Skiffle

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

On the Britpop flops in the USA thread. Lord Custos says that if it wasn't for the yanks we'd still be playing skiffle. If those beefy US sailors had never brought there rock 'n'roll records to the docks of Liverpool what would British pop music have turned out like.

Also skiffle is generally sneered at but it seems to me as important as say US garage rock in pop history (not to say that it's any good).

― Billy Dods, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

John Lennon to thread.

― Billy Dods, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Vitally important in rock history. British skiffle rendition of "Rock Island Line" generally considered first rock 'n roll track propah.

― Sterling Clover, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sterling - who's doing the 'considering' here? Lonnie Donegan didn't have a hit w/ it in the UK until 1956 - whereas 'Shake Rattle and Roll' by Billy Haley and the Comets made the UK charts in (Dec) 1954. And that's not even including yr Jackie Brenstons/Ike Turners etc. etc. in the USA.

― Andrew L, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The album containing it was released by The Chris Barber Jazz Band in Oct. 1954 and sold 60,000 copies in its first month of release.

― Sterling Clover, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

In my own defense, I was saying that under the influence of psychotic rage at this Calum...person...and Yes, I do understand that not all great musical ideas come from America.
They come from Black People. (ho ho ho.)

(lets see if a whole 'nuther thread can be generated by that little pissant remark...heh.)

― Lord Custos II, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And yes, I do know that the Brits would've thought up SOMETHING interesting eventually. Hell, maybe Fairport Convention would be holding the niche that the Beatles hold in our current version of reality.
Which would mean in that other world, Oasis would sound like the Pogues and Niel and Loam would be running around yelling "We are going to the bigger than Fairport Convention."

― Lord Custos II, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"shake rattle & roll" - big joe turner's version - april 1954. Bill haley's version, kinda watery by comparison, came out in june, same year. by the end of '54, people were saying rock and roll was dead, anyway. See Tosches, Nick, for more...

skiffle's nice and all, but it was a mild after-shock of rock and roll, no more. Kinda like a nice cup of lukewarm tea to ease a bourbon-soaked hangover. Or something.

― pauls00, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Or Neil saying "Yeah, I admire Richard Thompson as a musician an' all, but If I evah met him, I'd tell I thought he was a nipple." then he turns ostentatiously to the camera a barks "Y'hear that, Richie? NIH-PUL!"

― Lord Custos II, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

but skiffle also = birth of uk infatuation with black american pop music

― Sterling Clover, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah Paul, I agree that the Big Joe rec pisses all over the Haley versh - but the Turner version was never a hit in the UK. And as I suggested before, even by Oct 1954 there were plenty of US recs that are just as much rock'n'roll as 'Rock Island Line'.

There was an okish 'South Bank Show' documentary on Johnnie Ray a few weeks back - Ray sang w/ the Treniers, was generally obsessed w/ the 'emotional expressiveness' of r'n'b, and he was having hits in the UK as far back as 1952.

― Andrew L, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Lord C fret not i'm not dissing you, it was just a point which I thought worth following on from.

Sterling I would've thought that the infatuation with black pop goes back much earlier, checking out copies of the Melody Maker from the late 20's early 30's would bear that out, or failing that check out something like the soundtrack to Pennies from heaven.

Skiffle I think is important as the first flowering of a diy culture which is typical of British pop music. Which yes imported huge chunks from country, folk, r'n'b or whatever but flourished by it's pairing of simplicity and cheap technology.

Plus the fact that the Brits could get it wrong, could lead it down a lot of interesting and new avenues which couldn't follow if it was simply trying to ape an American sound.

― Billy Dods, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

James Chance is a big Johnny Ray fan

― mark s, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

For a minute I thought you wrote "James Chance was a big Jimmy Ray fan" as in ill-fated one non-hit wonder of 'Are You Jimmy Ray?' non- fame, and I got all swooshy and gurgly. Who wants to know?

― Dave M., Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No, it's Arto Lindsay who's the big Jimmy Ray fan.

― J Blount, Thursday, 25 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My spelling of 'Johnnie Ray' is the correct one as far as I can tell.

I've never heard a James Chance rec. Am I missing out?

― Andrew L, Friday, 26 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

RoXoR!

― mark lamarrrr, Friday, 26 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Surely the main problem with skiffle is its name. I mean it sounds a bit wet and weedy doesn't it?

― Richard Jones, Friday, 26 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sugar Frosted Skiffle Crisp Cereal
with Lonnie Donnigan shaped Marshmallows!
Gives you a full days allowance of sacharrine and weediness. And it has half the Fat and Cholesterol of Starsailor-O's!

― Lord Custos II, Friday, 26 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.