Re: Rock is Rock

["Jeff House" <whocasa@hotmail.com>]

Mark,
First some compliments.  I can't argue with the premise in your subject 
line.  Your logic is sound.

From: "Mark R. Leaman" <mleaman@sccoast.net>
"I saw LS while working backstage for a festival early summer in 1973, 
and...they were fourth rate Allman Brothers."

So what does that make Molly Hatchet?  Eighth rate Allmans?
re The Boss "...but I've not seen a stronger set of albums than from Born To 
Run to Born In The USA from many artists."

Thanks for standing up for Bruce.

"I will agree with you that RnR is originally American. Despite the fact 
that its eventual roots...coming from British minstrel music (as well as 
good ol' homegrown American Blues)."

Correction.  Some of its roots come from British (Irish and other Anglo) 
minstrel music.

"Country music also came from Minstrel music, as well as early Blues (known 
as Country Blues and currently somewhat fashionable due to O Brother Where 
Art Thou). The other side of Blues came, of course, from
Gospel, which came from field slave songs, which came from African songs."

Wow.  You draw some very straight black and white lines in the face of a 
very circular, colorful world.  Blues actually preceded Gospel as the 
Africans brought this basic structure with them and were 'learnt' to be 
Christian later.

"But Rock, the type of music we call Rock..."

By 'we' do you mean all Who fans, or just you and those who agree with you?"

"...(which has its origins in RnR, certainly) was invented, created, sprang 
into existance, when our band The Who recorded the song My Generation."

This is a whopper of Who-fan bias and not true.

"Prior to that, the music by the big bands was all based on Chuck Berry and 
Blues, but this was a brand new animal."

Of course you define 'big bands' and must assume that small bands had no 
influence on anything and do not count, right?

It seems to me that if *you* define ROCK in terms of The Who, then I can see 
where you would say that the Brits created rock.  I think this is some 
pretty biased, faulty reasoning.

I've got two counterpoint heaps of bullshit that refute your line of 
thinking:

1.  Take a little dope.  Walk out in the air.  The stars are all connected 
to the brain...It all looks fine to the naked eye, but it don't really 
happen that way at all.  Think of this logic the next time you're feeling 
toasty.  It might make some sense :-)

Let's assume that you are right, that The Who's MG is the first ROCK song.  
The components of this song (except for the artists places of birth) are all 
American.  The basic structure of the song is simple  sped-up talking blues. 
  (For proof of this, listen to how well it translates to blues on the TKAA 
soundtrack.)  The speed is a product of youth, drugs and urban culture.  The 
drumming style is lifted from the Big Band/Swing lead instrument techniques 
of Gene Krupa, et al.  The guitar line is what would be the bass line in 
standard Chicago-style blues.  The bass line alternates between a standard 
guitar/harp line from blues and the standard blues line.  The lyrical theme 
is straight folk, well-known at the time because of Dylan.  The vocal is an 
unremarkable pop delivery.

Most importantly, the philosophy that these things can be mixed together in 
new and different ways (a musical mutt if you will) is 100% American.  It is 
the philosophical foundation of America.

2.  Now, let me try to head down your historical, analytical, 
accountant-type reasoning and refute the chain of events.  The following 
rock (to my ears) music was released prior to the release of the MG album 
(December 1965 in the UK, early 1964 in the US).  The MG single was released 
November 1965 in the UK:

The Americans:
Dick Dale and the Deltones - 6 albums of surf punk 1962-1965
The Surfaris - single "Wipeout" 1963
The Kingsmen - single "Louie, Louie"  1963
The Byrds - album "Mr Tambourine Man" 1965

The Brits:
The Animals - single "House of the Rising Sun"  1964
The Beatles - movie "Hard Day's Night"  1964
The Kinks - single "You Really Got Me"  1964
The Yardbirds - single "For Your Love"  1965
Stones - single "Satisfaction"  1965

I am sure there is more than this.  It is not in my head at the moment.

How do *you* define ROCK, anyway?

Back to work,
Jeff