 FUMBLE - GET UP 

     FUMBLE LP Sleeves Designed by The HIPGNOSIS Group 

                                                     LONG TALL ERNIE AND THE SHAKERS

In 1972 A DUTCH PROG ROCK BAND called THE MOAN created an ALTER EGO 50's ROCK REVIVAL ACT. At gigs they would finish their set, then go backstage, SLICK THEIR HAIR BACK, don ROCKER GEAR  and return as LONG TALL ERNIE AND THE SHAKERS. It was a tongue in cheek move that went down so well that THE MOANS were put on hold and the band dedicated themselves full time to being the SHAKERS. The band assumed the role of a GANG OF REPROBATES on stage and a SPOOF DOCUMENTARY { which formed part of a DUTCH SATIRICAL TV SHOW } showed them PLAYING WITH KNIVES, PIMPING and BRAWLING IN A CAFE. The band lasted for 10 years, during which they released a number of LP's and a few of their singles made THE DUTCH TOP 20. They also had a following in GERMANY and toured THE UK. Their BASSIST left in 1975 to form HANK THE KNIFE & THE JETS. This breakaway band released a couple of 45's that used DUANE EDDY influenced BASS LICKS: '' GUITAR KING '' and '' STAN THE GUNMAN ''.  Both of them went down well and managed to outsell anything that THE SHAKERS had released

 LONG TALL ERNIE AND THE SHAKERS - KISS ME BABY

 HANK THE KNIFE & THE JETS - TOPPOP TV SHOW - 1975

                                                              

                                                                       TEDDY PALMER

TEDDY PALMER & THE RUMBLE BAND were a NORTHERN IRISH ACT that came out of THE SHOWBAND scene. SHOWBANDS were DANCE BANDS that played a variety of styles ranging from ROCK 'N ' ROLL, COUNTRY and JAZZ through to TRADITIONAL IRISH DANCE MUSIC. THE RUMBLE BAND formed in 1969 and mostly played OLD ROCK ' N ' ROLL standards mixed with the POP HIT'S of the day. They also moonlighted under the name of TREMBLIN' TED AND THE ROCKERS,  performing CLASSIC ROCK NUMBERS while dressed in VINTAGE TEDDY BOY garb. They broke through to THE BALLROOMS of the south around '72 / '73 where they caught the attention of former THIN LIZZY manager PETER BARTON. They signed with him, adopted a GLAM ROCK image and began to release records on POLYDOR. The bands subsequent 45's '' HELL OF A FUSS ON THE LATE NIGHT BUS '' { which featured in THE CONFESSIONS OF A POP PERFORMER movie }, '' TEDDY BEAR '', '' SUMMER LOVE '' and '' IS EVERYBODY HAPPY '' were all in the GLAM ' N ' ROLL style and an LP { mostly consisting of ROCK COVERS } was also released. As a solo artist PALMER covered the ELVIS number '' BLUE CHRISTMAS '' and recorded the excellent '' TEDDY '' LP for ID RECORDS in 1978

 TEDDY PALMER & THE RUMBLE BAND - TEDDY BEAR

 TEDDY PALMER & THE RUMBLE BAND - HELL OF A FUSS ON THE LATE NIGHT BUS

 TEDDY PALMER - BRING BACK ROCK ' N ' ROLL

                                                                     REMEMBER THIS

Perhaps the greatest 70's JUNKSHOP BOPPER was '' ROCK ' N ' ROLL REVIVAL '' by REMEMBER THIS. A great R ' N ' R tribute number with GENE VINCENT style vocals and a PUNCHY GLAM ROCK production, released on THE PENNY FATHING LABEL in 1975. The band also appeared on ' THE WHEELTAPPERS AND SHUNTERS SOCIAL CLUB ' TV SHOW, playing a high energy medley of CHUCK BERRY numbers with a leather clad couple upfront, showing off all the 50's DANCE MOVES. A year later the band released an LP of CLASSIC ROCK covers on the DANISH SONET LABEL, but that appears to have been the end of their Journey unless { like many others } they continued to play the clubs?

 REMEMBER THIS - ROCK ' N ' ROLL REVIVAL

 REMEMBER THIS - LIVE ON THE WHEELTAPPERS AND SHUNTERS SOCIAL CLUB

*** THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK ' N ' ROLL ON THE BROADER POP WORLD OF THE 70's WILL BE EXAMINED IN PART THREE ***