Rock 'n' Roll (John Lennon album)
Rock 'n' Roll | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 17 February 1975 | |||
Recorded | October 1973; 21–25 October 1974 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Rock 'n' roll | |||
Length | 40:03 | |||
Label | Apple | |||
Producer | John Lennon, Phil Spector | |||
John Lennon chronology | ||||
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Singles from Rock 'n' Roll | ||||
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Rock 'n' Roll is the sixth solo studio album by English musician
The album reached number 6 in both the United Kingdom and the United States, later being
Background
In 1969, Lennon composed the song "Come Together"[1] for the Beatles' album Abbey Road. Inspired by the Chuck Berry tune "You Can't Catch Me",[2] it bore a melodic resemblance to the original—and Lennon took the third line of the second verse ("Here come [old] flat-top") for the new lyric.[1] Publisher Morris Levy brought a lawsuit for infringement,[2][3] and the case was due to be heard in a New York court in December 1973. It was later settled out of court, with the agreement that, according to an announcement by Levy, Lennon had to "record three songs by Big Seven publishers on his next album". The songs [he] intends to record at this time are "You Can't Catch Me", "Angel Baby" and "Ya Ya"." Lennon had the right to change the last two songs to any other songs that were published by Big Seven.[2] The settlement also specified that he was to offer licensing rights to any three of seven specified non-Beatle songs owned by Apple Music.[4] In the meantime, Lennon had separated from Yoko Ono and was living in Los Angeles with his personal assistant, May Pang.[5] Nostalgia was a popular trend on film following response to the George Lucas film American Graffiti, and television was readying the series Happy Days (Lennon and Pang had even visited the set).[6] Lennon, rather than writing his own songs, and partly inspired by his arrangement to include at least three songs from Levy's publishing company catalogue, Big Seven Music, decided to record an album of oldies as his next release, following Mind Games.[2]
Recording
I remember the old rock songs better than I remember my own songs. If I sat down in a room and just started playing, if I had a guitar now and we were just hanging out singing, I would sing all the early and mid ’50s stuff — Buddy Holly and all. I remember those. I don’t remember the chords or the lyrics or anything of the Beatles’ stuff. So my repertoire is that.[7]
– John Lennon, 1980
Lennon initially teamed up with producer
With Walls and Bridges coming out first, Lennon had reneged on his deal with Levy, and Levy threatened to refile his lawsuit, but Lennon explained to Levy what had happened, and assured him that the covers album was indeed in the works.[15][17] Levy gave Lennon use of his farm in upstate New York to rehearse material.[15][17] Lennon then recalled the session musicians from Walls and Bridges to complete the oldies tracks.[17][18] Several tracks never made it past the rehearsal stage: "C'mon Everybody", "Thirty Days", "That'll Be the Day" – the band also played a few impromptu jams.[17] A cover of the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" remained unreleased until 1998 when it was included in the John Lennon Anthology box set.[19]
On 21 October, Lennon went into
Cover art
Lennon planned to use some of his childhood drawings for the cover of his oldies album, and production had already begun when Lennon switched gears, so the artwork was used instead for Walls and Bridges.
The album's working title had been Oldies But Mouldies;[9][11] no official title had been chosen until Lennon saw the neon sign prepared as cover art by John Uomoto, with Lennon's name and the words "ROCK 'N' ROLL" beneath. This struck Lennon in a positive way, and it became the album title.[4]
Reception and aftermath
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Pitchfork Media | 7.1/10[23] |
Rolling Stone | (unfavourable)[29] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [30] |
Uncut | [31] |
Although some critics derided the album as "a step backward", The Rolling Stone Album Guide wrote that "John lends dignity to these classics; his singing is tender, convincing, and fond."[32] AllMusic described the album "as a peak in [Lennon's] post-Imagine catalog: an album that catches him with nothing to prove and no need to try".[22]
The album was released on 17 February 1975 in the US,
Not long after the album appeared, Lennon reconciled with Ono, and she soon became pregnant. Determined not to lose another baby after three consecutive miscarriages, Lennon decided to halt his musical career for his family.
Track listing
All tracks produced and arranged by John Lennon, except * produced by Phil Spector, and arranged by Spector and Lennon.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Be-Bop-a-Lula" | Tex Davis, Gene Vincent | 2:39 |
2. | "Stand By Me" | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Ben E. King | 3:26 |
3. | "Medley: Rip It Up/Ready Teddy" | Robert Blackwell, John Marascalco | 1:33 |
4. | "You Can't Catch Me" (*) | Chuck Berry | 4:51 |
5. | "Ain't That a Shame" | Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew | 2:38 |
6. | "Do You Want to Dance" | Bobby Freeman | 2:53 |
7. | "Sweet Little Sixteen" (*) | Berry | 3:01 |
Total length: | 21:23 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | " Richard Wayne Penniman, James H. Smith | 2:16 | |
2. | "Peggy Sue" | Jerry Allison, Norman Petty | 2:06 |
3. | "Medley: Bring It On Home to Me/Send Me Some Lovin'" | Sam Cooke, John Marascalco, Leo Price | 3:41 |
4. | "Bony Moronie" (*) | Larry Williams | 3:47 |
5. | "Ya Ya" | Lee Dorsey, Clarence Lewis, Bobby Robinson, Morris Levy | 2:17 |
6. | "Just Because" (*) | Lloyd Price | 4:25 |
Total length: | 18:32 |
- 2004 reissue bonus tracks
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
14. | "Angel Baby" (*) | Rosie Hamlin | 3:44 |
15. | "To Know Her Is to Love Her" (*) | Phil Spector | 4:31 |
16. | "Since My Baby Left Me" (*) | Arthur Crudup | 4:40 |
17. | "Just Because (Reprise)[nb 15]" (*) | Price | 1:25 |
Personnel
- John Lennon – guitar, vocals
- Jesse Ed Davis – guitar
- Jim Calvert – guitar
- Steve Cropper – guitar
- Louie Shelton– guitar
- Eddie Mottau – acoustic guitar
- José Feliciano – acoustic guitar
- Michael Hazlewood – acoustic guitar
- Klaus Voormann – bass guitar, answer vocal on "Bring It On Home to Me"
- Leon Russell – keyboards
- Ken Ascher– keyboards
- Michael Lang – keyboards
- Jim Keltner – drums
- Hal Blaine – drums
- Gary Mallaber – drums
- Arthur Jenkins – percussion
- Nino Tempo – saxophone
- Jeff Barry – horn
- Barry Mann – horn
- Bobby Keys – horn
- Peter Jameson – horn
- Joseph Temperley – horn
- Dennis Morouse – horn
- Frank Vicari – horn
Charts
Weekly charts
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Weekly charts (reissue)
Year-end charts
Certifications
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See also
References
- Footnotes
- ^ US Apple SK 3419[2]
- ^ UK Apple PCS 7169[2]
- ^ US Apple APPLE 1881[35]
- ^ UK Apple R 5905[35]
- ^ Germany Apple 1C 006-05 924[37]
- ^ US Capitol/Starline 6244[36]
- ^ US Capitol SN-15969[40]
- ^ UK Music for Pleasure MFP 50522[40]
- ^ UK EMI JLB8[41]
- ^ France Music for Pleasure 4M128-54084/85/86[40]
- ^ UK Parlophone CDP 7 46707 2[9]
- ^ The songs are: "Angel Baby", "Since My Baby Left Me", "To Know Her Is to Love Her" and "Here We Go Again".[9]
- ^ UK EMI 906 5062[9]
- ^ Europe EMI 5099990650925[44]
- ^ On "Just Because (Reprise)," Lennon adds "It's all down to Goodnight Vienna, I'd like to say hi to Ringo, Paul and, George ... how are you? (and) Everybody back home, in England ... what's cookin'?"
- Citations
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-37938-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
- ^ de Heer, Dick. "Morris Levy Biog". Rockabilly. Retrieved 2 March 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Chet Flippo, "The Private Years". In The Ballad of John and Yoko, by the editors of Rolling Stone (Rolling Stone Press, 1982)
- ^ Blaney 2005, p. 139
- ^ a b c d e Pang, May (1983). Loving John. Warner Books.
- ^ Taysom, Joe (29 April 2023). "The classic Buddy Holly song John Lennon "knew backwards"". Far Out Magazine.
- ^ a b c d Blaney 2005, p. 142
- ^ a b c d e f g h Calkin, Graham. "Rock 'n' Roll". Jpgr.co.uk. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Blaney 2005, p. 154
- ^ ISBN 978-0-00-734408-6.
- ^ O'Hagan, Sean (18 March 2007). "Bullied, hurt and obsessive; the perfect producer". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ a b John Lennon, "Interview," WNEW NY, September 1974
- ^ a b "Beatle Brunch looks back 30 years ago this month to a very special Lennon anniversary". Joe Johnson's Beatle Brunch. 2004. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Edmondson 2010, p. 155
- ^ a b Blaney 2005, p. 143
- ^ a b c d e f g Blaney 2005, p. 155
- ^ ISBN 9780312377410.
- ^ "John Lennon's cover of the Ronettes song 'Be My Baby' was a love letter to Yoko Ono - Far Out Magazine". 2 September 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84353-140-1.
- ^ Charlesworth, Chris. "John Lennon: Rock On!" Melody Maker 8 March 1975
- ^ AllMusic
- ^ "Pitchfork: Album Reviews: John Lennon: Acoustic / Rock 'n' Roll". Pitchforkmedia.com. 9 November 2004. Archived from the original on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 1 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Doyle, Tom (November 2010). "John Lennon Signature Box". Mojo. p. 114.
- ^ Metzger, John (December 2004). "John Lennon Rock 'n' Roll". The Music Box (vol. 11, no. 12). Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ISBN 1-57859-061-2), p. 667.
- ^ Kemp, Mark (23 October 2007). "John Lennon – Reissues". Paste. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
- ^ Landau, Jon. Rolling Stone 22 May 1975: 66
- ^ "John Lennon: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ^ Mulholland, Garry (November 2010). "John Lennon – Remasters". Uncut. p. 108. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan (2004). "John Lennon: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ a b "The Official Charts Company – John Lennon – Rock n' Roll" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ a b "allmusic ((( Rock 'n' Roll > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d Blaney 2005, p. 167
- ^ a b c d e Blaney 2005, p. 168
- ^ "John Lennon – Ya Ya / Be-Bop-A-Lula (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs. June 1975. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
- ^ "charts.de – Ya Ya". charts.de. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
- ^ "1975 Rolling Stone Interview With John Lennon by Pete Hamill". John-Lennon.com. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Blaney 2005, p. 204
- ^ a b Blaney 2005, p. 203
- ^ "Beatles Vinyl-Holland". Beatlesvinyl.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ^ John Lennon, Rip It Up, J & B Records, JB 626, JB 326, JB 326C, 1988, Australia
- ^ "John Lennon – John Lennon Signature Box (Box Set, Album)". Discogs. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 23, No. 8, April 19, 1975". RPM. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "John Lennon". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 146. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ "Album Search: John Lennon" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 24 February 2012.[dead link]
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 24 January 2024. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "John Lennon" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
- ^ "Yamachan Land (Archives of the Japanese record charts) – Albums Chart Daijiten – The Beatles" (in Japanese). 30 December 2007. Retrieved 24 February 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "charts.nz John Lennon – Rock 'n' Roll" (ASP). charts.nz. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com John Lennon – Rock 'n' Roll" (ASP). VG-lista. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com John Lennon – Rock 'n' Roll". Hung Medien, swedishcharts.com (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1975". RPM. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 19 May 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
- ^ "British album certifications – John Lennon – Rock 'n' Roll". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Rock 'n' Roll in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "American album certifications – John Lennon – Rock 'n Roll". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
- Rock 'n' Roll at Discogs (list of releases)
- Lennon v. Levy – The Roots Lawsuit
- The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll