Imitation and Adaptation: Rock Music in Taiwan and the Surrounding Countries

This is an article about rock music in Taiwan and its neighboring countries that I wrote for the 2006 Migration Music Festival. It could use some updating (for instance, the part about Taiwanese aboriginal rock music doesn't mention the aboriginal band Matzka, which has recently taken Taiwan and many other places by storm with their combination of rock, reggae, rap, and aboriginal sounds, or the eclectic solo album by Totem's lead singer Suming that is sung entirely in Amis, a Taiwanese aboriginal language), but it gives a more or less adequate historical overview.

Imitation and Adaptation: Rock Music in Taiwan and the Surrounding Countries

To most Western music fans, mention of Asian music may evoke the sitars and tablas of Indian classical music, the traditional singing and chanting of places like Tibet as incorporated into New Age music, or perhaps some other traditional music forms. One thing that doesn't readily come to mind is rock music. And yet rock music, whether in the form of folk rock, melodic pop rock, hard rock or even heavy metal, has been one of the dominant genres of popular music in East and Southeast Asia over the past few decades.

Superficially, much of Asian rock seems entirely derivative of Western rock. Many listeners, on exposure to it, may feel that there is no merit in something that seemingly has nothing Asian about it except the language. In many conservative Asian countries, however, even daring to perform this "decadent" Western music at certain times in the past was an act of defiance against the authorities and the society in general. Many of the popular artists known in their various countries for being particularly outspoken about problems in their societies have used rock as the medium for their messages. Furthermore, there are many artists who have successfully combined local sounds with rock, creating a uniquely Asian form of rock music. This music is worth a listen not only for its sociopolitical importance, but also for its musical content.

This article focuses mainly on rock music in Taiwan over the past few decades, but also touches on rock in neighboring countries, contrasting developments in countries around the region with those in Taiwan. It is primarily a historical survey of important artists who have performed music which falls into the category of rock music as it is broadly defined, particularly those artists whose songs sometimes contain strong messages, or those who have combined rock music with traditional sounds and melodies.

Though rock and roll first appeared in the United States in the mid 1950s, it wasn't until the 1960s and the advent of the Beatles that it really took off in Asia (instrumental groups like the Ventures were also influential in the beginnings of Asian rock). Guitar-based groups started appearing around the region and rock music in various forms became a major force in popular music in many countries, including Japan's "Group Sounds" (or simply G.S.) and Malaysia and Singapore's Pop Yeh Yeh ("Yeah Yeah Pop"). In Taiwan, many groups were also formed, but as relatively few of them recorded, their immediate impact on popular music was limited. However, performances by these groups in which they covered English pop songs were immensely popular among urban youth, and a number of important songwriters and musicians got their start in these cover bands. Furthermore, even the form of rock performed by these groups, denuded as it was of virtually any political content, was viewed by conservatives as threatening, forcing those involved in it to constantly defend themselves against accusations of corrupting the youth.

In the 1970s, what became known as the folk song movement took Taiwan's popular music scene by storm. This was heavily influenced by American folk singers such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Simon and Garfunkel. A more Chinese melodic sense also had an impact on the sound of Taiwan's "campus folk songs", as they were later called. However, this music had relatively little obvious rock influences, and the singers, unlike those in American folk music, generally avoided controversial topics in their lyrics, with a few notable exceptions such as Li Shuangze [李雙澤], Yang Zujun [楊祖珺], and Hu Defu [胡德夫] (Kimbo).

The lack of political content in Taiwanese music of the time was in marked contrast to the highly political folk rock of the Thai group Caravan [คาราวาน] and the socially conscious songs of Freddie Aguilar and Asin in the Philippines or Kina Shoukichi [喜納昌吉] in Okinawa. Caravan, which released their first album in 1975, incorporated traditional Thai sounds into their music and sang about problems and tensions in Thai society, initiating an important trend in Thai popular music known as "songs for life". Their best known song, "Man and Buffalo" [คนกับควาย], extolled the peasants of Thailand and their relationship with the buffaloes which pulled their plows, while condemning their exploitation by the wealthy. In 1978 in the Philippines, Freddie Aguilar wrote and released one of the most popular Asian songs ever, "Anak" ("Child"), describing strained relations between parents and their son. This song has been covered countless times in many languages, not only in Asia but in Europe as well. His reworking of an old Filipino song entitled "Bayan Ko" ("My Country") became the theme song of the People Power revolution which overthrew the regime of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Asin, formed in 1977, was a popular folk rock group which addressed social and environmental issues in their songs. One of the their songs was recently sampled by the American pop group the Blackeyed Peas on their album Elephunk. Kina Shoukichi, from the Japanese-ruled island of Okinawa, combined traditional Okinawan music with rock in his hit "Haisai Ojisan" (first released in 1966 and popularized by a 1977 live recording), which was a big influence on many Japanese artists. Artists throughout Asia, including Caravan, have covered his ballad “Subete No Hito No Korkoro Ni Hana O”.

In Taiwan it wasn't until the early 1980s that rock began to have a major impact. In 1982, singer-songwriter Luo Dayou [羅大佑], who had written hits for a number of artists, released his first solo album Pedantry [之乎者也], a mix of rock, folk and reggae. His lyrics, in which he took a critical look at Taiwanese society, attracted a great deal of attention from critics and listeners. The best known track on the album, "Little Town of Lugang" [鹿港小鎮], described the ambivalent feelings of the many Taiwanese who migrated from the towns and villages of south and central Taiwan to the big city of Taipei. He followed up this album with two more in the next two years, and together they had a strong influence on the pop music scene, inspiring a generation of singer-songwriters in Taiwan. The government did not always take such a favorable view of his music however, banning a number of his songs from the radio. Others only got airplay because the censors were deceived as to their real content. One notable song from his second album, "The Orphan of Asia" [亞細亞的孤兒], for example, was dedicated to Chinese refugees in Southeast Asia, but was really about Taiwan's political isolation. On this particular song, Luo augmented his folk rock tune with a traditional trumpet instrument called the suona, thereby inspiring the 1990s Hakka band Labor Exchange [交工樂隊], who will be discussed below.

In the wake of Luo Dayou, a number of different artists performing music which was influenced by rock to some degree or another appeared in Taiwan. One example was Julie Su (Su Rui) [蘇芮], a soulful vocalist whose releases in the early 1980s were immensely popular. The singer and drummer Xue Yue achieved success backed by the rock band Starry Eyes [幻眼合唱團] and singer-songwriter Qi Qin [齊秦] was also popular, not only in Taiwan but in China as well. In the mid and late 1980s, more singer-songwriters appeared, including Li Zongsheng [李宗盛], Li Shouquan [李壽全], Chen Sheng [陳昇], Zhang Hongliang [張洪量], and Huang Shujun [黃舒駿]. Several bands performing original songs in Chinese also gained prominence, including Qiu Qiu [丘丘合唱團], the Impressions [印象合唱團], and the Red Ants [紅螞蟻合唱團]. Most of these artists, however, did not attempt the more daring lyrical content of some of Luo Dayou's songs, sticking mostly to safer topics such as relationships.

The early and mid 1980s saw the appearance of many major rock artists in other countries in Asia as well, particularly those who, like Luo Dayou, had a socially conscious bent, and some of those artists would in turn influence Taiwanese musicians, directly or indirectly. In Thailand, for instance, the "songs for life" band Carabao [คาราบาว], which pioneered a distinctly Thai-style rock sound to accompany their strongly political lyrics, was the most prominent musical artist of any variety in that Southeast Asian country in the mid 1980s. Their biggest album was 1984's Made in Thailand [เมดอินไทยแลนด์], with a title track which criticized Thais' negative attitude toward their own country, and other tracks that dealt with issues such as prostitution, refugees, and education. Another popular artist appearing a few years later was the pop-rock duo Asanee and Wasan [อัสนี-วสันต์], a pair of brothers who not only sang but were excellent guitar players. Though their music and lyrics were more mainstream, they still had a distinct sound which was influential not only in Thailand but elsewhere in the region including Taiwan. In Malaysia, the group Kembara, led by M. Nasir, was one of the top groups of the 1980s. M. Nasir has gone on to a solo career in which he combines rock with a very Malay sound and lyrics with substantial sociopolitical content. He has written songs for many Malay artists and even had a few songs covered by Taiwanese songstress Teresa Teng (Deng Lijun) [鄧麗君]. In Indonesia, political rocker Iwan Fals, who released his first album in 1981, had many problems with the authorities but became one of the nation's top artists. In Hong Kong, the group Beyond evolved from an underground rock band to a more mainstream one, but kept their rock sensibilities and occasionally addressed controversial issues, such as in their 1990s song "The Great Wall" [長城], which took a critical look at Chinese history. In the nineties, they became popular in Taiwan and Japan as well as in Hong Kong.

In the late 1980s, however, the country whose rock music got the most attention in Taiwan and even the West was a newcomer to the scene -- China. In 1986, China's pioneering rocker Cui Jian [崔健] gave his first public performance of his most famous song, "Having Nothing At All" [一無所有], and in 1988, he released his first album Rock And Roll Of The New Long March [新長征路上的搖滾]. In 1989, "Having Nothing At All" became one of the anthems of the students protesting in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, bringing Cui Jian to international notice. That same year, his first album was repackaged and released in Taiwan under the title Having Nothing At All. Its impact was such that when a list of the top Taiwanese albums of the modern era was compiled a few years later, it was the only album by a non-Taiwanese artist to make the top 10. Also in the late 1980s, the rock bands Hei Bao (Black Panther) [黑豹] and Tang Dynasty [唐朝] were formed. When their first albums were released in the early 1990s, they would also have a significant influence on the Taiwan music scene.

Up until the late 1980s, the vast majority of rock recordings in Taiwan had been the country's official language, Mandarin Chinese. Songs in Hoklo [福佬語] (also called Taiwanese), the language of the island's largest ethnic group, had generally continued to conform to a style heavily influenced by the old Japanese pop genre known as enka. But in 1989, a group called the Blacklist Workshop [黑名單工作室] released a Hoklo album entitled Songs of Madness [抓狂歌]. “Madness” [抓狂], the title track, was a cover of a song by the Thai duo Asanee Wasan, and the other songs were original compositions in a variety of styles, including folk, rock and rap. The lyrics dealt with social and political issues, also a first for an album in Hoklo.

In 1991, an even bigger Hoklo album was released by the singer Lim Giong. Entitled March Forward [向前走], this album, and particularly the title track, was an enormous commercial and critical success. The song "March Forward", like "Lugang Town" nine years before, was sung from the perspective of a young Taiwanese moving from the countryside to Taipei and even quoted a line from the older song. But rather than looking back with nostalgia to his old home as in "Lugang Town", the young man in "March Forward" sees Taipei as a place to fulfill his dreams.

With the success of March Forward, Hoklo albums influenced by rock began to be released with more frequency. One such album was Homeland [原鄉], released in 1992 by Luo Dayou. Luo had returned to music in 1988 after a break of several years with the commercially successful album Comrade Lover [愛人同志] (though this album was much less political than his earlier work, a 1989 version released in Hong Kong contained a track called "The Dwarf's Song" [侏儒之歌], an attack on Deng Xiaoping in the wake of the Tiananmen incident). Now based in Hong Kong, he oversaw the production of a (mostly) Cantonese album called Queen's Road East [皇后大道東] featuring his compositions sung by a variety of Hong Kong singers. This album, and especially the title track and its ruminations on the future of Hong Kong after the upcoming handover to China, was a massive hit in Hong Kong. Homeland was a Taiwanese version of Queen's Road East, featuring Hoklo and Mandarin versions of tunes from the earlier album plus some new compositions, and looking at different aspect of Taiwanese society, past and present.

1992 also saw the release of the first album by Taiwanese rocker Wu Junlin [吳俊霖], better known as Wu Bai [伍佰]. Wu Bai had written a number of songs for a movie by acclaimed director Hou Hsiao-hsien [侯孝賢] entitled Dust Of Angels [少年也，安啦] earlier that same year. Falling In Love Is A Happy Thing [愛上別人是快樂的事], his debut album of bluesy and funky rock in Mandarin and Hoklo, remains a favorite with many early fans. But commercial success came later, after he had formed the band China Blue and honed his performing skills to a peak through regular live shows. Wu Bai's Live [伍佰的Live], released in 1995, included not only live performances of his own songs, but also rock versions of Hoklo classics from the 1950s and 1960s. The Mandarin albums The Wanderer's Love Song [浪人情歌] and The End of Love [愛情的盡頭] were big hits, but perhaps his best album came in 1998 when he released the Hoklo album Lonely Bird on a Tree Branch [樹枝孤鳥]. While most of his previous songs had musically been pretty much purely Western rock, many of the songs on this album had distinctively Taiwanese melodies. Wu Bai remains Taiwan's best-known rocker, and his recent release Two-faced Person [雙面人], his first Hoklo album since Lonely Bird on a Tree Branch, received favorable critical attention.

Another important artist who released his first solo albums in the early 1990s was Chen Mingchang [陳明章], who had been part of the Blacklist Workshop. Chen had been involved in music as far back as the campus folk song movement, but he first gained substantial recognition in 1986 when his soundtrack to the Hou Hsiao-hsien film Dust In The Wind [戀戀風塵] won the prize for best score at Nantes. In 1991 he released two live albums and a studio concept album, An Afternoon Opera [下午的一齣戲]. His songs were basically Taiwanese folk, strongly influenced by traditional Taiwanese musical forms such as beiguan [北管] and gezaixi [歌仔戲]. Chen remains active today and continues to look to Taiwan itself for inspiration, whether it be instruments like the yueqin (moon guitar) [月琴] or even aboriginal music.

Like Chen Mingchang, Zhu Yuexin [朱約信], better known as Jutoupi ("Pig's Head Skin") [豬頭皮], sings mostly in Hoklo. His first album, released in 1992, was politically oriented folk rock. But in 1994, he dramatically changed his style, releasing his first Funny Rap album and pioneering a humorous Taiwanese style of rap music. In 1996, he released an album entitled Harmonious Evening OAA [和諧的夜晚OAA], which combined house with aboriginal music. His career has continued to be highly eclectic, recently including a compilation album with several other artists called Jesus Rocks [搖滾主耶穌].

Baboo was a critically-praised group from the early 1990s led by singer/guitarist Lin Weizhe [林暐哲], who had also been part of the Blacklist Workshop, and keyboardist Li Xinyun [李欣芸], both of whom had worked with Chen Mingchang on an album called Drama Ant [戲螞蟻]. The group's only album, released in 1992, tackled such subjects as corporal punishment in schools and environmental problems in a mix of Mandarin and Hoklo. The group also appeared on several Hou Hsiao-hsien soundtracks from the early 1990s. Recently, Lin has formed his own production company to promote new rock bands, and Li released a solo album last year.

Underground, i.e., non-mainstream, rock first appeared in Taiwan around 1990 with groups like the punk/new wave band Double X. The lead singer of this group, Zhao Yihao [趙一豪], made a solo album that same year which attracted attention because many of the songs, including the title track "I Pull Myself Out" [把自己掏出來], were banned in their initial form because of perceived sexual content. In the following years, underground bands proliferated in Taiwan. Among the more significant to appear in the middle and later half of the decade were LTK Commune [濁水溪公社], Backquarter [四分衛], The Chairman [董事長], Chthonic [閃靈], Mayday [五月天] and the Clippers [夾子電動大樂隊]. LTK Commune is noted for their wild stage shows incorporating short theatrical performances and props such as beer bottles, motorcycle helmets, and fire extinguishers and for their humorous and often profanity-laced lyrics. Backquarter and Chairman are more conventional rock, but both bands have in recent years experimented with different sounds and styles, and both have dedicated followings due to their long years of performing. Chthonic, Taiwan's premier gothic rock band, uses the traditional Asian instrument the erhu [二胡] in their music and writes songs about legends and myths from Taiwan's aboriginal and Chinese communities. Mayday began as an underground band in the late 1990s, appearing on various compilations including several dedicated to Taiwan's gay and lesbian community, but have since become mainstream, with an enormous following among teenage girls. The Clippers also first began recording in the late 1990s and became known for their over-the-top stage shows incorporating dancing girls and disco lights in a nod to the slightly risqué shows which are often put on in the Taiwanese countryside during weddings and funerals.

Another important rock band from the 1990s was Luan Tan [亂彈], which achieved significant mainstream success with their eponymous debut album, released in 1997. Their music was particularly notable for infusing rock with the traditional Taiwanese music form beiguan on songs like the hit "Conscience" [良心]. They went on to win Golden Melody Awards for Best Group in 1998 and 2000. Other mainstream artists whose rock music had less obvious local flavor included Huang Shujun [黃舒駿], whose 1994 album Who Am I [我是誰] was heavily influenced by the modern rock of groups like U2, and Zhang Zhenyue [張震嶽], whose colloquial lyrical style appealed strongly to teenagers.

Though rock in Taiwan, as in many other places, was dominated by men, there were a few female singers in the 1990s who achieved mainstream success singing rock. Singer-songwriter Sandee Chen [陳珊妮], who released her first album in 1994 has since achieved considerable recognition both as an artist and as a songwriter while remaining defiantly non-mainstream. Faith Yang [楊乃文], under the guidance of Lin Weizhe of Baboo, gained popularity as a rock singer in the vein of Alanis Morissette. The underground music scene has also produced several all female groups, such as Ladybug [瓢蟲] and more recently Cherry Boom [櫻桃幫] and Braces [牙套]. In the last few years, female-led groups have become more common, with examples including Tizzy Bac and Dream Route [夢露].

Most discussions of popular music in Taiwan deal almost exclusively with Mandarin and Hoklo songs, as songs in these languages are understood by the majority of the country's population and so have a much better chance of achieving widespread popularity. However, songs in Hakka and the various aboriginal languages often become very popular within those communities, and some artists singing in these languages have attracted many fans who don't understand the words but nevertheless find a great deal to appreciate in the music.

Hakka popular music was for a long time very conservative, consisting mainly of rerecordings of traditional songs and direct imitations of Hoklo popular music (often simply translations of Hoklo songs into Hakka). The one early exception to this was Wu Shengzhi [吳盛智], formerly the guitarist for a top cover band called the Sunshine [陽光合唱團] in the late 1960s and early 1970s, who in 1981 released a Hakka album which, though it featured mostly traditional tunes, also included several originals in a rock style. Unfortunately, Wu was killed in an auto accident in 1983, but his example inspired many Hakka musicians who emerged in the 1990s.

The first of these musicians to gain notice was Huang Lianyu, who in 1992 formed the New Formosa Band [新寶島康樂隊] with popular singer-songwriter Chen Sheng. Chen Sheng, who had sung in Mandarin as a solo artist, wrote songs in Hoklo for this project, and Huang Lianyu wrote songs in Hakka, and occasionally they would sing both Hoklo and Hakka in the same song. Though the Hoklo songs tended to get more attention, several of the Hakka songs also got some airplay and fans who bought the CDs got to hear all of Huang's often offbeat compositions. In 1996, they were joined by A-von, a member of the Paiwan group of aboriginals, who wrote songs in his own native tongue. Though Huang left the New Formosa Band soon afterwards, his work with the group had given Hakka music new exposure.

Other prominent Hakka artists appearing in the 1990s included Yan Zhiwen [顏志文], Chen Yongtao [陳永淘], Xie Yuwei [謝宇威] and the Labor Exchange Band [交工樂隊]. All of these artists gained critical attention, but probably the most significant was the Labor Exchange Band. This group was formed in the early 1990s and released its first album in 1998. They made extensive use of traditional instruments such as the suona and the yueqin, combining them with rock instruments like guitar and bass, plus the drummer's unique, self-designed drum kit. The group became active in protests against plans to build a large dam in Meinong in southern Taiwan, dedicating their 1999 album Let's Sing Mountain Songs [我等就來唱山歌] to the ultimately successful fight against the project. This album and its 2001 follow-up, Night March of the Chrysanthemums [菊花夜行軍], rank among the most successful attempts to date to create a uniquely Taiwanese sound combining rock and traditional music, in some ways reminiscent of similar efforts by Japanese bands like Soul Flower Union and Shang Shang Typhoon. The L.E. Band went on to win the award for Best Band at Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards in 2002. Though the group broke up in 2003, the group's former lead singer Lin Shengxiang gained further recognition for Getting Dark [臨暗], the album he released in 2004 with his new group Sheng Xiang and Water3 [生祥與瓦窯坑3]. The other members of the L.E. Band formed the Hohak Band [好客樂隊] and released their first album, Hohak Carnival [好客戲], in 2005, also garnering critical plaudits.

Like artists from other ethnic groups, aboriginal artists in Taiwan have also made use of rock as a medium for expression, sometimes combining it with traditional sounds. Of the aboriginal artists active today, the one who commands the greatest respect among critics and music fans is Kimbo (Hu Defu) [胡德夫]. As mentioned above, Kimbo was part of Taiwan's folk song movement, and his music, which he refers to as "haiyan blues" or simply "haiyan" incorporates elements of American folk rock and blues as well as aboriginal music, all sung in his inimitably soulful voice. Ironically, despite being active in music for more than 30 years, giving countless performance and appearing on various compilation albums or as a guest on others' recordings (including Jutoupi's Harmonious Evening OAA), Kimbo's first solo album, In a Flash [匆匆], wasn't released until last year. It went on to garner six nominations and two awards at Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards.

Other more younger aboriginal artists include the rock band Yuanshilin [原始林], probably the first aboriginal rock band to receive widespread distribution; singer-songwriter Panai [巴奈], whose melancholy aboriginal folk was characterized by one critic as "Taiwanese blues", singer-songwriter Biung [王宏恩], who incorporates elements of the famed eight-part harmonies of the Bunun aboriginal group to which he belongs into his music, and most recently the aboriginal rock group Totem [圖騰], winners of the top prize at the 2005 Ho-Hai-Yan music festival, who spice up their combination of rock and rap with aboriginal melodies and lyrics.

In the past two decades, rock has become firmly established as an important genre in popular music in Taiwan and in many of its neighbors. The biggest selling artist in Thailand in the 1990s, for instance, was the rock band Loso, whose albums consistently sold in the millions, and many of the other top artists in Thailand are also rock bands or rock singers. In Japan, groups and solo artists running the gamut from soft pop-rock to heavy metal and punk are a big part of the music scene, and rock is a significant force in countries like South Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia as well. In Taiwan, groups such as 1976, Tizzy Bac, Wong Fu [旺福], Cherry Boom [櫻桃幫] and the abovementioned Totem continue to gain new fans for Taiwanese rock. The question for the average Western listener is whether there is anything particularly Asian about this music, or whether it is entirely derivative.

In many cases, rock as performed in Asia remains entirely imitative. At a music festival in Taiwan, the audience will often hear more than one band that seems to have copied its sound exactly from popular American groups like Linkin Park. Certainly it is hard to see much merit in bands which don’t even have their own style. However, it must be said that even among the groups which rely heavily on American and British influences, there is some music worth listening to. After all, Western musicians don’t have a monopoly on rock, and if Asian musicians want to use rock to express themselves, there is nothing objectionable in that. Still, for many Westerner listeners, an Asian rock band which sounds just like a Western one holds little attraction. Fortunately, many of the groups discussed above have succeeded in mixing local sounds and melodic forms into their music to some degree or other.

In Taiwan, as elsewhere in Asia, this tension between imitation and adaptation continues to be a factor in the music scene. Generally speaking, the more commercial mainstream artists tend to adhere more closely to Western musical forms, while non-mainstream artists tend to incorporate more Asian sounds into their music. Some of the most interesting examples are regional, such as the music of Okinawa or the fast-paced dance music of the Thai-Cambodian border known as kantrum; others originate from ethnic minorities, like the Hakka musicians of Taiwan’s Labor Exchange Band. But no matter what degree of local flavor the listener prefers, it can be found if one is prepared to search for it. Those who find Wu Bai, The Chairman, Zhang Zhenyue, Loso and similar artists too Western-sounding may prefer artists like Lin Shengxiang, Kimbo, the Hohak Band, or Soul Flower Union. Artists like these are guaranteed to broaden the listener’s view of modern Asian music, and the lyrics of many Taiwanese and other Asian rock performers provide an incisive view of contemporary Asian society. Both lyrically and musically, much rock music in Taiwan and elsewhere in Asia has a great deal to offer to the discerning listener, and anyone who really wishes to understand modern Asian music should be willing to give it a listen.

Album Review – Revolver by the Beatles

What better place to start my album reviews than with one of the best albums by the greatest popular music group of all time, the Beatles.


Album Title: Revolver
Artist: The Beatles
Release Date: August 5, 1966

Side One
Taxman (Harrison)
Eleanor Rigby (McCartney)
I'm Only Sleeping (Lennon)
Love You To (Harrison)
Here, There and Everywhere (McCartney)
Yellow Submarine (McCartney)
She Said She Said (Lennon)

Side Two
Good Day Sunshine (McCartney)
And Your Bird Can Sing (Lennon)
For No One (McCartney)
Dr. Robert (Lennon)
I Want to Tell You (Harrison)
Got to Get You Into My Life (McCartney)
Tomorrow Never Knows (Lennon)

Note On Song Authorship: Credit is given according to the primary writer of the song (even though Lennon and McCartney songs are official credited to both). In fact, on many songs other Beatles or even outsiders made contributions, particularly to the lyrics. John wrote a few lines on Harrison's "Taxman" and both he and singer-songwriter Donovan contributed to "Yellow Submarine". Paul helped on Lennon's "Dr. Robert". Several sources, including John, have said that George helped come up with the "all the lonely people" line on "Eleanor Rigby". John also claimed to have written the bulk of the lyrics to "Eleanor Rigby", though he acknowledged that the initial idea, melody, and first verse were Paul's. If John's claim were accurate that should be enough to give him a co-credit. However, not only did Paul deny that John made any significant contribution to the song, but Pete Shotton, John's childhood friend, wrote an account of how the song was finished up after Paul brought it in according to which John did not contribute anything, though Ringo suggested the line about darning socks and Shotton himself suggested having Father McKenzie conduct the funeral ceremony for Eleanor Rigby, a suggestion John belittled at the time. Since McCartney and Shotton both agree that John did not contribute much to the song and John's own claim is rather vague and not backed up by anyone else, I have not given him credit on this one.

There are countless lists of the "greatest albums of time", and on most of the widely-cited ones an album by the Beatles is at the top, or at least very close to it. But while there is general agreement about the Beatles belonging in the top spot, there is more debate about which of their albums is their greatest (and therefore the greatest of all time). The discussion is complicated by the question of whether "greatest" means simply the album that as a whole is the most enjoyable to listen to, or whether it means in part "most influential". By the latter standard, I'd say the balance of opinion seems to be inclined to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, because of the loose concept it included, the printed lyrics and elaborate artwork and gatefold sleeve, and the impact it had at the time on the public consciousness. But nevertheless there are also many people who argue for albums like Abbey Road or The Beatles (popularly called the White Album), and particularly the album I want to talk about today, Revolver.

Revolver has been named the greatest album of all time multiple times, including by VH1, in successive editions of All Time Top 1000 Albums, by Rolling Stones readers and more. It generally ranks at or near the top on the All Time chart on the website Rate Your Music. It was also named one of the top 10 pop albums of all time by the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano (some media reports said it was named No. 1, but though I haven't seen the original report, I gathered from all the secondhand reports that the list was chronological and Revolver was simply released the earliest, so I don't think they intended to rank the albums). One critic on PopMatters calls it "the sound...of the individual members of the greatest band in the history of pop music peaking at the exact same time." Paul McCartney himself said of Revolver that "it depends what you what from an album, but if you really look at it bluntly, most people just want good songs. There's a lot of good songs on Revolver. In fact, they're all good."

Paul pretty much hit the nail on the head, though he was understating the case somewhat. I would say that almost all the songs the Beatles put out in this era were good, including pretty much everything on albums like Sgt. Pepper's and Abbey Road. But the songs on Revolver are not just good, most of them are great. The album may lack the concept and mystique of Sgt. Pepper's or the immaculate production of Abbey Road, or even the sprawling breadth of The Beatles (aka the White Album), but song for song I'm inclined to say that it beats all of them. And that's while encompassing a variety which while not as extensive as that of the White Album is nevertheless astounding for a 35-minute album; it is downright incredible that one album contains songs as varied as "Eleanor Rigby", "Love You To" and "Tomorrow Never Knows". John wrote some excellent songs for the album, with "Tomorrow Never Knows" in particular standing out as a classic, and Paul really outdid himself with a whole batch of classics (though he could often be critical of Paul's songs, John singled out three of the ones on Revolver as great). George, meanwhile, contributed more songs to this album than any other Beatles album except the double album The Beatles, and while most would probably argue his songwriting peaked in the period from 1968 to 1970 when he wrote "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Something", "Here Comes the Sun" and the songs that appeared on his solo album All Things Must Pass, his songs here are pretty close to that standard. The album also features some top-notch playing from all four Beatles, with Ringo doing some of his best drumming. So while it may not equal some later albums by the Beatles and others as a unified work of art, if I had to pick the best album ever and I did so based purely on the quality of the songs, I'd probably have to name Revolver.

Revolver Song by Song

Taxman: George Harrison gets the lead track for the first time ever on a Beatles album, and it's a classic. It's the first Beatles song to feature political commentary, and also the first song to demonstrate George's sardonic humor, seen again in "It's Only a Northern Song", "This Song" and many other later compositions. It also has an excellent guitar solo from Paul.

Eleanor Rigby: One of the two contemporary hits from the album, and one of the Beatles' most mature, sophisticated compositions yet. Having seen how effective the string backing was on his "Yesterday", Paul took it one step further by using a string octet as the only instrumentation, with the Beatles (specifically Paul, John and George) only contributing vocals. With an excellent set of lyrics featuring more social commentary, the Beatles also showed that they had expanded their repertoire far beyond the love songs that had predominated in the past. Jerry Leiber supposedly once said, "The Beatles are second to none in all departments. I don't think there has ever been a better song written than 'Eleanor Rigby.'"

I'm Only Sleeping: On the album's third straight non-love song, John does a great job of conveying the feeling of lazing around in bed, while throwing a philosophical observation about the excessively fast pace of modern life.

Love You To: George's second contribution to the album was also his first to be fully built around Indian music (the sitar on John's "Norwegian Wood" being merely an overdub, though a prominent one). At least one writer has claimed it was the first Western pop song to use non-Western musical forms for its basic structure and instrumentation. Regardless, it is another excellent track and one of the reasons Revolver is so brilliantly varied in the ground it covers musically.

Here, There and Everywhere: Cited by John as one of his favorite Beatles songs, this ballad by Paul, like many of his other songs, has become something of a standard, covered by many other artists. It was also named the 4th greatest song of all time by Mojo. While I personally prefer "For No One" and "Eleanor Rigby", this is without question an excellent contribution from Paul with a beautiful melody and cleverly constructed harmonies (inspired in part by the Beach Boys).

Yellow Submarine: The second song from the album to be a hit single (released as a double A-side with "Eleanor Rigby"), this was a favorite of mine when I was a child. Nowadays I tend to think of it as one of the weakest tracks on the album, but only relative to all the other great songs present. It's still an excellent children's song, and has some very clever sound effects, especially considering the limitations of the technology.

She Said She Said: John's story of a conversation he had while on LSD, this song is one of his best contributions to the album, brilliantly conveying the disjointed feel of an acid trip. I particularly like the transition to the line "when I was a boy, everything was right." Ringo's drumming is also particularly good on this song.

Good Day Sunshine: While this is more lighthearted and lyrically simplistic than Paul's other songs on the album (with the exception of "Yellow Submarine"), its bouncy, joyful feel is still immensely likeable. It has also received praise for Paul's vocals and George Martin's production, and Leonard Bernstein praised its construction.

And Your Bird Can Sing: Interestingly enough, John himself was dismissive of this song, calling it a "throwaway". I have to disagree with him on this one, as it is an excellent song both in terms of melody and lyrics. It also features some great tandem lead guitar playing from George and (apparently) Paul.

For No One: Another one of Paul's outstanding contributions to the album, this song features an absolutely brilliant melody and a great classically-inspired arrangement, and has also become something of a standard. Though neither he nor George played on the recording, John named it as one of his favorite songs by Paul, and in this case I am in complete agreement.

Dr. Robert: For some reason, I've never been able to get into John's song about the drug-dispensing doctor to the extent that I can the rest of the album. It's still a good song, with clever lyrics and a solid melody and arrangement. It just pales slightly compared to all the other brilliant songs here.

I Want to Tell You: While George's third contribution to the album doesn't stand out as much as the other two, I've always liked it, particularly the dissonant chord (apparently an E7♭9) George plays a little under a minute into the song. It's also got a good set of lyrics.

Got to Get You Into My Life: A Motown-inspired song by Paul, this is another great contribution from him, featuring great vocals and an inspired arrangement. Interestingly, while on the surface it sounds like a love song, he has since said it was really about marijuana. John also cited this as one of Paul's best.

Tomorrow Never Knows: John's acid-inspired tour de force. It features a great set of philosophical lyrics and the more revolutionary sound yet heard in pop music, with an Indian-inspired drone, instruments that included a sitar and a tambura, and tape loops prepared under Paul's direction. John's voice was recorded using experimental methods to create the effect of being heard at a great distance. Put together, the result was a brilliant finale to one of the greatest albums ever.

Rock & Roll

As I have noted previously, I listen to all types of music, but the genre which dominates my music collection is rock and pop of the last 50 years. If I had to guess, I'd say that the decades in which the greatest number of my Western CDs come from are the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, followed by the 1960s and the decade following 2000. While I don't have as many CDs from the 1950s as from the following decades, I love a lot of the music from that time for its sheer exuberance, and of course it was the primary basis for all that came after. A number of years ago I made a 3 CD compilation of classic rock and roll and rhythm and blues from the period 1950 to 1960. I have long intended to update this (expanding it to 4 CDs in the process, as the original three were about as long as they could be), but like so many of my projects, I have not gotten around to it. For now, I am simply posting my original collection and the liner notes I wrote to go with it, but I will conclude by mentioning a few of the songs that will probably go on the future new edition.

CD1
01 The Fat Man (Domino/Bartholomew[/Dupree]) Fats Domino (1950/04)
02 Rocket 88 (Brenston[Turner]) Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats (1951)
03 Goin' Home (Domino/Young) Fats Domino (1952/03)
04 One Mint Julep (Toombs) The Clovers (1952)
05 Lawdy Miss Clawdy (Price) Lloyd Price (1952)
06 Hound Dog (Leiber/Stoller) Big Mama Thornton (1953)
07 Mess Around (Stone) Ray Charles (1953/07)
08 Money Honey (Stone) Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters (1953)
09 Shake Rattle And Roll (Calhoun[Jesse Stone]) Big Joe Turner (1954)
10 Sh-Boom (Edwards/Feaster/Feaster/Keyes/McRae) The Chords (1954)
11 Rock Around The Clock (DeKnight/Freedman) Bill Haley And His Comets (1954)
12 That's All Right (Crudup) Elvis Presley (1954/07/19)
13 I've Got A Woman (R. Charles/Richard) Ray Charles (1954/12)
14 Earth Angel (Belvin/Williams/Hodge) The Penguins (1954)
15 Wallflower (Roll With Me Henry) (Ballard/James/Otis) Etta James (1955/01)
16 Ain't That A Shame (Bartholomew/Domino) Fats Domino (1955/04/14)
17 Maybellene (Traditional arr. Berry) Chuck Berry (1955/07)
18 Rock Island Line (Traditional arr. Leadbelly) Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group (1955/11)
19 The Great Pretender (Ram) The Platters (1955)
20 Tutti Frutti (Blackwell/LaBostrie/Little Richard) Little Richard (1955/12)
21 Blue Suede Shoes (Perkins) Carl Perkins (1956)
22 Need Your Love So Bad (Little Willie John) Little Willie John (1956)
23 Downbound Train (C. Berry) Chuck Berry (1956)

CD2
01 Heartbreak Hotel (Axton/Durden/Presley) Elvis Presley (1956/02)
02 Long Tall Sally (Blackwell/Johnson/Penniman) Little Richard (1956/03/12)
03 Fever (Cooley[Blackwell]/Davenport) Little Willie John (1956/03-04)
04 Hallelujah I Love Her So (R. Charles) Ray Charles (1956/05)
05 Be-Bop-A-Lula (Davis/Vincent) Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps (1956/05)
06 Roll Over Beethoven (C. Berry) Chuck Berry (1956/05/14)
07 Don't Be Cruel (Blackwell/Presley) Elvis Presley (1956/07)
08 Hound Dog (Leiber/Stoller) Elvis Presley (1956/07)
09 I'm In Love Again (Domino/Bartholomew) Fats Domino (1956/07)
10 Bad Penny Blues (Lyttleton) Humphrey Lyttleton (1956/07)
11 Let The Good Times Roll (Lee) Shirley & Lee (1956)
12 In The Still Of The Night (Parris) The Five Satins (1956)
13 Brown Eyed Handsome Man (C. Berry) Chuck Berry (1956/08)
14 Blueberry Hill (Lewis/Stock/Rose) Fats Domino (1956/09)
15 You Can't Catch Me (C. Berry) Chuck Berry (1956/11)
16 Blue Monday (Bartholomew/Domino) Fats Domino (1956/12)
17 Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On (David/Williams) Jerry Lee Lewis (1956)
18 Louie Louie (R. Berry) Richard Berry (1957)
19 School Day (C. Berry) Chuck Berry (1957/03)
20 Lucille (Penniman/Collins) Little Richard (1957/03)
21 All Shook Up (Blackwell/Presley) Elvis Presley (1957/03)
22 Bye Bye Love (F. & B. Bryant) The Everly Brothers (1957/05)
23 That'll Be The Day (Petty/Holly/Allison) The Crickets (1957/05)
24 Keep A Knockin' (Penniman) Little Richard (1957/09)
25 Wake Up Little Susie (F. & B. Bryant) The Everly Brothers (1957/09)
26 Peggy Sue (Allison/Petty/Holly) Buddy Holly (1957/09)
27 Rock & Roll Music (Berry) Chuck Berry (1957/09/30)
28 Jailhouse Rock (Leiber/Stoller) Elvis Presley (1957/10)
29 You Send Me (Cooke) Sam Cooke (1957/10)
30 Great Balls Of Fire (Blackwell/Hammer) Jerry Lee Lewis (1957)

CD2
01 Get A Job (Silhouettes) The Silhouettes (1957)
02 Sweet Little Sixteen (C. Berry) Chuck Berry (1958/01)
03 Good Golly Miss Molly (Blackwell/Marascalco) Little Richard (1958)
04 Johnny B. Goode (Berry) Chuck Berry (1958/03)
05 All I Have To Do Is Dream (B. Bryant) The Everly Brothers (1958/04)
06 Yakety Yak (Leiber/Stoller) The Coasters (1958)
07 Fever (Cooley[Blackwell]/Davenport) Peggy Lee (1958)
08 Summertime Blues (Capehart/Cochran) Eddie Cochran (1958/08)
09 Try Me (J. Brown) James Brown (1958/11)
10 Kansas City [K.C. Lovin'] (Leiber/Stoller) Wilbert Harrison (1959)
11 Little Queenie (Berry) Chuck Berry (1959/03)
12 I'm Ready (Domino/Bradford/Lewis) Fats Domino (1959/04)
13 What'd I Say (R. Charles) Ray Charles (1959/06)
14 Shout (Isley/Isley/Isley) The Isley Brothers (1959)
15 Money (That's What I Want) (Bradford/Gordy) Barrett Strong (1959/12/10)
15 This Magic Moment (Pomus/Shuman) The Drifters (1960)
16 Cathy's Clown (D. & P. Everly) The Everly Brothers (1960/04)
17 All I Could Do Was Cry (Davis/Fuqua/Gordy) Etta James (1960/04)
18 Wonderful World (Adler/Alpert/Cooke) Sam Cooke (1960/05)
19 Only The Lonely (Know How I Feel) (Melson/Orbison) Roy Orbison (1960/05)
20 Walking to New Orleans (Bartholomew/Domino/Guidry) Fats Domino (1960/06)
21 Chain Gang (Cooke) Sam Cooke (1960/08)
22 Georgia on My Mind (Carmichael/Gorrell) Ray Charles (1960/08)
23 Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Goffin/King) The Shirelles (1960/11/07)
24 Shop Around (Gordy/Robinson) The Miracles (1960/12)

For all the great rock music that has been made over the past few decades, when it comes to simple, unadulterated fun, there is little that can compare to the original rock and roll of the fifties. This 3 CD set collects most of the great classic songs of that era, all the way up to 1960. The first CD covers the first half of the decade and includes the rhythm and blues classics which laid the foundation for rock and roll, including all the major contenders for the title of "first rock & roll song". These include "The Fat Man", "Rocket 88", "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", "Shake Rattle And Roll", "Rock Around The Clock" and "That's All Right". Other songs include early doo wop classics such as "Sh-Boom" and the ever-popular ballad "Earth Angel", and R & B hits like "I've Got A Woman", "Money Honey", and "Wallflower (Roll With Me Henry)". Then there are great early rock and roll hits from Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard, as well as Carl Perkins' rockabilly classic "Blue Suede Shoes". Another song worth noting is Lonnie Donegan's "Rock Island Line". This rendition of an old Leadbelly tune was one of the few British releases to hit the top 10 in the US before the Sixties, and more importantly single-handedly started the skiffle craze in Britain, during which countless schoolboy skiffle groups were formed, including one called the Quarry Men, led by a Liverpool teen named John Lennon....

The second CD covers the golden years of rock and roll, 1956 and 1957. The biggest hits by Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, and Jerry Lee Lewis are all included. Also on this CD are Fats Domino's classic rendition of the 1940 tune "Blueberry Hill", the original versions of "Fever" (by R & B balladeer Little Willie John) and "Louie Louie" (made famous in the early 1960s by the Kingsmen), and Sam Cooke's first pop hit "You Send Me".

The third CD covers the last years of the decade, up to and including 1960. Due to a variety of reasons the output of many of the biggest stars of rock and roll declined or dried up during this period, but there were still plenty of classics released by artists such as Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and the Everly Brothers. Also in this period soul music became a major force. Ray Charles released his first big pop crossover hit, the extended jam track "What'd I Say" as well as his version of the early 30s hit "Georgia On My Mind". Sam Cooke came out with some of his biggest hits, and James Brown, the Isley Brothers, and The Miracles all released their earliest hits.

It should be pointed out that a number of the songs here are in fact covers, and others are rewrites of older songs. As mentioned above, "Blueberry Hill" is a cover of a 1940 hit by Ray Eberle with Glenn Miller, "Georgia On My Mind" was originally a 1931 hit for Frankie Trumbauer and "Rock Island Line" is a cover of Leadbelly's arrangement of this traditional folk song. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" was originally recorded in 1955 by country pianist Roy Hall, co-writer of the song, though Jerry Lee Lewis apparently transformed the song greatly in his version. "Kansas City" is another cover, having been originally recorded as "K.C. Lovin'" by Little Willie Littlefield in 1952, though it was Wilbert Harrison who made the song a hit. "The Fat Man" was based on "Junker's Blues" by Champion Jack Dupree, and "Maybellene" is a reworking of "Ida Red", a traditional country tune.

Many of these songs were written under pen names, on others credit was given to someone who didn't actually write the song, and for a few authorship is disputed or uncertain. Little Richard, for instance, is sometimes credited under his stage name and sometimes under his real name (Richard Penniman). By some accounts, "Rocket 88" was not actually written by Jackie Brenston, but was mainly written by Ike Turner (the group credited as "Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats" was actually Turner's Kings of Rhythm; Brenston was the band's saxophone player). Elvis was given a co-writing credit on several of his songs, but it is generally acknowledged he didn't actually have anything to do with writing them. Prominent disc jockey Alan Freed was originally giving a songwriting credit for Maybellene in order to get him to play the song frequently on his shows (nowadays Chuck Berry alone is generally credited, though he didn't really write the song either - unlike his other songs, which were all Berry originals). "Hound Dog" is generally attributed to Leiber and Stoller, but Johnny Otis also claimed credit (he was co-credited on early singles, but his claim to a co-writing credit was later dismissed in court), and Big Mama Thornton herself improvised a few lines and played with the rhythm (further changes to the lyrics were made by Freddie Bell for his 1955 recording; Jerry Leiber disliked these changes, but it was Bell's version that Elvis recorded). "Earth Angel" is sometimes credited to Penguins' leader Curtis Williams, sometimes to singer Jessie Belvin, and sometimes to both together, while in 1956 Gaynell Hodge of the doo wop group the Turks won a lawsuit giving him a co-writing credit.

Of course this CD set is far from complete. Due to space constraints, a lot of excellent songs had to be left off. Almost all of the major artists represented here had other big hits that are worth hearing. Furthermore, I was unable to find several important songs, particularly from the early 50s. For example, while I was able to include Etta James' "Wallflower (Roll With Me Henry)", I couldn't find the track that it was an "answer" to, Hank Ballard & The Midnighters' "Work With Me Annie" (another Hank Ballard song which I would have included had I been able to find it was his original version of the late 50s hit "The Twist", popularized by Chubby Checker). Other early R & B songs that I would have liked to include had I been able to find them were "It's Too Soon to Know" by the Orioles, "Don't You Know I Love You" by the Clovers and "Honey Love" by Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters.

But overall, this CD set should give the listener a solid overview of 1950s rock and roll. For those who want to explore further, you might consider looking up compilations CDs from these artists. Also it's possible that someday I may put together an even longer and more complete set....

2012 Postscript

For my expanded version, I intend to include a few more of the contenders for the "first rock and roll record" (not that I necessarily think there is such a thing; the genre evolved slowly out of rhythm and blues, so it's impossible to name just one record) from the late 1940s, such as "Good Rocking Tonight", "Rock the Joint", "Saturday Night Fish Fry" and the above-mentioned "It's Too Soon to Know". I'll also add a few tracks from Bo Diddley, and perhaps one or two more Leiber/Stoller and Buddy Holly songs.

I haven't decided whether I want to fill an entire additional CD with songs, or just put less music on each CD while still adding one. It wouldn't be difficult to fill another 75-minute CD with good songs, but I don't want to dilute the impact of the collection by including too many relatively obscure songs (though if they are particularly good ones, I'll still consider them). Generally speaking, I will only add songs that are obvious classics, historically important, or in my subjective opinion are really great. Furthermore, even though artists like Elvis, Little Richard, Buddy Holly and so on had some classic songs that I didn't put on the initial collection, I probably wouldn't want to add too many more songs by any one artist, because it's better to have more variety (there's already a lot of Chuck Berry, for instance, so I am unlikely to add anything else of his -- even though he probably more than anyone else was the archetypical rock and roller). Finally, of course, I won't be able to add any songs that I can't obtain copies of, even if I really want to. With these caveats in mind, I welcome any suggestions as to tracks to add to the new edition.