Rock 'n' Roll Will Never Die

Last updated
Rock 'n' Roll Will Never Die
RocknRollWillNeverDie.jpg
Studio album by
Released20 February 1996 (1996-02-20)
Genre Alternative rock, outsider, spoken word
Length66:09
Label Oglio Records
Wesley Willis chronology
Feel the Power
(1996)
Rock 'n' Roll Will Never Die
(1996)
Black Light Diner
(1996)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Rock 'n' Roll Will Never Die is a studio album by the American singer-songwriter Wesley Willis. It was released on 20 February 1996 by Oglio Records, and was the first of Willis' to be released on that label.

Contents

Background

Like the rest of Willis' music, each track on the album was recorded with a pre-programmed instrumental played on a keyboard, with Willis talking over it and then singing or yelling the title of the song as the chorus. This album features mainly songs about famous recording artists that Willis liked or saw in concert, including his band. Every song ends with the phrase "Rock over London, rock on Chicago," followed by a random advertising slogan.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Wesley Willis

No.TitleLength
1."Hootie and the Blowfish"3:08
2."Kurt Cobain"2:25
3."Nirvana"2:21
4."The Rolling Stones"2:14
5."Jello Biafra"3:01
6."Mojo Nixon"2:08
7."Bolt Thrower"2:14
8."Spin Doctors"3:15
9."Dave Grohl"3:01
10."Foo Fighters"2:59
11."Pink Floyd"2:51
12."Blues Traveler"2:48
13."Fugazi"2:59
14."Blackie-O"2:36
15."KRS-1"2:52
16."Morbid Angel"2:30
17."KMFDM"2:54
18."Shonen Knife"2:30
19."Liz Phair"3:04
20."Courtney Love"2:58
21."Jefferson Airplane"3:09
22."Lotion"2:36
23."Dale Meiners"2:49
24."The Wesley Willis Fiasco"2:47
25."Merry Christmas"2:55
Total length:66:09

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Def Leppard</span> British rock band

Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 1976. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage, Joe Elliott, Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen, and Vivian Campbell. They established themselves as part of the new wave of British heavy metal of the early 1980s. Their greatest commercial success came between the early 1980s and mid–1990s.

<i>Pyromania</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Def Leppard

Pyromania is the third studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 20 January 1983 through Vertigo Records in UK and Europe and through Mercury Records in the US. The first album to feature guitarist Phil Collen who replaced founding member Pete Willis, Pyromania was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The album was a shift away from the band's traditional heavy metal roots toward a more radio-friendly sound, finding massive mainstream success. Pyromania charted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, No. 4 on the Canadian RPM Album chart and No. 18 on the UK Albums Chart. Selling over ten million copies in the US, it has been certified diamond by the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wesley Willis</span> American musician and artist (1963–2003)

Wesley Lawrence Willis was an American musician and visual artist. Diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1989, Willis began a career as an underground singer-songwriter in the outsider music tradition. Willis' songs are typically partially spoken in an MC style, and partially sung in a nasal and out-of-tune manner reminiscent of punk rock vocals. They feature bizarre, humorous and sometimes obscene or absurd lyrics sung over backing created by using the auto accompaniment feature on his Technics KN keyboard. His songs cover a wide variety of topics, with mental illness and consumerism being the most prominent themes. He is best known for songs such as "Rock N Roll McDonald's" as well as a series of songs where he would directly insult his demons.

<i>John Wesley Harding</i> 1967 studio album by Bob Dylan

John Wesley Harding is the eighth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on December 27, 1967, by Columbia Records. Produced by Bob Johnston, the album marked Dylan's return to semi-acoustic instrumentation and folk-influenced songwriting after three albums of lyrically abstract, blues-indebted rock music. John Wesley Harding was recorded around the same time as the home recording sessions with The Band known as The Basement Tapes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Miller Band</span> American rock band

The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1966. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock radio, as well as several earlier psychedelic rock albums. Miller left his first band to move to San Francisco and form the Steve Miller Blues Band. Shortly after Harvey Kornspan negotiated the band's contract with Capitol Records in 1967, the band shortened its name to the Steve Miller Band. In February 1968, the band recorded its debut album, Children of the Future. It went on to produce the albums Sailor, Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, The Joker, Fly Like an Eagle, and Book of Dreams, among others. The band's album Greatest Hits 1974–78, released in 1978, has sold over 13 million copies. In 2016, Steve Miller was inducted as a solo artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

<i>Its Only Rock n Roll</i> 1974 studio album by the Rolling Stones

It's Only Rock 'n Roll is the twelfth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 18 October 1974 by Rolling Stones Records. It was the last album to feature guitarist Mick Taylor; the songwriting and recording of the album's title track had a connection to Taylor's eventual replacement, Ronnie Wood. It's Only Rock 'n Roll combines the core blues and rock 'n' roll–oriented sound with elements of funk and reggae. It's Only Rock 'n Roll reached number one in the United States and number two in the UK.

<i>Suburban Rock n Roll</i> 2004 studio album by Space

Suburban Rock 'n' Roll is the third studio album by Space, released on 8 March 2004. It is their first proper album release since 1998's Tin Planet. The tracks "Zombies", "Suburban Rock 'N' Roll" and "20 Million Miles from Earth" were released as singles, all of them failing to reach top 40.

<i>Roy Orbison at the Rock House</i> 1961 studio album by Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison at the Rock House is the first album by Roy Orbison on the Sun Records label, released in 1961 at a time when Orbison had already moved to the Monument label. Sun Records owner Sam Phillips had a collection of songs Orbison had recorded at Sun during 1956–1958. Phillips capitalized on the national recognition Orbison had achieved at Monument through three major hit singles in 1960 and 1961 that had gone to the top of the Billboard charts.

<i>The Daddy of Rock n Roll</i> 2003 American film

Wesley Willis: The Daddy of Rock 'n' Roll is a 2003 documentary film directed by Daniel Bitton about rock musician and artist Wesley Willis, who died four months after the film's release at age 40. Willis, challenged by a weight disorder as well as paranoid schizophrenia, is followed in his daily tasks, trials and tribulations in autumn 2000, showing him writing his unique yet virtually identical songs, playing a show, attending to daily chores, and working on his ink paintings at Genesis.

<i>Life</i> (Neil Young & Crazy Horse album) 1987 studio album with live recordings by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Life is the 17th studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young and his American backing band Crazy Horse, and it is Young's last release on the Geffen label. As with their 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps, most of the songs were recorded live with later studio overdubs. The album was released on June 30, 1987.

The Wesley Willis Fiasco was an American punk rock band based in Wicker Park, Chicago, Illinois, United States, led by Wesley Willis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star</span> 1967 single by the Byrds

"So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds. Written by Jim McGuinn and Chris Hillman, it was included on the band's 1967 album, Younger Than Yesterday. The song was inspired by the manufactured nature of the Monkees and was released as a single on January 9, 1967, reaching number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, but failing to chart in the United Kingdom.

"Powderfinger" is a song written by Neil Young, first released on his 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps. It subsequently appeared on several of Young's live recordings. A 2014 Rolling Stone special issue on Young ranked it as Young's best song ever.

Oglio Records is an American record company started in 1993 by Carl Caprioglio. The label issues compilations of rare 1980s modern rock and new wave songs, many previously unreleased on CD. In addition to releasing new material by artists such as BigBang, Nerf Herder and Wesley Willis, the label has also re-released albums by artists such as Brian Wilson and Barnes & Barnes. Oglio Entertainment has also released stand-up comedy CDs by the likes of Jackie Martling and George Lopez.

<i>Silver</i> (Cliff Richard album) 1983 studio album by Cliff Richard

Silver is the 26th studio album by Cliff Richard. It was released in October 1983 to mark his 25th anniversary in music. The North American version was titled Give a Little Bit More and had a revised track list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock n Roll (Avril Lavigne song)</span> 2013 single by Avril Lavigne

"Rock n Roll" is a song by Canadian recording artist Avril Lavigne. It was released as the second single from her self-titled fifth studio album by Sony Music Entertainment on August 23, 2013. The song was written by Lavigne, David Hodges, Chad Kroeger, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Rickard B. Göransson and Peter Svensson and was produced by Peter Svensson.

<i>Avril Lavigne</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was released on November 1, 2013, through Epic Records in North America and Sony Music Entertainment worldwide. Lavigne collaborated with numerous producers including Martin Johnson, Peter Svensson, David Hodges, Matt Squire, and Chad Kroeger. In both musical and lyrical aspects, the album represents a departure from the acoustic-oriented production of her previous album Goodbye Lullaby (2011), featuring a more uptempo pop sound juxtaposed with power and piano ballads. Avril Lavigne also incorporates electronic music, industrial and punk rock. The album features two vocal collaborations: Kroeger and American industrial metal singer Marilyn Manson, making Avril Lavigne Lavigne's first album to contain featured vocalists. The album marks her first and only release through Epic Records, and is her second and final studio album with Sony Music, to which, from BMG, she first signed in 2000, before being moved to Sony Music following their acquisition of all BMG labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy</span> 1978 single by The Kinks

"A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" is the lead single and fourth track from The Kinks' 1978 album Misfits. Written by Ray Davies, the song was inspired by the band's then-tumultuous state at the time, with two members leaving the band during the recording of Misfits. Released as the first single from the album, the track was the band's most successful single in years, reaching number 30.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dear Future Self (Hands Up)</span> 2019 single by Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean

"Dear Future Self (Hands Up)" is a song by American rock band Fall Out Boy featuring Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean. It was released on September 10, 2019, on DCD2 and Island Records as a single from their compilation album, Greatest Hits: Believers Never Die – Volume Two.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Wesley Willis album) 1995 compilation album by Wesley Willis

Greatest Hits is a greatest hits compilation album by the American musician Wesley Willis, released on July 7, 1995.

References

  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Wesley Willis Rock 'n' Roll Will Never Die Review" . Retrieved 3 October 2012.