How I Learned To Love Rock And Roll

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I have been spending quite a lot of time listening to rock and roll (and other music from the rock and roll 'era' c.late 50s). This was sparked by a sudden and complete infatuation w/"Chantilly Lace" by the Big BOPPER.

So I wanted to ask - what do my fellow Poptimists think about rock and roll? Do you like it? Do you listen to it? How does it stack up next to pop now (or pop from a more recent then)? Is it pop at all? Is it rock? Does the path of listening to rock and roll lead inexorably to the Stray Cats? etc. etc.

Here are some things about rock and roll which relate to other Poptimist concerns:

- The tracks are generally very short.
- They are often quite goofy.
- They sound like they were done very quickly.
- They mostly came out on single.
- There was a hell of a lot of it.
- There are a lot of boys with guitars around.
- Rock and roll is pretty old.
- Chunks of it are very revered.
- It gets revived a lot.

HMMMMMM. Over to you crazy comments box cats!

Comments

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

I quite like the Beatles, yet at this point I find it almost impossible to listen to anything they did before Rubber Soul. Whether this is a function of the production or arrangements of the time, I can't say, but what I'm driving at (obviously, hopefully) is that going even FURTHER back in time is really quite impossible for me. That said, pretty much every revival during my lifetime has spit out a few good songs.

I went through a brief period where I was interested enough in Elvis to get acquainted with the canon, but even this question is enough to make me cringe now.

(I agree with CIS, though, that it's definitely pop.)