Greatest Rock & Roll song ever

[stoolpusher]

You cant go past ACDC its a long way to the top

[seven]

Funny stuff:

 

[duke007]

Even though The Rolling Stones are my favourite Band these two tunes by AC/DC & LED ZEP are my favourite Rock songs

 

 

 

 

[soiboy]

Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild" and Guns & Roses "Sweet Child O' Mine"  both rock and have very distinctive riffs - play just a few notes of either and you know the song right away.  If a jukebox has those on tap I always play them.

[duke007]

If you want some Raw "Rock n Roll" then this take takes some beating imho

 

Anyone that played his guitar upside down and with his teeth is the "dogs bollocks" in my book

 

The "Genius" that was Jim Hendrix

 

[Luung]

Hey lads, sorry to sound like a bit of a grumpy old bastard here, but you're straying right off the brief... Sam's question was...   "What other pieces of rock's history do you think are of equal weight and importance to Bob Dylan's 1965 "Like a Rolling Stone"?

 

You're meant to give some sort of rationale as to the relevance of these tracks/artists/events, otherwise this thread will just wander all over the place & become a fanzine for your favourite bands & there's already enough topics covering that kind of stuff.

 

 

 

Gez, knew this was going to happen once AC/DC were mentioned

 

 

 

@Seven.. Yeah, that clip made me chuckle too... It's so nice to see Jagger not taking himself too seriously.. Just for a change

[Hefe]

Well I guess a tip o' the hat has to go to what many consider to be the first R&R record ever recorded: "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston & the Delta Cats (1951). Brenston's name is on the label as writer but I always heard it was written by Ike Turner who's in the band (& the photos).

 

I also heard that Sam Phillips recorded this, I can see how he felt that if he could get a white boy to sing & play like this it would be a gold mine. He has that bass so up front that it must've really been radical in '51.

 

[SiamSam]

Came across this today. Anyone know where Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue" came from?

 

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/music/news/who-was-buddy-hollys-peggy-sue/ar-BBp5BrU?li=AAggNb9

[Pdoggg]

Rolling Stone has an article about Dylan's Blonde on Blonde album:

"I was going at a tremendous speed... at the time of my Blonde on Blonde album," Bob Dylan told Rolling Stone editor and publisher Jann S. Wenner in 1969. On Blonde on Blonde, all the tension and angst of Highway 61 Revisited and Bringing It All Back Home were blown wide open to reveal pure freedom. It's rock's first double-album monument, where the distance between Dylan's imagination and his music collapsed entirely: "The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind," he famously said, "that thin, that wild mercury sound." With its chain-lightning mix of rock & roll, novelty music, surrealist ballads, Chicago blues and psychedelic country, its peels of lyrical invention and epic song lengths, Blonde on Blonde might seem like the kind of work that involved long-term contemplation.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/inside-dylans-blonde-on-blonde-rocks-first-great-double-album-20160516
 

 

[donnykey]

There is Rock 'N' Roll and there is Rock....two different genres in my opinion.

e.g. just plucking two examples out of the air......

rock 'n roll ...bill haley

rock.... ac/dc

[Luung]

20 hours ago, donnykey said:

There is Rock 'N' Roll and there is Rock....two different genres in my opinion.

e.g. just plucking two examples out of the air......

rock 'n roll ...bill haley

rock.... ac/dc

Dunno, donnykey?... My man Lemmy, would have just called it all 'rock n' roll'

How many times have you heard musicians refer to themselves as rock n' roll stars or declare that they live a rock n' roll lifestyle

How far removed is a sexy femboy from a ladyboy?

It's comforting for us to catorgize (I do it myself all the time), but I tend to think that one style slowly morphs into another over a period of time & that there really aren't any lines of delineation... Not even when talking about any type of historical periods

[SiamSam]

Hard to believe but Bob Dylan is 75 years old today. He was born on May 24th, 1941. What a fruitful, prolific 75 years it has been for him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Bob! 

[Pdoggg]

On 5/17/2016 at 10:06 AM, donnykey said:

There is Rock 'N' Roll and there is Rock....

Rock N Roll is what I like.

The Magazine section of the Sunday Times had a rather scholarly piece about Rock and what Rock was the most influential and what if anything will be remembered 300 years from now.  Chuck Berry? Elvis? Beatles? Stones? Dylan? All are contenders in the article.

Quote

That inclination works to the Beatles’ communal detriment. But it buoys two other figures: Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. The Beatles are the most meaningful group, but Elvis and Dylan are the towering individuals, so eminent that I wouldn’t necessarily need to use Elvis’s last name or Dylan’s first.

Still, neither is an ideal manifestation of rock as a concept.

It has been said that Presley invented rock and roll, but he actually staged a form of primordial “prerock” that barely resembles the post-“Rubber Soul” aesthetics that came to define what this music is. He also exited rock culture relatively early; he was pretty much out of the game by 1973. Conversely, Dylan’s career spans the entirety of rock. Yet he never made an album that “rocked” in any conventional way (the live album “Hard Rain” probably comes closest). Still, these people are rock people. Both are integral to the core of the enterprise and influenced everything we have come to understand about the form (including the Beatles themselves, a group that would not have existed without Elvis and would not have pursued introspection without Dylan).

In 300 years, the idea of “rock music” being represented by a two‑pronged combination of Elvis and Dylan would be equitable and oddly accurate. But the passage of time makes this progressively more difficult. It’s always easier for a culture to retain one story instead of two, and the stories of Presley and Dylan barely intersect (they supposedly met only once, in a Las Vegas hotel room). As I write this sentence, the social stature of Elvis and Dylan feels similar, perhaps even identical. But it’s entirely possible one of them will be dropped as time plods forward. And if that happens, the consequence will be huge. If we concede that the “hero’s journey” is the de facto story through which we understand history, the differences between these two heroes would profoundly alter the description of what rock music supposedly was.

You can read the entire article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/magazine/which-rock-star-will-historians-of-the-future-remember.html  

[JustSumGai]

Donny is right, there is Rock n Roll, 50s mostly, and there is Rock. But Rock might take in anything from Dylan to Abba to the Beatles, etc.  One could argue about THE greatest song in rock ever until the sun burned out.

Only way I see Dylan as rock is with Jimi playing All Along the Watchtower.  Will have to admit, the first song that came to my mind as I read this topic title at first is Stairway to Heaven.  Tho after hearing it a million times, I pretty much don't care if I never hear it again. Satisfaction is also up there, but then so could other songs be...Sunshine of Your Love" ?  Mississippi Queen? If you'd asked this question at one time In a Gadda da Vidi would have made the list.  Or something by Grand funk.  Bohemian Rhapsody maybe? 

Perhaps a better Idea for topic might be Top FIVE Rock songs.

[Luung]

On 5/26/2016 at 8:05 AM, JustSumGai said:

Donny is right, there is Rock n Roll, 50s mostly, and there is Rock. But Rock might take in anything from Dylan to Abba to the Beatles, etc.  One could argue about THE greatest song in rock ever until the sun burned out.

Only way I see Dylan as rock is with Jimi playing All Along the Watchtower.  Will have to admit, the first song that came to my mind as I read this topic title at first is Stairway to Heaven.  Tho after hearing it a million times, I pretty much don't care if I never hear it again. Satisfaction is also up there, but then so could other songs be...Sunshine of Your Love" ?  Mississippi Queen? If you'd asked this question at one time In a Gadda da Vidi would have made the list.  Or something by Grand funk.  Bohemian Rhapsody maybe? 

Perhaps a better Idea for topic might be Top FIVE Rock songs.

You didn't get it... Maybe ask yourself if you have a need to pigeon hole things that are amorphous & vague

[JustSumGai]

it's a valid difference. Are you saying all music, is um...music? OP said rock n roll. And there IS a difference between Chuck Berry and ACDC. Need? crap Lung, music just GETS categorized. Rock is pretty amorphous,  in some way it's more of a tree growth, up  and out.  Not fond of the "alternative" tag...that could be ANYTHING. Talk about vague and amorphous.

[Pdoggg]

To me the most over rated rock song in history is Stairway to Heaven. 

Two years before Stairway, Spirit rleased a song named Taurus.  Sounds similar to me.

First 30 seconds is Taurus, then flips to Stairway.

 

[JustSumGai]

you are not alone. It's obvious too. BUT music has always been about borrowing. I'm with ya on STH. I can live out my life never hearing it again. It's etched on my brain, like Satisfaction and many others. In fact with around 4000 tunes on my puter I think I only have a couple Led Zep ones. Babe I'm gonna leave you is one. Not even one of their biggies. Odd how some things you LOVED as a kid just don't translate to NOW. Jethro Tull is that way for me. got the first few albums on the puter, never listen to em. Go figger.  Might be a good idea for a thread. stuff you loved as a kid and never listen to NOW.

[SiamSam]

I never liked Led Zep even as a stoned youngster. Just never understood the fascination with them. 

BTW, in the early days (long before Stairway was released) Led Zeppelin toured with Spirit and they played Taurus all of the time. Hard to believe that didn't have some kind of influence on the Plant and Page. 

[JustSumGai]

just on the news, LZ being sued for stealing the opening riff from Taurus. Relatives of Randy California must need new mansions.  Randy always said they lifted it from Spirit, but did not take any action.  LZ is no stranger to the courtroom. They were successfully sued by Howling Wolf or someone for lifting Killing Floor. Forget what they turned it into

[Luung]

21 hours ago, JustSumGai said:

just on the news, LZ being sued for stealing the opening riff from Taurus. Relatives of Randy California must need new mansions.  Randy always said they lifted it from Spirit, but did not take any action.  LZ is no stranger to the courtroom. They were successfully sued by Howling Wolf or someone for lifting Killing Floor. Forget what they turned it into

You're totally right, in the UK they're very much known for stealing Bert Jansch's 'Backwater slide'.

I don't know that any action was ever taken for that, but it's very much common knowledge 

[Jimslim]

On 6/16/2016 at 9:56 AM, JustSumGai said:

you are not alone. It's obvious too. BUT music has always been about borrowing. 

 

On 6/16/2016 at 2:12 PM, SiamSam said:

 

BTW, in the early days (long before Stairway was released) Led Zeppelin toured with Spirit and they played Taurus all of the time. Hard to believe that didn't have some kind of influence on the Plant and Page. 

 

On 6/17/2016 at 10:54 AM, JustSumGai said:

just on the news, LZ being sued for stealing the opening riff from Taurus. Relatives of Randy California must need new mansions.  Randy always said they lifted it from Spirit, but did not take any action.  LZ is no stranger to the courtroom. They were successfully sued by Howling Wolf or someone for lifting Killing Floor. Forget what they turned it into

 

3 hours ago, Luung said:

You're totally right, in the UK they're very much known for stealing Bert Jansch's 'Backwater slide'.

I don't know that any action was ever taken for that, but it's very much common knowledge 

Pretty much all music has been influenced by something that came before , certainly rock and roll and later harder rock "borrowed " heavily from old blues artists .

A lot of the original artists were rightly unhappy at this but being poor and in most cases unknown they never got the credit or royalties they deserved . 

Led Zeppelin were forced to give credit to bluesman Willie Dixon on I think it was Led Zep 2 as some of the riffs and uses of lyrics were just too blatant . 

I read a good book on Led Zeppelin a few years ago and apparently Jimmy Page was not just a master of the black arts but a master in using other peoples guitar lines , apparently he stole many riffs from Jeff Beck but Beck didn't really care .

Borrowing tunes is fine as long as the original artist gets the credit but unfortunately this rarely happens . 

[Lefty]

On 6/15/2016 at 11:12 PM, Pdoggg said:

To me the most over rated rock song in history is Stairway to Heaven. 

Two years before Stairway, Spirit rleased a song named Taurus.  Sounds similar to me.

First 30 seconds is Taurus, then flips to Stairway.

 

Stairway to Heaven is a good song, but not what I'd consider an all time great either. I can hear it like once every 5 yrs and be satisfied. 

Whereas, songs like Radar Love, Whiter Shade of Pale, and The Times They Are a Changin', I could listen to everyday and not feel like it was too much. Of course that would mean the original artists not covers by pretenders. 

[Hefe]

On 6/16/2016 at 2:12 AM, Pdoggg said:

 

Two years before Stairway, Spirit rleased a song named Taurus.  Sounds similar to me.

Back in the day Spirit was one of my favorite groups to see in live in concert, Randy was a very inventive guitarist in how he manipulated sounds in that analog age & in fact played in a band with Hendrix before JH went to London. Hendrix asked him to join him in London but he went to LA & started Spirit instead. Unfortunately their music sounds a bit dated today due to their heavy jazz & classical music influences, not in fashion anymore. But I remember their concerts vividly. 

 

 

[JustSumGai]

12 Dreams is one of THE CLASSIC rock albums of all time in my book, perhaps in the top ten.

a decent follow up sound is to be had in Jo Jo Gunne's first album. The bass player and perhaps the singer from Spirit. It's a long time ago, I'm sure someone will correct me if my old stoner brain got it wrong :)

Really, MOST of the GREAT music came from people/bands that did not last long. One hit wonders or few album run. Cream, barely 3 years. The Band, my GOD...that's a library of great tunes I can listen to across the decades, but only a few great albums.  Logic alone would dictate that no one or two guys can write GREAT songs for year after year.  And once business gets into it, forget it.

The idea that people could choose ONE song as the greatest ever, kinda impossible. But Stairway would be in the top runners.  Top five picks from y'all might be interesting but I can't figure what *I* would vote on. SO many good bands back in the day. Stones would be UP there too. Satisfaction? Sympathy? What Who song? Bowie? something off Ziggy I'd guess.  Do you go by greatest as in most popular? most sold song? Quite impossible task. But fun to think of.