1950-1955
Unsurprisingly,
Édith Piaf sounds entirely appropriate next to Frank Sinatra. Somewhat more surprisingly, Miles Davis
sounds really good mixed in with the both of them. I tend to think of Davis in terms of his big
album-sized statement albums (Kind of Blue, In A Silent Way, Bitches Brew), and
forget that jazz used to be a singles medium, and Davis got his start doing
that. And even the longer stuff still
sounds mighty right next to the vocal jazz of the period. Not that it should be surprising, but I just
separate these things in my mind.
Also,
whether it’s the music as a whole or just a reflection of my collection, my
early 50s stuff splits pretty clearly between jazz/pop on one side and
country/blues on the other. Whatever
happened since then, it’s fun to remember that, this early in their evolution,
the biggest difference between country and blues was who played the music, and
nothing all that great in the music itself.
And, of course, by the mid-50s, we start to get our first proper rock n’
roll, which at this point fits really well alongside the blues and
country. None of this is particularly new
or insightful, I guess, but go listen to Elvis’s Sun Sessions. 1) already Elvis was kicking tremendous
amounts of ass. 2) the difference
between Elvis and, say, Hank Williams on one side or John Lee Hooker on the
other is that Elvis was more grungy than the former and more frenetic than the
latter. Also definitely worth noting
that in this period we get Chuck Berry, our other great early rock ‘n roller,
the one who could play an instrument and write songs. Still, in 1955, Elvis feels more important, if
just because he less clearly can be pushed in with either blues or
country. Also, he’s a far better singer
than any of the other early rock & rollers, apart from maybe Gene Vincent.
Song of the “Year”: Elvis
Presley – “That’s All Right”. I think
“Rocket 88” has a stronger case for the first rock & roll song, but “That’s
All Right” is the debut of a massively important artist, and still tears
today.
Album of the Year:
Probably Miles Davis’s “Bag’s Groove.”
But largely because this is still a singles-dominated era. Still, a good one. If it wasn’t an after-the-fact comp, Elvis’s
Sun Sessions would be a contender.
That’s just good stuff.
Artist Most
Benefiting from Reevaluation: Édith
Piaf. I picked up some Édith Piaf mostly
because Liz likes her so much. But it
turns out there’s a reason for that.
Artist Most
Diminished in Reevaluation: Pete
Seeger. Already by the 1950s, folk
starts to sound formulaic and imitative, concerned with sounding “correct” than
evolving as a living genre. Still, that’s
probably harsher than I mean. The songs
& performances are all very good, and there’s a reason they’ve been summer
camp sing-a-long classics. But it pales
next to artists like Leadbelly & Woody Guthrie in the 40s and earlier.
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