AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK 'N' ROLL ON THE ROCK AND POP MUSIC OF THE 1970's
PART ONE - ROCKIN' THROUGH THE 60's: FROM THE BEATLES TO BOLAN
US Rock 'N' Roll arrived in Europe as a fully formed entity in the late 50's and many felt short changed when the sound evolved into a smoother and more polished form. The R 'N' R ' GREATS were still revered on this side of the Atlantic and continued to tour into the the 60's after their hits had dried up. GENE VINCENT liked the response from European audiences so much he chose to base himself in the UK from '63 onwards. For the most part UK Rockers followed the US model, but some like JOHNNY KIDD and LORD SUTCH continued to release exciting records and secured loyal support from the LEATHER CLAD ROCKERS who replaced the TEDDY BOYS as the most recognizable flag bearers for rock in the new decade
BEAT BEAT BEAT
US Rock 'N' Roll arrived in Europe as a fully formed entity in the late 50's and many felt short changed when the sound evolved into a smoother and more polished form. The R 'N' R ' GREATS were still revered on this side of the Atlantic and continued to tour into the the 60's after their hits had dried up. GENE VINCENT liked the response from European audiences so much he chose to base himself in the UK from '63 onwards. For the most part UK Rockers followed the US model, but some like JOHNNY KIDD and LORD SUTCH continued to release exciting records and secured loyal support from the LEATHER CLAD ROCKERS who replaced the TEDDY BOYS as the most recognizable flag bearers for rock in the new decade
BEAT BEAT BEAT
The craze for INSTRUMENTAL GROUPS at the start of the 60's prolonged the rock era until THE BEATLES and the UK BEAT MUSIC trend superseded it. The beat groups established a new sound for a new era, but not a clean break from the past. They had without exception formed around a mutual interest in US ROCK ' N ' ROLL and during their early CAVERN and STAR CLUB residencies, THE BEATLES performed sets that consisted almost entirety of 50's CLASSICS with a LEATHER CLAD ' ROCKER ' image to match. The influence continued into their formative recording period where they introduced the songs of BUDDY HOLLY, CHUCK BERRY, LITTLE RICHARD, LARRY WILLIAMS and CARL PERKINS to a younger audience. The Fab's were not alone in doing this and record companies { most notably PYE } began to reissue 45's and LP's from their back catalogues to feed a demand for the originals.
THE BEATLES COVER EDDIE FONTAINE'S ROCKABILLY OBSCURITY FOR A BBC RADIO SESSION
GENE VINCENT PERFORMS ON THE 1964 UK TV SPECIAL '' WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN' GOIN' ON ''
MODS AND ROCKERS
Much has been made of the rivalry between MODS and ROCKERS but there was a point at which their musical tastes converged: RHYTHM AND BLUES. MODS mostly looked to the US for SOUL or R 'N' B records to dance to or followed the UK BANDS who covered them. GUY STEVENS was a DJ who worked at hip mod hangout THE SCENE CLUB in London's SOHO district. He also selected records for PYE's re-issue programme and later his own SUE label. Many of the releases dated from the 50's and appealed to MODS and ROCKERS alike. Stevens also bought up large stocks of deleted records from US warehouses and helped to create a market for VINTAGE 50's RECORDINGS in the UK. The Welsh dealer ‘BREATHLESS' DAN COFFEY { who continued to dress in TEDDY BOY style suits } was another important figure, bringing over crates full of US OBSCURITIES that were previously unknown to UK FANS. PIRATE RADIO DJ MIKE RAVEN was another fount of knowledge regarding vintage recordings and like Stevens made up tapes of songs for gigging bands to cover
'' Mike Raven made me an incredible tape and on it was stuff like '' RED HOT '' and '' UBANGI STOMP ''. They'd never been known in England, so we were pretty early in there on the ROCKABILLY stuff. I also picked up on ‘ BREATHLESS ’ DAN COFFEY very early and we were going up to DAN'S ROCKHOUSE in Wales in 64' / 65'. Dan had got this stuff all over the place. Crackin' records, all from the SUN STUDIO ''
JESSE HECTOR from an interview in the '' A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD '' documentary 2014
By 1967 the HIPPIE era was in full swing and the popular groups were producing elaborate concept LP's that relied on advanced recording techniques. Very much a time to '' Turn off your mind relax and float downstream '' , but a contrasting sentiment was beginning to be voiced when 68' dawned. Musicians who had picked up instruments during the BRITISH R 'N' B CRAZE had developed in feel and technique. Consequently a new BLUES BOOM was being talked about. The debut LP by PETER GREEN'S FLEETWOOD MAC { released in February } reached number 4 in the UK and showed there was a ready audience for bands with a ' back to the roots ' approach. '' FIRE BRIGADE '' by the MOVE utilised a guitar riff derived from '' SOMETHIN' ELSE '' by EDDIE COCHRAN and took it to number 3 in the singles chart. '' GOOD TIMES '' by THE EASYBEATS was another great rock based number that sold only moderately on first release but later inspired the BEATLES to record their own rock tribute '' GET BACK '' . In March a ' ROCK REVIVAL SHOW ' was held at THE ROUNDHOUSE featuring MARTY WILDE, JOE BROWN and TOMMY BRUCE. When BILL HALEY arrived to tour in APRIL he was met by a throng of press reporters eager to give coverage to THE ROCK REVIVAL
MOD HEROES SMALL FACES AND THE WHO RECAST AS ROCKERS FOR 1968 PHOTO SHOOTS
In April CBS RECORDS issued a 45 by the contemporary UK group AT LAST THE 1958 ROCK AND ROLL SHOW. The bands name told you all you needed to know about their musical intentions. The song '' I CAN'T DRIVE '' was penned by frontman FREDDIE ' FINGERS ' LEE who sang and played piano in the style of JERRY LEE LEWIS while future MOTT THE HOOPLE leader IAN HUNTER fulfilled bass playing duties. There were high hopes that the record would break on the back of the revival
'' There was a massive upsurge in rock ' n ' roll and there weren't any real rock ' n ' roll bands, except us, who were already playing. It spanned roughly a year and the other artists who came along were TOMMY BISHOP who made a record called '' LONG BLACK TRAIN '' and GERRY TEMPLE who sang '' LOVING UP A STORM ''. It was short lived. People wanted something different then they moved onto something else ''
FREDDIE LEE quoted in MOTT THE HOOPLE AND IAN HUNTER - THE BIOGRAPHY 1998
THE UK CLASS OF ' 68
FREDDIE LEE and CARL WAYNE of THE MOVE discuss the rock revival with fans on the GOOD EVENING with JONATHAN KING TV SHOW
THE RETURN OF THE TEDDY BOY
THE 1968 REVIVAL
In April CBS RECORDS issued a 45 by the contemporary UK group AT LAST THE 1958 ROCK AND ROLL SHOW. The bands name told you all you needed to know about their musical intentions. The song '' I CAN'T DRIVE '' was penned by frontman FREDDIE ' FINGERS ' LEE who sang and played piano in the style of JERRY LEE LEWIS while future MOTT THE HOOPLE leader IAN HUNTER fulfilled bass playing duties. There were high hopes that the record would break on the back of the revival
'' There was a massive upsurge in rock ' n ' roll and there weren't any real rock ' n ' roll bands, except us, who were already playing. It spanned roughly a year and the other artists who came along were TOMMY BISHOP who made a record called '' LONG BLACK TRAIN '' and GERRY TEMPLE who sang '' LOVING UP A STORM ''. It was short lived. People wanted something different then they moved onto something else ''
FREDDIE LEE quoted in MOTT THE HOOPLE AND IAN HUNTER - THE BIOGRAPHY 1998
THE UK CLASS OF ' 68
FREDDIE LEE and CARL WAYNE of THE MOVE discuss the rock revival with fans on the GOOD EVENING with JONATHAN KING TV SHOW
THE RETURN OF THE TEDDY BOY
Ultimately the record labels saw a better return on 50's reissues than ' new school ' rock. '' ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK '' reached the top 20 and EMBER records shifted a few copies of their of MERRILL E MOORE compilation { Moore being another early rocker with roots in WESTERN SWING }. Rock fandom also became more organized at this point with appreciation societies forming and fan magazines like ROCK ' N ' ROLL COLLECTOR appearing. Another important aspect was the return of THE TEDDY BOY. Initially just guys in their 30's returning to the style, but over time a new generation was building up and a pub called THE BLACK RAVEN in LONDON'S BISHOPSGATE district became the the go to place for young and old alike
MERRIL E MOORE on EMBER RECORDS and GUY STEVENS' TESTAMENT OF ROCK AND ROLL on ISLAND
A GROUP OF TEDS OUTSIDE THE BLACK RAVEN PUB { PIC FROM A 1970 SUNDAY TIMES FEATURE }
OLDIES BUT GOODIES
In The USA the INSTRUMENTAL ERA ran even longer due to the SURF MUSIC craze which evolved into HOTROD and VOCAL SURF subgenres. There was also a renewed interest in the VOCAL GROUPS of the early DOO-WOP era
'' Around '59 a DISC JOCKEY called JERRY BLAVAT began playing old R ' N ' B RECORDS on his RADIO PROGRAMME. Things like THE HARPTONES, THE CHANTELLS and THE HEARTS. Things that some of the white kids hadn't heard when they originally came out and sold to black folk. Pretty soon he was a real big personality. He'd play RECORD HOPS and around 2.000 people would come and hear those DOO-WOP things. It just got bigger and bigger. Hundreds of crazy white kids from SOUTH PHILADELPHIA were running around trying to find these OLDIES BUT GOLDIES as they were called ''
Philadelphia record dealer SID PAYNE quoted in TONY CUMMINGS '' THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA '' book 1975
Collectors on THE EAST COAST also caught the bug. Groups reformed. Compilations and 45's were reissued and some made the charts. New groups also formed and found success. The mainstream popularity of the sound fell off in the wake of MOTOWN and THE BRITISH INVASION, but retained a hardcore underground following
In The USA the INSTRUMENTAL ERA ran even longer due to the SURF MUSIC craze which evolved into HOTROD and VOCAL SURF subgenres. There was also a renewed interest in the VOCAL GROUPS of the early DOO-WOP era
'' Around '59 a DISC JOCKEY called JERRY BLAVAT began playing old R ' N ' B RECORDS on his RADIO PROGRAMME. Things like THE HARPTONES, THE CHANTELLS and THE HEARTS. Things that some of the white kids hadn't heard when they originally came out and sold to black folk. Pretty soon he was a real big personality. He'd play RECORD HOPS and around 2.000 people would come and hear those DOO-WOP things. It just got bigger and bigger. Hundreds of crazy white kids from SOUTH PHILADELPHIA were running around trying to find these OLDIES BUT GOLDIES as they were called ''
Philadelphia record dealer SID PAYNE quoted in TONY CUMMINGS '' THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA '' book 1975
Collectors on THE EAST COAST also caught the bug. Groups reformed. Compilations and 45's were reissued and some made the charts. New groups also formed and found success. The mainstream popularity of the sound fell off in the wake of MOTOWN and THE BRITISH INVASION, but retained a hardcore underground following
DOO-WOP COMPILATION LP's ON ROULETTE and ORIGINAL SOUND RECORDS
THE ' ROOTS ' SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND
US PSYCHEDELIA relied less on electronic gimmicks than it's UK counterpart. The music of WEST COAST bands like THE GRATEFUL DEAD and JEFFERSON AIRPLANE was more closely attached to FOLK and BLUES traditions with the musicians soloing and improvising in the manner of JAZZ players. THE BAND who had backed BOB DYLAN on his groundbreaking LP '' BLONDE ON BLONDE '' had previously played with the ROCKABILLY vocalist RONNIE HAWKINS and the ' natural ' sound of their 1968 SOLO LP '' MUSIC FROM BIG PINK '' influenced many with it's blending of traditional US musical forms. The same year SAN FRANCISCO band CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL broke through with a cover of DALE HAWKINS '' SUSIE Q '' and their own material drew inspiration from the likes of LITTLE RICHARD, ELVIS and CHUCK BERRY. FRANK ZAPPA went further still with his DOO-WOP based concept LP '' CRUISING WITH RUBIN & THE JETS ''. Although the record contained some unusual chord / tempo changes and an undercurrent of warped humor it was initially taken by some as a previously unreleased 50's recording
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL GO BACK TO HEIR ROOTS
THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION MASQUERADING AS RUBIN & THE JETS
US PSYCHEDELIA relied less on electronic gimmicks than it's UK counterpart. The music of WEST COAST bands like THE GRATEFUL DEAD and JEFFERSON AIRPLANE was more closely attached to FOLK and BLUES traditions with the musicians soloing and improvising in the manner of JAZZ players. THE BAND who had backed BOB DYLAN on his groundbreaking LP '' BLONDE ON BLONDE '' had previously played with the ROCKABILLY vocalist RONNIE HAWKINS and the ' natural ' sound of their 1968 SOLO LP '' MUSIC FROM BIG PINK '' influenced many with it's blending of traditional US musical forms. The same year SAN FRANCISCO band CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL broke through with a cover of DALE HAWKINS '' SUSIE Q '' and their own material drew inspiration from the likes of LITTLE RICHARD, ELVIS and CHUCK BERRY. FRANK ZAPPA went further still with his DOO-WOP based concept LP '' CRUISING WITH RUBIN & THE JETS ''. Although the record contained some unusual chord / tempo changes and an undercurrent of warped humor it was initially taken by some as a previously unreleased 50's recording
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL GO BACK TO HEIR ROOTS
THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION MASQUERADING AS RUBIN & THE JETS
ROCK AND ROLL WILL STAND
IN JUNE 1968 ELVIS PRESLEY appeared before a live audience for the first time in 7 years for the recording of the '' SINGER PRESENTS...ELVIS '' TV SHOW { later known as THE '68 COMEBACK SPECIAL } . It was a glorious return to his rock roots and delighted his fans when it was aired in DECEMBER. It effectively re-launched his career and was the prelude to his '' FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS '' LP the following year: A return to non-soundtrack albums, an artistic triumph and a commercial success. People were taking note... What's good for THE KING... In November JACK GOOD { the man responsible for the UK rock era tv shows SIX FIVE SPECIAL and OH BOY! } produced 33+1⁄3 REVOLUTIONS PER MONKEE, a one off TV SPECIAL which featured a fantasy flashback section showing the band dressed in outlandish 1950s vocal group gear and greased back hair. They performed a high energy 50's medley backed up by JERRY LEE LEWIS, LITTLE RICHARD and FATS DOMINO. The show was aired in APRIL the next year and possibly inspired the similarly styled DOO-WOP / ROCK ' N ' ROLL tribute act SHA NA NA who formed around that time. JIMI HENDRIX caught the bands act and helped them to secure a spot opening for him on the last day of THE WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL in August. The HIPPY audience were simultaneously ' delighted and bewildered ' by their brand of ' FLASHBACK ' ROCK ' N ' ROLL, but co-founder of the band, drummer Jocko Marcellino later recalled '' We did 40 minutes and were paid $350...and the check bounced! '' - NEVER TRUST A HIPPY! - More rockin' was to follow at THE TORONTO ROCK AND ROLL REVIVAL FESTIVAL in September with a bill that featured CHUCK BERRY, BO DIDDLEY, LITTLE RICHARD, JERRY LEE LEWIS, GENE VINCENT and SCREAMING LORD SUTCH alongside more contemporary acts including THE DOORS, CHICAGO and ALICE COOPER
ELVIS PERFORMS A MEDLEY: HEARTBREAK HOTEL / HOUND DOG / ALL SHOOK UP - '68
SHA NA NA - A ROCK ' N ' ROLL FLASHBACK AT THE WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL
LITTLE RICHARD AT THE TORONTO ROCK AND ROLL REVIVAL FESTIVAL - 1969
IN JUNE 1968 ELVIS PRESLEY appeared before a live audience for the first time in 7 years for the recording of the '' SINGER PRESENTS...ELVIS '' TV SHOW { later known as THE '68 COMEBACK SPECIAL } . It was a glorious return to his rock roots and delighted his fans when it was aired in DECEMBER. It effectively re-launched his career and was the prelude to his '' FROM ELVIS IN MEMPHIS '' LP the following year: A return to non-soundtrack albums, an artistic triumph and a commercial success. People were taking note... What's good for THE KING... In November JACK GOOD { the man responsible for the UK rock era tv shows SIX FIVE SPECIAL and OH BOY! } produced 33+1⁄3 REVOLUTIONS PER MONKEE, a one off TV SPECIAL which featured a fantasy flashback section showing the band dressed in outlandish 1950s vocal group gear and greased back hair. They performed a high energy 50's medley backed up by JERRY LEE LEWIS, LITTLE RICHARD and FATS DOMINO. The show was aired in APRIL the next year and possibly inspired the similarly styled DOO-WOP / ROCK ' N ' ROLL tribute act SHA NA NA who formed around that time. JIMI HENDRIX caught the bands act and helped them to secure a spot opening for him on the last day of THE WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL in August. The HIPPY audience were simultaneously ' delighted and bewildered ' by their brand of ' FLASHBACK ' ROCK ' N ' ROLL, but co-founder of the band, drummer Jocko Marcellino later recalled '' We did 40 minutes and were paid $350...and the check bounced! '' - NEVER TRUST A HIPPY! - More rockin' was to follow at THE TORONTO ROCK AND ROLL REVIVAL FESTIVAL in September with a bill that featured CHUCK BERRY, BO DIDDLEY, LITTLE RICHARD, JERRY LEE LEWIS, GENE VINCENT and SCREAMING LORD SUTCH alongside more contemporary acts including THE DOORS, CHICAGO and ALICE COOPER
ELVIS PERFORMS A MEDLEY: HEARTBREAK HOTEL / HOUND DOG / ALL SHOOK UP - '68
SHA NA NA - A ROCK ' N ' ROLL FLASHBACK AT THE WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL
LITTLE RICHARD AT THE TORONTO ROCK AND ROLL REVIVAL FESTIVAL - 1969
BORN TO BOOGIE
'' The lyrics were still mystical to an extreme, Bolan's charismatic warbling bray was prominent, and strings tended to swamp everything in their path, but the understructure sounded like some tantalizingly familiar rockabilly tune you couldn't quite place and the whole package rocked crisply ''
KEN BARNES from the TEENAGE RAMPAGE article in BOMP #18 { 1978 }
'' T. REX were the fifties if it had somehow come AFTER the sixties. Rock ' n ' roll, but with everything that historically followed folded into it ''
SIMON REYNOLDS From SHOCK AND AWE - GLAM ROCK AND IT's LEGACY { 2016 }
MARC had finally hit pay dirt. The record slowly ascended to the number 2 position in the UK CHARTS. It was the first of a run of 11 TOP TEN HITS in the UK where he would encounter a popularity comparable to THE BEATLES. A number of performers would follow his lead, using 50's Rock influences to varying degrees and this punchy, pop orientated sound with a focus on the 7'' SINGLE would go on to captivate a whole new generation of rock fans at the start of the 70's
THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK ' N ' ROLL ON THE 70's GLAM ROCK MOVEMENT IS EXAMINED IN PART TWO
MARC had finally hit pay dirt. The record slowly ascended to the number 2 position in the UK CHARTS. It was the first of a run of 11 TOP TEN HITS in the UK where he would encounter a popularity comparable to THE BEATLES. A number of performers would follow his lead, using 50's Rock influences to varying degrees and this punchy, pop orientated sound with a focus on the 7'' SINGLE would go on to captivate a whole new generation of rock fans at the start of the 70's
THE INFLUENCE OF 50's ROCK ' N ' ROLL ON THE 70's GLAM ROCK MOVEMENT IS EXAMINED IN PART TWO
Great look at the Rock n roll influence I look forward to part 2!.
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