RiffRaf

Remembering Jerry Leiber

            

Last week, two highly accomplished songwriters passed away: Nick Ashford and Jerry Leiber. Lyricist Jerry Leiber, who was composer Mike Stoller's songwriting partner, died of heart complications at the age of 78.

Leiber and Stoller started writing songs in the segregated 1950's when rhythm and blues was considered "black" music and it was relegated to "black" clubs. The songwriting team will forever be remembered for writing songs that were popular with the "black" audience but eventually crossed-over into the mainstream or "white" audience. "Hound Dog," "Kansas City" and The Coaster's "Young Blood," "Searchin'," and "Yakety Yak" were all hit songs with both audiences. 

The Leiber and Stoller team were also the first to enhance the production of black music, influencing a young Phil Spector who worked with them on The Drifters and Ben E. King recordings. 

Partial List of Songwriting Credits:

* There Goes My Baby

* Hound Dog

* Jailhouse Rock

* Kansas City

* Yakety Yak

* Charlie Brown

* Poison Ivy

* Stand by Me

* Love Potion #9

* Young Blood

* Searchin'

* Is That All There Is?

                         

Top Ten Favorite Rock Movies (Pt. II) by Roger Trott

Continuing with my top ten favorite rock movies, here are my next four. Remember that these movies are not concert films or documentaries but rather narrative films with a rock & roll subject or theme. I know there are others, so please tell me what rocks your cinematic world.

                                                 
7. American Graffiti (1973). Although not strictly a rock & roll movie, this film nevertheless has a rock & roll heartbeat, with music driving virtually every scene of this bittersweet coming-of-age story that takes place over one long summer night in 1962. Director George Lucas oversees an incredible soundtrack of late ‘50s and early ‘60s rock & roll classics.

                                   
6. The Commitments (1991). Based on Roddy Doyle’s novel, the movie follows the formation of a ragtag R&B band in working-class Dublin. Rough and energetic, this film gets the details right and also features some great music and fine acting.

               
5. Control (2007). Anton Corbijn’s film covers the rise and fall of Manchester’s Joy Division, focusing on the tragic decline of its lead singer Ian Curtis. Dark and gritty, Corbijn’s arthouse direction and cinematography serve the story well, and Sam Riley channels the ghost of Ian Curtis in a performance that packs a major emotional punch.

                       
4. Quadrophenia (1979). Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a big Who fan, so this one had to go high up on my list.  This evocative black-and-white film, based on Pete Townshend’s story and The Who’s music, is about young man’s search for identity and place in the tempestuous and violent world of England’s mods and rockers. You get a gritty drama and an incredible soundtrack, all for the price of one movie.

Top Ten Favorite Rock Movies (Pt. I) by Roger Trott

Does rock & roll make for good cinema? Yes and no. For every A Hard Day’s Night there’s a Help! For every This Is Spinal Tap there’s a Rock Star.

Let’s face it, rock & roll is a tricky subject. You louse up the details and it looks uncool. You take it too seriously and it becomes silly. Still, several (well, a few) great films have been made in the rock & roll genre. Here’s a list of my top ten favorites, beginning with the bottom three. Note that these movies are not concert films or documentaries but rather narrative films with a rock & roll subject or theme.

Before we get started, here’s a list of good films that deserve an honorable mention: Purple Rain (1984), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), The Girl Can’t Help It (1956) The Doors (1991), The Rutles – All You Need is Cash (1978), Backbeat (1994), High Fidelity (2000), Dazed and Confused (1993), Still Crazy (1998), and That Thing You Do (1996).

I’m sure there are others, so please tell me what rocks your cinematic world.

                    
10. School of Rock (2003). This is my one guilty pleasure on the list. Silly and ridiculous, sure, but it’s still a lot of fun. Just watching Jack Black diagram the history of rock on the classroom blackboard is worth the price of admission. 

                             
9. Almost Famous (2000). Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story about a teenage journalist who hooks up with a rock band works on several levels. Somewhat clichéd and overly cute in places, it’s still one of the better films about the mid-‘70s rock scene, and it’s one of the few films that looks at the sometimes unhealthy relationship between rock journalists and their subjects.

                                            
8. The Buddy Holly Story (1978). Gary Busey nails his portrayal of trailblazer Buddy Holly in this film that has it all: great music, compelling drama, and tragedy. And Busey can actually sing, doing a credible job of imitating Holly’s inimitable style.

Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode"

                                               

Riffraf is celebrating fifty-three years of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode."

Released on March 31, 1958, Berry's colossal hit is a semi-autobiographical tale of a young boy from humble beginnings who has a talent for guitar; Berry was born on Goode Avenue in St. Louis; and he originally sang "colored boy" instead of "country boy."    

Chuck had a little help from his collaborator and piano player Johnnie Johnson as well as Carl Hogan's guitar playing on "Ain't That Just Like a Woman."

Personnel:

Chuck Berry - vocals & guitar

Lafayette Leake - piano

Willie Dixon - bass

Fred Below - drums

"Johnny B. Goode" is one of the most widely covered songs in history. Just about everyone who has ever picked up a guitar has covered Berry's gem, including such eclectic acts as: AC/DC, The Carpenters, Celine Dion, John Denver, LL Cool J, Meat Loaf, Sex Pistols, Phish and Prince.

Buck Owens had a country hit with "Johnny B. Goode" in 1969; Jimi Hendrix had a posthumous hit with it in 1972; Judas Priest scored a hit with "Johnny" in 1988.

"Johnny B. Goode" has been placed at #42 on Q Magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks, while Rolling Stone placed it at #1 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs Of All Time. Guitar World rated the song #12 on the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos list. 

   

The Most Influential Rock Acts of the 1950s

                                               

(Writer, musicologist and all around good guy, Roger Trott, is this week's guest blogger.)

What do rock music geeks think about when they’re trying to fall asleep?

            For this geek, lists come to mind. Anything that I can endlessly roll around in my head until I doze off. Lists like ten best albums of all time. Or ten best songs. Or best rock music decade ever. Or best punk songs of the ‘70s. And on and on.

            Lately I’ve been thinking about a new list, one with a bigger scope, and it goes something like this: Which bands or solo artists were the most influential during each decade of the rock ‘n’ roll era? And I don’t mean the most-talented or most-popular. I’m talking about the ones that changed the direction of rock music and inspired others to follow in their wake.

            What do I know about this? Probably not much more than you. But I’ve been playing and writing about rock music for longer than it’s healthy, so I guess I’ve got an opinion or two.

            To make it easier on myself, I picked two musical acts for each decade. And remember that I’m not talking about mainstream pop music (Madonna, Lady Gaga), straight folk or blues, disco, R&B, hip-hop, or any tangentially related genre, but what’s generally considered to be within the rock genre. Okay, confused? Well, anyhow, here we go. Just don’t fall asleep, because I want to hear what you think.

Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry

Yeah, I know, pretty obvious, at least with Elvis. Not much needs to be said about him. I struggled a little more with my second pick. Certainly other worthy contenders include Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, and the Everly Brothers, who themselves were inspired by the likes of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Jimmy Rogers, to name a few. But I have to go with Chuck Berry. He was indisputably a pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll music, one of the first of a long line of electric guitar gunslingers, and a great showman. The guitar riffs he developed for songs like “Roll Over Beethoven” and “Johnny B. Goode” influenced virtually every electric guitarist who came after him. 

Who do you think are the most influential acts of the 1950's?

(Roger Trott is a writer and musician based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Roger's first novel, Getting in Tune, was published in 2008. A former music critic and feature writer, Roger has played bass and guitar for several bands throughout northern Califoria. He is currently working on a novel of musical fiction and continues to play music whenever and wherever possible. You can find loads of interesting tidbits about Roger on his website, www.rogertrott.com.)

                                 

Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely"

                           

"Only the Lonely," the classic song that established Roy Orbison as the greatest operatic voice in rock, was nearly given away to Elvis and the Everly Brothers. Both turned it down, prompting Orbison to record his own version that became his first major hit.

Co-written with Joe Melson,Orbison's "Only the Lonely (Know How I Feel)" reached #2 on the Billboard pop charts and #14 on the R&B charts in May 1960. According to Orbison, the subsequent songs he wrote with Melson were constructed in order to showcase the range and power of his voice. Orbison had a four octave range; he was a baritone who could sing high tenor notes with relative ease.

Allmusic.com stated, " 'Only the Lonely' established the Roy Orbison persona for good: a brooding rockaballad of failed love with a sweet, haunting melody, enhanced by his Caruso-like vocal trills at the song's emotional climax." 

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #232 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

                     

$%&# -- What You Say?

Foul language. Explicit sexual content. Supposed drug references. Controversial political subject matter. Sounds like a good time. But to radio stations around the world, even the BBC that claims it doesn't ban songs, these are major offenses that must be bleeped the $#%& out.

The following is a partial list of songs that have been banned by radio stations.

1. The Beatles - "The Ballad of John and Yoko" - the use of the word "Christ."

2. Sex Pistols - "God Save the Queen" - anti-monarchy.

3. Paul McCartney & Wings - "Hi, Hi, Hi" - drug references and explicit sexual lyrics.

4. The Dead Kennedys - "Too Drunk to Fuck" - use of the "F" word.

5. Frankie Goes to Hollywood - "Relax" - overt sexual references.

6. Rolling Stones - "Let's Spend the Night Together" - promoted promiscuity.

7. George Michael - "I Want Your Sex" - sexual references.

8. Paul Simon - "Kodachrome" - advertising.

9. The Kinks - "Lola" - mentioned "Coca Cola" but was later changed to "Cherry Cola."

10. Donna Summer - "Love to Love You" - orgasmic groans and heavy breathing.

11. Paul McCartney - "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" - overtly political.

12. Tom Petty - "You Don't Know How it Feels" - contains the line "let's roll another joint."

13. The Beatles - "A DAy in the Life" - contains the line "I'd love to turn you on."

14. The Police - "Invisible Sun" - deals with the tensions in Northern Ireland.

15. The Cure - "Killing an Arab" - promoting violence against Arabs.

16. The Pogues - "Fairytale of New York" - offensive language such as "faggot" and "slut."

17. Bobby Darin - "Mack the Knife" - mentions Macheath's crimes of robbery, rape & murder.

18. The Doors - "Light My Fire" - contains the line "girl we couldn't get much higher."

19. Pink Floyd - "It Would be so Nice" - mentions the Evening Standard.

20. Jerry Lee Lewis - "Great Balls of Fire" - blasphemous content.

That's All Right

July 5, 1954 is a significant day in rock and roll history.

 

                      
Nineteen year old Elvis Presley, along with Scotty Moore on guitar and Bill Black on upright bass, entered Sun Studios in Memphis. Their recording session was for the most part unproductive. It wasn't until late in the evening, just before they were about to call it a night, when Elvis started singing "That's All Right, Mama," a 1946 blues composition by Arthur Crudup.

Scotty Moore reminisced, "All of a sudden, Elvis just started singing this song, jumping around and acting the fool, and then Bill picked up his bass, and he started acting the fool, too, and I started playing with them. Sam [Phillips], I think, had the door to the control booth open ... he stuck his head out and said, 'What are you doing?' And we said, 'We don't know.' 'Well, backup,' he said, 'try to find a place to start, and do it again.'"

Upon finishing the recording session, according to Scotty Moore, Bill Black said, "Damn. Get that on the radio and they'll run us out of town." 

Two weeks later, with "Blue Moon of Kentucky" as its B-side, "That's All Right" became Elvis Presley's first single. The label reads "That's All Right" (omitting "Mama" from the original title). The song has since been recorded by an eclectic group of musicians: The Beatles, Merle Haggard, Canned Heat, Rod Stewart and Green Day.

 

Forty-Five Years of 'Satisfaction'

"He can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke the same cigarettes as me" - Jagger/Richards
May 12th is a busy day in Rolling Stones' history. 

In 1975, Mick Jagger married Bianca Macias. Bianca filed for divorce in 1978 when Mick started dating Jerry Hall. Bianca once said that, "My marriage ended on my wedding day."

In 1968, Brian Jones played his last live performance at Empire Pool in Wembley. The following year, Jones was replaced by 20 year-old guitarist Mick Taylor, formerly of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Less than a month after his departure, Brian Jones was discovered at the bottom of his swimming pool at Cotchford Farm.

Most importantly, May 12th will be remembered as the day The Rolling Stones recorded "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." 

Keith Richards claims that the guitar riff came to him in his sleep, waking up in the middle of the night, recording it along with the words "I can't get no satisfaction" and falling back to sleep. Richards was distressed that the riff was a reproduction of Martha and the Vandella's "Dancing in the Street."

Jagger has pointed out the resemblance of the song's title to a line from Chuck Berry's "30 Days" - "If I don't get no satisfaction from the judge." The song deals with weighty issues: anti-commercialism, sexual alienation and man's search for authenticity. 

In 1995 Mick Jagger said, "It was the song that really made The Rolling Stones....It has a very catchy title. It has a very catchy guitar riff. It has a great guitar sound, which was original at the time. And it captures the spirit of the times...which was alienation."  

The Jagger/Richards' composition (produced by Andrew Loog Oldham) was The Rolling Stones' first number one in the United States. Unfortunately, neither Jagger nor Richards own the publishing rights. In order to get out of a contract with their manager Allen Klein, they signed over the publishing rights to all of the songs they wrote up to 1969.  

According to Rolling Stones' 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is ranked #2. The #1 song is Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" which was recorded just a month after the Stones recorded their signature tune.

Personnel: 

* Mick Jagger - lead and backing vocals

* Keith Richards - electric guitars and backing vocals

* Brian Jones - acoustic guitar

* Charlie Watts - drums

* Bill Wyman - bass guitar

* Jack Nitzsche - piano and tambourine