The Legacy of LOUIE LOUIE

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This Music Player contains 11 hours of covers, clones, and cousins of "Louie Louie",
from 1957 to today in chronological order, spanning all musical genres.

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The Legacy of LOUIE LOUIE

Sometimes a single song is the refrain. You can group music by genres or eras, but one song can tie all of them together. Or even one riff.

In 1957, Richard Berry created one of those. His ode to Jamaican love was inspired by a few surprising sources: a variant of a Cuban Mambo song called "Cha Cha Chá Loco", and Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon" (which had in turn responded to the brief Calypso boom after "Day-O" broke big). It was a regional hit around San Francisco and made its way into many West Coast 45" collections and jukeboxes. It had a lurching stairstep riff that kids had gone crazy for, one that stuck to your brain and feet.

Richard Berry; The Kingsmen.

Up in Seattle, where cold and rain made the emerging early '60s rock'n'roll courser, bands battled each other for supremacy in frats, bars, and proms. Someone latched onto "Louie Louie" and then everybody had to. But The Kingsmen stumbled into the studio first, one day before their rivals Paul Revere And The Raiders. In their haste, they didn't know it well enough. The singer slurred the words to hide it and his false starts after the bridge got left in. The riff lost a beat and became the classic 1-2-3/ 1-2, 1-2-3/ 1-2 that made it The Riff. That arresting combo of jang-ing riff and sloppy attitude built the Garage of the future. It also got them investigated by the FBI on suspicion of slipping obscenities into the unintelligle lyrics.

Great riff + Attitude + Controversy = cultural phenomenon.

In comes imitation and mutation, the catalyst of all culture. There's a moment in music where a riff becomes a general rhythm, and a bedrock for new songs.

It sure stuck in its originator's mind, because Richard Berry did one of the first clones of his own song with 1960's "Have Love Will Travel". His original was a splice, and now that the chords have now become standard chops in any band's repertoire, the re-splicing by his followers begins. East L.A. Mexican rockers The Premiers used the riff under their cover of a different song, "Farmer John". The Trashmen combined both songs openly as "Farmer Louie". The Bobby Fuller 4 medley-ed the two together right into their own clone, "Jenny Lee". Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders' "The Game Of Love" trysted the Bo Diddley beat into the middle.

Meanwhile, Surf naturally caught the wave, such as "Surfin' Louie" by The Shockwaves and The Surfaris' "Go Go Go For Louie's Place". Fresh from "My Boyfriend's Back", the girl group The Angels went tough chick with it, even preserving the false start in harmony! The Wailers, The Raiders and The Who wrote sequels to it (The Raiders also got 'revenge' on their friends for the lost hit with "Just Like Me"). David Bowie's first recording was a cover of The Raiders' sequel, as Davie Jones And The King Bees (1964). Meanwhile, the Seattle scene was still on fire with the song in every band's repertoire; The Kingsmen's rivals, The Sonics, virtually invent garage rock and punk with a 1965 take so brutal, even the Sex Pistols would wince in admiration.

The Sonics; The Troggs; The Rolling Stones.

Now the covers have turned into clones and cousins.

The riff has now become so common that everyone went from a cover into new creations. The Drifers usher in a new standard with "Sweets For My Sweet". The Castaways pull a cover-up with "Liar Liar"; the Soul group The Vibrations scooped a baldfaced substitute as "My Girl Sloopy", and The Real McCoys inserted irony by covering the clone as "Hang On Sloopy".

In Boston patois, The Barbarians' drummer plied his hand with the hook in his autobiographical "Moulty". The Kinks tried to cover it and instead found "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All Of the Night", two new standards. As garage and pop started colluding on radio hits, The Rare Breed ("Beg, Borrow, and Steal"), The Troggs ("Wild Thing", another new standard), The Rolling Stones ("Get Off of My Cloud", another), The Remains ("Why Do I Cry"), and The Eyes ("I'm Rowed Out") heisted the Jamaican ship for new ports.

Culture is typically cyclical based on response, and a song that was first inspired by Mambo cha-cha-cha rhythms was in turn covered extensively in Spanish-speaking countries (including its clones) by acts like Los Loud Jets, Sonia, and The Sandpipers.

Julie London; Bob Dylan;
Toots And The Maytals.

From covers, to clones, to cousins, and finally to culture. At this point it became a free-for-all. An idea has become universal, and every response transforms it with new perspectives. It's everybody's party, and everybody has a part in it.

Quincy Jones did a jazz cover of a clone with "Hang On Sloopy". Conga god Mongo Santamaria sailed back to Cuba in his take on "Louie Louie". Torch damsel Julie London gave it a sultry shoreleave it will never forget. Ike & Tina Turner gave it an soulful shakedown at the Apollo while Otis Redding cruised it through Memphis.

It lazes under the bridge of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" by The Righteous Brothers. A twist on it rolls through Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone". It twined through Frank Zappa's work continously, including firing a guitarist when they couldn't play it. Quietly, the sing-song riff sways under The Rascals' "Good Lovin'", Erma Franklin's "Piece Of My Heart", and Tommy Roe's "Dizzy".

It was wham-bammed by Glam bands in the early '70s, of course. The funk-pop band Hot Chocolate familiarized it into their hit "Brother Louie". Toots & the Maytals brought it home to Jamaica in reggae stylee. It grooves under "Summer Days, Summer Nights" from the movie musical GREASE. Barry White got up close and personal with it. Stanley Clarke and George Duke funked around with it.

The Stooges; Lou Reed; Motorhead.

But the song never forgot its edge. The song had become less a riff and more of a shorthand writ of young swagger and rebel sneer. In the '70s and '80s it often took on a seedy and dangerous allure, continuing to kick against the pricks.

Garage rock had spat out the crazed stepchild, The Stooges. On a bootleg of their last gig in '74, Iggy Pop uses "Louie" as a frame to taunt his audience out of boozy complacency. One patron purportedly beans him with a beer bottle, which is the thump and buzzing mike heard at the end. Lou Reed's "Vicious" helped inspire Sid's name. The Clash lashed it and The Fall sneered it in concert in '77. Johnny Thunders stumbled through it on his way to the glass table.

"Louie Louie" was now being unfurled like a Jolly Roger. L.A. punks X flash glimmers of its sway within "We're Desperate". Some of its ghost can be traced in the swaying buzz of The Dickies' "You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla)". It was Motorhead's first single. Black Flag refuses surrender with it in 1981. "Love Sinks", by The J. Geils Band, is a revamp of it via "Wild Thing". Acts as diverse as D.R.I., Joan Jett, The Pretenders, The Fat Boys, The Ultra Magnetic MCs, Sisters of Mercy, and more shanghaied its course through the '80s. For Russian emigres Red Square it was a very real rejection of repression and a charter to deliverance.

Nirvana.

Then it came full circle. From the hinterlands near Seattle, Kurt Cobain corrupted the chords into a splice with Boston's "More Than a Feeling" in 1991. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a perfect summation of everything that made "Louie Louie" great in the first place: a kicking riff, a sloppy attitude, mysterious lyrics, and a combustible audience. Again, it had become the rallying cry for fun and foment, which is Rock'n'Roll incarnate. Perfect.

From culture into community. Ultimately, a riff becomes a communal experience, a rallying cry, a Morse-code beacon, a universal bond like the heartbeat; this is Us, this is home.

In 1993 Iggy Pop revolted from style back into sting, using the song to navigate modern protests and soul-searching. He said the song always steadies him when he goes off course. Likewise, the insanely prolific punk Billy Childish keelhauled it for a sequel with his garage band Thee Headcoats in '95: "Louie Louie (Where Did She Roam)" sets course for new shores in pursuit of that elusive island love. Which, beyond the riff and its attitude, may be the secret refrain of the song that haunts the memory; ache at the landlocked present and longing for an open future.

Great idea + varied response + shared experience = culture.

Culture is formed and maintained by the interchange of community; like the ocean, every current, crosscurrent, ebb, flow, swell, and wave remolds it while holding it together. "Louie Louie" is an undercurrent of raw Rock'n'Roll spirit driving the tides across time. It is ever-current, from Jane's Addiction, The A-Bones, and Blur, to The Black Keys, Boonaraas, Foxygen, and The Love Me Nots. Set course. Said we gotta go now.

"Okay, let's give it to 'em, right now!"
A-A-A, D-D, Em-Em-Em, D-D...


© Tym Stevens

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See also:

-The Pedigree of PETER GUNN

-Shock Waves: How SURF MUSIC Saved Rock'n'Roll!

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BEST MUSIC: 2015, with Music Players!

A L A B A M A
S H A K E S

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ALL THE
REAL MUSIC!

Nevermind those suburban-angst
'Best Music' lists that taste like paste!

These tunes will divine your mind
and shake your goodness sakes!

Shortcut to Music Players:
• BEST ALBUMS: 2015
• COOL SONGS: 2015
• BEST RE-ISSUES: 2015

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B E S T
N E W
A L B U M S :
2 0 1 5

BEST ALBUMS 2015
by Tym Stevens
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This music player has songs from the following albums, in the same order.

• Jacco Gardner, "Hypnophobia"
Dreamy Psyche.
Mellotron swirls, hypnotic harmonies, and alternate consciousness.

(See also: Syd Barrett, Spitualized, Dungen, Morgan Delt)

• Liz Vice, "There's a Light"
Gospel Soul.
Everything forthright and moving about American spiritual musics.

(See also: Staple Singers, Aretha Franklin)

• Diane Coffee, "Everybody's a Good Dog"
Glamtastic.
Shaun Fleming (Foxygen's drummer) brings us ambitious Glam Rock with some serious Classic Rock kicks.

(See also: David Bowie, Foxygen, GUM, Uni)

• Alabama Shakes, "Sound And Color"
Blues Rock.
Brittany Howard and crew snap into sharp focus with this timeless, soulful Classic Rock.

(See also: Led Zeppelin, The Bellrays, The Black Keys)

• Bop English, "Constant Bop"
Pop Collage.
James Petralli's (White Denim) side-project harmonizes every great sound in one bracing collage.

(See also: Constant Bop, BC Camplight, Jim Noir)

• The Sonics, "This Is The Sonics"
Garage Rock.
The quinessential mid-'60s Garage band returns, as brutal and fierce as ever.

(See also: The Stooges, DMZ, The Gories, The Courettes)

• Anderson East, "The Muscle Shoals Sessions"
Southern Soul.
Unvarnished Soul, tapped right at the source.

(See also: Soloman Burke, Robert Palmer, Curtis Harding)

• La Luz, "Weirdo Shrine"
Girl Group Surf.
Wistful harmonies and whitecap guitars charm you on a dreamy coastline.

(See also: The Shangri-Las, The Aqua Velvets, The Neptunas, Khruangbin)

• J.D. McPherson, "Let The Good Times Roll"
Rockabilly and Soul.
Licks of fire, tongue of honey, stride of pride.

(See also: The Johnny Burnette Trio, James Hunter, Kyle Lacy)

• BC Camplight, "How To Die In the North"
Art Pop.
Brian Christinzio goes for Baroque with his complex arrangements and tuneful melodies.

(See also: Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgren, Jeff Lynne, White Denim)

• Peach Kelli Pop, "Peach Kelli Pop III"
Power Pop.
Allie Hanlon makes perfect sunshine guitar pop.

(See also: Nikki And The Corvettes, Colleen Green, La Sera)

• Django Django, "Born Under Saturn"
Electro Indie.
A perfect album. Surf guitars, Wilson harmonies, Gore synth textures, A.C. Newman versatility, and sonic curveballs from all bases.

(See also: The Ventures, Depeche Mode, The Beta Band)

• Barrence Whitfield And The Savages, "Under the Savage Sky"
Garage Soul.
Barrence is still beltin' it out like fire alarms, gruff and raw and vital.

(See also: Little Richard, The Sonics, The Dirtbombs)

• Pond, "Man It Feels Like Space Again"
Funky Psyche-Prog.
Aggressively eclectic Electrodelia from Australia, shaking preconecptions and asses.

(See also: Tame Impala, Guerlilla Toss, Unknown Mortal Orchestra)

• Leon Bridges, "Coming Home"
New Soul.
Grounded in classic mid-'60s Soul with sheenier production and radio overtures.

(See also: Sam Cooke, Anthony Hamilton, Myron And E)

• Thee Tsunamis, "Saturday Night Sweetheart"
Garage Grrrl.
A trio out to punch barflys and rip dance cards.

(See also: The Trashwomen, The Coathangers, Baby Shakes)

• Father John Misty, "I Love You, Honeybear"
Alt Folk.
On his honeymoon, J.Tillman goes surprisingly romantic while characteristically wary and contemplative.

(See also: Randy Newman, Glen Campbell, Fleet Foxes)

• Mahalia Barnes And The Soul Mates, "Ooh Yea!: The Betty Davis Songbook"
Soul Funk.
The songs of Funk Rock goddess, Betty Davis, roaring like Sly and the family brimstone.

(See also: Ann Peebles, Rufus + Chaka Khan, Joi)

• Destination Lonely, "No One Can Save Me"
Garagedelic.
Acidhead bikers scorching tarmac and flailing chains.

(See also: Link Wray, The Lime Spiders, The Go)

• The Arcs, "Yours, Dreamily,"
Dreamy Soul.
Dan Auerbach goes trippy and warmly ethereal.

(See also: The Delfonics, The Black Keys, El Michels Affair)

• Erase Errata, "Lost Weekend"
PostPunk.
The politics are as barbed as the guitars in this welcome reunion.

(See also: Wire, Gang Of Four, Deerhoof)

• The Pop Group, "Citizen Zombie"
Noize Funk.
The politics are as barbwired as the beats in this welcome reunion.

(See also: Tackhead, Public Enemy, Flying Lotus)

• Public Enemy, "Man Plans God Laughs"
Conscious Rap.
The politics are as ballistic as the funk in this ongoing union.

(See also: Beastie Boys, Consolidated, The Coup)

• Delaney Davidson, "Rough Diamond"
Moody Roots.
Like a New Zealand cousin of Tom Waits, Davidson lives in some haunted highlands of ghostly Rockabilly, Folk, and cinema scores.

(See also: Nick Cave, Rev. Beat-Man, Graham Lindsey)

• Devo, "Hardcore Live!"
Neo Wave.
Devo remakes their harder-edged, pre-label material like they are livewired.

(See also: Suicide, Polysics, Autoramas)

• Groovy Uncle, "Life's a Gift"
Baroque Pop.
Mid-'60s Beatlesque inspiration, gliding on the belting Soul voice of Suzi Chunk.

(See also: Fabienne DelSol, Pugwash, The Moons)

• Mbongwana Star, "From Kinshasa"
Afro Rock.
Combining traditional Congalese instruments with ones cobbled from the scrapyard, along with driving percussion and chorals.

(See also: Tinariwen, Kasai Allstars, Jupiter Bokondji)

• Holly Golightly, "Slowtown Now!"
Garage and Soul.
Holly is more expansive this time, with some soulful jaunt and lively arrangements.

(See also: Billy Childish, The Delmonas, Thee Headcoatees, Ludella Black)

• Paul Weller, "Saturns Pattern"
Souladelic.
Melodic soulfulness, blasts of guitar, and sonic trippiness.

(See also: Small Faces, The Jam, Blur)

• Ty Segall, "Mr. Face"
Psyche Pop.
Less brutal fuzz and more acoustic and melodious tunes on this 4-song EP.

(See also: The Zombies, Mikal Cronin)

• Le Butcherettes, "Cry Is For the Flies"
Garage Punk.
Teri Suarez Cosío is aflame with inspiration and indignation on this fistpuncher.

(See also: PJ Harvey, The Kills, Yeah Yeah Yeahs)

• Lianne La Havas, "Blood"
Alt Folk.
The acoustic songwriter blossoms outward in this lush and metropolitan suite.

(See also: Nina Simone, Corinne Bailey Rae, Marques Toliver)

• The London Souls, "Here Come The Girls"
Classic Rock.
The best late-'60s album that should have happened; timeless catchy tunes, carousing vocals, and organic swagger.

(See also: "Disraeli Gears", "The White Album", "Traffic", "Let It Bleed", "Let Love Rule")

• Dengue Fever, "The Deepest Lake"
Cambodian Rock.
Channeling early-'70s Cambodian Psychedelia into new vistas of Prog and Indie.

(See also: Ros Sereysothea, Cambodian Space Project, Khruangbin)

• Panda Bear, "Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper"
Electro Pop.
Noah Lennox (Animal Collective) zeros in with shining harmonies, upbeat electronica, and spacey textures.

(See also: Brian Wilson, Steward Copeland, Madlib)

• Silencio, "She's Bad"
Twin Peaks.
The collective's moody and mysterious second album gives us more alternative soundtracks to 'Twin Peaks'>, in the style of Angelo Badalamenti's scores.

(See also: Angelo Badalamenti, Bookhouse, Ghost Of Wood)

• Promised Land Sound, "For Use And Delight"
CountryRockSoftPsyche.
A more roots-savvy Psyche band brings us hickory-smoked highs.

(See also: The Band, Graham Parsons, The Black Keys)

• Toro y Moi, "What For?"
Classic '70s Pop.
Chaz Bundick, an experimental chameleon, ramps it up with hooky tunes, arena chords, and warm grooves.

(See also: Todd Rundgren, Beck, Cornelius)

• The Mighty Mocambos, "Showdown"
Funk.
Propulsive groove that moves and smooths and soothes.

(See also: Bacao Rhythm And Steel Band, Brownout, The Soul Rebels)

• The Bright Light Social Hour, "Space Is Still The Place"
Hard Rockadelic.
A positive and epic album that rocks and grooves on a communal party plateau.

(See also: Hawkwind, Dr. Dog, The Arcs)

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C O O L
S O N G S :
2 0 1 5

All the REAL MUSIC
beyond the box!

Nevermind Gloss Pop, Stepford Idols, Karaoke Choruses ("woh-oo-oh"), Ego Brats, Emo Prats, Plinky Folk, Brittle Bombast, Vegas Country, Smug Thug, Mope Noodling, De-mixed Throb, and Robot-o-Tune schlock! >

Here's the
D R E A M
J U K E B O X !
Careen and cavort
with more leaps than an airport!


COOL SONGS 2015
by Tym Stevens
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*(This Player is limited to the first 200 songs.
Hear the unlimited Playlist here.)

This jukebox is sequenced into groups of sound, instead of randomly.
All the songs elasticize their genres.
Get your groove on in this sonic order.:
Rockabilly! Surf! Beat! Garage!

Psyche! Classic Rock! Glam! Blues!

Alt-Roots! Soul! Funk! World!

Riot Grrrl! Alt-Rock! Electro!

Alt-Rap! Cinematic! RESIST!

Cover Songs! Happy Holidays!

Dengue Fever; Gary Clark, Jr;
Motobunny; Young Fathers

12 hours of unblind-mind, fasttrack-ass music, featuring the following fine folks in this exact order!:
• Rockabilly! • Horst With No Name, Los Mambo Jambo, The Hillmans, and Du Blonde

• Surf! • Shannon And The Clams, The Cavernarios, La Luz, and Marietta

• Beat / Garage! • Ringo Starr, Suzi Chunk, The Beatophonics, Baby Shakes, Dance Cleopatrat, Sonny Knight And The Lakers, noonday underground, The Most, Cola Jet Set, Ultimate Painting, Pugwash, Holly Golightly, Palmyra Delran, Barrence Whitfield And The Savages, King Automatic, That's a NO NO!, Le Butcherettes, Thee Tsunamis, MotoBunny, Sister Paul, and Heaters

• Beatlesque / Psyche! • Groovy Uncle, LOVEBYRD, The Smoking Trees, Jacco Gardner, Death and Vanilla, Bop English, Yorick van Norden, Tess Parks And Anton Newcombe, Wilco, Destination Lonely, Dungen, Deep Cotton, The Moonlandingz, Serpent Power, of Montreal, The London Souls, Electric Light Orchestra, Matthew E. White, and Tobias Jesso Jr

• Classic Rock / Glam! • Alabama Shakes, The Bright Light Social Hour, Paul Weller, Parlor Snakes, Sam Cohen, Wavves, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Mikal Cronin, Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats, Ty Segall, Fuzz, Coke Weed, Diane Coffee, Hanni El Khatib, Faux Ferocious, and Chris Spedding

• Blues! • Gary Clark Jr, The Future Shape Of Sound, Keith Richards, Sister Sparrow, The Delta Saints, Patty Griffin, and Fantastic Negrito

• Alt-Roots! • Anielle Reid, Dave Rawlings Machine, Lianne La Havas, Father John Misty, and Liz Vice

• Soul! • Dustbowl Revival, JD McPherson, Saun And Starr, The Soul Surfers, Son Little, Monophonics, Bettye LaVette, Speedometer feat. James Junior, Leon Bridges, BC Camplight, Lee Fields And The Expressions, Anderson East, Toro y Moi, Luca Sapio, JJ Grey And Mofro, Chicano Batman, The Arcs, and Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats

• Funk! • D'Angelo, ROXY ROCA, Lucky Brown, El Michels Affair, Bilderbuch, Pond, Caboose, Sonny Knight And The Lakers, Orgone, whysowhite, Mark Ronson feat. Kevin Parker), Dokkerman And The Turkeying Fellaz, The New Mastersounds, Allen Stone, and The Mutants

• World! •The Lions, Jr Thomas And The Volcanos, Mbongwana Star, Zun Zun Egui, Fantasma, The Mighty Mocambos with Afrika Bambaataa, Warsaw Afrobeat Orchestra, Kanaku y El Tigre, Calexico, Red Baraat, and Dengue Fever

• Riot Grrrl! • Becky Lee and Drunkfoot, Las Robertas, Colleen Green, Courtney Barnett, Death Valley Girls, Peach Kelli Pop, Speedy Ortiz, My Brightest Diamond, and Rose Windows

• Alt-Rock! • The Dead Weather, Low, Blur, Made Violent, Ezra Furman, Wire, Savages, PINS, and LoneLady

• Electro! • Django Django, V V Brown, Jamie xx, Moon Duo, Betty Black, EL VY, Panda Bear, and Shamir

• Alt-Rap! • Public Enemy, Kae Tempest, The Pop Group, Blackalicious, Beat Detectives, Young Fathers, and Ghostpoet

• Cinematic! • Cara Stacey, Satanique Samba Trio, Mary Halvorson, Deradoorian, Silencio, Florence Joelle, Tracy Bonham, The Chamanas, Lera Lynn, Ennio Morricone, Nadine Shah, Calibro 35, Delaney Davidson, The Arcs, Amason, Sam Smith, Thomas Newman, and John Williams

• RESIST! • Erase Errata, Childbirth, Bill Fay, Sleater-Kinney, Promised Land Sound, Public Enemy, The Sonics, and The Sheepdogs

• Cover Songs! • List = Original By / Cover Artist
Songs are sequenced in the chronological order of the Originals.
Frank Sinatra / Bob Dylan • Nina Simone / Lana Del Rey • Bob Dylan / Willie Nelson And Merle Haggard • Doris Troy / Akane And The Neatbeats • Aretha Franklin / Spooner Oldham • The Beatles / The Grip Weeds • The Beatles / Bernard Fowler • 100 Proof Aged In Soul / The Woggles • Nick Drake / Tim Amukele • Bill Withers / My Brothers And I • Stevie Wonder / Analog Son • Betty Davis / Mahalia Barnes and The Soul Mates • DEVO / DEVO • Donna Summer / Fingathing + Jesca Hoop • The Kinks / The Sonics • Yoko Ono / Yoko Ono + Death Cab for Cutie • New Order / Autoramas • Depeche Mode / Lotte Kestner • Prince / Chris Cornell • Nirvana / La Grima + Jimetta Lewis • Portishead / Skydive Trio • Yoko Ono / Yoko Ono + Portugal. The Man

• Happy Holidays! • Lez Zeppelin, and Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings

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B E S T
R E I S S U E S :
2 0 1 5

Quality is timeless.

BEST REISSUES 2015
by Tym Stevens This is a Spotify player. Join up for free here.


This music player has songs from the following albums, in the same order.

• 1930s and '40s •

• Lead Belly, "The Smithsonian Folkways Collection" ⇧
The essential Folk Blues musician and his repertoire.

• 1950s •

• The "5" Royales, "Think" ⇧
The former Gospel quintet swung some hard Rock'n'Roll, and forecast the coming of Soul.

• Various Artists, "Tam...Tam...Tam...!" (1958) (Brasiliana revue show)
A collection of forward-thinking Bossa Nova acts.

• 1960s •

• The Kinks, "The Anthology 1964-1971"
The core works of the British Invasion's> stealth champions.

• The Staple Singers, "Freedom Highway Complete" (1965)
The classic Gospel protest album, restored in its recorded entirety.

• Bob Dylan, "The Cutting Edge 1965-1966" ⇧
The Bootleg Series continues with unreleased rarities from Dylan's most celebrated period.

• Curtis Knight And The Squires (w/ Jimi Hendrix), "You Can't Use My Name" (1965, 1967)
In the mid-'60s, Jimi Hendrix was sideman to many touring R'n'B artists. The proto-Garage Soul of these rare and remastered sides hint at the maelstrom about to come.

• 1970s •

• Jimi Hendrix, "Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival (Live)" (1970)
A full recorded concert (and coveted bootleg) finally released officially to the public.

• Fadoul, "Al Zman Saib" (Moroccan funk-rock, 1970)
A Morrocan funker who sounds like Free jamming with James Brown.

• The Rolling Stones, "Sticky Fingers (Deluxe)" (1971)
Arguably THE record that defines the band at its toughest, tightest best. Welcome, Mick Taylor.

• Gloria Ann Taylor, "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing" (1971-'77)
Gloria got a few singles and little love. This compilation of all her Soul works rectifies that.

• Led Zeppelin, "Physical Graffiti (Deluxe)" (1975) ⇧
The remastering campaign continues, with additional early versions and rough mixes.

• Alessandro Alessandroni, "Industrial" (1976)
Sandro was the guitarist, whistler, and choral leader on Spaghetti Western soundtracks>. And a fine composer, as this library album of urban-inspired instros attests.


• Led Zeppelin, "Presence (Deluxe)" (1976)
The remastering campaign continues, with additional early versions and rough mixes.

• Various Artists, "Ork Records: New York, New York" (late '70s Punk)
New York's first Punk label recorded valuable debuts by the Punk and New Wave underground.

• Fleetwood Mac, "Tusk (Deluxe)" (1979)
The contentious and experimental double-album, a clash of languid ballads and punky demos, grows more complex with copious alternate versions added.

• Lizzy Mercier Descloux, "Press Color (Deluxe)" (1979)
The most cosmopolitan and eclectic member of the New York underground, charting the musical future we now live in while no one was looking.

• 1980s •

• The Mothmen, "Pay Attention" (1981)
PostPunk, Dub, and politics, just as arresting as when it was first spat.

• Various Artists, "Sherwood At the Controls, Vol. 1: 1979-1984" (On-U Sound dub mixes)
The most radical Dub producer of the '80s was Adrian Sherwood (Tackhead, African Dub Charge), spinning the chaos into tracks by The Fall, Medium Medium, Shreikback, and Maximum Joy.

• Led Zeppelin, "Coda (Deluxe)" (1982)
The remastering campaign culminates, with additional early versions and rough mixes.

• Paul McCartney, "Tug Of War (Deluxe)" (1982)
The "Abby Road" of the '80s. Produced by George Martin, perfect in every way.


• Rodion G.A., "Behind the Curtain: The Lost Album" (c. 1980-83) ⇧
Additional rare tracks from the Romanian home auteur, electronic Prog with harsh bite.

• Various Artists, "Trevor Jackson Presents: Science Fiction Dancehall Classics" (mid-'80s dub mixes)
Extreme tracks curated from the Adrian Sherwood label, On-U Sound, favoring the industrial and experimental.

• 1990s •

• A Tribe Called Quest, "People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm" (1991)
The Native Tongues movement (Tribe, Jungle Brothers, De La Soul) was the Afrocentric pothead cousin to Public Enemy's agitprop, vibing good times while blissing heady rhymes.

• Kurt Cobain, "Montage of Heck" (early-'90s)
A solo overview of the Nirvana leader, culling home demos into a unique and intimate portrait.

• Pops Staples, "Don't Lose This" (unissued 1999 album) ⇧
The leader of the legendary Staple Singers, Pops' chiming guitar, sweet voice, and easy charm shine on this lovely unreleased album.

• 2010s •

• Ty Segall, "Ty Rex" (2011) ⇧
A loving tribute to T.Rex by the modern king of fuzz rock.



© Tym Stevens

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"A splendid time is guaranteed for all!"

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© Tym Stevens

See also:


• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2024
• BEST MUSIC: 2024
• BEST COMICS: 2024

· BEST MOVIES + TV: 2023
• BEST MUSIC: 2023
• BEST COMICS: 2023

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2022
• BEST MUSIC: 2022
• BEST COMICS: 2022

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2021
• BEST MUSIC: 2021
• BEST COMICS: 2021

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2020
• BEST MUSIC: 2020
• BEST COMICS: 2020

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2019
• BEST MUSIC: 2019
• BEST COMICS: 2019

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2018
• BEST MUSIC: 2018
• BEST COMICS: 2018

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2017
• BEST MUSIC: 2017
• BEST COMICS: 2017

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2016
• BEST MUSIC: 2016
• BEST COMICS: 2016

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2015
• BEST COMICS: 2015

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2014
• BEST MUSIC: 2014
• BEST COMICS: 2014

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2013
• BEST MUSIC: 2013
• BEST COMICS: 2013

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2012
• BEST MUSIC: 2012
• BEST COMICS: 2012

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2011
• BEST MUSIC: 2011
• BEST COMICS: 2011

• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2000-2010
• BEST MUSIC: 2000-2010
• BEST COMICS: 2000-2010


_______________

• How STAR WARS Is Changing Everything!

• 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Its Transcendent Influence on all Pop Culture, with Music Player!

• How SPAGHETTI WESTERNS Revolutionized Rock Music!, with 3 Music Players!

• TWIN PEAKS: Its Influence on 30 Years of Film, TV, and Music!, with 5 Music Players!


• The Real History of ROCK AND SOUL!: The Music Player Checklist


_______________

• THE CANON 1: 50 Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player

• THE CANON 2: 50 More Books That Created Modern Pop Culture, with Music Player

• THE CANON 3: 50 Recent Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player

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1950s Rock, A: The '60s Disciples

How the original 1950s Rock styles
remained strong through each decade!
(#1 of 6 parts)

...with enormous,
world-spanning
Music Player!

The Blue Diamonds

RockSex
brings you the actual, all-inclusive
history of Rock'n'Soul music,
with essay overviews and Music Players.
▶ History Checklist

Today, the story of how Rock'n'Roll first conquers the world, mutates into new forms, and comes back refreshed!!
Hear an exhaustive music player, with worldwide artists maintaining the '50s styles from 1960 through 1969!


'50s Rock disciples: '60-69
by Tym Stevens
This is a Spotify player. Join up for free here.

*(This Player is limited to the first 200 songs.
Hear the unlimited Playlist here.)

All songs in order from 1960 through 1969.

Learn the whole history, with Music Players!
▶ Revolution 1950s: The Big Damn Bang of Rock'n'Roll!
▶ 1950s PUNK: Sex, Thugs, and Rock'n'Roll!

▶ 1950s Rock, B: The '70s Disciples
▶ 1950s Rock, C: The '80s disciples
▶ 1950s Rock, D: The '90s disciples
▶ 1950s Rock, E: The 2000s disciples
▶ 1950s Rock, E: The 2010s disciples

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C h a p t e r
l i n k s :

𝟭 • '50s Rock continued into the '60s.
𝟮 • Rock became permanent: borderless, fluid, and adaptive.
𝟯 • Styles evolved.
𝟰 • All movements were underscored by the original Rock'n'Roll.
𝟱 • And so it came back again.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
The March on Washington, 1963

𝟭
'50s Rock continued into the '60s.

Rock'n'Roll is a shared dream based on rebel instincts: to dance, to make love, to join together, to expand out, to be liberated.

The Beats were rewriting the Word, Civil Rights was rescuing the future, Rock rolled over Beethoven. The new decade was a renewed world, mod ideas, a cosmopolitain outlook, inclusive, progressive>. The youth saw themselves in JFK, the Peace Corp, Dr. King, jukeboxes and paperbacks, and a new possible world where there were no borders to constrain anyone. The tidal wave of the rebel Fifties> surged into the early 60's and became the undercurrent of all its subsequent waves.

The Beatles were the cumulation of all the styles before them combined and renewed. Everything was starting over, enhanced. If Rock'n'Roll was a Big Bang> of culture, then Beatlemania> is the second Big Bang of Rock. But the rote narrative that consigns everyone previous as a precursor is myopic. It's a revisionism without vision.

It's all of a piece and everyone is still there. Many of the '50s artists were not much older than the British Invasion>, and ofttimes were their peers, like Brenda Lee, the Collins Kids, Ricky Nelson, and Frankie Lymon. Elvis was still a presence through his movies, Buddy Holly> still rode the charts from the vaults while The Crickets ticked on, The Everly Brothers were evergreen, and Roy Orbison, Sam Cooke, and Del Shannon had their biggest hits in the early '60s.

Chuck Berry; Elvis Presley; Bo Diddley

"Oldies" schmoldies. Record bins and radio hacks segregate Rock (counterculture '60s artists who kept having hits, plus) from Oldies, the elders and also-rans. Another false border to be ignored. A generation gap? No, more fairly, society and culture were like an extended family with growing pains.

To on-air DJ's, songs were disposable; Hits today, "Oldies" tomorrow played as filler and requests. There were no compilations yet, no record chains with catalog albums, no archivists or critics, no belief in Rock as more than a fad. To jaundiced eyes in 1964, The Beatles were just a new fad to replace Elvis.

But to sharper ears, they were proof that Rock was truly worldwide and now permanent. And that repression was losing.

Eros magazine>, Summer 1962,
photo essay by Richard Hattersley

𝟮
Rock became permanent:
borderless, fluid, and adaptive.

Meanwhile acolytes in every nation sawed through covers into clones into originals to find themselves. This is how the creative cycle always works: walking in previous shoes to find your own tread. Parents, child. Two cool things make a new cool thing. Tradition can become a calcified ritual that excludes, but true creativity thrives in fluid combinations that birth new options.

Rock may have seemed to explode spontaneously from the United States, but it was inherently a world artform. The USA isn't really a singular nation, it is the notion of all nations in one place. At its best it is a dialogue of all voices. American Rock'n'Roll was thus made of many sounds that had come from many places: its source musics can be traced back to Ireland, England, Africa, Arabia, Mexico, the Caribbean, etc.

"Beat Girl" (1960) by John Barry;
"Ek Phool Char Kante" (Bollywood 1960); Los Llopis

"People have divergent life histories, different shared experiences with distinctive ways of relating to these differences. We all have a worldview, and we all share our worldview with others with similar experiences. We have culture."
-Robert Wald Sussman,
author "The Myth of Race"> (2014)


It's sometimes said we get our sense of the beat from remembering our mother's heart in the womb. It is the primal link on the subliminal level for all of us. Creativity itself is about communal resonance and response. Pssst! The big secret is... there are no borders between people, there is only common experience and recognition. And true hearts will always hear connection and respond unhindered by any false divisions.

You see, the robo-narrative about Rock'n'Roll is wrong.

It's wrong in its limited scope and false conflicts. Rock'n'Roll isn't just Country and Blues, it sources myriad other musics, as well. Rock'n'Roll isn't two alien races of 'white' versus 'black', but instead is just unique persons feeling the same feeling and sharing it.

(The short: humans are one race > >, there are no races >, it all comes down to your character and actions, adult up and sort it, let's go forward together, next.)

Now that that's solved, here's the core truth: you're an individual, and you respond strongly to something because you are that thing. That sound, that concept, that lover, that outlook, that feeling that moves you... it's not something you just imitate, it's recognition of something you already are, and it's giving you the permission to come forward and join in. While dummies cause real harm over false differences, sharp souls are working together to make a better day.

You start by singing each other's songs.

Nicole Paquin; Los Locos del Ritmo; Roy Orbison

The original Rock'n'Roll is a spiritual alphabet, a sonic Rosetta Stone regardless of the tongue.

So no more borders, no exclusion, no segregation, no gender, no skin, no more constraints. Which is why pompadours and suede shoes quickly swiveled in Sweden (Sven-Ingvars, The Noise Men), Spain (Kurt Savoy, Los Pekenikes), France (Amy Anahid, Les Chats Sauvages, Nicole Paquin), Germany (Rene Kollo), Poland (Niebiesko-Czarni), Canada (Les Nautique, Les Shadols, Les Ingenues), New Zealand (Ivor Fisher), and Japan (Hibari Misora, Kikayo Moriyama, Yasushi Suzuki).

Indorock: The Javalins; The Tielman Brothers; The Twangies

Mexico was one of the quickest to lock onto Rock and roll it over with Los LLopis, Freddy Fender, Los Locos del Ritmo, Rosie and The Originals, and Los Apson. In the Netherlands, Indonesian immigrants embraced Rock and first popularized it with Indorock bands like The Tielman Brothers, The Rockin' Blacks, and The Blue Diamonds. On Bollywood's screens, actor Sunil Dutt pantomimed mock Rock sung by Mohammed Rafi or Iqbal Singh. In Jamaica, Laurel Aitken's attempts at island R'n'B rapidly morphed into the first Ska records.

And in England, John Barry, Johnny Kidd and The Pirates, and Helen Shapiro set the stage for some guys from Liverpool once called 'The Beat Brothers' who were about to beat all.> (Ba-dump-bump.)

Little Richard meets The Beatles
and the Liverpool doo wop group, The Chants

𝟯
Styles evolved.

Rock'n'Roll was already a broad palette to start with. But new artists mixed primary colors into secondaries, countered with complements, negated with neutrals, collaged it, painted over it, repurposed it.

The Gospel harmonies romping in Doo Wop rebomped in Girl Groups> and Motown troupes, in The Beach Boys and The Mamas And The Papas, in The Chants (Liverpool) and Sly And The Family Stone>.

Sly And The Family Stone

Cajun and New Orleans songs led to the funkiness> of The Meters and Dr. John, and the swampiness of Bobbie Gentry and Tony Joe White.

The string arrangements of Buddy Holly, The Platters, and torch standards led to the lush productions of Phil Spector, Charles Stepney, and David Axelrod, and to mature albums like "Pet Sounds", "Sgt. Pepper">, "Days of Future Past", and "Forever Changes".

Bebop and Folk and world musics led to Psychedelia>.

You can make a game (or playlists) out of all the Soul> vocalists influenced directly by Little Richard, Mahalia Jackson, Hank Williams, Jackie Wilson, Ray Charles, or Sam Cooke.

And of course, as Dr. King knew, Thesis and Antithesis still always lead to Synthesis anyway. Dylan and others had first countered Rock with Folk for its austere rawness and adult depth. But anyone listening to multiple things will combine them, and so came The Byrds, The Chambers Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Band, and Fairport Convention.

So the Fifties wave naturally churned up new currents, but with all this turnover, the source undercurrent still remained. As the attached music player proves, the original styles -Rockabilly, Rhythm'n'Blues, Blues, Honky Tonk, Doo Wop, Cajun, Mambo, etc.- still echoed directly in set lists, albums, and transistors worldwide. Initially, as the hit style (early-'60s), then as standards (mid-'60s), then as spoof (latter-'60s), and ultimately as a restart revival (1969).

Chuck Berry, Fillmore West,
by Greg Irons (1969)

𝟰
All movements were underscored
by the original Rock'n'Roll.

An idea, a movement, a philosophy, a genre are perennials: they seed into a tree with branches. The leaves may shed but the tree always remains, growing. Rock is Yggdrasil.

As soon as Rock'n'Roll found its way, it was a Genre, a perennial like Classical and Jazz that would outlast fleeting seasons or flighty masses or lazy journos. It is an idea that will always trigger new ideas, eternal. Beyond borders, eras, trends, or ignorance.

This is why dismissive (and insecure) buzzwords like retro, outmoded, period, quaint, fossil, or Oldies are so essentially clueless and laughable. Quality is timeless and ever-present, regardless of whether shallow trendchasers, flits, and snarks miss this distinction.

The original 1950's Rock'n'Roll could never really go away. It was everywhere in the '60s from the start, reflected in every local cover set ("Louie Louie">), Surf solo (Chuck Berry>), Brit harmony (Everly Brothers), danceclub beat (Bo Diddley>), Garage shout (Little Richard>), Boogie pound (Jerry Lee Lewis), Soul vamp (Ray Charles), Blues moan (Howlin' Wolf), or mic swagger (Elvis Presley). The first youth of Rock were weaned on it, first walked with it, made out to it, got in trouble over it, crowded together with it, expanded it.

Barbara Lynn; Takeshi Terauchi; Dean Carter

Rock'n'Roll divined musicians to dig its roots. While Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed>, and Barbara Lynn carried the Blues torch, new upstarts like Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, Taj Majal, and Bonnie Raitt picked it up. In England, purists like Alexis Corner, John Mayall, and Judy Roderick presaged The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Animals, and The Bluesbreakers. Dylan responded to this cross-Atlantic ricochet by "Bringing It All Back Home" when he went electric.

Rock'n'Roll stretched music into new branches. The guitar instrumentals of Link Wray and Duane Eddy led to virtuosos like The Shadows, Lonnie Mack, Takeshi Terauchi, and Travis Wammick. The Ventures led to Dick Dale led to Surf and Drag songs. In Seattle, The Kingsmen and The Wailers' frat-party rock -like Little Richard belting with Chuck Berry blazing- led to The Sonics and Garage Rock. [More directly, listen to the ferocious Bunker Hill's "The Girl Can't Dance" (1962), backed by Link Wray.] Ray Charles led to Stax, "Money" led to Motown, Hank Williams led to Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, Howlin' Wolf blues led to Captain Beefheart artnoize.

Like Altman, the dialogue began to overlap. By the latter '60s, Dean Carter had one shoe in Rockabilly and the other in Garage Rock. The Beatles' "Lady Madonna" homaged Fats Domino so well that he sang it back. Del Shannon went psychedelic. Dion and Bobby Darin went singer/songwriter. Chess Records paired Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf with acidheads and blues-rockers, to their initial chagrin but fatter wallets. Charlie Rich sang Soul. Miles Davis brewed Fusion. Elvis came back and got social. "HAIR" did everything all at once, on Broadway, no less.

The Sonics; The Outcast (Japan); The Flamin' Groovies

But no matter how far you get from home you always remember the hearth. The stellar Psychedelia by Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and Steve Miller was underscored by the Blues of all before them. The Blues Rock of The Who, Janis Joplin, Steppenwolf, and Mother Earth reflected kindreds Etta James, Koko Taylor, and Albert King, who they were on touring circuits with. The common experience of Rock between artists and between audiences was all-inclusive, a journey of mentors and heirs exploring tributaries off the same path.

A shared dream based on rebel instincts.

The first Toronto Rock'n'Roll Revival festival, 1969

𝟱
And so it came back again.

Bill Graham insisted on seasoned pros headlining with new acts in his Fillmore concerts. This familial outlook helped inspire Rock Revival festivals that brought Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, and Big Mama Thornton to counterculture crowds. By 1969, original-style Rock'n'Roll went from winking nostalgia ("Back In the U.S.S.R.", "Oh Darling", "Come Together") or muggy pastiche (Ruben and The Jets, Sha Na Na) to full-throttle revival (MC5, Flamin' Groovies).

Its 'return' would lead to Glam Rock, Pub Rock, Punk, movies, TV shows, Broadway, and more in the 1970s...


Next:
▶ 1950s Rock, B: The '70s Disciples




© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• Revolution 1950s: The Big Damn Bang of Rock'n'Roll!

• 1950s PUNK: Sex, Thugs, and Rock'n'Roll!

• CHUCK BERRY: The Guitar God and His Disciples

• BO DIDDLEY: The Rhythm King and His Disciples

• BUDDY HOLLY: Rock's Everyman and His Disciples

• LITTLE RICHARD: The Voice of Rock and His Disciples

• JIMMY REED: The Groover of Rock, From Motown To Sesame Street



• 1950s Rock, B: The '70s Disciples

• 1950s Rock, C: The '80s Disciples

• 1950s Rock, D: The '90s Disciples

• 1950s Rock, E: The 2000s disciples

• 1950s Rock, E: The 2010s disciples



• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: A Manifesto, A Handy Checklist

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