October 9, 2013
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A Musical Primer
Who will teach the teenagers of today the difference between good music and bleh music?
Robbie Robertson, the seminal guitarist of The Band, wrote a very fine book, Legends, Icons & Rebels, with accompanying CD, that lists twenty-seven essential masters of Rock and Jazz.
You owe it to yourself to hear these tunes if you haven't already.
1. Chuck Berry Johnny B. Goode
2. Johnny Cash Get Rhythm
3. Aretha Franklin I Say a Little Prayer
4. The Beatles Here Comes the Sun
6. Bob Marley Three Little Birds
5. Louis Armstrong What a Wonderful World
7. Buddy Holly Peggy Sue
8. Joni Mitchell The Circle Game
9. Ray Charles & The Raelettes Hit the Road Jack
10. Elvis Presley Hound Dog
11. Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions People Get Ready
12. Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off
13. Little Richard Lucille
14. Hank Williams Jambalaya (On the Bayou)
15. Frank Sinatra Fly Me to the Moon
16. Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through the Grapevine
17. Sam Cooke Wonderful World
18. Carole King So Far Away
19. Louis Jordan Caldonia
20. The Beach Boys In My Room
21. Ella Fitzgerald A-Tisket, A-Tasket
22. James Brown I Got You (I Feel Good)
23. Patsy Cline Crazy
24. Otis Redding That’s How Strong My Love Is
25. Nat King Cole It’s Only a Paper Moon
26. Stevie Wonder Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours
27. Bob Dylan Forever YoungWhich tunes surprised you? What is omitted?
Comments (19)
Old guy.
My Dad played a lot of Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash.
I shall have to take your list and start listening!
HUGS!!!
RYC: We should pitch a movie. Xanga Games; starring Rober Deniro as "Xanga" and Morgan Freeman as "The Overseer."
Great list. I like Otis Redding's Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. Jose Feliciano's Abraham, Martin and John----maybe that doesn't go with the list, but I love it.
Oh, yeah, I read in this month's AARP magazine that Joni Mitchell turned 70 this month!
@whyzat - it's a respectable list of artists, but I agree, they're not all singing their best song. For Joni Mitchell I prefer California, for Dylan Subterranean Lovesick Blues, for Billie Strange Fruit. And it goes on.
@adamswomanback - @PrincessPowers - Some of the choices seem bland. I think Robbie Robertson is making the point that before there was Patsy Cline, there was nobody. Patti Page? yawn. Before Hank Williams, nobody. Roy Acuff maybe? yawn.
They are all outstanding composers. I just noticed that.
With the possible exception of Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, they wrote timeless songs.
I have no exclusions to report. The whole subject is as subjective as any imaginable. lists can be made by record sales, years of 'service' the profundity of their personna's 'newness', or even 'What I was doing, OMG, when I first heard this song.'
I think that, like in chess, where bad moves can be more easily proven bad than good ones good, it would be easier, and even more fun, to list the ^least^ contributory artists. Any decent elevator will do to prod the memory.
@jsolberg - The Rolling Stones, Howlin Wolf, Jimi Hendrix, and David Bowie can also be mentioned -- and holy crap -- they are all old guys. I mean half a lifetime ago. Remember how we used to smirk when our parents were "hep" to our music? We are the dinosaurs now.
our kids thanks us often for making them listen to classic rock...Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Allman Brothers, Joe Walsh, the Doobie Brothers, Crosby Stills Nash and Young...we are soul dinosaurs =)
Soul dinosaurs . . . . . . . are you reading this @PrincessPowers ?
With so much good music available, I'm always astounded that my neighbors choose to play bleh "music" at top volume. Life is too short to read bad books and listen to mediocre music.
Good point! All of these tunes are readily available in Youtube, so there is no reason not to listen to them.
Sorry, I wasn't listening. I can't translate old guy speak.
(Face to Face, John Lee Hooker - should have been included. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXgdz23QQhg )
Sad, sad little twerp.
You deny my submission?
Oh. You deny everything. Dur.
I would add something by CSNY which mlbscga already mentioned, and Fleetwood Mac. The Stones you mentioned, but no one mentioned the amazing Eric Clapton.
Oh and I think the Mama's and the Papa's deserve a little recognition for their contribution to my generations interpretation of music.
@Aloysius_son - There are no wrong answers.
Think about Robertson's musical education in the 1950s. He started playing rock-a-billy with Ronnie Hawkins in Ontario. Then Levon Helm took him on a roots odyssey in the south, where they studied all the pieces that make up American music. Robertson is showing you the work that went into his career as a first class guitarist/composer.
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