Friday Song: “Let It Rock”
Chuck Berry is the fount of rock, as this week's song reminds us
I recently went to see Jeff Lynne’s ELO in Boston. In a review the next day, one sentence in particular caught my eye — to paraphrase, the reviewer felt that after a summer of modern artists who clearly had never encountered Chuck Berry, it was refreshing to see a band that still showed clear rock music roots.
Berry is a key to rock, and Bob Seger’s 1981 live album Nine Tonight — with much of it recorded in Boston — is resplendent with this founder’s influence, including the line from “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” (“. . . all of Chuck’s children are out there playing his licks”).
- Seger himself is an oft-overlooked rock legend, with a stack of hits, an amazing voice, and a ripping band.
In this week’s song, Seger and his band mainline Berry’s influence with a masterclass in how to perform basic rock, work an audience, and achieve musical ecstasy with their version of Berry’s 1960 classic “Let It Rock.”
While footage of the performance isn’t available, the recording should be more than enough.
Enjoy!