San Francisco Examiner, June 8, 1978: Difference between revisions
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And that's an easy way out, because selected recordings from the late 1950s can always be dredged up to substantiate the claim that early rock 'n' roll was superior to the commercialized stuff that created the electric rock monster that we've all seen artistically wobbling around (and wallowing, in money) in recent years. | And that's an easy way out, because selected recordings from the late 1950s can always be dredged up to substantiate the claim that early rock 'n' roll was superior to the commercialized stuff that created the electric rock monster that we've all seen artistically wobbling around (and wallowing, in money) in recent years. | ||
For a while, listening to Costello's precise lyrics, his tight, firmly harmonic and rhythmically sure backup group ( | For a while, listening to Costello's precise lyrics, his tight, firmly harmonic and rhythmically sure backup group (The Attractions) and watching his simple, obvious stage manners, one is drawn toward his presentation — namely, that old-time, innocent rock, the kind the kids next door fooled with in the family rumpus room while imitating Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, maybe Chuck Berry or Bo Diddley and even (ugh) the Kingston Trio, was really the great stuff. Buddy Holly had a touch, and so did early Jagger, and Eric Burdon, and of course the Beatles (because they introduced most kids to their early influences), but what's gone wrong recently is that rock has become big business and lost its roots. | ||
"Back to fundamentals," the old cry of defeated and frustrated athletic coaches, is now the battle cry of reactionary rockers. Get the tonic and dominant and subdominant chords down clean and slick; hit the rim-shots and slap the bass drum; play the guitar like a bandsman, not a soloing superstar, and let the man sing. | "Back to fundamentals," the old cry of defeated and frustrated athletic coaches, is now the battle cry of reactionary rockers. Get the tonic and dominant and subdominant chords down clean and slick; hit the rim-shots and slap the bass drum; play the guitar like a bandsman, not a soloing superstar, and let the man sing. | ||
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{{Bibliography notes}} | {{Bibliography notes}} | ||
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'''San Francisco Examiner, June 8, 1978 | '''San Francisco Examiner, June 8, 1978 | ||
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Latest revision as of 00:31, 17 March 2021
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