SERIOUS QUESTION

[curiousa2z]

'k, I'm reading this book, This is Your Brain on Music. In the book, the author describes how he became friends with an elderly gent, John R. Pierce, who had been VP of research for Bell & among other things supervied the team of engineers who built and patented the transistor.
Make a long story short, they used to get together for a meal once a week and discuss research. One day Pierce asked the author about Rock and Roll music.
He asked him to choose and play for him SIX SONGS that captured all that was important to know about rock and roll.


These are the six songs. Do you agree with this? Do you have a similar or completely altogether different six?
as ever, Curious.


1. "Long tall Sally" Little Richard
2."Roll Over Beethoven" Beatles
3."all Along the Watchtower" -Jimi Hendrix
4."Wonderful Tonight" Eric Clapton
5. "Little Red Corvette" Prince
6."Anarchy in the U.K." the Sex Pistols.

 

[Kerb Crawler]

Elvis didn't make the list? How does that happen in a world!?

Still, I would say that list is a most excellent representation of the requested criteria.

 

[curiousa2z]

Mea Culpa! I forgot to mention the old gent said he knew the significance of Elvis, so the author left Elvis off the list of six.

 

[Kerb Crawler]

Maybe 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' for something a little more recent.

Has there been any significant contribution to rock and roll this century, though?

 

[curiousa2z]

hmmmm....

 

[Kerb Crawler]

You know what's funny... looking over that list, it's nothing but black guys and Brits.

 

[CaptainWacky]

BSG REFERENCE ON THE LSIT

 

[Fuddlemiff]

FUDDLEMIFF'S NAME REFERENCE

 

[Eggs Mayonnaise]

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS PAMPHLET REFERENCE

 

[curiousa2z]

so those are your thoughts about the six songs that captured all that was important to know about rock and roll?

 

[Cassie]

OMG I KNOW i POSTED IN THIS THREAD EARLIER AND IT DISAPPEARED.

Anyway, I think Black Sabbath's War Pigs should definitely be on that list!

 

[curiousa2z]

Zang!!! havent listened to that in YEARS!

hmmm...wonder if Limewire has it....DONT READ THAT MENTY!

 

[Cassie]

When I was a kid I loved Black Sabbath.. I had that big poster of Ozzy with the guts coming out of his mouth, my mom hated it.

I also loved Judas Priest LOL yeah with the leather and the biker hats.. I saw them in concert and Rob Halford rode a bike out on stage. Screaming for Vengeance was the best.

 

[curiousa2z]

hee hee..you and mm should trade stories!

 

[Cassie]

I don't think she knows I exist.

(omg I am emo)

 

[curiousa2z]

ohhhh she Knows More Than You Think.....

 

[Cassie]

NOW I'M SCARED THANKS A LOT CURIOUSA2Z

 

[Gagh]

All those songs are good, and have merit.

However, I cannot see merit in compiling these lists. How can you condense something, like Rock N' Roll into 6 tunes? How can you condense something as board as an entire genre of music, that never really had a definitive start or end, by present 6 tunes, and saying to somebody "There you go. That should explain Rock N Roll".

It seems obvious to me you can't.

Besides, how can you class The Sex Pistols as 'Rock N Roll'? There were flat out Punk Rockers.

 

[curiousa2z]

^AHA! I was waiting for someone to notice that!!! The Sex Pistols would've eaten glass rather than be lumped as rock 'n roll! OI!

also, I absolutely agree re the attempting to condense the entire revolutionary notion of the genre into a list - I guess the old researcher can't (or mayhap I should say couldnt - he was in his eighties at the time -) help but reference things by lists and the author just humoured him.

Still, an intriguing notion to even make the attempt on the author's part.
And as you say, good songs.

p.s. apparently the old guy enjoyed the music.