(This is just the beginning. I'll be adding more, as I make the CDs.)
Suggestions for listening:Some of you may know some of these songs very well. Don’t take them for granted. Listen carefully.
Listen for instrumentation. What instruments are playing? Standard rock instruments are guitars (acoustic or electric), bass, drums, leyboard (in this era, always a piano), and sax. Not all songs have all these instruments, though. And some songs have instruments not always found in rock. The rhythm section—bass and drums—is the backbone of nearly every rock song. What kind of beat are they playing? Do the songs have the same beats, or different beats?
The singers vary all over the map. They sing in many styles, including blues, country music, so-called "standard" pop (the sweeter, more lyrical singing style of pop music before rock), and even jazz. Their emotional tone varies, too. What’s their message? Don’t assume the lyrics tell the whole story. Imagine the singers were singing each song directly to you. How would they make you feel? Listen to backup singers, in addition to the lead voice. What are they singing? What’s their relationship to the lead voice?
Finally, what’s the overall sound of each song? Do the songs sound the same, or different? If they sound different, how would you describe the differences? (To some extent, there’s standard rock & roll terminology for this, but don’t worry if you don’t know if. Just find your own words.)
About the numbers in parentheses …one way rock professionals keep track of rock history is by using the pop charts. Which songs were big hits, and which weren’t? Each week, trade publications in pop music list the top 100 songs, as determined by a combination of how many records of the song are sold, and how often the song is played on the radio. Anything in the top 40 is considered a hit. A "single" is a song released individually, in an attempt to make it a hit. An "album track" is a song recorded on an album, but never released as a single. For instance, Elvis, who loved to sing gospel, might record a gospel album. But nobody would expect a gospel song to be a big pop hit, so those songs would never be released as singles.
The Early Days, 1950’s
Bill Haley and His Comets, "Rock Around the Clock" (1955, No. 1)
Fats Domino, "Ain’t It A Shame" (1955, No. 10)
Chuck Berry, "Johnny B. Goode," (1958, no. 8)
Little Richard, "Tutti Frutti" (1956, No. 17)
Elvis Presley,
"That’s All Right" (1954, his first record, a big hit, but only in his home town, Memphis, TN)
"Heartbreak Hotel" (1956, No. 1)
Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (1956, No. 1)
The Cadillacs, "Gloria" (1954, never charted in the top 40)
The Penguins, "Earth Angel" (1954, No. 8)
bonus tracks:
Chuck Berry:
"Memphis" (1958, never charted in the top 40)
"Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" (1956, never charted in the top 40)
Elvis Presley:
"There Will Be Peace in the Valley" (never released as a single)
"No More" (1960, album track, from the soundtrack of Blue Hawaii)