Crock ‘n’ Roll

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They say that rock ‘n’ roll will never die. But sometimes you think that it’s time for some crock ‘n’ rollers to call it a day.

I see that The Who (or what’s left of them) are on tour again. Now the band’s a legend without doubt, but it’s been a while since they were the voice of teenage angst. Daltry and Townshend have got 160 on the clock between them, and it’s all starting to look and sound creaky. They should have called it a day when the legendary Entwhistle died.

Then you’ve got the likes of Macca and Dame Elton still out and about in 2023, both of whose voices sound shot to shit to me. Rod Stewart’s knees and ankles have had it by all accounts, but he’s still hurpling about on stage. It’s a bit sad really. Saddest of all was the sight of Phil Collins on stage last year. He looked like an old and sick man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luFUSM9r9o0

Why do they do it? They can’t need the money, so is it the buzz, or the need for status and admiration? Would you bet against The Stones going out on tour again, even though Mick and Keef look like a couple of rejects from ‘The Lord of the Rings’?

Time to think about retiring gracefully lads, before it all becomes a bit demeaning.

Nominated by : Ron Knee

With an encore by General Cunster:

“All rock ‘n’ rollers over the age of 50 look stupid and should retire.” -Grace Slick

I would like to second this nomination and provide this link in support:

https://rocknheavy.net/5-reasons-why-grace-slick-was-right-28f36bca8197

These bands were the iconic voices of a generation. I’d like to remember them as such and not as comic caricatures of themselves.

166 thoughts on “Crock ‘n’ Roll”

  1. Little known fact.
    The first rule of Cliff Richard club is – “We don’t talk anymore about Cliff Richard club”…..

    • To be fair I’ve seen Cliff three times over the years (in his prime, so to speak) and the guy was a polished act in those days.

      First time I saw him was about the time ‘The Young Ones’ came out, so it must have been 61 or 62. Just him and the Shadows on stage in those days, no backing singers, orchestra or owt. The Shadows were the dog’s bollocks in those days, before they got into ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ sort of show stuff.

      Christ it all seems a very long time ago. I’d just started secondary school.

  2. Surely they have enough moolah to survive like gods. The next time poor old Phil is wheeled out he’ll be on life support for fucks sake. Very fond of the Who but they should have called time when Entwhistle departed as a cunter wrote earlier. Never a fan of the Rolling Stones but now they are taking the piss. As for Reg he has family responsibilities now and that does not include acting the cunt and raping his vocal cords. Do us all a favour, we’ve made you richer than God do us a favour and fuck off

  3. Going out on top is the way to do it. Sports stars too. It’s sad to remember them as a shell of the the star we admired.
    However I can understand why someone with that level of talent yerns to do it as long as they can. It’s their passion.
    I would rather see a good tribute band than two 70 year olds left of a 6 man band trying to recreate the old magic.
    Johnny Cash in his last days did some songs that were meant to sound like an old man singing them. That was a good idea.

    • His cover of Personal Jesus was pretty good but, contrary to fashionable opinion, not as good as the original.

      • Bowie did some fine stuff towards the end. He sounded weary (and he obviously was), but it still sounded like Bowie. ‘Where Are We Now’ and ‘Lazarus’ were glorious last stands.

  4. I haven’t read all the posts, but for fucks sake..

    “LET IT BE”

    Go and enjoy your money…. arsehole’s…!

  6. I was lucky to escape the brainwashing by parents into worshipping these fogies. Neither are fans of these heritage acts that still prop up Glastonbore. David Bowie is about the only one and he was cool until he died.

    I discovered The Who on my own time but i find the Beatles and Elton overrated, although the Stones were pretty good.

    The trouble is once these cunts retire their will be nobody left to wave the flag for Rock and roll. It’s pretty much dead, which is perhaps why they carry on.

    • I doubt they take such an egalitarian stance tbh.Pure ego and lucre while cheapening their glorious legacies.Hate Jagger n Richards these days.”Get the jab man” fookin pricks.

      Agree with Bowie’s coolitude.Turned down a knighthood and had a direct to oven non-funeral disposal arrangement.

  7. A bit of an aside, but the wife’s just put Nick Drake’s ‘Pink Moon’ on.

    Anybody else still listening to Nick?

    • Not recently.
      Five Leaves Left (a reference to cigarette papers)
      And Bryter Later were his best, imo

      • Yes it’s the guitar that hypnotises.

        His playing on ‘Three Hours’ is brilliant.

    • Nick was great. ‘Northern Sky’ being a favourite in the Norman household.

      His sister Gabrielle was also personal favourite of mine.

      • Love ‘Northern Sky’, the production is great, but I don’t like the over-instrumentation on ‘Fly’ from that album. The version on ‘Time of No Reply’ sounds much better, just vocal and guitar.

    • Aww fuckin’ hell Ron, that’s a fast frame flashback to the early eighties for me, saucy little hippy girlfreind, a bottle or three of vino and Five Leaves Left or Solid Air on cassette, well that was my night sorted.

      …and now I have to go find the tablature for Cello Song and see if these fingers can still pull it off. …. the guitar part that is … not my cock…

  11. Learned the song remains the same once, can’t remember the fucked up tuning now.. ..

    • The Song Remains the Same is in standard tuning EADGBE but if you’re talking about the live MSG preformance on his double neck Gibbo 1275 he segues (beautifully) from the 12string into Rain Song on the 6string and that IS in one of Pagey’s wanky tunings CGCGCD. Playing the fucker on a 6str is hard enough but on a 12string!!!!! holy fuck!
      On the rack in my front room is a Yamaha AES420 which remains in Rain Song tuned readiness as that is one of my desert island discs, love noodling that song, masterpiece, one of those you wish you’d written.

      • Here y’ go Gstick, this’ll jog the memory…
        RAIN SONG tab
        https://www.911tabs.com/link/?299723

        This is correct (as far as I’ve read the tab) apart from he’s got the bottom E dropped to D when it should be C (two tones down from E) Just doesn’t sound right without that low ‘C’

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