# \*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:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/41 "2005-05-04T03:37:02Z")
And for something a little newer: **The White Stripes** - pick between _White Blood Cells, De Stijl,_ or _Elephant_. Gotta have a Van Halen disc in there. And hell, let’s throw in _Street Survivors_ by **Lynyrd Skynyrd**. And _Appetite for Destruction_ is an absolute must. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/42 "2005-05-04T04:16:29Z")
Tori Amos — Boys For Pele Yes — Keys to Ascension Jane’s Addiction — Nothing Shocking Styx — The Grand Illusion Kansas —‚ Leftoverture (hey, by page 3 there’s no point in nominating what other folks have already acclaimed. OK, OK, the list has to have Physical Graffiti and Who’s Next. All right, Led Zep IV also. but you knew that) Can we just acknowledge that no one wants to be confined to 5 albums, and start talking about what belongs in the top 15? Oh, and Pink Floyd — Obscured by Clouds and Melissa Etheridge — Yes I Am and Julieta Venegas belongs in there, but no particular album and Jefferson Airplane — Surrealistic Pillow, can’t forget your roots, folks and The Watch — Vaccuum. go check it out… and Pink Floyd — Wish You Were Here not to mention Queen — A Night at the Opera & how about U2 — The Joshua Tree… and Pink Floyd — The Wall… ---
**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, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/43 "2005-05-04T05:24:20Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Oh, and Pink Floyd — Obscured by Clouds Well, you definitely want to have your stereo turned up loud for the beginning of track 2… And it’s the second best music of any Floyd (the 3rd best is Final Cut!) ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/44 "2005-05-04T05:47:48Z")
Who’s Next has to be #1. After that a bunch of others, mostly already mentioned, but I’ll add: **Damn Yankees** by Damn Yankees Crank it up! ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/45 "2005-05-04T06:09:53Z")
Whoa, how’d I miss this thread? Besides my **obvious** choices, I choose AC/DC’s Back in Black. I don’t really listen to Led Zep, (please don’t kill me), but I will check them out tomorrow. I’ve heard good things. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/46 "2005-05-04T06:24:51Z")
I don’t want to hijack this thread like your Beatles thread was with semantic debates, but I do have to say that most of the music listed here I’d call “rock” rather than “rock & roll” - it’s a useful distinction in my mind, but I guess it probably doesn’t matter to most people. Anyway, since most “classic rock” bores me stiff, the albums I crank up and scream along to are: **Hüsker Dü** - New Day Rising **The Replacements** - Pleased To Meet Me **The Clash** - The Clash **Gang Of Four** - Entertainment! **Buzzcocks** - Singles Going Steady Kinda surprised by how many people picked _Who’s Next_ as a rocking album - aside from “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, most of it seems pretty mellow to me. Their 60s stuff was a lot more aggressive. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/47 "2005-05-04T08:56:16Z")
What is all this talk of entire albums? No single album is full of decent driving tracks anyhow. No. What you want is one single song on infinite repeat. And that is: **Roadrunner** by Jonathan Richman. Throw in Motorhead’s **Ace of Spades** when you need to do some overtaking. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/48 "2005-05-04T09:12:13Z")
In A Gadda Da Vida- Iron Butterfly Woodstock (the album) Cosmos Factory - CCR Pearl - Janis Joplin The White Album- Beatles Not saying they were the best, just that they were essential to own. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/49 "2005-05-04T10:08:50Z")
In no particular order… Deep Purple: In Rock The Clash: London Calling Rainbow: Rising The Replacements: Pleased To Meet Me The Who: Live At Leeds ---
**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, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/50 "2005-05-04T11:58:16Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > …and Jefferson Airplane — Surrealistic Pillow, can’t forget your roots, folks… Thought very seriously about putting that on my list – but my favorite song from that is “My Best Friend,” which … anyway. And, yeah, **woodstockbirdybird** , you’re absolutely right about the fact that we’re talking hard rock here. My bad. And from thems as have mentioned Janis – if I’d gone to 10 albums, _Pearl_ absolutely would have been on the list. ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/51 "2005-05-04T12:18:00Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > I’ve got to say, I’m tickled to death to see so many votes for _Who’s Next_. > > I know I’ve mentioned this way too many times in one thread or another – but the first rock concert I ever saw, 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. **Twickster**. I caught the same tour, but at the Winterland in San Francisco! This one was memorable for two events: Roger Daltry spinning the mike around his head, getting it wrapped around his neck and clocking him in the side of the face… AND… Keith Moon passing out behind his drum set and the Who inviting a guy from the crowd to finish the set with some extended jams. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/52 "2005-05-04T12:19:44Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > And for something a little newer: > > **The White Stripes** - pick between _White Blood Cells, De Stijl,_ or _Elephant_. > > . **Sam Stone** You’re not alone, check out post #32. 🙂 No doubt I show my age in saying this, but despite the different categories and sub-categories of music which have long existed, I remember all popular music of the younger generation being referred to as"rock 'n roll." I mean, rockabilly, hard rock, glam rock, heavy metal, punk etc etc would be separately identified, but didn’t the expression “rock 'n roll” kinda/sorta encompass all that? That expression “sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll” wasn’t just for Mick Jagger types. (Or Keith Moon!) ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223/53 "2005-05-04T22:58:35Z")
> [@Caprese](#): > > No doubt I show my age in saying this, but despite the different categories and sub-categories of music which have long existed, I remember all popular music of the younger generation being referred to as"rock 'n roll." > I mean, rockabilly, hard rock, glam rock, heavy metal, punk etc etc would be separately identified, but didn’t the expression “rock 'n roll” kinda/sorta encompass all that? Sadly, the “roll” part seems to have all but vanished, with the honourable exception of AC/DC: _Stiff Upper Lip_ positively _swings_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-is-rock-n-roll/302223.md?page=2)