Some irrefutable truths about rock and roll


1) Robert Johnson invented rock and roll, and is the rightful King of it. Elvis Presley's title should be amended to "Poster Boy of Early Rock and Roll."

2) Jeff Buckley's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is infinitely better than the Rufus Wainwright version and is the definitive version of the song.

3) The Rolling Stones were and are the most overrated band in the history of rock and roll.

4) If it's too loud you are, indeed, too old.

5) The Stone Roses' self-titled debut is the best debut album ever in the history of ever.

6) John Mayer needs to stop that right now.

7) A good song is a good song, whether it's played on an Audiovox tape deck and a single factory speaker in a 1976 Buick Skylark or a complete Linn Klimax system.

8) A couple of Les Pauls, a Fender Precision bass, and a decent set of drums sound every bit as good as the most disciplined orchestra.

9) There is absolutely nothing wrong with having the occasional urge to crank "Hungry Like the Wolf" from time to time, so long as it doesn't become a habit.

Did I forget anything?

*yes, I realize everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, and this is meant to be tongue-in-cheek.
theraiguy
Good point, Timrhu. The later Beatles stuff is much better that their early music.
If you're going to compare Pink Floyd to the Beatles, which is ludicrous to begin with, then you must compare them at similiar stages in their evolution.

For example, comparing "Eight Days a Week" to material from "Meddle" forward is really dumb. That's like equating "Arnold Layne" to material from "Abbey Road"

You don't think the Beatles are the greatest ever? That's your opinion but it goes against the grain of folks who know music, most notably the preponderance of major rock musicians and artists themselves.
Most influentual - and 'greatest ever' from that point of view - yes, but I don't like the Beatles.

(I feel exactly the same about Mozart. Endless gushing about how great the Beatles and Mozart are in their genres when I dislike both makes the dislike stronger.)

My quip about the Beatles near the beginning of this thread was mainly a joke - in similar vein to "Which Bond: Connery or Moore"....
Three Dog Night. Top 40 hit machines. Rock or pop? Does it matter?

Great recordings of some great songs by some legendary writers. Why do their CDs sound so good these days when I seem to recall most of their records sounded crappy back in their day?
Hmm, I never considered singing "Comfortably Numb" or "Echoes" to my kids instead of "Hello Goodbye" " All You Need Is Love" or even "Bad Boy" when they were little......