# \*That\* Is Rock 'n' Roll! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 3, 2005, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223 "2005-05-03T13:34:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Unkempt\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Unkempt\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Unkempt_One)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/21 "2005-05-03T18:38:47Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > My five in random order… > > Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs…Derek and the Dominoes I had a hard time deciding between Layla and Disraeli Gears to represent my Eric Clapton vote. I think that Layla is one of the most underrated and under appreciated albums of all time. It is in my CD player at least once a week. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/22 "2005-05-03T18:43:07Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Hey Hey, My My was the only one off RNS that really spoke to me. With Harvest I think Old Man alone makes it a classic. Then you add The Needle and the Damage Done, Harvest, A Man Needs a Maid and Heart of Gold. That’s pretty stout. > > As mentioned though with Decade you also get Cinnamon Girl, Down By The River, Mr. Soul, I Am A Child, Broken Arrow, Sugar Mountain, The Loner, Cowgirl In The Sand, After The Gold Rush, Southern Man, Walk On, Long May You Run and Ohio and dang… I’m happy for hours on end with this’n. I agree whole-heartedly that “Harvest” is a great album, I just think it lacks the crunch that the OP is looking for - it’s a little too Nashville in that regard. That’s why I picked RNS. “Decade” certainly works, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/23 "2005-05-03T18:46:34Z")
Queen’s _Flash Gordon_ soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/24 "2005-05-03T19:04:02Z")
Yep, **plnnr** , we’re singin’ from the same hymnal. **Twickster** , Who Are You is my daughter’s absolute favorite song. Whenever it comes on she’ll bolt up and start dancing. If it doesn’t come on by itself, she’ll ask for “The Who Song” and she and daddy’ll both dance. She’s four and a half. ---
**Author:** ![gaucho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@gaucho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaucho)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/25 "2005-05-03T19:09:43Z")
Cheap Trick- Live at Budokan ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/26 "2005-05-03T19:13:24Z")
(btw, **gaucho** – are you a UCSB student/alum? **TwoTrouts** and I both went there in the '70s.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/27 "2005-05-03T21:05:11Z")
Gotta throw in a vote for the old school here: **Chuck Berry** - _Chuck Berry is on Top_ ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/28 "2005-05-03T21:23:51Z")
Sounds like fun - The Who - Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy Ramones - Road to Ruin Metallica - Kill 'Em All The Clash - The Clash Nashville Pussy - Let Them Eat Pussy ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/29 "2005-05-03T21:55:47Z")
This is way too big a topic to name just five so I am going to start by listing my favorites for the period of early rock (~1954 to the Present): [ul] [li]Elvis Presley - The Sun Sessions[/li][li]Chuck Berry - The Great Twenty Eight[/li][li]Ray Charles - Man & His Soul[/li][li]Fats Domino - Greatest Hits on United Artists[/li][li]Million Dollar Quartet - while there isn’t a lot of music and it’s pretty crude, the presence of Presley, Cash, Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis together is an incredible collection of talent. [/li][/ul] Also note that my references are to actual LP’s that I’m sure are no longer available except for the last listing which constitutes some 4 known songs. Sam Phillips sold Presley’s contract because, in part, he saw limited resources to simultaneously nurture Presley, Cash and Perkins and at the time Presley had the most value. Don’t forget that Roy Orbison was also waiting in the wings at Sun Records. ---
**Author:** ![Watcher\_of\_the\_Skies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@Watcher\_of\_the\_Skies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Watcher_of_the_Skies)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/30 "2005-05-03T22:04:17Z")
Hey **Twickster** , it’s been way too long. I’m right there with you on three of your five. For pure rock exhilaration, you can’t beat: **1. The Who - Live at Leeds.** You must hear the two disc Deluxe Edition which restores the complete concert including Tommy in its entirety with the most amazing sound quality you’ll ever hear. This is my definition of rock at its best. **2. The Who - Who’s Next.** Again, if you don’t already have it, run to get the two disc Deluxe Edition which contains on disc 1, the original album in best ever sound, followed by six tracks from an earlier recording session - the sound is great and it’s really cool to hear different takes on these familiar songs. Disc 2 gives you a complete live performance recorded during the time they were making **Who’s Next**. The book that comes with this package gives a complete history of the whole period. This is the definitive release. I should add here that commercial radio totally burned me out on the Who from the 70’s to the 90’s and it was these Deluxe Editions that freed me to finally appreciate this music again. **3. Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers.** This is almost a toss-up with **Let It Bleed** but I’ll go with you on this one. Do you remember the vinyl single of “Brown Sugar” with “Bitch” on the other side? Ahh the good old days. **4. Allman Brothers Band - Live at the Fillmore.** Another slice of pure rock at its finest. The twin guitar attack of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts has only ever been equalled by the current Allman’s lineup of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. The current Allman Brothers Band has a number of recent concert recordings available for sale at their website, and they are amazingly on par with **Live at the Fillmore**. **5. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run.** It’s hard to pick a single best Springsteen record, but this album was perfection in its entirety. Last year WXPN in Philadelphia polled their listenership to compile the 885 greatest songs of all time, and “Thunder Road” came in at #1 for good reason. Get ready for a 30th anniversary (yikes, 30 years!) reissue coming this summer which will blow the doors off. I have it on good authority that it will contain not one but two bonus dvds; one with a complete concert recorded in 1975 at the time **Born to Run** was released and a second dvd with the usual making-of documentaries, interviews, and so forth. It’s a good thing we’re only choosing five because I could go on all day. We didn’t even get to Cream, Led Zeppelin (why did the British bands have such a lock on great rock music?), Creedence Clearwater Revival, etc. P.S. I think the Beatles had it covered both ways, excelling at both rock and pop, their music representing a synthesis of both. ---
**Author:** ![gaucho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@gaucho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaucho)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/31 "2005-05-03T22:07:19Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > (btw, **gaucho** – are you a UCSB student/alum? **TwoTrouts** and I both went there in the '70s.) No, I’m not. Is your sports team “The Gauchos”? ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/32 "2005-05-03T22:16:38Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > , when I was just a wee twickster, was the Who, the Who’s Next tour, in San Diego, when I was in high school. > > Sometimes one’s own life is just way too cool. heh Yup. The Who were not my first concert, but I was 16 when I first saw them, in 1970, at Mammoth Gardens here in Denver, and I got to shake hands with Pete Townshend. Like **Gaffer,** my list could be 5 different choices tomorrow (except for Rust Never Sleeps; I think that one is permanent). Five “Play This Record Loud” Faves (no particular order): **Let It Bleed** - Stones **Rust Never Sleeps** - Neil Young **De Stijl** - White Stripes **Californication** Red Hot Chili Peppers **Live At Leeds** The Who ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/33 "2005-05-03T23:08:13Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > No love for Ozzy and the boys? > > _Black Sabbath_ and _Paranoid_ are arguably the two most essential early 70s rock recordings, and no list of the best rock albums is complete without at least one of those. I dunno, I debated listing them, but oddly enough, even though “This Year’s Model” is softer, relatively speaking, than “Black Sabbath”, their debut album is loud enough as it is and thus doesnt benefit as much from turning the music way up on a country drive (I’ll take shouting along full volume to “No Action” versus “The Wizard” and day.) ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/34 "2005-05-03T23:54:13Z")
We’re Only In It For The Money - Zappa & The Mothers of Invention Black Sabbath - Volume 4 Tom Waits - Rain Dogs Radiohead - OK Computer Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/35 "2005-05-04T00:08:26Z")
Hey, John, we know your aversion to all things Floydian 😛 – it’s just that, “Nile Song” and “Dirty Woman” aside – Pink Floyd don’t _rock_ as much as the aforementioned bands. They are certainly, just for The Wall alone, the best musicians **ever** to set foot on the planet. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/36 "2005-05-04T00:10:22Z")
Okay, in my inebriatd state I _totally_ forgot to address that last post as “Not now, John”, rather than “Hey, John” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/37 "2005-05-04T00:18:47Z")
John Mayall - Turning Point, tops the list because “Room to Move” is the best rock 'n roll song, _ever_. Doors - L.A. Woman Led Zepplin II Jethro Tull - Stand Up Janis Joplin - Cheap Thrills ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/38 "2005-05-04T02:22:10Z")
Hey **Watcher**! I think of you every time I see a waffle – which isn’t all that often, come to think of it. 😉 Good to see you. I see your point on Springsteen – but would go with **RealityChuck** ’s choice of _The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle_. And I’ll check out your Allman Bros. recommendations – because it’s hard to believe anything could be as good as that album. **koeeoaddi** – good call on the John Mayall. I haven’t thought of that song in years. **Caprese** – had to one-up me, didn’t you? 😛 I’m in awe. Let me touch the monitor that holds the words typed by the hand that 35 years ago touched the hand of the man who wrote what is by the preponderance of the votes the best rock album ever. 😃 And **gaucho** – yup, UCSB is the home of the Gauchos. Not as cool as Santa Cruz’s Banana Slugs or Irvine’s Anteaters, but it’s what we’re stuck with. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/39 "2005-05-04T02:35:54Z")
Frampton Comes Alive - Peter Frampton Ted Nugent - Ted Nugent Van Halen - Van Halen Deep Purple - Made In Japan Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/40 "2005-05-04T03:34:38Z")
All these responses and no one’s voted for **Deep Purple - Machine Head**? Nobody gonna take my car I’m gonna race it to the ground Nobody gonna beat my car It’s gonna break the speed of sound Oh it’s a killing machine It’s got everything Like a driving power Big fat tyres and everything I love it and I need it, I bleed it Yeah it’s a wild hurricane Alright hold tight, I’m a highway star It’s even about driving! One of my favorite memories is when one of my best friends and I bumped hands when both trying to turn up the the car stereo for Amazing Journey/Sparks off **Live at Leeds** , about 6:15 in, I think, if anyone cares. I have to make mention of **Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks** , a personal assortment of **Social Distortion** , **George Thorogood** , and my obscure classic, **Crucified - Pillars of Humanity** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223.md?page=3)