"Rock 'N' Roll" is a 1975 album of late 1950s and early 1960s songs covered by John Lennon. Recording the album was problematic and spanned a year.
"Rock 'N' Roll" has long been one of John Lennon's least appreciated albums, partially because an album of covers has never been embraced by a fan base that loves him as a singer/songwriter, and partially because the production on the 1975 album has dated poorly. Over the years, its reputation has grown somewhat, at least among Lennon fanatics, since it is true that John was one of the greatest rock & roll singers, and it's a pleasure to hear him sing this set of oldies. That doesn't erase the biggest problem with the record: the production and the arrangements. This is the sound of '70s studio pros cutting loose with talk boxes, fuzz and slide guitars, clavinets, and way too many horns, playing arrangements that are just a little too show biz for their own good (witness how Lee Dorsey's easy-rolling "Ya Ya" turned into a lively little number that would have sounded perfect on a television variety show. After all, Lennon is a great rock & roll singer, he's having a good time here, and the album is enhanced by four bonus tracks including the outtake "Angel Baby," featured on Roots, the legendary, controversial, unofficial early version of Rock 'n' Roll, but not its companion cut, "Be My Baby," which remains in the vaults (the other three bonus tracks are "To Know Her Is to Love Her," a reprise of "Just Because," and a take on Elvis Presley's version of Arthur Crudup's "My Baby Left Me," here inaccurately titled "Since My Baby Left Me," which suggests it's a cover of the Ivory Joe Hunter chestnut when it's not.
Tracklist
01. Be-Bop-A-Lula (Tex Davis, Gene Vincent) - 2:39
02. Stand by Me (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Ben E. King) - 3:26
03. Medley: Rip It Up/Ready Teddy (Robert 'Bumps' Blackwell, John Marascalco) - 1:33
04. You Can't Catch Me (Chuck Berry) - 4:51
05. Ain't That a Shame (Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew) - 2:38
06. Do You Want to Dance (Bobby Freeman) - 3:15
07. Sweet Little Sixteen (Chuck Berry) - 3:01
08. Slippin' and Slidin' (Eddie Bocage, Albert Collins, Richard Wayne Penniman, James H. Smith) - 2:16
09. Peggy Sue (Jerry Allison, Norman Petty, Buddy Holly) - 2:06
10. Medley: Bring It On Home to Me/Send Me Some Lovin' (Sam Cooke)/(John Marascalco, Leo Price) - 3:41
11. Bony Moronie (Larry Williams) - 3:47
12. Ya Ya (Lee Dorsey, Clarence Lewis, Morgan Robinson) - 2:17
13. Just Because (Lloyd Price) - 4:25
14. Angel Baby (Rosie Hamlin) - 3:44
15. To Know Her Is to Love Her (Phil Spector) - 4:31
16. Since My Baby Left Me (Arthur Crudup) - 4:40
17. Just Because (Reprise) - 1:25
Released: 21 February 1975
Recorded: A&M Studios, October, December 1973; Record Plant Studios (East), 21–25 October 1974
Genre: Rock and roll
Length: 40:03
Label: Apple/EMI
Producer: John Lennon, Phil Spector
Personnel
John Lennon - Guitars, vocals
Jesse Ed Davis - Guitar
Jim Calvert - Guitar
Eddie Mottau - Acoustic guitar
José Feliciano - Acoustic guitar
Michael Hazelwood - Acoustic Guitar
Steve Cropper - Guitar
Klaus Voormann - Bass guitar, answer vocal on "Bring It on Home to Me"
Leon Russell - Keyboards
Ken Ascher - Keyboards
Jim Keltner - Drums
Hal Blaine - Drums
Gary Mallaber - Drums
Arthur Jenkins - Percussion
Nino Tempo - Saxophone
Jeff Barry - Horn
Barry Mann - Horn
Bobby Keys - Horn
Peter Jameson - Horn
Joseph Temperley - Horn
Dennis Morouse - Horn
Frank Vicari - Horn
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