CD REVIEW
Big Joe Turner’s Greatest Hits, Big Joe Turner, Atlantic Records, 1989
A few years ago there was a little controversy about whether songs like Joe Turner's Shake, Rattle and Roll or some early Elvis Presley tunes like Hound Dog or It's All Right, Mama represented the genesis of rock and roll. That might be an interesting discussion for musicologists with time on their hands but if you really want to know the answer listen here. If you do not find the base line here for all later classic rock then I am afraid it is lost in the mist of time. Musical trends draw from many influences but the rhythm and blues of the early 1950's seems to have been the real jump point for the turn to rock.
This compilation, that is moreover a technically competent one unlike others from this period, is a case study for the above stated propositions. It all comes together here on Shake, Rattle and Roll- the rest just complete the argument.
Jazz Legends: Rhythm and Blues At The Apollo Theater, Storyville Films AB, 1989
One of the questions that I have been posing to myself over the past several months as I trace the roots of rock ‘n’ rock, the music of my youth is to see what prior musical trend was most influential in its development. An argument can be made for old country black blues, for black city blues and for white rockabilly. However I am coming more and more to a view that rhythm and blues of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s was critical. Furthermore, one of the performers here, Big Joe Turner and his Shake, Rattle and Roll of 1954 was probably is the most influential in driving that form of music. Thus there is no accident that Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley, Elvis and many others covered the song.
So much for that. Here we have an all-star cast of jazz, rhythm and blues and just plain blues artists at New York City’s fame black musical Mecca- The Apollo Theater. We get full-bore performances from Big Joe, Dinah Washington and the legendary Ruth Brown, among others. A little old time humor is thrown in by the Emcee and some novelty songs as one would expect in a variety musical show. One interesting sidelight is that repeated scans of the audience show it is to an integrated but from the looks of it mainly white. This is one time that composition is good- that is the transmission belt to bringing that taste for black music to white audiences. If you need to see one aspect of the history of our common musical experiences look here. Rock on.
Here is what all the shouting is about. The classic of classics- Shake, Rattle and Roll- go to YouTube to watch Big Joe do the do with that big smile and big band.
ReplyDeleteShake Rattle And Roll
Shake Rattle & Roll
As Performed by Joe Turner
Written by Charles Calhoun
Get outta that bed, wash your face and hands
Get outta that bed, wash your face and hands
Well, you get in that kitchen, make some noise with the pots and pans
Well, you wear low dresses, the sun comes shining through
Well, you wear low dresses, the sun comes shining through
I can't believe my eyes all that mess belongs to you
I believe to my soul you're a devil in nylon hose
I believe to my soul you're a devil in nylon hose
Well, the harder I work, the faster my money goes
I said, shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll
Shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll
Well, you won't do right to save your doggone soul
I'm like a one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store
I'm like a one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store
Well, I can look at you and tell you ain't no child no more
Ah, shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll
Shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll
Well, you won't do right to save your doggone soul
I said, over the hill and way down underneath
I said, over the hill and way down underneath
You make me roll my eyes, Baby, make me grit my teeth
I said, shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll
Shake, rattle and roll, shake, rattle and roll
Well, you won't do right to save your doggone soul
On April 28, 1954 while recording a version of Big Joe Turner's "Shake, rattle and Roll" with rewritten lyrics Haley tells a reporter "We stay clear of anything suggestive."