Skip to main content

Mansun - Rock 'n' Roll Loser

In a very real sense, rock was implicit in the music of the first Africans brought to North America. It’s an important lineage to acknowledge. Language and culture were the only thing slaves could bring with them from Africa, and their musical rhythms and practices fused with Western religion, giving birth to gospel which begat blues which then begat jazz and rock ‘n roll. That river of song runs so deeply through the collective musical history of the United States and, through its cultural influence, the musical history of the world, it is difficult to map exactly where any of that river’s tributaries begin.

When asked if any amount of evidence can establish a definitive birthplace of rock ‘n roll, Wilder said, I’ve learned the hard way that music and art is subjective, so I guess the answer is no, you can’t really draw a line in the sand. People are going to have opinions, and I’ve always had ‘em!

Whether these are the first rock 'n roll songs, they are definitely rock ‘n roll, a loud collective sound that speaks to the primitive urges in all of us, the you and me against the world that spurred a thousand love affairs, the same rush that makes you rev your engine to the radio, even if it’s just in the Whole Foods parking lot. Rock ‘n roll is Roosevelt Graves hollering Well? after a tumult of rhythm, one person left to be the answer to the world’s clattering question.


Mansun - Rock 'n' Roll Loser
  • Produced by: Richard Rainey and Paul Draper
  • Vocals by: Paul Draper
  • Genre: Rock

"Mansun were initially called Grey Lantern, after DC Comics influenced, but soon changed their name to Manson, after the cult leader Charles Manson. They were noted and sometimes derided for their constantly changing fashion styles."

See previous Song of the Day 

Labels:
Location: United States

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jackson Browne - Kisses Sweeter than Wine

Europe has a rich history of embracing blues and jazz music. In the early 20th century, American jazz musicians began touring Europe, introducing the continent to a new sound that was unlike anything they had ever heard before. Jazz became an instant hit among European audiences, and many European musicians began incorporating jazz elements into their music. Today, jazz festivals are held all over Europe, attracting thousands of fans from all over the world. In addition, many European cities have thriving blues scenes, with local bands and musicians performing regularly. Blues and jazz have also made their way to Asia, where they have found a devoted fan base. Japan, in particular, has a thriving jazz scene, with many Japanese musicians achieving international recognition. In addition, China has also seen a rise in the popularity of jazz music in recent years. Jazz festivals are now held in major Asian cities such as Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, attracting jazz lovers from all over ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Veronica Swift - A Little Taste

There has always been an uncomfortable tension between rhythm and blues and rock and roll, a cyclical influence that vacillates between inspiration, appropriation and separation. Popular music has broken off into categories of rock, pop, country, and R&B, each with their own origin stories. But R&B and rock, usually codified as vastly different, Black and white styles, have long been intertwined in ways our historical memory may have us forget.  Despite the innovation that comes from separation, rock and R&B always find their way back to each other. In recent years, rock veterans have turned to the genre’s classics for inspiration. Queens of the Stone Age veered from their typical hard rock with 2017’s Villains, a dance y album inspired by frontman Josh Homme’s love of 1920s jazz and swing, other Black genres that laid the groundwork for the popular music of today. The whitewashing of rock’s history has oversimplified music’s malleability and silenced the voices of Amer...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cannonball Adderley - Willow Weep for Me

The positivity and uplifting effect of the musical product is more likely to mean the musician is cheering themselves and everybody up rather than that the musician is telling us they are happy. This can largely be applied to attitudes to the performance of jazz and other Black cultures in the Western world. Whilst some of the aforementioned jazz pioneers, like Ella Fitzgerald, stayed clean, several had a history of drug abuse... which often resulted in premature deaths. Louis Armstrong, who used the infinitely safer drug marijuana throughout his 69 years... Whilst drug use was not uncommon among musicians in general, this pattern that many of the greats of jazz died young due to addictions speaks of a consistent level of turmoil, and alludes to their common experience of racism as a depressive factor in 20th Century America. Source: A Soft Reminder of Where Jazz Came From by Tom Platts Cannonball Adderley - Willow Weep for Me Released in: September 1955 Genre: Jazz Label: Savoy "...
Post a Comment
Read more