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Favorite classic rock'n'roll songs - 50s, early 60s


GivenToFly

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A thread for your favorite classic rock'n'roll songs. The 50s, early 60s maybe and at any point after that if they're in the same style as old rock'n'roll (e.g. Rip This Joint). And please, no 'anything by X'; post songs.

I'll start, with mine: (including some very obvious ones)

Chuck Berry - Rock 'N' Roll Music

(I prefer later live versions to the original; this one is the best I've heard)

(same as above)

Buddy Holly - Brown Eyed Handsome Man

Elvis Presley - That's All Right Mama

Edited by GivenToFly
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Cool topic, the early rock n' roll doesn't get nearly enough love around here. A few of my favorites:

Maybellene - Chuck Berry

You Never Can Tell - Chuck Berry

I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash

King Of The Surf Guitar - Dick Dale & His Del-Tones

Mexico - Dick Dale & His Del-Tones

It Doesn't Matter Anymore - Buddy Holly

That's All Right - Elvis Presley

Suspicious Minds - Elvis Presley

Gonna Make It Alone - Ronnie & The Prophets

Maybe I strayed a bit from what you were looking for. Admittedly, I don't listen to as much early stuff as I probably should.

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A few must own box sets & compilations. Not a bad song in the bunch, just mix it up and let it play. There's so many great one off singles out there that get eclipsed by specific artists.

Loud Fast and Out of Control

Rockin Bones - 50s Punk and Rockabilly

Back To Mono - Phil Spector Box Set

Girl Group Sounds

Cowabunga - The Surf Box Set

Nuggets

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Guest Len B'stard

Pretty much 90% of the rock n roll i like is from that period so most of it really. Especially the 50s stuff, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Bo Diddley, Elvis, Little Richard, i couldn't really tell you favorite songs, these people didn't really have bad songs. Chuck Berry is pretty much the man as far as that stuff goes and is like, the supreme fucking relflection of it from the songs he wrote to his style of play, all that two string stuff and all the slick little fills he did, he is rock n roll as far as i'm concerned, he was just like, supreme rhythm, with just one instrument he could drive the song along as well as do all the fancy bit, he sort of layed down the template, i've never heard anyone play quite like him. I mean it's simple stuff and T Bone Walker was doing a lot of it beforehand but like, nobody did it like Chuck, he covered so many bases as an artist, so many people do like...a version of what he did and play like, passable roughshod Chuckisms but to real nail the nuances of what he does is not everyones cup of tea. Keith Richards certainly can't do it and more power to him cuz he has his own thing too but...yeah, without Chuck there is no rock n roll. Perhaps to nail what he does note perfect is to miss the point somewhat but it's still at least worth doing once just to see if you can actually do it smoothly. I certainly can't.

As for the 60s, there is some great rock n roll from that period thats kind of like, people have kind of overlooked in rock n roll history like The Standells or The Creation or or Count Five that made some great fuckin like...raw garage rock n roll that for some reason is kinda forgotten about but here's two songs that are particularly cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oig8z4HvBL8

Pioneers of the violin bow on the guitar, before Jimmy Page. That song though, making time, just has one of the bestest rock n roll riffs i've ever heard.

The Sonics are another really impressive combo from that period. Also Question Mark & The Mysterions. I like a lot of the more pop stuff like Hermans Hermits with Peter Noone and also The Monkees who have a REALLY good catalogue of music with Mike Nesmith doing great country stuffs and Mickey Dolenz with some great vocal performances. It's really testament to the quality of music from that period where The Monkees, who are considered the pop dross of their times, have some wonderful music in their catalogue, songs like Listen to the Band, DW Washburn, Circle Sky, Goin' Down and, y'know, thats the more obscure stuff they did, not including the amazing hits like Daydream Believer, Pleasant Valley Sunday, Last Train to Clarksville etc etc.

Quite frankly, that stuff IS rock n roll, the 50s stuff i mean.

Edited by sugaraylen
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Guest Len B'stard

I have been listening to so much Little Richard lately. Got a little speaker for the office and find it good stuff to get me through the day.

There's so much energy in his songs! Always puts a smile on my face.

yeah, to this day he's like, unique in that many many people have covered his songs but no one has that sort of vocal roar to it. any number of British Invasion bands did a cover of Long Tally Sally and, although they sound good in a different way, none of it measures up to the way Rich just fuckin tears through that song. All of em really. Ready Teddy too, listen to Elvis do it (who had the voice of a titan in his own way) and then check out Rich doin' it. Somethin else.

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