YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 83 (Rock 'n' Roll)
(Originally finalized on July 5, 2024)
Preface: Where do we start with this theme? If Narcissus were a musical genre, he would have to be rock 'n' roll, if the number of rock songs with the words "rock" and "roll" (with various forms of conjunction between them) in their titles are any indication. I could easily do this theme twice, and still have tons of good songs left over. But don't tempt me, because real estate is getting tight on my music log! I'll just do my best to catch a vibe and ride it through the week. At least you know the song selections will be solid!
Monday: Led Zeppelin - Rock And Roll [Untitled, 1971]
Comments: It doesn't get any more straightforward than this - Rock And Roll, from Led Zeppelin's phenomenal untitled fourth album, featuring one of the most recognizable drum intros in rock history (borrowed from Little Richard via Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac).
Tuesday: Bob Seger - Old Time Rock And Roll [Stranger in Town, 1978]
Comments: One of the all time greatest odes to rock and roll music ever recorded (and that would be true even if Tom Cruise never danced to it in his underwear). Good music is still being made even today, but there is some truth in the line "today's music ain't got the same soul." It's crazy to think that Bob Seger sang that all the way back in 1978...
Wednesday: The Rolling Stones - It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It) [It's Only Rock 'n Roll, 1974]
Comments: Often hailed as the greatest rock and roll band in the world, The Rolling Stones offer their own tribute to the genre they owe their enormous success to. It's a simple notion, but a powerful one - no need to justify one's tastes with rational explanation. We like what we like, and that's enough.
Thursday: AC/DC - Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution [Back In Black, 1980]
Comments: The biggest rock and roll band from Australia strikes a groove and lays out a defense against those who would claim that the music they play is nothing but a clamoring cacophony. And who better to do so than a band that plays straight-up hard rock and has scored hit after countless hit over the years?
Friday: The Velvet Undergound - Rock & Roll [Loaded, 1970]
Comments: Predating the rest of the songs we've listened to this week, in this song from The Velvet Underground's fourth album, Lou Reed tells the story of a young girl with nothing going on in her life, until she tunes in to the right station and discovers rock & roll. I experienced a similar phenomenon in my teenage years, with a little help from my parents.
Saturday: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Love Rock 'n Roll [I Love Rock 'n Roll, 1981]
Comments: Although this has become an inarguably overplayed radio hit, when Joan Jett - the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll - sings "I love rock 'n roll", you better know she means it. Her first band The Runaways even recorded a cover of The Velvet Underground's Rock & Roll, and you could almost believe it was written just for her.
Sunday: Bad Company - Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy [Desolation Angels, 1979]
Comments: I just want you to know, there were a lot of songs competing for this final slot. But we're going with Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy, from Bad Company's fifth album, Desolation Angels. Maybe I'll find a way to squeeze in a second batch of songs somewhere later on down the line. Right now, that's my rock 'n' roll fantasy.
Honorable Mention: Once again, this is a theme that has no shortage of options, even if you don't expand it to include song titles that mention "rock" without the "roll". In fact, it's not at all uncommon for there to be multiple choices from a single band! And to mention any of them at this point would be disrespectful to all the rest. That said, I will make note of one particular song - Rock And Roll All Nite, for the KISS fans out there - which would have been a song I absolutely would have included on this theme, if it were a song I liked. But it's not. And I wasn't about to waste a precious spot on it. But now you can consider my due diligence done. :-p