Rock 'n' Roll Music (The Beatles album)

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Rock 'n' Roll Music
Rock 'n' Roll Music cover
Compilation album by The Beatles
Released 7 June 1976 (US)
10 June 1976 (UK)
Recorded Abbey Road 1962–1970
Genre Rock and roll
Length 73:45
Label Capitol SKBO 11537 (US)
Parlophone PCSP 719 (UK)
Producer George Martin
Professional reviews
The Beatles chronology
1967–1970
(1973)		 Rock 'n' Roll Music
(1976)		 The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl
(1977)

Rock 'n' Roll Music is a compilation album by The Beatles that consists of previously released Beatles tracks considered by many to be quintessential "rock and roll". The album was released in June 1976, and, at the time, some in the media speculated that the album was released to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the first meeting between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. If that was indeed the intention, EMI miscalculated, as the two actually first met in July 1957. The title, "Rock 'n' Roll Music", presumably comes from the song of the same title by Chuck Berry, The Beatles' version of which is included on Side Two of the album. The album is primarily made up of cover versions of songs written by significant rock and roll composers of the fifties, including Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Larry Williams, although some notable Lennon-McCartney originals, such as "Drive My Car", "Revolution", and "Get Back" are included on the album. Rock 'n' Roll Music was the first Beatles album to include "I'm Down", which had previously only been available as the B-side of the "Help!" single.

Contents

[edit] Controversial album cover

Controversy surrounded the album's artwork, which featured an embossed colour portrait of The Beatles against a shiny silver background with the album's title spelled out in what is presumed to be neon lights. Despite the fact that The Beatles were a band from the 1960s, icons from the 1950s plastered the inside of the album's gatefold sleeve, including a jukebox, an outdoor movie screen with a picture of Marilyn Monroe, a 1957 Chevrolet, a cheeseburger, and a glass of Coca-Cola. The album cover prompted Beatles drummer Ringo Starr to complain to Rolling Stone Magazine that, "It made us look cheap and we never were cheap. All that Coca-Cola and cars with big fins was the Fifties!" Reportedly, John Lennon even offered to design the record jacket, but EMI declined his offer.[1]

[edit] Views

This album is described as "troubled" by Beatles' producer George Martin in his autobiography, as he was asked by the head of Capitol at the time to approve the tapes they intended to use, and he was "appalled" because they were some of the early twin-track mono tapes they had made and were going to be transferred to stereo for the issue. Instead of approving the album as it was presented to him, Martin remixed five of the songs used on the album: "Twist And Shout", "I Saw Her Standing There", "I Wanna Be Your Man", "Boys" and "Roll Over Beethoven". [2] Also, for some reason the stereo image was reversed on all of the tracks. Some of the song editing is haphazard, including the fact that you can hear the opening notes of the song "Dear Prudence" following the track "Back in the USSR."

The Beatles’ Rock n’ Roll Music, Vol. 2, from 1980.
The Beatles’ Rock n’ Roll Music, Vol. 2, from 1980.

[edit] Division

In October 1980, the album was divided into two single albums, and released as budget LPs in both the United States and England. Rock 'n' Roll Music: Volume 1 (US LP: Capitol SN-16020; UK LP: EMI/Music for Pleasure MFP 50506) contained the songs on Sides One and Two of the original album, while Rock 'n' Roll Music" Volume 2 (US LP: Capitol SN-16021; UK LP: EMI/Music for Pleasure MFP 50507) contained the songs on Sides Three and Four. The American edition of the two budget-line albums continued to use the 1976 George Martin remixes that graced the original two-disc set, but the British version of the budget-line albums reverted to the songs' original mixes that were first released in the 1960s. The budget-line albums featured new artwork, centered around a picture of the group circa 1964-65. The US editions of the cover set the group in a crowd, while the British cover eliminated the crowd and placed the group against a stark white background.

[edit] Chart performance and sales

Album sales benefited from a rather significant wave of Beatles nostalgia was taking place during the summer of 1976. Interest in The Beatles was undoubtedly boosted by Paul McCartney's "Wings over America" tour, which crisscrossed the United States and Canada shortly after Rock 'n' Roll Music was released. In addition, sales weren't hurt by the fact that the album included the song, "Helter Skelter," which had been spotlighted in a made-for-television movie on the Manson murders that aired shortly before the album was released. Rock 'n' Roll Music hit #2 on the Billboard chart (funnily knocked-off the top spot by the album Wings at the Speed of Sound) in the US and #10 on the New Musical Express charts in England.

[edit] Singles

In both the United States and Great Britain, Rock 'n' Roll Music was accompanied by a single compiled from songs on the album. The US single (Capitol 4274), which featured "Got to Get You Into My Life" on the A-Side and "Helter Skelter" on the B-Side, hit No. 7 on Billboard. The British single (Parlophone R 6016), which featured "Back in the U.S.S.R." on the A-Side and "Twist and Shout" on the B-Side, hit No. 18 on the New Musical Express chart.

[edit] Track listing

All tracks written by Lennon-McCartney, except where noted.

[edit] Side one

  1. "Twist and Shout" (Medley-Russell)
  2. "I Saw Her Standing There"
  3. "You Can't Do That"
  4. "I Wanna Be Your Man"
  5. "I Call Your Name"
  6. "Boys" (Dixon-Farrell)
  7. "Long Tall Sally" (Johnson/Penniman/Blackwell)

[edit] Side two

  1. "Rock and Roll Music" (Berry)
  2. "Slow Down" (Williams)
  3. Medley: "Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" (Leiber/Stoller)/(Penniman)
  4. "Money (That's What I Want)" (Bradford/Gordy)
  5. "Bad Boy" (Williams)
  6. "Matchbox" (Perkins)
  7. "Roll Over Beethoven" (Berry)

[edit] Side three

  1. "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" (Williams)
  2. "Any Time at All"
  3. "Drive My Car"
  4. "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" (Perkins)
  5. "The Night Before"
  6. "I'm Down"
  7. "Revolution"

[edit] Side four

  1. "Back in the U.S.S.R."
  2. "Helter Skelter"
  3. "Taxman" (Harrison)
  4. "Got to Get You into My Life"
  5. "Hey Bulldog"
  6. "Birthday"
  7. "Get Back" (album version)

[edit] Credits

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[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Ringo Starr's comments to Rolling Stone are quoted in Nicholas Schaffner, The Beatles Forever, (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Cameron House, 1977), 188.
  2. ^ Researched from The Usenet Guide To Beatles Recording Variations
v • d • e
The Beatles' compilations
Bert Kaempfert recordings
(Polydor/Bear Family)
My Bonnie (Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers, Germany, 1962) • The Beatles' First (Germany, 1964 / UK, 1967) • In the Beginning (Circa 1960) (1970) • The Early Tapes of The Beatles (1984) • Beatles Bop - Hamburg Days (2001)
1962–1970 (Parlophone/
Apple/Capitol)
Hits: A Collection of Beatles Oldies (1966) • 1962–1966 (1973) • 1967–1970 (1973) • 20 Greatest Hits (1982) • 1 (2000)

Themes: Rock 'n' Roll Music (1976) • Love Songs (1977) • The Beatles' Ballads (1980) • Reel Music (1982)
Non-album tracks: Hey Jude (US, 1970 / UK, 1979) • Rarities (UK, 1978) • Rarities (US, 1980) • Past Masters, Volume One (1988) • Past Masters, Volume Two (1988)
Alternate versions: Yellow Submarine Songtrack (1999) • Let It Be… Naked (2003)
Other: The Beatles' Christmas Album (US) / From Then to You (UK) (1970) • Love (2006)

Unreleased: Sessions (due date 1985)
Live albums (Parlophone/
Capitol/Lingasong)
Anthology (Parlophone/
Apple/Capitol)
Anthology 1 (1995) • Anthology 2 (1996) • Anthology 3 (1996)
Box sets (Parlophone/
Apple/Capitol)
v • d • e
The Beatles
George Harrison · John Lennon · Paul McCartney · Ringo Starr
Pete Best · Stuart Sutcliffe
Management
Production
Studio albums (U.K.)
Studio albums (U.S.)
EPs
Post-breakup albums
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Videography
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See also