Rock and Roll at Fifty and More Rock and Roll At Fifty

Distributor: Umbrella Entertainment
Certificate: PG | 70 minutes and 90 minutes | Region 4 Pal Format
Available to buy

Extras: Yes
Available to buy separately

ANYONE IN IT WE KNOW?

Pretty much every key figure from the golden age of rock n roll

WHAT’S IT ABOUT THEN?

In May 2003 two concerts were performed, one in Surrey, England and one in Pittsburgh, USA, they featured many of the greats from the rock n roll era of the 1950's and beyond into the early sixties including the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Bo Diddley.

SO IS IT ANY GOOD?

The roots of rock n roll can be traced back to the blues and even earlier, you'd be hard pressed to name the year rock n roll really started, was it when Elvis and Scotty Moore got together to record That's Alright Mama or when Bill Haley rocked around the clock or when Alan Freed supposedly coined the phrase on his radio show, it's pretty much definite that it wasn't 1953 that saw the birth of rock n roll, although we suspect that the 50th birthday theme was just a great hook to hang the shows on, its immaterial anyway as these two discs are full on lessons in nostalgia; Recorded for a pledge special on the US

PBS network Jerry Lee Lewis opens up proceedings with a crunching version of Whole Lotta Shakin' quickly followed by Bo showing that he does know Diddley, amongst the admittedly aging acts that follow are the likes of The Heartbeats, Paul and Paula, Johnny Tillotson, Bryan Hyland, Lesley Gore and Gary US Bonds, all of whom still have it in spades; both the discs feature the same acts and follow the same format, the More Rock and Roll at Fifty features tracks recorded at the concerts but not broadcast at the time (for reasons of time not quality). The only quibble we would have with these two shows are the inclusion of some distinctly non rock n roll acts such as Manfred Mann and Gerry Marsden, who turn in entertaining performances but are certainly not remembered for their rock n roll legend status.

For any vintage music fan these two releases more than prove that no matter what your age, rock and roll can never die. Great stuff.

ANY SPECIAL FEATURES?

Extras come in the form of backstage interviews with the likes of Bo Diddley, Paul and Paula, Lesley Gore, Gary US Bonds, Gary Puckett and Brian Hyland.