The Evil that is Rock and Roll

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I suppose if Mrs Mills had lived a little later she might have become a kind of ‘rock goddess’ a kind of female Elton figure dressed in colorful clothing occasionally getting up from the piano strutting about the stage or like Rick Wakeman maybe she would have have worn long flowing capes.

Rick Wakeman actually praised her piano playing in a documentary. Then it cut to film of her encouraging a sing along that I can just remember her doing. (She would wave her arm still playing with the other). Happy smiling faces all singing along, her really just accompanying them.

That’s my first point here that the focus became all wrong with the advent of Rock and Roll. Music now was about the performer not the audience. The performer not there to ‘serve’ the audience anymore

How great were Chas and Dave! That Chas story interests me in this context- he had just returned from America and met up with Dave again and told him how sick he was of singing in an American accent that it didn’t sound ‘real’. And they both agreed to write about what they knew, sing in their own accent.

My point here is that at some deep level, R&R is fake. Funny though he toured with Jerry Lee Lewis. Leant the piano watching him.

Which brings me to the birth of R&R. I don’t like that footage where JLL is playing the piano manically and ‘the kids’ are literally ‘shaking all over’, almost out of control. I know this will sound ridiculously old fashioned but there is a danger to youngsters losing control.

Maybe those worthies were right when they warned of the dangers with this new ‘Devil’s music’. It seemed harmless enough with Elvis gyrating his pelvis but look at the where it did lead to – actual Satanism with Marilyn Manson and ‘thrash metal’ and the Despair of the evil sounding ‘grunge metal’

Going back to music serving an audience. What about dance? You had musicians playing a for a square dance. There isn’t a set dance at a Marilyn Manson concert. Everyone is just ‘shaking all over’ by themselves. Rock and Roll split up the couple. It became about expressing yourself individually.

I hated concerts. I was one of those looking round wondering what we were all doing here. In my day the losing of control was ‘head banging’.

Finish up. The much maligned (on here) Paul Morely said an interesting thing. It was a programme about the history of Easy Listening. And the fact that if you look back at the charts far from R&R sweeping all before EL outsold it. He said ‘Maybe Rock and Roll was the anomaly’.

I would use the word aberration!

Nominated by: Miles Plastic

101 thoughts on “The Evil that is Rock and Roll”

  2. The Nazis had a thing about deviant art. I can listen to sympathy for the devil without wanting to destroy humanity.

  4. Totally bonkers. Please tell me this is a fucking wind-up?

    If not, Alex Harvey must be spinning in his grave.

  5. Can’t agree with this nom, I was born in 66, world cup winners,weekends rock n roll disco’s fucking brilliant best time of my life, better than the shite nowadays,
    Made me the CUNT I am now, what’s not to like

  6. Quite right,Miles,quite right.

    Blasphemous jungle music inspired by coloureds and godless hippies.

    Ban this kind of thing.

    • It’s a fucking disgrace Sir Fiddler! If it’s not the Carpenters or Barry Manilow it’s the work of the devil!
      Well known fact!

      • Too right,Vernon.
        Although I must say that for several reasons Barry Manilow would not be welcome at one of my exclusive dinner parties.

      • At least he wouldn’t cost much to feed, Mr F. He looks at death’s door, the anorexic weido and wouldn’t be more than a mouthful for the hounds.

      • I’d imagine he’s moved on in the rodent stakes and can accommodate a fully grown capybara.

      • He’s too mean and cunning to waste money on exotic pets…he probably steals the hamsters from schools where they are dearly loved pets.

    • No wonder so many of these “Rock and Rollers” die at an early age….they are morally and spiritually bankrupt.

      • How the fuck is Elton John still alive with the amount of cocaine and AIDS-infested tassels he’s indulged in?

      • The work of Beelzebub, Mr.Cunt-Engine.

        The Aids should have got him years ago…either The Aids or a Mark Chapman style music lover.

  7. Loved Chas and Dave’s collaboration with Samuel L Jackson….

    ‘Knees Up Motherfucker’….

    • sorry to go off piste, but there is an opticians in my high street called “Richard Pryor Opticians”. Always makes me laugh to imagine some old lady going in for an eye test and having Richard Pryor call her a “motherfucking bitch” or some such.

  8. Talking of the Carpenters, saw an early video of them on That’s 70s TV and Karen was bloody beautiful with a shapely figure and the voice of an angel. Shame she got all fucked up and became skin and bone.

    As for R&R the brits spawned a host of would-be Elvis’ in the late 50s the best of whom was Billy Fury. He was great.

    • Agree about Fury but he was just about the only fucker who was talented. Joe Brown too in a knees up sort of way although a decent guitar player.
      The Elvis I remember was a turgid crooner making shite films.

      However this was all swept away – Beatles, Kinks, Who, Stones and many more. Originality and excitement.
      Fast forward to today and we have reverted to bland manufactured shite with added rap. Dont know which is worse.
      Fuck knows what Miles is rambling about but I hope he feels better.

  9. Easy listening, sounds like a piped music in an old folks home, in one ear out the other carry on dribbling.

    I can’t really comment on music, the last time I did someone got upset when I compared the Beatles to the Spice Girls 😂

    I’ll get mi coat!

    (Hmmm. Funny you should mention the Beatles… – DA)

    • Good nom Miles.
      Dont agree necessarily though.
      Do you mean the rebellious attitude teenagers get listening to rock n roll?
      As a youth id blare out the Stooges and Sex pistols, and it put fire in my belly and soul!!
      Ive loved Rock n Roll my whole life in all its forms.
      I think your teasing us all?
      Good😊
      God loves rock n roll
      But Jesus likes easy listening..😊

      • Hmm – methinks I will have some “It’s a long way” by AC/DC!
        It will cure my depression over my three grand Barker and Stonehouse sofa which despite 2 hours of fkin about last night will in no way fit in my cave!
        Paid a whole £7.50 for it on Ebay I did, and now it’s sat in the garden laughing at me! 😢🤦‍♂️

      • Shame all of Motorhead are deceased and can’t be here in person, to tell poor Miles that he’s talking shite… 😆

  13. Plenty of music celebrities through the years have admitted to selling their soul for fame and fortune. Spooky. David Bowie confirmed rock n roll is the Devil’music though theologically perhaps all music is tinged with ole Lucifer seeing as he was handy on the violin.

    These days there is a lot of occult symbolism in music videos or on stage.

    • ‘perhaps all music is tinged with ole Lucifer seeing as he was handy on the violin’

      Tolstoy believed that -wanted to ban all music.

      • I didn’t know Tolstoy believed that! Probably Oliver Cromwell did as well. I’m still in debate because I don’t know where to put ecclesiastical music.

  14. What did Rock and Roll bring to the world? The ‘Teenager’. And what is a teenage but an immature man or woman. Rock and Roll is (was?) Immature.

    We went from a beautiful sentiment like ‘If you were the only girl in the world…’; to ‘wop-bop-a-loo-mop alop-bom-boom’
    Absolute gibberish.

    I think Ray Davies said ‘the words don’t matter’. But if the words don’t matter the music doesn’t matter either.

    How well crafted are the words to ‘Ain’t No Pleasing You’.

    And Easy Listening-Herb Albert, Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Webb. These are writers of ‘real ‘ songs.

    Not to mention Motown.

    What did R&R lead to? Into what did it develop? Led Zeppelin come to mind- bare chested, grotesquely strutting about the stage, a worshipful audience… ‘

    Yes the ‘spirit’ of R&R. ‘Hope I die before I get old’. It’s immature. But more – nihilistic, destructive.

    It turned music upside down.

    I am not condemning all ‘energetic’ music. Early jazz and Big Band swing could get the toe tapping but it was controlled.

  16. Very true MP, Rock and Roll as well as most other genres has become abaaaaaht the artist on stage and their antics and entertaining the crowd by performing album quality vocals second.
    An album track is what draws people to like a piece of music yet the performers on stage insist on doing some variation of it when performing live…why?
    It usually sounds shit and as an sound Engineer I know a live performance won’t sound like a studio album but at least get the foundation of it all correct…you cunts.
    Finally Rock and Roll was created by the black man.
    Black power. 😁

    • Very true B&WC, ‘Buddy Golly and the Crickets’ and ‘Afrosmith’ tribute acts I saw before lockdown were very good.

      • I wanted to catch Buddy Golly and the Crickets before lockdown LL but missed aaaaht. 😁

      • LL/BWC
        Do either of you remember a Led Zeppelin all black tribute band called Dred Zeppelin?!!
        Think their ‘whole lotta love’ charted?
        Never heard of them again but liked them👍

      • I saw them a few times Miserable-the lead singer dressed as Elvis and called himself Tor-telvis👍

    • Sort of true BWC but not just.
      Black blues music and country music both formed Rock n Roll.
      They say ‘rock around the clock- was the first rock n roll record, but its a direct steal of Hank Williams “move it in over’.
      Elvis played the grand ole Opry and had a hit with ‘blue moon of Kentucky’
      A country tune he covered.
      But the dancing and most of the slang was definitely black.

      • C’mon now MNC, we all know whitey stole the foundation of rock and roll whilst he was listening to the slaves in the field.
        I want some compensation…starting with Aerosmith…those rich cunts can afford to give me a million. 😁

      • If its Aerosmith ill represent you in court BWC!
        Shite band.
        Think your right in mostly black invention,
        The cotton fields?
        Plenty of poor whites there too!
        Johnny Cash had little scars on his fingers,
        From picking cotton,
        Was work for poor people.
        I think musicians should all be made to pick cotton.😛

  17. It is possible to love more than one type of music. Although anyone who claims they’ll “listen to anything” will either be lying and listen exclusively to tat, or be a “hey, look, I’m so eclectic!” prick like John Peel. Discretion is necessary for taste.

    • I saw Chas & Dave a few times- the last one being a small Festival Daaahn Saaarf where I watched em play whist standing next to Glen Matlock (who was on before) – we both gave it loads when they did “Rabbit”-
      How fucking Rick n’ roll is that😀😀😀

  19. Rock and Roll in its primative form which came from the Back man was pure and had a message…then whitey (Elvis etc) for involved and we end up with Marilyn Manson and all that devil cuntishness…even Hip Hop was pure and non violent until Vanilla Ice got involved with his gangster message…and now we have violent Hip Hol and Rap…damn you whitey damn you. 😁

    • Hey B&W-the blues birthed Rock N’Roll-the slave trade birthed the blues.
      Ergo: whitey invented Rock N’Roll 👍👍👍

  20. Music these days, regardless of genre, is just conveyor belt crap. The only explanation I can think of is that music has peaked at some point and it’s now on the downward slide.
    Punk is long dead.
    Rock died even earlier.
    Metal hasn’t been exciting since the late 90s.
    Electronic/dance music has become just as boring as disco.

    • Correct on all counts. Music now consists of steam-engine drum and bass topped* by a steam-whistle vocal wail.

      Personally would rather listen to a steam engine than today’s musical offerings, and please don’t start me on 20th century “classical” music.

      *Yes, in a sexual sense too.

  22. Is there anything more boring than a serious music lover? You know the type of cunt who doesn’t simply get pissed, high or have a cuppa and enjoy the music, but will sit there and treat it like some kind of boring lesson where they ‘appreciate it’ (more than normal people) and will bore any cunt who is unfortunate to be nearby with their analysis of the music and it’s history.
    Fuck off you cunts.
    Don’t take it too seriously…music is to be enjoyed. Whether that be in the car or off your head at a party.
    Go fuck yourselves.

    (“Go Fuck Yourselves!” would make for a great song aimed at the SJW & Snowflake Wokes via YouTube & Twatter. Get to it, B&WC – DA)

    • Sounds like a good idea DA…I may well make a track… apparently MNC and Dick Fiddler have good voices (so they say) so maybe they could get involved.

      ‘Go fuck yourselves’
      ©️ I know naffink abaaaaaht it records.

    • Same with reading. I love reading but hated English literature at school because I never felt the need to analyse the book, just enjoy it. Although some of the shit we had to read for O’ level would have been enough to put me off reading altogether, if I had actually read it. Mayor of Casterbridge? Do me a lemon, I read Asimov or EE ‘Doc’ Smith instead, at the back of the class. Dog only knows how I passed the exam. I did music at O’ level too and although I liked the pieces we studied, it was so easy to get turned off by the analysis.

    • Is it related to Mexican oregano? Apparently it’s totally different to European Oregano…I want some Mexican Oregano to go in my Chilli con carne…
      My mate Dave has some Gelato 33 skunk herbs growing…he says it sells for a lot of money…much more than Basil. 😁

      • Your mate Dave sells his ‘erb for more than your mate Basil sells ‘erb, am I getting this right here?

      • Sort of…Basil sells his Basil for a decent amount of money…Dave sells his skunk for shedloads of cash.
        My mate Dave should be ashamed of himself.

  25. Couple of things, if Mrs Mills was all about the audience and not celebrity. How come we know who your talking about 50 odd years on?
    The other thing, just because it’s shite doesn’t make it satanic. It’s just shite.
    Personally I’m heavily into acid croft Peatbog Faeries, Iron horse. Etc.

  26. Nothing wrong with having a pogo at the front of the gig.
    Slade
    Deep Purple
    Hawkwind
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . some random dots.
    Then punk.
    A great learning curve and then back to basics.
    Fuck disco and all it’s follow up derivative shite for nodding dogs and handbags.My little pony bollocks for wet blankets.
    Burn baby, burn, here try this napalm skin lotion.

  27. Cunts like those hippy wankstains at Rolling Stone didn’t help. They brought snobbery and elitism into music and it was pricks like that utter cunt, Jann Wenner who turned pop into ‘rock’. I recall Graham Nash in his Hollies days saying on TV that ‘Pop music is popular music. Stuff that sells. Whether it’s Dylan or us (Hollies)’ and he was right. In the sixties The Beatles were seen as a great pop group (which they admittedly were at times), but now they are viewed in general as a ‘rock band’ and all the pretentious analyisis and drivel that now goes with what was simply just good pop music. Same goes for the Stones. A superb pop act during the sixties and the Brian Jones era . They had the hits, the look, the attitude, the lot. Then they sacked Jones and went up their own arses by calling themselves ‘The Greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll Band In The World’. Now knobhead critics salivate over their work from ‘Beggar’s Banquet’ to the overrated ‘Exile On Main Street’ and spout crap like it was their ‘Classic era’ and the usual shite about ‘Rock’. The general consensus now is that those four albums were the only good things the Stones ever did, which is a load of crap. Their mid sixties period was their peak. Singles like Satisfaction, 19th Nervous Breakdown, Paint It Black, Have You Seen Your Mother, Ruby Tuesday, Jumpin Jack Flash and more. But it was just magnificent pop music from a very ace pop group. That is when music (British music, at least) was at its best. Just great pop from the likes of The Kinks, The Who, Small Faces, The Searchers, The Troggs, The Move, The Hollies and the aforementioned Big Two. No pretentious bollocks and elitist analysis and all that crap that the likes of MOJO and Rolling Stone are so fond of. The Rolling Stone and Jann Wenner instigated ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Fame’ being living proof. Only ‘cool’ and ‘credible’ ‘Rock’ acts are ‘selected’ by Wenner and his gang of toadies. You will never see The Monkees, Walker Brothers, or Carpenters in there, any more than you will see Joy Division or Buzzcocks. Pretentious. gold plated, corporate junket elitism in the extreme and a load of shite.

    Rock ‘N’ Roll itself is a genre in its own right. Artists like Bill Haley, Little Richard, and of course Elvis Aaron Presley. That and that alone is proper Rock ‘N’ Roll.

    • Thanks Norman. You’ve just saved me about 8 minutes.

      That superbly compendious and unerring contrib is pitch-perfect; you incorporate most of my own thoughts and a few others I’d not thought of. You also are effortlessly far more succinct – nice!

    • I used to buy Q every month until they had their R.E.M. phase where Michael Stipe had his ugly mug on the cover non-stop, and their music was the greatest ever. Fuck that.

      • R.E.M. I remember in 1990 every cunt ‘discovering’ them after ‘Out Of Time’ and singing that crappy ‘Shiny Happy People’ bollocks.

        They were good musicians (albeit Byrds copyists) but Stipe’s voice was fucking annoying.

        I always preferred Vox Magazine back in the day. Remember that?

  30. I can honestly say that I have really enjoyed reading all the comments today. Fucking brilliant.

    Let Rock’n’Roll Live

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