#Jimmy Preston

[schooloftuneage]

SCHOOL OF TUNEAGE: LESSON ONE. IN THE BEGINNING...

CLASS IS IN SESSION.

Good evening, my fellow freaks, fillies, and other assorted friends. I'm your deejay for the evening, Zee, and I'll be starting out this blog, this course, and this whole damn mission with a statement that some would consider to be moderately controversial.

Rock music is innately Black music.

Now, yes, we've had our share of crackers in the biz (myself included) but the FOUNDATIONS OF ROCK MUSIC, AND THE SONGS THAT MADE ROCK MUSIC WHAT IT IS, are primarily from Black artists.

Don't believe me? Let's delve in.

Early Rock and Roll was, at its core, a danceable, high-octane (for the time) fusion of Rhythm and Blues and Country. Now, I don't have to tell you how very Black-dominated R&B was, even at the time.

Consider this: Jimmy Preston's "Rock The Joint", from 1949.

Or, from 1946, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right".

BUT rock `n roll got passed off to the public vis-a-vis an acceptable, lilly-white proxy… Elvis Presley. Consider this, his seminal hit, 'You Ain't Nothin' But A Hound Dog'.

Now, do you want to see something really awesome?

Elvis' version was a cover. A cover that he (and the recording industry) tried to pretend wasn't a cover.

Here's our first track of the week… the original.

That's BIG MAMA THORNTON, blues singer, the woman responsible for the trope codifier for rock `n roll… and, you will note, a woman singing quite a different song from Elvis' version. Big Mama's was a song of Black female empowerment, a song about telling a freeloading gigolo to hit the road, while Elvis' was sanitized into almost a Kidz Bop version. Hell, he sanitized it MORE than Kidz Bop sanitized "Lips of an Angel" (and more on THAT debacle another day).

And this was far from the only offense in Presley's resume.

Otis Blackwell was a prolific songwriter who originally sang many, many early rock songs. These included Jerry Lee Lewis' 'Great Balls of Fire', as well as Elvis' 'All Shook Up', 'Don't Be Cruel', and 'Return to Sender'. And these last three are probably the most damning indictment of the whitewashing of rock `n roll. Why?

That's why. Give that a close listen.

Elvis seemed to take his entire way of singing - his delivery, his inflection, everything - from Otis Blackwell. As you can see from Otis' album title there, "These are my songs!", he was at least able to attempt to claw back some recognition in later years, but - in the opinion of this berk - it was definitely a case of too little, too late.

We know now. History is damn clear on the topic. But for years, the industry hid behind the Great White Hype of Elvis, pretended he was an innovator instead of a repackager, and shut out the real innovators from their rightful recognition.

Perhaps it is ironic that in years to come - particularly in the late sixties and seventies - there would be a rising 'damn the man' rebellion baked into rock and roll. Or perhaps it would just be karma, ensuring that the sanitization of an inherently rebellious music made by an oppressed people would still carry their spirit.

For tonight, I leave you with another early rock track - what some people say is the first real rock song. Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm - Rocket 88.

Class dismissed.

And now we go to open conversation - we've got a survey out right now, check down the page. If you fill it out, I'll have a better idea of what topics everyone wants to cover. And of course, if you want to keep talking about what I covered above... please do.

[randomdoodler]

Bonus Yuki

[edweirdo1]

if the ballad of chasey lain was realeased now itd be caled ballad of hawk tuah girl

mind. blowen.

[devilsrains]

led zeppelin, by neal preston

[thisisjoy]

Green Day playing the New York subway with Jimmy Fallon last night. Love Billie's disguise in the first photo😂 📸 essceeohteetee on Instagram

[kulturegroupie]

I: “Did the members of the band comment with you on the shots?”

Neal Preston: “Funny you ask. I always thought that Jonesy and Bonzo never even looked at the tryouts. Robert would make some observations: ‘I like it. I don’t like it’. Jimmy would comment laconically, like: ‘Crow’s feet’. He was worried about crow’s feet and bellies, ‘Look here. Look there.’ A famous anecdote, moreover true, tells of one evening when I went to Jimmy’s suite to show him a series of color slides. With the huge carousels on the projector, I gave a show in the corridors of the hotel. We used a large blank wall as a screen and we looked at the images. Jimmy rejected all the impeccable ones, the most beautiful ones, the ones that in my opinion were perfect, technically successful shots. He preferred the more bizarre ones, the ones with a spectral aura... I’ve never managed to figure out what he liked. He seemed to change his mind from hour to hour. He wanted to look handsome and charming, then he wanted to give a strange and dark image of himself... Well, I didn’t understand his choices. At one point I turned off the projector and asked him: ‘Tell me which ones you like. Give me some pointers, because I feel lost.’ And Jimmy replied: ‘I seek power, mystery, romance and the hammer of the gods.’

[nofatclips]

The Uncle Meat Variations by Frank Zappa and The Mothers from the compilation album Meat Light (Section 2: Uncle Meat's "Original Sequence")

[rolloroberson]

The Rolling Stones - Shine A Light

[thursdaymurderbub]

James Cagney as Robin Hood (1938)!

Modern Screen magazine, October 1935

'The Robin Hood Archery Tournament' held by Warner Brothers to promote what would eventually be The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). Also pictured are Basil Rathbone, who was in the final film, and Howard Hill (in tights) who would be Errol Flynn's archery instructor and body double for the film, performing the famous arrow-splitting shot amongst others. The women are Jan Holm (actress), Alice Gwynne Preston (socialite), and Gladys Hammer (?).

[sivavakkiyar]

What was Zappa really like?

Did he fly into a rage?

Bet he got high all the time—-

And did he really shit on the stage?

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #11: 1960

More information about this blog here

To quote a song from a certain John Waters adaptation, "Welcome to the 60's." And to mark the occasion, here's some songs from that decade of sex, drugs, and rock and roll! Woo!

So our modern perceptions of any given decade are rarely exhibited by the Billboard Hot 100 charts, especially when the decade is only just starting. I have my own thoughts on when the 60's truly comes into its own, but we'll get to that later. In the meantime, the top hits of 1960 wouldn't seem that out of place in the 1950s. Compositions, traditional pop, and doo-wop. Elvis is back on the charts after his time in the military.

However, there is one song featured in this poll that was truly a sign of where pop music was heading. If anyone can't figure out which one it is, don't worry. The same song will return in a future 1960s poll.

[devilsrains]

led zeppelin, by neal preston

final rehearsal for the 1975 american tour. metropolitan sports center; january 17 1975.

CYNTHIA: …. These rehearsal photos. You just got in and started taking pictures? NEAL: Of course. Of course. Well, I wasn’t shy. I walked in already taking pictures and I remember they were playing ‘Custard Pie’. They also played ‘The Wanton Song’. Don’t ask me how I remember that.

[viva-la-axe]

im bored so ill say this now but…my inbox is always open for rants about jackass/vlb (+ people associated with them like ville valo, jimmy pop, etc) or headcannons or whatever, send your fav photos or a photo you wanna talk about.

i just wanna say that cus for me people in my life i dont have many people who care for my long rants so yknow i wanna give that space to people rather its on anon or not cus im curious and i love to see what people think about things!!! :P

so basically your opionons on jackass/vlb related stuff lmao (or you could ask questions too idc!!)

[jazzandother-blog]

The Mothers in London, 1967

[letterboxd-loggd]

Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) Preston Sturges

September 5th 2023