"February 8, 1964, there was not one single rock 'n' roll band in the country. February 9, The Beatles played 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' February 10, everyone had one... My life began on February 9, 1964."
--"Little" Steven Van Zandt (quoted in Esquire magazine, December, 2008)
Since its inception, rock and roll has always meant different things to different people. For some it's teenage rebellion. For others it was a breakdown in society. Some even believed Satan had a hand in it. For me, it's always represented raucous joy. After more than 65 years, I still think the greatest guitar riff ever played was Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode." It's hard not to smile when you hear that. You just want to get up and dance... or at least I do. And many artists of rock's first decade did that for us--Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley, Carl Perkins, and of course Elvis Presley. But they were also doing it for kids in other countries who then reminded us of how joyful and fun our music is. I've always found it interesting that when the British Invasion began in 1964, English musicians who had grown up on American rock and roll from the likes of Chuck Berry and Little Richard came to our shores playing covers of those songs and essentially re-introducing us to our own music. They reminded us that rock and roll music is, at its heart, fun and joyous. Or at least that's how it appears to this outside observer. When I think of The Beatles, a lot of things come to mind, both good and bad, but one thing that always stands out to me is Paul McCartney's count-off on "I Saw Her Standing There." There's just so much infectious energy and excitement coming through it that you just can't wait to hear what comes next.
Rock's detractors will always go to the same arguments--they're only playing three chords, you can't hear what they're singing, they can't sing at all, it's just noise, blah, blah, blah, etc., etc., etc. And if you were fortunate enough to have studied in a conservatory and only know classical music which calls for technical proficiency, it's easy to make those arguments. Don't get me wrong, I love classical music, but not everyone is that fortunate and a lot of people who didn't go to a conservatory feel they have a song in them that needs to be played as well. Why should they be denied that opportunity because they only know three chords? As a result, frequently raw emotion is employed to compensate for a lack of technical proficiency. Personally, I'll take heart over proficiency any day of the week and twice on Sundays--even in classical music.
"There's a lot more to music than notes on the page. [Putting "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen on the turntable] These guys for example. Now... they can't sing, and they have absolutely no harmonic sense, and they're playing the same three chords over and over again. And I love it... Because playing music is supposed to be fun. It's about heart. It about feelings and it's about moving people and something beautiful and being alive and it's not about notes on a page! I could teach you notes on a page. I can't teach you that other stuff."
--Richard Dreyfuss as Glenn Holland in Mr. Holland's Opus, 1995
Once The Beatles played "The Ed Sullivan Show," teenagers across the country (and others, I'm sure) began forming garage bands with dreams of rock and roll stardom, playing high school dances and clubs, and possibly even getting laid (which, arguably, was the real reason to be in a band in the first place). While most eventually fell apart, some were fortunate enough to become "one hit wonders." A few even managed to achieve lasting fame over the years. My favourites were the ones who, in spite of massive success, could still at least project the impression that they were having a lot of fun and taking joy in what they were doing.
This week's album is an example of one that's likely lacking in technical proficiency (I'm not a musician, so I can't say for certain), but compensates for that in emotion and overall attitude. It's a fun album to listen to and when I do, I hear a great garage/bar band that's just having a good time and not caring about much else.
When singer Steve Mariott left the Small Faces to form Humble Pie with Peter Frampton, the remaining Small Faces brought in two members of the Jeff Beck Group--singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ronnie Wood. They dropped the "Small" from their name and became simply the Faces. (Their first album with this new lineup, 1970s First Step, was still credited to Small Faces when it was released in North America.) This week's album is their third and most commercially successful, featuring their biggest hit, "Stay With Me." Stewart was already on his way to solo stardom by this point having released three albums including what I think is his masterpiece, Every Picture Tells a Story, released the same year. And in spite of that, it still sounds like five guys enjoying their company, having a good time, and playing with gusto. From 1971, please enjoy The Faces with A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... To a Blind Horse.
Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
Yours in peace, love, and rock and roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
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