THE FORMATIVE YEARS PART VI
Greetings all! Last time out, I presented a brief early history of rock music and name-dropped mountains of great tunes while unpacking cherished childhood memories of Detroit rock oldies radio. Good times. Today, I’ll explore how the rock and roll revival that spawned rock oldies radio came to pass and further illustrate how first generation rockers influenced media, culture, and yours truly in the 1970s. Let’s dig in…
BUT I DON’T WANT TO WEAR A PUFFY SHIRT
Rock music progressed at an epic pace between 1954 and 1970; evolving rapidly from fun, unpretentious amalgams of r&b and folk forms into the sophisticated, often trippy musical expansions of the psychedelic era. With this in mind, not everyone was on-board to “face the strange.” The dark, psych-folk of David Bowie; the dazed and confused proto-metal blues of Led Zeppelin; the unsettling sonic dissonance of The Stooges; the pretentious baroque pop of The Moody Blues; the warped, progressive psych pop of Pink Floyd… They were, without a doubt, all too much for folks who viewed such sweeping departures as disingenuous betrayals of the original rock aesthetic. Something had to give.
So, in the late ’60s, two parallel movements consequently bubbled up to bring rock back to center: roots rock and – the topic for the day – the great rock and roll revival.
(Imagined thought bubble belonging to the average early rock “purist” c. 1968: “Where’s the rebellion? Where’s the excitement? Where are the screaming girls? …Is that guy playing a flute? What the hell is a theremin??!!!”)
THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING WILL RETURN IN A MOMENT, BUT FIRST…
My earlier suggestion that the rock and roll revival was merely a response to high psychedelia was misleading. In truth, the invariably cyclical nature of music trends is what ultimately made it happen. Humans are wont to grow nostalgic in response to change – any change. Yes, niches of the fanbase were definitely alienated by six-plus years of mods, nehru jackets, exotic sonic affectations, and concept albums, but that wasn’t the whole story. The revival probably had as much or more to do with the sociopolitical turmoil that gripped the U. S. in the 1960s than anything else.
The civil rights movement; the Cold War and the Space Race; the Cuban Missile Crisis/Bay of Pigs Invasion; the MLK and JFK assassinations; Viet Nam… The U.S. had been involved in continuous, overlapping conflicts since the Korean War and it had taken a serious toll. The collective spirit of the people was accordingly broken by the weight of troubled times. No wonder they were pining hard for the glory days of sock hops, poodle skirts, hot rods, and greased-back pompadours.
Aaaaaaaand we’re on again in 5, 4, 3…
RETURN OF THE KINGS
Starting c. 1968, the rock and roll revival represented a reversal of fortune for first gen acts who lost their audience in Beatlemania‘s wake. Born in ’72, I was late to the revival party, but its impact was hard to miss. The evidence was everywhere. Rock oldies radio did much to bring Gen X-ers such as myself up up to speed, but it was the continued presence and obvious influence of rock’s elder states(persons) that made the biggest difference. Here are but a few prominent high-profile comeback stories…
| GENRE | ARTIST | YEAR | COMEBACK SINGLE | pos* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&B | FATS DOMINO | 1968 | “LADY MADONNA” | #100 |
| COUNTRY | JERRY LEE LEWIS | 1968 | “ANOTHER PLACE, ANOTHER TIME” | #1 COUNTRY |
| FOLK ROCK | DION | 1968 | “ABRAHAM, MARTIN, AND JOHN” | #4 |
| ROCK | ELVIS | 1969 | “SUSPICIOUS MINDS” | #1 |
| R&B | LITTLE RICHARD | 1970 | “FREEDOM BLUES” | #47 |
| rOCK | CHUCK BERRY | 1970 | “MY DING-A-LING” | #1 |
| COUNTRY ROCK | RICK NELSON | 1972 | “GARDEN PARTY” | #6 |
| ROCK | BILL HALEY & THE COMETS | 1974 | “ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK” (RE-RELEASE) | #39 |
| SOFT ROCK | PAUL ANKA | 1974 | “(YOU’RE) HAVING MY BABY” | #1 |
| SOFT ROCK | FRANKIE VALLI | 1974 | “MY EYES ADORED YOU” | #1 |
| SOFT ROCK | NEIL SEDAKA | 1974 | “LAUGHTER IN THE RAIN” | #1 |
| SOUL/DISCO | THE MIRACLES | 1975 | “LOVE MACHINE” | #1 |
| ROCK | CLIFF RICHARD | 1976 | “DEVIL WOMAN” | #6 |
| COUNTRY ROCK | ROY ORBISON | 1980 | “THAT LOVIN’ YOU FEELING AGAIN” (WITH EMMYLOU HARRIS) | #6 COUNTRY |
| ROCK | DEL SHANNON | 1981 | “SEA OF LOVE” | #33 |
| ROCK | THE EVERLY BROTHERS | 1984 | “ON THE WINGS OF A NIGHTINGALE” | #50 |
* PEAK U.S. CHART POSITION according to billboard
YOU NEVER CAN TELL
Chuck Berry‘s popularity didn’t crater immediately when the British Invasion displaced most of his immediate peers. Rather, it was buoyed, if temporarily, by the reverence of artists (The Beatles; Rolling Stones) who frequently covered his work. Even after the hits stopped in ’65, his name still sold tickets – a point not lost on the concert promoters who ultimately sparked the revival.
In 1969, Berry co-headlined the first ever “Rock and Roll Revival” concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden, commencing what became a long, successful run on the burgeoning rock oldies circuit. In the end, it didn’t really matter that Chuck Berry only charted thrice after ’64 because showmanship and a back catalog of timeless tunes ensured that no one would ever forget the “Father of Rock and Roll.”
VIVA LAS ELVIS
Distracted by movie work for several of the immediately preceding years, Elvis Presley resumed his reign as “King of Rock and Roll” with a massively successful 1968 TV concert special. Lucrative tours followed (Las Vegas residency) soon after, as did renewed chart success (“Suspicious Minds”). But the comeback wouldn’t endure; Elvis died from a fatal prescription drug overdose in 1977. He was only 42.
Having no reliable recollection of the living “King,” I can’t claim to have been profoundly affected when he died. I was only 5, myself. In retrospect, any regrets I have on the subject have less to do with “what could’ve been” than how he’s remembered today – not for his talents, but for myriad unfortunate late-career fashion choices. After all Elvis contributed in his lifetime, that’s what people hold on to? Really?? Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer to remember him as he was at the onset of his celebrity: a young, vibrant, tastefully dressed and tressed rockabilly cut-off at the waist by insecure TV producers (ha).
Stay tuned… I’ll be pulling more at this thread later.
FATS IS (KINDA) BACK
Fats Domino’s 1968 comeback LP, Fats Is Back, didn’t exactly restore the “Real King” to his former glories as intended. Domino did the requisite promotional rounds to support the record, but it still “bombed” (industry code for “it sold ok, but not as much as we wanted”). Were lukewarm reviews to blame for the album’s failure? Meh, it didn’t help, but I just think record buyers had moved on. Uninspiring sales notwithstanding, the hoopla surrounding the new album raised public interest enough to net TV appearances and buttress Domino’s status as a live attraction throughout the rock and roll revival and beyond.
RE-BIRTH OF THE BOOGIE
Few founders took the debilitating loss of audience at home, post-British Invasion, harder than bandleader Bill Haley. Trapped overseas by the mid-’60s, playing to audiences a fraction the size of those he once commanded, alcoholism and money troubles were ruining him… And then, seemingly out of nowhere, Haley’s appearances at the first rock and roll revival shows at the ‘Garden in ’69 turned things around. The Comets were, once again, a prime live attraction domestically thanks to the rock oldies circuit.
Then, a few years later, c. 1973-’74, royalties generated from songs licensed for American Graffiti and Happy Days further bolstered the group’s profile by exposing them to younger audiences. Sadly, Haley’s return to glory was cut short after less than a decade; he died tragically from an inoperable brain tumor in February of 1981.
WOULD YOU TAKE ANOTHER CHANCE ON ME?
Jerry Lee Lewis was all but finished after 1958 once news of his marriage to 13-year old (!!!) cousin Myrna became common knowledge. Rock radio largely abandoned him and the primo venues stopped booking him. A few scattered singles sold modestly over the next few years, but nothing too exciting. The stigma of scandal cast a long shadow. For roughly ten years he scuffled, vainly working to find angles back into the public’s good graces until BAM! Something finally worked…
In 1968, Lewis successfully crossed-over to country with the honky tonk-styled ballad “Another Place, Another Time.” Having re-established himself, further dalliances with country audiences soon followed, of course, including more hit singles (“There Must Be More To Love Than This“), and full-lengths (1970’s Old Tyme Country Music). Without delay, American TV warmed again, leading to frequent guest turns on variety programs ranging from The Mike Douglas Show to Hee-Haw.
The highlight of this period, however, has to have been Lewis’ legendary 1973 performance at the Grand Ol’ Opry. Still carrying a grudge against the Nashville establishment that dated back to his first failed efforts to succeed as an aspiring performer, the “Killer” defiantly thumbed his nose at Opry convention; banging-out a 40-minute set that balanced mid-tempo country numbers with heavy doses of rip-snorting rock. Suffice to say, he was banned for life. Good for him!
ENTER THE QUEEN
Little Richard left secular music in 1959 to pursue Christian ministry/gospel performance only to be lured back to rock three years later by concert promoters who recognized his unwavering potency onstage. For good or bad, a lot had changed in the music markets while he was away. Piano rockers went out of vogue and Motown, Tamla, Atlantic, and Stax had emerged as the top labels in r&b. By Richard’s account, all the labels feared his style was too wild for modern (conservative) audiences and tensions arose due to perceived pressure to re-brand as a more conventional soul singer.
Always one to follow his own rebellious muse, Richard tried a new tactic – rather than tone things down, he turned them up to 11! So, starting with his 1969 Las Vegas residency, he enveloped himself in ever more outrageous, often glittery costuming and adopted an overtly “out” stage persona. The move was notable on many fronts… First, as a predictor of glam, he established both the outlandish visual vocabulary for the genre and its ties to vintage rock and roll. Secondly, Richard’s amped-up androgyny added to his sexually charged mythos, earning him the nickname “The Queen of Rock and Roll.” Most importantly, although his hit making days were pretty much over, Little Richard’s sheer entertainment value made him an enduring character in pop culture; ensuring continued demand as a guest performer/interview subject for the remainder of his days.
UNDER THE INFLUENCE
As is customary with successive generations, regardless of context, contemporary artists across all genres paid homage to their predecessors during the rock and roll revival…
| SONG | VERSION COVERED | YEAR | COVER ARTIST | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Summertime Blues” | EDDIE COCHRAN | 1958 | THE WHO | 1970 |
| “I Hear You Knocking” | SMILEY LEWIS | 1955 | Dave Edmunds | 1970 |
| “Hot Rod Lincoln” | CHARLIE RYAN & The livingston brothers | 1955 | COMMANDER CODY & his lost planet airmen | 1971 |
| “Hello Mary Lou” | RICKY NELSON | 1961 | CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL | 1972 |
| “Rockin’ Robin” | BOBBY DAY | 1958 | MICHAEL JACKSON | 1972 |
| “Rockin’ pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu” | Huey “Piano” Smith & His Clowns | 1957 | Johnny Rivers | 1972 |
| “Let the Good Times Roll/ Feel So Fine” | SHIRLEY & LEE | 1956 | SLADE | 1972 |
| “Roll Over Beethoven” | CHUCK BERRY | 1956 | ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA | 1973 |
| “You’re Sixteen” | JOHNNY BURNETTE | 1960 | RINGO STARR | 1973 |
| “PLEASE MR. POSTMAN” | THE MARVELETTES | 1961 | THE CARPENTERS | 1974 |
| “The Loco-motion” | LITTLE EVA | 1962 | GRAND FUNK RAILROAD | 1974 |
| “Love Hurts” | THE EVERLY BROTHERS | 1960 | NAZARETH | 1974 |
| “You’re No Good” | Dee Dee Warwick | 1963 | Linda Ronstadt | 1974 |
| “Stand By Me” | Ben E. King | 1961 | John Lennon | 1975 |
| “Let It Rock” | CHUCK BERRY | 1959 | BOB SEGER | 1976 |
| “Denis” | Randy & The Rainbows | 1963 | Blondie | 1977 |
| “stay” | Maurice williams & the zodiacs | 1960 | jackson browne | 1977 |
| “Da Doo Ron Ron” | THE CRYSTALS | 1963 | SHAUN CASSIDY | 1977 |
| “Do You Wanna Dance” | Bobby Freeman | 1958 | Ramones | 1977 |
| “Who Do You Love” | BO DIDDLEY | 1956 | GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS | 1978 |
| “Shout” | THE ISLEY BROTHERS | 1959 | OTIS DAY & THE NIGHTS | 1978 |
| “Money (That’s What I Want)” | BARRETT STRONG | 1959 | THE FLYING LIZARDS | 1979 |
| “AIN’T THAT A SHAME” | FATS DOMINO | 1955 | CHEAP TRICK | 1979 |
| “I FOUGHT THE LAW” | THE CRICKETS | 1955 | THE CLASH | 1980 |
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
CCR’s discography accordingly demonstrates the group’s deep affinity for 1950s r&b and rockabilly; evidenced in faithful remakes of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins‘ “I Put a Spell On You,” Dale Hawkins‘ “Suzie Q,” Ricky Nelson‘s “Hello Mary Lou,” and others. Of course, no song in their ovure better exemplifies the influence of old time rock and roll than John Fogerty’s rollicking “Travelin’ Band.”
THE CARPENTERS
Although best known for edgeless, saccharine confections, The Carpenters often revealed a fondness for ’60s folk and rock by way of recordings of Tim Hardin, Beatles, and Neil Young compositions. Likewise, they demonstrated a nostalgic bent for classic brill building pop through the songs of Bacharach/David, and Nichols/Williams. On their 1973 album Now & Then, the Carpenter siblings reconciled these influences on the side-long song suite “Yesterday Once More.” Seamlessly arranged so as to emulate the “boss radio” experience, the sentimental track centered around a medley of early ’60s American pop-rock songs, covering surf (“Fun Fun Fun“), country (“The End of the World“), r&b (“Our Day Will Come“), girl groups (“One Fine Day“), and more.
JOHN LENNON
Ironically, John Lennon proved, perhaps, to have a greater penchant for nostalgia than fellow Beatle alum Paul McCartney. Caught more than a few times while needling his former writing partner for indulging in “granny” songs, Lennon devoted the entirety of 1975’s Rock ‘n’ Roll to vintage American rock and soul covers. The album’s birth was messy and it was a modest success by Beatles standards, but its punchy interpretation of Ben E. King‘s “Stand By Me” was a highlight. Five years later, Lennon’s ’50s rock inspired comeback hit “(Just Like) Starting Over” – released a mere 6 weeks before his December 1980 assassination – returned him to #1. A bittersweet victory, to be certain.
LINDA RONSTADT
By the mid 1980s, Linda Ronstadt had become more of an adult contemporary pop artist, but her specialty remained interpretation. For more than forty years, from her time with late ’60s combo Stone Ponys onward, she covered everything from folk-rock to new wave to country to pop standards. However, referencing her peak ’70s period, the bulk of her hits weighed toward classic rockabilly (“When Will I Be Loved“; “Blue Bayou“) and r&b (“You’re No Good“; “Heatwave“).
RAMONES
The New York punk ensemble Ramones‘ visual aesthetic – long mod bowl cuts, black leather jackets, t-shirts, hard-worn blue jeans, and tennis shoes – perfectly approximated their sound. Specializing in pure, loud, unschooled vintage rock played faster, they efficiently (if not always expertly) plowed through set lists while reflecting the influence of instrumental guitar rock, garage, surf, r&b, girl groups, and teen idol balladeers. Further, the Ramones habitually covered their antecedents; sprinkling shambling renditions of classics like Bobby Freeman‘s “Do You Wanna Dance,” The Rivieras‘ “California Sun,” and The Ronettes‘ “Baby I Love You” throughout their discography. Further still, the legendarily infamous “Wall of Sound” mastermind Phil Spector even produced their 1980 LP End of the Century.
IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY
As I’ve already indicated, covers weren’t the only means through which contemporary artists channelled their influences during the rock and roll revival. For many, tributes were offered in the form of fresh tunes written in the styles of their musical forbears.
| genre | ARTIST | Song | YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| rock | The Beatles | “Back in the u.s.s.r.” | 1968 |
| art rock | the mothers of invention | “Cheap thrills” | 1968 |
| Rock | Creedence clearwater revival | “Travelin’ band” | 1970 |
| Glam Rock | slade | “Get Down And get with it” | 1971 |
| Glam Rock | T. Rex | “bang a gong (get it on)” | 1971 |
| Glam Rock | David Bowie | “Suffragette City” | 1972 |
| Rock | The Move | “California Man” | 1972 |
| Glam rock | Gary Glitter | “I’m the leader of the pack (I Am)” | 1973 |
| Glam Rock | Elton John | “Saturday Night’s ALright For Fighting” | 1973 |
| Rock | Wizzard | “Eddy’s Rock” | 1974 |
| pop rock | Billy Joel | “Say goodbye to hollywood” | 1976 |
| punk | Ramones | “I Wanna be your boyfriend” | 1976 |
| New wave | Elvis Costello | “No Dancing” | 1977 |
| rock | Electric Light orchestra | “Rockaria” | 1977 |
| new wave | The Cars | “my best friend’s girl” | 1978 |
| new wave | The B-52s | “Rock Lobster” | 1979 |
| post-punk | The Cramps | “Garbageman” | 1979 |
| rock | John Lennon | “(Just LIke) Starting Over” | 1980 |
| rock | Queen | “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” | 1980 |
| new wave | Stray Cats | “Stray Cat Strut” | 1982 |
SAY GOODBYE TO PSYCHEDELIA
The Beatles signaled their estrangement from psychedelia in 1968; aligning themselves with the rock and roll revival on “Back in the U.S.S.R.” – a straight rocker that mashed Chuck Berry‘s signature boogie together with the Beach Boys‘ doo wop inspired surf gems. Later in that same year, Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention issued their satirical full-length nod to 1950s rock tropes, Cruising with Ruben & the Jets.
Progressing into the following decades, piano man Billy Joel’s love of early rock styles – evident in ’70s hits like “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” and “Only the Good Die Young” – culminated on the 1983 song cycle An Innocent Man. Tangentially, while transitioning into the ’80s, the ever versatile arena rockers Queen introduced rockabilly into their already diverse mix; toning down Brian May’s signature guitar harmonizers for the tracks “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Man On the Prowl.”
THE OGS (ORIGINAL GLITTERATI)
Linked together by a campy, cheeky, hyper-exaggerated theatricality, no artists, however, wore the influence of vintage rock during the rock and roll revival more transparently than 1970s British glamacts…
Marc Bolan’s T. Rex recorded four psychedelic folk albums as Tyrannosaurus Rex before he rebranded himself as a full-on rock god in 1970. Trading hippie beads for glammy boas and acoustic guitars for electric, the act soon specialized in chugging, Bo Diddley-esque boogies; most often reinforced in memory by the classic rock radio staple “Bang a Gong [Get It On].”
After suffering numerous false-starts, disgraced glam godfather Gary Glitter finally achieved success in the early ’70s via winking, imbecilic anthems that combined chunky old time riffs and rhythms with lurid, hyper-stylized faux-greaser imagery.
Basically ignored in the U.S. until Quiet Riot’s metal cover of “Cum On Feel the Noise” hit big in 1983, Slade‘s amplified and anthemic power pop sheered classic r&b down to it’s bare bones with ear-splitting sonic bombast.
Last, but not least, the most most universally celebrated and enduring names in ’70s glam – David Bowie (“Drive-In Saturday“; “Suffragette City“) and Elton John (“Crocodile Rock“; “Saturday Night’s Alright [For Fighting]“) – issued select songs that evoked the collective virtues of vintage rock balladry, doo wop, folk, pop, and r&b.
A NEW WAVE OF REVIVALISTS
Out on the fringes of the rock and roll revival, many post-punk/new wave acts also drew inspiration from ’50s and early ’60s media.
Some artists, expressing absurdist inclinations analogous to those of glam rockers, variously combined vintage rock styles with B movie imagery in their presentation… Retro-styled like refugees from Roger Waters‘ films, the B-52s borrowed from classic garage, surf and 1950s science fiction movie scores. Similarly, the Cramps mixed surf, rockabilly and garage rock with the horror vibes and trashy imagery of Hammer Studios and Russ Meyer exploitation flicks.
In contrast, Stray Cats mostly bypassed the high kitsch and camp of their aforementioned peers and resolutely devoted themselves to playing straight-up, old-fashioned rockabilly; while the Cars beguiled rock radio with their deft fusion of guitar-driven rock and roll and synth-laden new wave.
At the start of his recording career, having adopted an image that copped significantly from Buddy Holly and a stage name he audaciously usurped from the the “King,” everything about iconic singer-songwriter Elvis Costello shouted “retro-cool.” Correspondingly, his stunning debut My Aim Is True plays like something out of its time. Lacking, for the most part, the coked-up pacing of his first record with the Attractions, Costello’s songs – charmingly produced by Stiff label mate Nick Lowe – uniformly present like pastiches to vintage rock, r&b, and soul. A classic.
DO YA (WANT MY ROCK AND ROLL)
Few performers more frequently mined the founders for inspiration during the rock and roll revival than Brits Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne; who, with drummer Bev Bevan, recorded briefly as both the final configuration of British psychedelic power-pop band The Move and the inaugural iteration of symphonic pop-rock act Electric Light Orchestra…
1966-72 OVERTURE
Although virtually unknown in the U.S., The Move was a fairly successful singles act in the U.K. from 1966-’72. Founded as a quintet, the band was already pared down to a trio in 1970 when leader Roy Wood’s drive to push toward heavy prog cost them lead vocalist Carl Wayne. In short order, singer-guitarist-songwriter Jeff Lynne (Idle Race) stepped-in to fill the void .
With Lynne on-board, the act had too many ideas to shoehorn into The Move. Hence Electric Light Orchestra was conceived as a side-vehicle for their more ambitious orchestral-rock compositions. Issued on the heels of the first ELO LP, The Move’s last British. single – 1972’s “California Man” – was an unabashed, swinging tribute to ’50s rock and roll; complete with a full brass section, boogie riffs, lively keys, and dueling vocal leads by Lynne and Wood.
LOOKING ON
Shortly after The Move’s dissolution, Roy Wood tired of sharing power in Electric Light Orchestra; exiting mid-way through the sessions for ELO II to form the unpredictable art rock collective Wizzard. Completely free to follow his muse, his recordings from then on were works of pure whimsy that careened wildly between hard rock, orchestral prog, glam, jazz rock, and old time rock and roll (sometimes within the confines of a single song). Following Wood’s obsessions through to their logical next step, Wizzard’s second full-length, 1974’s Introducing Eddie & The Falcons, was a full-fledged love letter to early rock. Split between glammy interpretations of vintage rock and eerily faithful recordings in the style of Wood’s heroes, the unfairly unsung Eddie stands, in my opinion, as the one of the most committed, if not the greatest, tribute albums of all time.
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL IS KING
Although not as intrusive, Jeff Lynne’s shared yen for vintage rock also came to the fore after Wood’s exit from ELO; becoming almost as key to his songwriting formula as lush productions, sticky hooks, and melodic orchestrations. With “Roll Over Beethoven,” he seeded a tradition of placing at least one ’50s flavored song per record. The track – an ironic mash-up Chuck Berry’s classic and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony – joyfully collided classical and rock forms in a manner akin to the Move’s “Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited.” Later exemplars of this ELO custom include “Telephone Line,” “Rockaria,” “Hold On Tight,” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Is King.”
HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN
As I’ve previously noted,* music licensing did much to boost the profile of early rockers in 1970s America. Yes, movies and TV presented distorted portraits of the “good ol’ days,” but they also introduced new generations to Bill Haley, Fats Domino, Elvis, Buddy Holly, etc., and helped popularize rock oldies radio.
Released thirteen months after I screamed my way out of the womb, American Graffiti’s impact was obviously null. Happy Days (1974 – ’84), on the other hand, was one of the premier pop culture phenomena of my youth. Set in the mid-1950s, episodes initially opened with “Rock Around the Clock” (replaced by the familiar self-titled theme after season one). Otherwise, most of the score was comprised of standard-order sitcom lead-in/lead-out bits, with licensed tunes like “Bye Bye Love,” “I’m Walkin’,” and “All Shook Up” primarily reserved for scenes at Arnold’s Drive-In.
Unfortunately, licensing proved cost prohibitive and, as a result, vanilla in-house re-recordings of popular songs increasingly filled the void. Frequently “performed” onscreen by Arnold’s house band, mildly entertaining musical numbers posed the show’s main protagonists as prospective teen idols; who, resembling the Archies cartoon characters they were patterned after, obviously had no idea how to play the instruments at hand. Now and then, guests like glam rocker Suzi Quatro even dropped-in to play a song or two for the gang. Was the show a trifling imitation of life? Of course! But it still passed along some great old tunes.
* TFY Pts. II & V
Get A Job (As ’70s TV Variety Show Hosts)
Championed by none other than Jimi Hendrix (who they preceded at the 1969 Woodstock festival), no contemporary act capitalized on the Roll and Roll Revival like Sha Na Na. Building a strong reputation as live performers while touring behind some of the biggest names in rock, the group ascended to headline status by the mid-’70s; regularly appearing on TV and in movies, and, at their apex, even snagging their very own nationally syndicated variety program (1977-1981).
Corny, fun, and entertaining for adults and kids, both, I mainly remember watching Sha Na Na on late Saturday afternoons on ABC Detroit 7, typically tucked in sometime after American Bandstand and Wide World of Sports. While smoothing out the edges of their stage show, the program’s opener (The Silhouettes’ “Get a Job”), choreographed musical numbers, and comedy sketches presented band members as lovable street toughs; some adorned in standard greaser attire; others in garish gold lamé jump suits. Each one of the guys had a talent. look, and charm of their own, but the focal point was the group’s cartoonishly animated baritone/emcee, John “Bowser” Bauman.
Sketches varied in duration, with longer bits frequently segueing into performances with guest rock luminaries (Chuck Berry; Lesley Gore; the Ronettes), and, on one rare occasion, the soundstage even hosted the Ramones! Sure, the punk rockers were a little outside the show’s norm, but how cool is that?
Biopics
1978 was a big year for the rock revival… Sha Na Na was going strong. Grease was a box office smash. Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley topped the Nielsens. Given the impact these shows had, I suppose it’s unsurprising that people forgot that ’78 also birthed the rock biopic.
Sure, movies had been making heroes of rock stars (Love Me Tender; A Hard Days Night) for years, but dramatized films about the rock stars themselves were a brand new thing. It was exciting! Remember… ’70s humans weren’t calloused by unrelenting waves of media like people are today. Therefore, features about rock’s earliest, most revered figures qualified as major cultural events. Well, that’s what the advertisements told us to believe, anyway.
Now, before I go any further, let me clarify my feelings on the matter of biopics. Like works of historical fiction, biopics notoriously fudge details in order to present a more watchable (sensationalized) story arc. In best case scenarios, these changes are benign. At their worst, they result in speculative trash that poisons the well of human knowledge. Granted, we’re talking about entertainers here… I know it’s not as important as tracking who-killed-President-“x”-in-location-“z” – but it all counts. Call me crazy, but I just want to know the verifiable facts because, if I have to be an insufferable know-it-all, I’d rather not be this guy…
THE KING AND BUDDY
In a manner not unlike much of the original media of the day, the first round of rock biopics were a terribly uneven lot; undermined by any combination of stagey acting, weak production values, and/or failure to license their subject’s original recordings. That said, 1978’s Buddy Holly Story and 1979’s Elvis are actually still fairly well regarded today.
Full disclosure – I have not seen these films. I’ve always liked both singers and the actors chosen to portray them, but, frankly, just don’t want to be disappointed. First of all, the idea of Busey (Point Break) as Buddy Holly doesn’t compel me. By most accounts, he did a fine job but, but he looked more like INXS’s Kirk Pengilly than Holly. Secondly, a much fun as Kurt Russell (Big Trouble In Little China) is to watch, I’ve little interest in seeing yet another rehash of the last, worst period of the “King’s” storied career. The ridiculously huge helmet hair; flying buttress sideburns; hideous, overstuffed sequined jump suits; wrestling champion-sized belt buckles; the capes; the collars… The poor man was done-up like a bleeding circus clown. Yeah, lots people looked ridiculous in the ’70s, but It’s still a damned tragedy.
No Ringo, no care
And then we have the utterly forgettable made-for-TV biopics Dead Man’s Curve (1978) and Birth of the Beatles (1979). They passed from public consciousness as quickly as they came, so, of course, these were the pair I managed to watch. What can I say? I was, like, what…6?
Dead Man’s Curve told the story of American surf rock duo Jan and Dean; detailing their rise to fame (“Surf City“), their fall (Jan Berry’s near-fatal 1966 auto wreck), and improbable ’70s comeback. Few other details stuck, but I do recall that it starred Apollo from Battlestar Galactica and super-melty-senator-man from X-Men.
Contrived by Dick Clark Productions, The Birth of the Beatles also left few impressions, favorable or otherwise. Focused on the act’s pre-fab four* period – when Pete Best (the film’s tech advisor) and Stuart Sutcliffe played drums and bass – the film failed miserably to live up to the hype. It featured no recognizable names. Counterfeit recordings were used in place of Beatles classics. Already a big Beatles fan, I was, no doubt, turned off by the conspicuous lack of Ringo. Research did turn up one interesting bit of trivia, though… Birth of the Beatles was helmed by Return of the Jedi director Richard Marquand!
* All apologies to The Rutles.
Clap For the Wolfman
Inspired by the legendary ’50s DJ Alan “Moon Dog” Freed, world-renowned American disc jockey Robert Weston Smith – AKA Wolfman Jack – began to build his profile during the 1960s while broadcasting early era rock and soul from “border blaster” radio stations in northern Mexico. Armed with a distinctive gravelly voice, ebullient personality, colorful catchphrases, and the power to reach far and wide throughout the continental U.S., he became a star. But the Wolfman was just getting started…
In ’72, Wolfman Jack relocated to Los Angeles and, by leveraging the Hollywood machine at his disposal, soon became one of the most recognizable figures in American pop culture… Once in L.A., he started shipping old show tapes to stations all over the U.S. and, in the process, became the first nationally syndicated rock oldies radio program. He was a fixture in radio, TV, and print advertising. He acted in films and television productions; appeared on variety shows and game shows; regularly emceed NBC’s Midnight Special; did voice-over work for cartoons; had a music career. Popular acts like the Guess Who and Todd Rundgren sang tributes in his honor. The Wolfman really was everywhere.
At his zenith, Wolfman Jack’s syndicated radio program aired on over 2,000-plus stations in more than 50 countries. The rock revival might not have fully blossomed without him and, for that, we owe him thanks.
R.I.P. Wolfman Jack (1938-1995).
