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.