Britain is the place where rock and roll went to find its wings.
It began, though, in the United States. Two events were the catalyst for rock and roll in the U.S. - the adoption of the electric guitar and the creation of the rhythm of rock and roll. Both things occured in and because of the Black music community. In the early 1950's, the Jazz movement in the Black community had fragmented into many new styles and varieties. Eddie Durham and Charlie Christian, both Black jazz musicians, began experimenting with a new instrument that had been created to try to amplify the sounds of an acoustic guitar. This instrument was, of course, the electric guitar. They brought the instrument to the attention of a national audience. As for the creation of the rhythm, that can be credited, in large part, to Rosetta Tharpe, an enormously influential Black singer, songwriter and recording artist who pioneered a new era of Gospel. In order to bring her music to a secular audience, she began infusing her music with a "witty, idiosyncratic style" characterized by what we now call a rock accompaniment. She wrote one of the first rock album. Her popularity served to spread the rock movement in the South where it eventually found a large following in artists like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Elvis Presley. Indeed, one of Little Richard's, Elvis Presley's, and Johnny Cash's greatest musical influences was Rosetta Tharpe.
Rosetta Tharpe, one of the first rock and roll artists, pictured above
So, American history is steeped in the sounds of rock and roll. How then, is it that we have lost our edge? How is it that it has been essentially exported to other countries where it is flourishing, while in ours it has taken a back seat to pop and rap? One only has to look at the Billboard charts to see that they are now inundated by pop, rap, and hip hop. Is it because the great musical talent that created this most exciting of genres has taken its talents to these other genres? Is R&B the only remnant of this great American industry? Are we as Americans, heaven forbid,
tired of rock and roll?
Led Zeppelin, one of many British rock groups that invaded the U.S. in the 60's, pictured above
The rock movement of the 50's greatly impacted the people of Great Britain. They saw in our fast-paced, highly rhythmic, honky-tonk bluesy music the potential for music unlike anything heard before. It wasn't long (actually 1958)before Cliff Richard formed his rock band and became a superstar - the first rock star in Britain. It was only four years later, in 1962, that the Rolling Stones were formed. The Brits pretty much took over after that. The British rock invasion of the U.S. began in 1964 and it really hasn't stopped. The greatest musicians in modern history, the Beatles, pretty much cemented the power and influence of British rock in the U.S. Along with them came the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, and The Who. Britain's influence on the world rock scene and on the American rock scene remains unabated. Through the decades bands and people such as (to name a very select few) The Clash, The Police, the Sex Pistols, Pink Floyd, The Ramones, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Blur, Oasis, Robbie Williams, Franz Ferdinand, and Coldplay have taken rock to new levels of creativity, inventing new sounds that continue to expand the definition of "rock."
The Beatles, the most famous band in British history, pictured above
This isn't to say that Americans have been sitting back and letting the British do all the work. Some of the greatest of all time come from America: Madonna, Hendrix, Springsteen, the Beach Boys, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan (for chrissakes), and Simon & Garfunkel, to name a few. Our light shines brightly, but it seems like it is reaching its twilight. I could be wrong, but with the increasing popularity of rap (some of which is good, no doubt) and pop (also has good qualities), the remants of our rock and roll past are being swallowed up. R&B has been our modern day connection to the rock and roll of the past. It is now reaching the point where it is no longer differentiable from hip hop/rap. And with the advent of reggaeton, I don't know in what direction we are going. I just know that I feel uneasy about the destination.
One of the bands of the 90's that continued the tradition of great British contribution to rock and roll, pictured above
With all that said, I now reach the entire point of my post, the reason for slogging through this mess of historical facts. No doubt one of the greatest rockers is Eric Clapton. Part of his genius is his ability to transcend genres more than the average "genre-transcender." It is how one of the definitive love songs of rock and roll "Layla" managed to peak three times in three separate decades - by redefining itself completely, becoming a new experience each time. It perfectly illustrates the musical genius of Eric Clapton.
Below are two videos, both of Layla. The first is the original ballad in its full hard rock glory. The iconic opening melodic phrase is just the launching point for a thrilling 7 minute musical adventure that includes a 1+ minute guitar solo, and a massive piano coda. The second video is the greatly reworked version for his Unplugged concert. I've listened to Unplugged albums before and while the songs sound different, it is usually because they are being played acoustically and very little is done to change the song outside of perhaps a longer intro/outro or an extra instrumental solo. This version of "Layla" is completely different from the original. It is hardly the same song at all. Indeed, the Unplugged version is much shorter as the piano coda was removed. More than that, though, is the heavy jazz influence. It is no longer a hard rock song. It is classy, smooth jazz. As such, it sounds incredible. The guitar solo is particularly moving. The lyrics connect at a much deeper level in this version because the mood of the song more accurately reflects the quiet introspective nature of a man "down on his knees." At the same time, it can be argued that in the original the lyrics are written out of desperation, which fits with the intense, over-the-top, hard rock version in the first video.
In both forms, Eric Clapton's "Layla" is one of my favorite songs of all time.
Version 1 - Layla Original
Version 2 - Layla Unplugged