- Audio CD (27 Sep 2004)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: Original recording remastered
- Label: Parlophone
- ASIN: B0002X4TRA
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Audio Cassette | Vinyl | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 55,237 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Be-Bop-A-Lula |
| 2. Stand By Me |
| 3. Rip It Up/Ready Teddy |
| 4. You Can't Catch Me |
| 5. Ain't That A Shame |
| 6. Do You Want To Dance |
| 7. Sweet Little Sixteen |
| 8. Slippin' And Slidin' |
| 9. Peggy Sue |
| 10. Bring It On Home To Me/Send Me Some Lovin' |
| 11. Bony Moronie |
| 12. Ya Ya |
| 13. Just Because |
| 14. Angel Baby |
| 15. To Know Her Is To Love Her |
| 16. Since My Baby Left Me |
| 17. Just Because (Reprise) |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Whatever John Lennon's reasons for recording a whole album of 1950s rock & roll standards at this advanced stage of his career, he at least made a good job of it. Rock'N'Roll could never recapture the crazed youth that made The Beatles' best cover versions so electrifying, but Lennon, produced with nostalgic glee by Phil Spector, tears into his old favourites and occasionally--as on Ben E. King's "Stand By Me"--hits a real emotional peak. The fabulously atmospheric cover shot of a leather-clad teenage Lennon was, like the record, meant as a fond look backward, and it is fitting. In some ways the 1970s John Lennon was unrecognisable, but in others, as Rock'N'Roll illustrates, he hadn't changed at all. --Taylor Parkes
Review
Quite simply, John Lennon recorded Rock‘N’Roll in order not to be sued.
Morris Levy, owner of the publishing on You Can't Catch Me, agreed not to call in m’learned friends over the resemblance of parts of The Beatles’ song Come Together to that Chuck Berry composition if Lennon acquiesced to recording some of his copyrights – a lucrative scenario for Levy. However, once this deal was struck, inveterate old-school rocker Lennon found himself enthused by the idea of a retro album. He even dug up a picture of himself for the cover in his full pre-moptop bequiffed glory.
On paper, the concept was a killer. Anyone who remembered Lennon tearing through the likes of Chuck Berry’s Rock and Roll Music on Beatles albums knew he had the capacity for an almost berserk commitment to songs he loved. But the origins of this record in grubby coercion seemed to curse the sessions, which were marked by the mental deterioration of original producer Phil Spector. Levy himself, thinking Lennon was welching on their deal, put out a mail order version using rough mixes, the confusion engendered by which may have been responsible for the pitiful initial sales of Rock‘N’Roll, although lukewarm reviews didn't help.
Part of the critical disdain was down to the fact that Lennon seemed uninterested in playing the songs of Chuck Berry, Larry Williams, Little Richard et al the way he had at a thousand gigs and BBC sessions, and opted instead for re-tooling. Tracks like a snail’s-pace Do You Wanna Dance?, a bizarrely ornate Sweet Little Sixteen and a heavy metal Bony Moronie are perplexingly lacking in the swing and pace that was the point of rock‘n’roll in the first place. However, once the shock of this has dissipated, the tracks can be heard to possess a steamhammer power and – courtesy of Spector’s kitchen-sink-and-all modus operandi – an exquisite richness.
Though there is very little subtlety, there is evident affection throughout, excellent musicianship and some fun post-modern nods to the audience, including what seems a deliberate attempt to make You Can't Catch Me resemble the swamp-rock of Come Together as much as possible. On all tracks, Lennon’s singing is superb, especially a passionate and epic Stand by Me. Meanwhile, a slinky Slippin' and Slidin' and a breakneck Peggy Sue demonstrate that nobody can teach this man anything about generating primal rock excitement.
--Sean EganFind more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another good cleanup job,
By A Customer
This review is from: Rock 'n' Roll: Remixed & Remastered (Audio CD)
As you may or may not know Yoko has been getting all of John's albums remixed and/or remastered over the past few years and releasing one per year round about the anniversary of his birthday. This year (2004) has seen the re-release of Rock 'n' Roll. This is one of my favourite Lennon albums as it is good to hear him take a step back from all of those deep and meaningful songs he was writing and just go back to his roots with some good old rock 'n' roll standards that he used to listen to as a teenager. Initial sessions were in 1973 Phil Spector (who better to record this stuff with) and then later the album was finished in 1974, with John producing things himself although keeping to the wall of sound style recording of the earlier sessions. This give the album a certain originality even though the songs are all covers. Phil's wall of sound style of recording could make the sound muddy at times though but the folk at Abbey Road have certainly cleaned the recordings up enough to make a difference. On this release we get a couple of outtakes (albeit released previously) and a previously unreleased reprise of 'Just Because' in which John says hi to Paul, George and Ringo. Another nice bonus could've been the 'Roots' version of 'Be My Baby', but we can't have everything. Now the only regular albums still to be reissued in this way are Walls & Bridges and S.T.I. New York City, so it looks like we'll be getting more releases like this for the next couple of years at least.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dr Winston O'Boogie in full flow,
By cleveland_foley@hotmail.com (Bedford, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Rock 'n' Roll (Audio CD)
I bought this album having heard his version of 'Stand By Me' on 'Lennon Legend'. Although I don't particularly like his version of 'Stand By Me', I knew Lennon's capabilities, and was not disappointed by this album. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of this album is that Lennon seems to be enjoying himself much more than he does on previous efforts like 'Imagine' and 'Plastic Ono Band'. (That is not to say those albums are bad - far from it!) 'Rock 'n' Roll' is a fun album. It's best tracks are 'You Can't Catch Me' (in which Lennon integrates some of 'Come Together'), the 2 medleys, 'Slippin' and a Slidin'', and the flippant 'Ya Ya'. This is hardly clever music with the sophisication of Plastic Ono band', but it's rock 'n' roll. It's not meant to be. Such good fun.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is Rock 'N' Roll,
By A Customer
This review is from: Rock 'n' Roll (Audio CD)
This album is certainly one of the least appreciated of John Lennon's, but in my eyes this is 39 minutes or so of rock 'n' roll as it's meant to be.In this collection of covers, which features some of rock 'n' roll's classic songs, Lennon showed the world that, along with his many other musical talents (displayed with the Beatles and also in his solo output), he could rock with best of them; most songs being as good as the originals, if not better (typified by 'Stand By Me'). The album also has a fresh feel to it as well, which helps to create an atmosphere that if you were to close your eyes, you'd think Lennon was playing live in the same room as you. Simply amazing at the worst of times, 'Rock 'N' Roll' is as good an album of this genre as you'll get.
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